fleischdoc Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Hi, my name is Lisa, and I am a book junkie also. After reading this thread, someone on my local loop posted a 3 book set of Strayor Upton for sale, and I just had to do it. I think I need help :D Currently using MUS (Happily I may add, but always looking for ways to supplement) I just got my new LOF fractions for a summer review after MUS Epsilon. Lisa in Missouri - mom of 4 (11, 8, and 2yr old twinados) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyInTraining Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Well...we have used Shiller Math, Singapore, MUS and dabbled in Miquon and RightStart. I am currently using MUS with my oldest and I am going to try Practical Arithmetics with my next 2 and probably add my oldest in also. I don't know yet if we will stick with MUS also or just drop it for Practical Arithmetics. Time will tell ;)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Must. stay. out. of. this. thread.... Ay,you guys are killing me!! It's bad enough I already have 3 math curriculums that I will be using in 7th grade, plus the book for teachers, plus the Algebra book that just came in, PLEASE have mercy on me and don't mention how great this course is. Someone tell me it's terrible quick... please!!:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyInTraining Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Hi, This is from KOF about the older math programs: http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/Catalog/Curriculum/Curriculum_Mathematics.asp And here is an info page on Practical Arithmetics: http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/Catalog/Math_Books_73.asp Here is an excerpt from that one: These are the books that were used to train the generation of mathematicians that sent astronauts to the moon, and made on-the-spot, emergency recalculations for their return and reentry to the atmosphere with notepads and pencils in the days when there were no interactive computers to depend upon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Hi, This is from KOF about the older math programs: http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/Catalog/Curriculum/Curriculum_Mathematics.asp And here is an info page on Practical Arithmetics: http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/Catalog/Math_Books_73.asp Here is an excerpt from that one: Thanks.:glare: That really.... helps. :glare::tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyInTraining Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Thanks.:glare: That really.... helps. :glare::tongue_smilie: Always glad to help :p! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Must. stay. out. of. this. thread.... Ay,you guys are killing me!! It's bad enough I already have 3 math curriculums that I will be using in 7th grade, It doesn't help when Mommy loves math does it? I have a bunch of curricula too. What can I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 One of the things I really, really liked about Practical Arithmetic was the column addition. I had never learned to add this way either. I sometimes do it with them and they can see I am slow at it. :tongue_smilie:It really challenged me at first, and you are right about it being better than flash cards. My kids groan a bit every time they do it, but I know the little wheels are turning and they really can see their progress. Plus they know they show their mom up. :) What is column addition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline4kids Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 What is column addition? It is adding a long column of numbers first from the bottom to the top, and then checking by adding from the top down. You only add in the sequence listed. For instance if this were an addition problem: 3 4 5 1 8 __ You would first add in this way: say, 8, 9, 14,18, 21 Then you would check down: say, 3, 7, 12, 13, 21 At that point you would place 21 in the answer slot. It works like flashcards, but in a less redundant way. :) It then progresses to much longer and wider problems, with many more place values covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noashmam Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I really like the looks of the Level 6 and up. My son is currently in Rightstart Level E. Could I just start with Level 6 of Systematic Mathematics? Or would that be too advanced for him? I'm sure the Practical Arithmetic book is very good, but I have realized my son needs more visual and when I'm talking too much, it confuses him. So with me having to read the book to help him I have a feeling that would just be more of the same. The idea of the DVD is appealing to me. We have tried MUS in the past, two years ago. He hated it. Of course, he has matured since then so maybe it was just a developmental issue. He has mastered his subtraction/addition/multiplication. We have just begun divison work. But he is still having trouble knowing when to apply math facts to actual word problems. Would Level 6 be way too advanced? When I look at the final test for Level 6-1 it looks like things he could do. So just wondering if we could start there. It says for 11 years old and up which he will be 11 in July. Although we have technically "held" him back and he will only be in 5th grade next