Math

from hbbk20:

My 12 year old....really did not like the Math approach at regular school, has trouble with rote memory and had little interest in textbook type problem after problem. The first year we did lots of non-text Math...so I could prove to her she could do math! We did kitchen Math, Workshop measuments, measuring and weighing and comparing, Math at the grocery store with comparisons....we did a lower level summer catch-up series as our only paperwork and still had to go slowly.

Then we went to "Developmental Math" and "Key to" series MAth with extra print outs, to add in to doing our hands on Math....this was very Mastery type but in the Developmental way. It gave lots of real world examples and makes it real...finally I have caught her making up problems and seeing Math as something she can handle, getting Math confidence back. She still has memory issues with rote memory and "facts" so we let her use a lot of Math charts so she can see the numbers in relation to other numbers...as she is more visual and kinsthetic, we have used the Math blocks....esp when teaching her little sister "Miquon" series math and my 12 year old will say....oh that is how that works, from her little sisters lessons with Miquon so we all love thiat series.

YET, it takes a lot of time and for my 1st grader I wanted to add something else to Math. This year is the first year I am using a big program for my 12 year old in Math. I decided to go with "Teaching Textbooks grade 7" because I want her to try and do more on her own now that she is less afraid or discouraged. For this year in 2nd grade we are going to still use Miquon but also add in a Horizons page or two, she will get the fun and discovery method we love with Miquon and also get more of a traditional method with Horizon mixed in and I hope she will have the patience for both this year. My new K kid will watch our Miquon lessons as she has done last year and also has the K series Horizons book but I will let her go at a pace that works for her. She likes numbers and has been exposed to good, happy, Math play and little frustration so hopefully we can keep up the good work.

from cl-phacademy:
Saxon was great for my oldest, but torture for DS2. We switched to Singapore, and he was much happier. When DS3 came along and was needing math, we used Singapore. It works well for him, but sometimes is a bit too fast paced for him. When I see him needing extra help, we pull out other materials, and supplement for a while. It usually doesn't take more than a week, then we're back to Singapore. I like that a lot of problems are shown different ways so the child can work the best way for him.

from cl-susanmercy:
We've done a bit of flip-flopping (Singapore to MUS and then back to Singapore) and I don't see that it hurt dd in any way. Moving to MUS got her solid in multiplication/division, which she was struggling with. It was at her request for this year that we moved back to Singapore.

from thesummerhouse:
Have you looked at Horizons? it's reasonably priced, it's colorful..with a good amount of practice. From there we went to ALEKs math online as they got older. We love ALEKS!!! They offer a 1 month free trial for homeschoolers. It's soo different from other program out there. It was developed by a professor from UC Irvine and it uses artificial intelligence. My kid used it from 6-10th grades-up through Algebra 2.

from m00minmamma:

You might look into Teaching Textbooks. It's got about 120 lessons per grade level, so the expectation of one lesson per day would be clear and reasonable. It can be completely computer-based, completely paper-based or anywhere in between.

We actually didn't like TT much because we found it was tough to skim through unnecessary explanations and practice that my kids didn't need -- my kids were used to a very quick pace of presentation and mastery through Singapore Math. But for families that are looking for daily structure and reinforcement, especially with a learner who wishes to work independently, TT is a great choice. They have a good demo on their website.

from kathlh:
Math-u-see is laid out with one page per day in mind. You'd need to look at the programme to get an idea where your ds would start. We've only used it in the Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1&2 and Geometry levels so far. We don't have experience with any of the lower levels but I know others here have.

from nancymc:

We're big Math U See fans here, so definitely look into that one. I do think you can expect some transition issues at first with any program you look into, with any of these programs they will have to adjust to the way the information is presented (which is more than likely MUCH different than ps).

Look at the placement test for MUS and see where he is there as well, the approach to it is much different than TT however, in that it uses a mastery approach, focusing on one area all year (for example, one year on division...one on fractions, etc). It does spiral in old concepts each week, but just for review. My kids do well with this approach, there is enough of the old to keep their skills current but not so much they get irritated.

In MUS there are 3 or 4 pages of new concepts only, then a few that include the new plus review. Word problems are a big part too, they are on every page. For my kids I have them watch the DVD, then do the first page of the new concept (called lesson practice), if it's clear to me that they have the new concept, we move onto the systematic review pages. Sometimes we spend the entire week on that lesson, sometimes they do the test after just a few days, it's really easy to judge when they have it and when they need to spend more focused time. I do always make them do at least one page of systematic review so that they are practicing both new stuff and old stuff.

Anyway, my point in all that long-winded information is that with this program it's been easy for me to teach the new and review the old without it getting tedious. I'm sure that's true with most programs, but I know that many programs believe in a LOT of review, and a LOT of problems each day, which my son would thoroughly balk at, so this works well for him.

It's also just a logical approach to math, which I appreciate, lots of real life applications, my kids instinctually get math, and I almost do too!

from arachnea:

We loved Lial- and for his level- Lial Basic Mathmetics.

We used Lial with our youngest dd who LOVES math! They are college books- don't be put off by that they are soooo well explained and I was able to find used one easily- teachers and students. Many of my friends switched to it and their kids thanked us for finding something that THEY could understand from the lesson instructions.

It covers everything he will need to be sucessful in higher maths.

As far as too much review- keep in mind texts include those for kids who need it. If your child has mastered them skip the review sections! Or do them once a week- or do one problem from each section. Be flexible and use whatever you choose to buy in a way that suits your child.
We used all of this series as well as Calculus with her. At 16 when she was taking placement tests for Dual Enrollment she tested out of all her college algebra courses. The test administrator came to talk to me and wanted to know what school she went to! When I told him- homeschool and we use Lial he said Ahhhhh no wonder she did so well on the tests!

My older two used her books to help them through their college math courses. Often the books their professors choose were not as well laid out.

Here is the link to their Algebra series http://www.lialalgebra.com/ you can see examples and read more about them her.

Here is a link to their free online text tutorials- http://www.interactmath.com/asp/wizardframe.htm
It would give you an idea of what the coursework. You have to install a small program (also free) to run it- but you can work through problems with it.