I love math so I enjoy helping my kiddos when they have questions. But if I didn’t feel proficient, I’d absolutely use Nicole’s videos! Your student will be provided with an account for his math level and he will work online. Notes: In math, the teacher can make all the difference, and Mr. D is a great teacher with a remarkable gift for connecting with his students. I don’t love the Saxon Calculus text as much as the rest of the series. I’m feeling a bit discouraged, and am not sure where to go from here. Procedural math teaches students to solve problems by giving them a series of steps which must be completed to find the answer to a problem(aka an algorithm). Good luck choosing — I know it is daunting! In fact, both of them have commented that they feel their multiple college Calculus courses have been quite easy and they can’t understand the disconnect their college peers express. "Even if I solved the equation or graph yet I'm not rewarded for solving it, no pats on the back.." Sounds childish I know.. From what I understand (still in sophomore year), Still, some of my professors from the math department mentioned that at later stage intuitive approach is also important..found something first, prove it later, Simulating 800,000 years of California earthquake history to pinpoint risks, Wetter weather affects composition, numbers of tiny estuarial phytoplankton, Biologists unravel full sequence of DNA repair mechanism. Will Math-U-See Algebra 1 Prepare A Student For College? The better you teach, the less the curriculum matters. The writing itself leads to better retention. So I'm starting her on Math U See Primer, which can be used for preschool or Kinder, just depending on their needs. Pros: Each concept is taught and then reviewed for 3-5 lessons after it is presented. Scope and Sequence: Comparable to other homeschool math curriculum, but before buying anything, have your child take the, Notes: This is a great curriculum for kids who just want to get math done and out of the way. The Math Guides are not consumable, but the Math Practice books are consumable and would need to be replaced each year. My kiddos voluntarily write and memorize and research out of love for this particular teacher. Do you kids skip problems when they get to Math 54? The manipulative set is necessary. So far I'm in trig, I'm struggling a bit. Is this right? Do you have any recommendations for History and Science? Additionally, you can purchase. CTC Math provides weekly, cumulative reviews for better retention. Others may say it isn’t rigorous enough. It teaches in a completely unique way, giving students strategies for solving problems that may seem totally out of the box to you. In the younger grades, Math K- Math 3, moms should use the Teacher Guide and the morning meeting to introduce concepts, as the texts are just consumable workbooks with zero instruction. Cons: Singapore is pretty time intensive for mom. Includes: A textbook that reads like literature, but with practical applications of math. I’d look through previous lessons and work through missed problems with them, and I could see where they had completely missed important concepts, but the computer program couldn’t. Different terms are used to describe such an approach, including “distributed” and “spaced.”. They work well for family study, too, from my high schoolers all the way down to my littles. Does it require a lot of preparation? Amazon, Thriftbooks and local homeschool curriculum sales are a great place to find used math curriculum. Join my newsletter for weekly inspiration, fun ideas and FREE resources! Pages are perforated & 3-hole punched for convenience. ALEKS is a research-based, web-based, artificially intelligent assessment (it uses adaptive questioning to adjust the learning modules presented) and learning online math program. It’s helpful to use those great scientists as inspiration. This is mom directed for the younger grades and independent for middle and high school. Some of the word problems are just plain weird, but that doesn’t bother me. Includes: Instructor Packs include solutions and the DVD, Student Packs have workbooks & tests. Does it fit within my budget? I just began researching a math curriculum. A really good homeschool math curriculum will have a blend of conceptual and procedural approaches to math. Have you seen Nicole the Math lady videos for Saxon? My two youngest tried the. Each kit contains enough experiments to cover a full semester (or more), but my kids find them so enjoyable they just plunge in and don’t come up for air until they’ve completed the entire thing. Thanks so much for any imput. It’s broad and general, not deep, so I wouldn’t use it with older kids. Notes: Published by Dr. Shormann, the author of the award-winning DIVE video lectures for Saxon Math, this homeschool math curriculum is based on John Saxon’s original teaching methods of incremental development, continual review, and integrated algebra and geometry. Students write directly in the worktext. What does the specific curriculum require? I have lots of tips for homeschooling cheap, starting with always checking for used curriculum first. Nothing easy is worth learning -- except conservation of energy :). For children who struggle with math or have trouble thinking abstractly, Math-U-See can help them feel successful at math and confident in their understanding of math concepts. Singapore takes a concrete > pictorial > abstract approach, which greatly facilitates understanding. Is math suppose to be rigorous? I must not be mathy enough, or maybe I’m just not mathy in the right way, but I felt like it might deflate my children’s confidence and we stuck with Saxon. Students can review videos repeatedly if they need more practice, or they can jump in and try to complete the problems without watching the video if they think already know the concept. Most of my mistakes, though, have been in biting off more than I could chew. So far I'm in trig, I'm struggling a bit. Cost: About $85 for the essentials. Thanks. That can feel like a huge weight, but keep in mind that as a homeschooler you have the privilege of teaching the child, not the curriculum. She liked the pretty, colorful format of the workbooks (as opposed to Saxon’s plain text) but the progression was much too slow for her and she was eager to switch back after a few weeks. My high schoolers like to take college classes and finish their associates degrees during high school, so we work on college admissions during 10th grade. She loves the simple, hands-on manipulatives the program includes and she likes how there is little to no busy work. The consumable workbooks are pretty and colorful, but my daughter thought it moved too slowly, so we switched back to Saxon 1, which she had worked on the previous year. However, if you want to just go for it, it’s not a life sentence. Conceptual math  clearly explains the reasons why mathematical operations work as they do, or the “concepts” behind math operations. I mean everyone is trying to get my attention at once. If you have a child who loves literature but not numbers, this could be a great way to learn. For other parents who are still worried about Math-U-See not being 'rigorous' enough, there are numerous homeschool students who are in college and used Math-U-See all the way through. I have the expanded editions of both, so they include extra practice problems. Most of them are thorough and sequential and incremental — all the good things a math curriculum should be. Saxon’s two-digit, grade-level designations in the titles of the courses can help you figure out the correct grade level for each book. This seemed to be a Godsend to me, but after reading this review, I have myself wondering if … My kids first tests are AP Calculus in about 9th grade, followed by the ACT in about 10th grade. Just make sure you can find the corresponding (same edition) answer key and other components. 