year. Thanks, Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofabcd Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I really like the looks of the Level 6 and up. My son is currently in Rightstart Level E. Could I just start with Level 6 of Systematic Mathematics? Or would that be too advanced for him? I'm sure the Practical Arithmetic book is very good, but I have realized my son needs more visual and when I'm talking too much, it confuses him. So with me having to read the book to help him I have a feeling that would just be more of the same. The idea of the DVD is appealing to me. We have tried MUS in the past, two years ago. He hated it. Of course, he has matured since then so maybe it was just a developmental issue. He has mastered his subtraction/addition/multiplication. We have just begun divison work. But he is still having trouble knowing when to apply math facts to actual word problems. Would Level 6 be way too advanced? When I look at the final test for Level 6-1 it looks like things he could do. So just wondering if we could start there. It says for 11 years old and up which he will be 11 in July. Although we have technically "held" him back and he will only be in 5th grade next year. Thanks, Kim Kim, I would contact the people at Systematic Mathematics. They are very good about answering your questions promptly. I had a question about beginning with Level 6 and skipping the Practical math, as well. My dd will be 11 in October also tecnically 5th grade. They told me that they don't recommend children starting Level 6 until they are 11, I guess because of their brain development and level/capacity to understand the math they are learning. He said only very few under that age would be ready. I would look over the Scope/Sequence of the next level of Right Start and then look at the final test for each module in Level 6 to determine if it is a good fit or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noashmam Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Kim, I would contact the people at Systematic Mathematics. They are very good about answering your questions promptly. I had a question about beginning with Level 6 and skipping the Practical math, as well. My dd will be 11 in October also tecnically 5th grade. They told me that they don't recommend children starting Level 6 until they are 11, I guess because of their brain development and level/capacity to understand the math they are learning. He said only very few under that age would be ready. I would look over the Scope/Sequence of the next level of Right Start and then look at the final test for each module in Level 6 to determine if it is a good fit or not. Thank you. So what did you decide to do ? Are you going to do the Practical Math book with her? I did order the first book as I also have a dd who is 8. I figured I could peek at it that way, and maybe do some of the exercises with my son over the summer, using the book for her next year as she will be in 3rd grade. My son will be 11 this July but I surely don't want to frustrate him if the material in Module 6 is too hard. Module 6-1 definitely looked like a good fit for him. I'm just feeling the need to remove "me" from the equation as much as possible when it comes to the actual teaching of the Math. Or at least have another teacher who is presenting the material alongside me which is why the DVD's appeal to me, plus they look so straightforward. I'll contact the author. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelroper Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I think the two programs actually complement each other. There would be a ton of overlap if we tried to completely do both so I'm still working through how to sinc them up to get the best of both! This has been my conclusion too. Switched to Singapore as a "core" for the up to date math terms, use Strayor-Upton and sometimes Ray's for extra or alternative methods. Strayor-Upton is even set up similarly (more cycles in S-U, but still the addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc. progression), so I find it fairly easy to sync, plus, anything not covered in Singapore but in S-U we will do over the summer. FYI I moved to Singapore this year after using S-U and Ray's for awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyInTraining Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Strayerr Upton--yes. Systematic Mathematics--no. Here is why I would not want to use the Systematic Mathematics--based on this review from: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfuljumbles/Homeschool%20Related/ Out of disappointment and frustration, I started back on the endless researching journey for math. I found Systematic Mathematics. This looked very good. It is a teacher on DVD whose philosophy is that a strong foundation should be laid in every math concept before any thing new is taught. That way the students have a clear understanding of things before moving to new concepts. He also taught that math taught in a spiral method confuses students, and does not help them learn things well. He says that the best way to learn math is systematically : building a strong foundation and then teaching the next concept. This sounded great! So, we dove in, and my oldest son used it. He is a natural at math, and rarely became frustrated with math. But, he was extremely frustrated with it. I quickly found out why. I went and watched the DVD lessons. The teacher made mistakes with the math problems he was teaching, and it took 10 -15 minutes for him to discover his mistakes. My son was so confused by this teaching that it was going no where. Again, we sold the Systematic Mathematics used. But, I had found from the Systematics Mathematics website some reprinted Math Textbooks from 1934, and had purchased books 1 and 2. They are called Strayer-Upton Practical Arithmetics. These are chunky black and white math books, that teach the foundational basics of math very thoroughly before introducing new things. So, we used this with our oldest 2 boys, and they really enjoyed it. I didn't have them do every page and problem, but, only what they needed until they understood it. The boys do have to write the problems down on graph paper, they are not workbooks, they are textbooks. Since we enjoyed the Practical Arithmetics books so well, I went on Amazon.com and found the 3rd book for my oldest son. My boys really like it because they are learning and it is in bite size chunks and it is not a spiral method of teaching math. Their frustration has been nill. (The Systematic Mathematics website has some really great articles on math, but, the curriculum doesn't make the cut, with all the errors in the Teaching DVD's). After the Systematic Mathematics, we did try the VideoText Algebra Module B. It was ok, but, didn't cover everything as thoroughly as I would've liked. We may use this again sometime. But, as of right now, I am very happy with the Strayer-Upton Practical Arithmetics for my older kids! YMMV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline4kids Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 I have all the Systematic Mathematics courses (6th - Algebra 2) that my 11 year old just started. So far he likes it a lot. I will let y'all know how it goes. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumiller Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I have all the Systematic Mathematics courses (6th - Algebra 2) that my 11 year old just started. So far he likes it a lot. I will let y'all know how it goes. ;) My oldest son has only one more module to do in order to complete Algebra. I will say this. . . Mr. Paul Ziegler has become a dear friend to our family and we've never even met him! My son soon overcame the poor quality of the dvd lessons and the times when Mr. Ziegler would write something on the board wrong because deep down my son was learning and he knew it. Also, the quality of the recordings got better as he went through the modules. Caroline, I made it a game with my son to see if he could 'catch' his teacher when he made an error. : ) And, Mr Ziegler always caught the error before too long and would talk his way back to the beginning in order to find it which taught my son how to go back and check his own work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noashmam Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I have all the Systematic Mathematics courses (6th - Algebra 2) that my 11 year old just started. So far he likes it a lot. I will let y'all know how it goes. ;) Was your ds good at Math already? What curriculum did you use before starting him in Systematic Mathematics? Just curious. Thanks! Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingHope Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 My children use the Practical Arithmetic Series. It is practical (hence the name) and self-teaching. I don't even have to help with long division. I let the children check their work and work it out...and work it out...and work it out. I was influenced by the Robinson Curriculum and this series fits the bill. The children don't want me to help them anymore. It does move very slowly, but a child who completes book 1 will have a solid math foundation. Janell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline4kids Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 My oldest son has only one more module to do in order to complete Algebra. I will say this. . . Mr. Paul Ziegler has become a dear friend to our family and we've never even met him! My son soon overcame the poor quality of the dvd lessons and the times when Mr. Ziegler would write something on the board wrong because deep down my son was learning and he knew it. Also, the quality of the recordings got better as he went through the modules. Caroline, I made it a game with my son to see if he could 'catch' his teacher when he made an error. : ) And, Mr Ziegler always caught the error before too long and would talk his way back to the beginning in order to find it which taught my son how to go back and check his own work. You bring up a great point too. Teachers in a classroom, or a tutor for that matter, will have mistakes from time to time. It keeps kids on their toes and makes sure they are paying attention.;) I bought these dvd's used at a homeschool book sale and the lady raved about how her children grew to have a great affinity for Mr. Ziegler too.:) They thought it was like having their "Pa Pa" teaching them algebra! She said they really learned a lot and the only reason she was selling the materials was they had used it all the way through. I like the fact that his lessons are well thought out. Any occasionally computation error is made up for the detailed lessons he lays out. The "why" seems to be strong focal point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwka Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Hi, This is from KOF about the older math programs: http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/Catalog/Curriculum/Curriculum_Mathematics.asp And here is an info page on Practical Arithmetics: http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/Catalog/Math_Books_73.asp Here is an excerpt from that one:[ /quote]These are the books that were used to train the generation of mathematicians that sent astronauts to the moon, and made on-the-spot, emergency recalculations for their return and reentry to the atmosphere with notepads and pencils in the days when there were no interactive computers to depend upon. ..that would be me...notepads and pencils... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwka Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 ooooh. I just found this from one of the books they were selling on Ebay. This is book 5 out of 6 books. The word problems look A LOT like the stuff that my daughter has been doing in Singapore 6B. http://img.inkfrog.com/click_enlarge1.php?image=460981.JPG&username=backintime14&aid=36177697 oh my...this looks totally like my math book!!! (just in another language) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) Bump Is anyone using these right now? I liked the look of the sample at Rainbow Resource which showed how to do a bar graph by hand. Drawing nice graphs by hand is one of my goals this year. I think I have a CBD coupon somewhere :-0 As well as graphing, I need to clean up some weak areas in consumer maths and this book looks like it covers that. And then the 1st chapter on transportation is just so retro and appropriate for my unit study that is covering how advances in transportation have affected missions. So the book junkie I am will almost certainly buy this tomorrow when my check comes in. Edited June 30, 2011 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Just as a heads up, Efficiency Arithmetic looks quite similar, and it's free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 These look really good to add as supplements to unit studies. There are no answer key's though, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 (edited) Is anyone planning on using Strayer-Upton this year? I ordered the 7/8 book, but it is too hard for me. My seizures have been eroding my math abilities for awhile, but it has reached a stage of needing SERIOUS attention now. I've lost the ability to divide. I order book 3/4 last night. After studying the table of contents, it's looks to me like these books do not overlap much. It looks like each book is expected to be mastered before moving on to the next book; that while these books are PACKED with problems, they are meant to be all completed, and in order. They don't look like textbooks where every type of problem a teacher MIGHT want to use is included, for her to pick and choose from. Am I correct about this? So a fifth grader who is basically very good with math, but has not yet mastered multiplication and division will need to start in book 3/4? That the lessons, in multiplication and division, in book 5/6 are meant to be REVIEW, and were not designed for mastery work? Book 7/8 exceeded my expectations. The graphing chapter looks to be quite comprehensive, and perfect for unit study tie ins and science labs. The artsy geometric construction lessons were a nice surprise! Now I can cross the Waldof math off my list :-) Edited July 19, 2011 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyInTraining Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I couldn't get your KJV link to work. Could you post it in the thread? Thanks! Terri (Hi from SOW!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) Is anyone currently using Strayer-Upton? I've pulled these books back out again recently, to get some WORK done. I've been playing around reading lots about THEORY instead of buckling down and remediating my areas of brain damage, and that needs to STOP. I've been seriously attacking my long division gaps with SU for the past few days and making some measurable progress. I think a few more days of work and I might be able to say that I can divide again :-) One of the things I have done, is to purchase 2 copies of the book I'm working on. For some of the drill pages, I have ripped apart, scanned, enlarged and printed out the pages. Other pages it's easier to just copy the problems from the intact book onto graph paper. These books are certainly cheap enough to have 2 copies. I'm curious if anyone else is currently feeling the Strayer-Upton love. Edited April 13, 2012 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abreakfromlife Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I bought these books a couple of weeks ago after researching Ray's and coming across this thread. They just came the other day and I'm going to start them on Mon. I'm excited. It looks really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 You guys are really bad for my budget... I'm going to try book 1 on my eldest, it looks more independent, since I have a lot of teacher-dependent stuff, so I don't have time to pull the MEP teacher's manual. Maybe I'll have more time to actually do some of the living math stuff with everyone. I might go through them myself - I memorized the "how" in school, but I've been relearning the "why" lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) Sigh. Bigger