07-06-2012, 09:29 AM. My kids read the lesson and work through a problem set independently, but I’m available for questions and to check them and help them make corrections. I’ve seen these used, including the manipulative set, for quite a big discount. You can print off the worksheets if that works better for your child. Not often. You can also purchase digital versions and print them at home. I wanted him to be able to do it on his own and explain to me why that method worked. That said, it absolutely requires LESS input and direction from mom than many math curricula. She hated them all. Your email address will not be published. I hope that helps! The old version 2.0 included a set of discs and a physical textbook. It moves at the student’s pace and continuously adapts to what they need to work on. The Shormann’s are homeschool veterans and very helpful, offering Q&A help directly from Dr. Shormann. Feel free to ask more questions! It was difficult to try to teach someone who didn't understand the concepts and who was frustrated all the time over math. Cost: The entire curriculum set for each level, new, is about $125 at ChristianBook or Rainbow Resources. The explanations are concise and easy to understand. Is math suppose to be tough, do you have to work at it everyday and study for 4 to 5 hrs or does it come easy to you? Kids can choose to attend a synchronous, online class with peers at a specified time, or take a self-paced class taught via video. We play grammar games occasionally (using winston grammar) during elementary school, but probably just a couple of times per year. If you have a really good reason to switch, by all means do so, otherwise try to stick with what you’ve chosen. It's worked well for us. In fact, the College Board would like to see the number of Advanced Placement test-takers grow tenfold. Includes: Teacher’s Manual, Student Text, Solutions Manual, DVD Set. I haven’t used it myself, or even looked through it, but it is very well reviewed on different homeschool forums. I commented that I hadn’t even thought of the simple way to solve it and the tutor responded that I just needed more experience and familiarity with the concept. They can work more quickly and cover multiple grade levels each year if desired. (One time I bought a Literature-based history program, not realizing that I would also need to find multiple out-of-print, very expensive books) Will I be able to reuse it with younger children? I have sat reading through your blogs for a couple of days now. These attributes will see you through a rigorous curriculum!” Ultimately, the GMAT or GRE is just one component of the application, and a high score doesn’t guarantee success in business school. Is it consumable? Be sure to look for the 2-month free trial! Includes: ALEKS is entirely online and does not require a textbook. ALEKS doesn’t provide much instruction and works better as supplemental practice, according to many reviewers. Are you patient? The manipulative blocks (kind of like legos in that its easy to tell the numbers of each block) provide excellent visual respresentation of math concepts. The scope is what is covered, and the sequence is the order in which concepts are taught. Math U See is a very different program and can take a bit of getting used to if it is new to you. Each unit contains enough work to last for at least a semester, but my kiddos get so excited by the experiments that they just eat, breathe and sleep science for a couple of days and we finish the entire unit, and then we go back to just completing our daily math assignment. A strong proponent of conceptual math would not teach algorithms, but they why’s behind the algorithm. Each branch of mathematics has assumptions and conclusions. Our favorite way to learn is by using Delta science kits. My 14-year-old, who is currently in Calculus, went through all of Dr. Shormann’s sample lessons and enjoyed his clear, live video instruction. I like it that way because my kiddos are very mathematically prepared for college entrance tests that fall. Cons: The required (and very necessary) manipulative kit is expensive on top of the required book bundles. Pros: This method truly takes the pressure off mom. You're in the early stage. And I still want to pull my hair out — often. But they might differ in the order in which things are taught, giving them different sequences. The Calculus text doesn’t cover everything the AP College Board outlines for the AP Test. They offer a substantial, Notes: Lessons are taught online (or via CD’s) and then problems are worked and answered in your students account. Pros: Students find his explanations to be humorous, entertaining and interesting. The author also highly recommends a very minimal manipulatives kit with an analog clock, a ruler, and an abacus. Most of them have completed Algebra 1 in about 5th grade, Algebra 2 in about 6th grade, and then we spend 1.5-2 years on Advanced Mathematics, and finish Calculus in about 9th grade. It can build confidence in kids who struggle with other approaches. Now that you have a good understanding of terms used to describe different math curriculum, you are better equipped to evaluate it. Notes: 17 years ago, when my oldest was just starting first grade, Singapore Math was the in thing. Essentially, they’d rather see you take a few more challenging classes than a variety of more standard ones. , Your email address will not be published. I’ve made all kinds of mistakes in my homeschool and my kids are fine. I really wanted to love Dr. Shormann math, because it seems like it would be such a great follow-up to the Saxon series we love, and I gave my daughter the choice to switch. It’s also best for kids who don’t mind completing worksheets and don’t need a lot of hands-on teaching. I really like the idea behind Excellence In Writing, and we’ve tried a million curriculums, to no avail. 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