Sigh. More math research. ;) Pinned them. Edited April 13, 2012 by justamouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I have been using these for remediating my son. We basically sit on the couch together with the book and a whiteboard. We've been through many programs, and this is the one that works for him. I will photocopy a page every week or two, and enlarge it, or copy a page out on graph paper to have some written work for our files. It's a series that is easy to overlook or dismiss, but it really is wonderful. If I was starting over with a young one, I would spend the early years in hands on math, games, etc. and move right into this. Is anyone currently using Strayer-Upton? I've pulled these books back out again recently, to get some WORK done. I've been playing around reading lots about THEORY instead of buckling down and remediating my areas of brain damage, and that needs to STOP. I've been seriously attacking my long division gaps with SU for the past few days and making some measurable progress. I think a few more days of work and I might be able to say that I can divide again :-) One of the things I have done, is to purchase 2 copies of the book I'm working on. For some of the drill pages, I have ripped apart, scanned, enlarged and printed out the pages. Other pages it's easier to just copy the problems from the intact book onto graph paper. These books are certainly cheap enough to have 2 copies. I'm curious if anyone else is currently feeling the Strayer-Upton love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 You guys are really bad for my budget... . :iagree: I own way too many math programs now. I'm glad summer is coming so I have a chance to sit with all of this and regroup, and try some alternate things out during the summer months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I haven't read through this whole thread but I did find samples here for anyone interested in seeing it more in depth. Like everyone else here I do not need another fabulous math program to complicate things ;) Where's the fingers in ears smilie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I'm so glad someone posted about these!! I had read about them/researched them back when my oldest was 4...and since then I had remembered about the Systematic Mathematics, but had forgotten about the Practical Arithmetic. These might be a good choice for next year for us as my oldest finishes RS... and b/c I like to SHOP! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 What I did not need to do today was read about another fabulous math program...especially an "old-fashioned" one. I've always been amazed by my grandparents and great aunts/uncles ability to do math so quickly in their head and that is exactly what I want for my children. But nope, not gonna do it. For now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2agang Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I just stumbled upon this thread. I bought book 1 for 4 of my kids. (2 3rd graders and 2 5th graders ( Who need to work on division)) and I LOVE IT!!! It is great! We do 2 pages a day. Also It is nice to carry in the van if needed. I love the story problem and also the built in mastery of the basic facts. LOVE IT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garddwr Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I want to hear from anyone who waited until third grade to start with Strayer-Upton. What I'm telling myself is that waiting to do an actual math curriculum will free up time to do basic science stuff, which will lay a good foundation for practical math application. Right?!! Reassure me that waiting until third grade will not a nit-wit make... I really know it won't, but I feel like I'm going to have explain this concept to my father in particular, who just asked a homeschooling family's kids some math problems and complained to ME when they didn't know the answers! I didn't do formal math before third grade, then jumped into whatever math our public school taught and excelled. Dd9 also didn't do a formal program until third grade, I put her in Math Mammoth 2b and she went through it in two months and moved on to 3A. I think it can work very, very well, my only caution would be to make sure your kids have a good understanding of quantities and ways to manipulate them. If you can do this informally I think it is actually better for young children than seeing numbers and operations as something that just shows up in math books. Play games, measure things, introduce addition and subtraction and multiplication (each person has three cookies, there are four people...) in real life, play store with real money and let your kids buy things with cash, get them an analog watch to learn to tell time--it really does do a better job of developing conceptual understanding than workbooks and formulas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I wonder how different the Strayor Upton books are from the Upton Arithmetic (1945, American Book Company). I stumbled on a complete 3rd -8th grade set, unused, and have been considering it. Anyone have an idea? (What is neat about the set is it has a letter stapled to the front cover of book 3 from the American Book Company to the Superintendent of the New Mexico School explaining the curriculum. dated May 1948) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.