Hi everyone! Welcome to another homeschool curriculum forum post. Today we’re talking all about math!
As most of you know I have previously tried both Abeka and Saxon math. Abeka was okay for the younger years, but flashcards just weren’t doing it for us. We needed something more hands on as well as something that better explained the various skills we were learning.
We switched to Math U See. While this curriculum was working well for us, I ventured over to Saxon for a bit just to see how it worked. After finding myself explaining Saxon lessons using our Math U See blocks and examples, we switched back to Math U See and haven’t looked back since.
One thing to know about MUS is that they do teach to mastery, and that means your student might not learn a certain skill right off the bat. They build on concepts so that the math skills actually make sense for your student.
Students also use the MUS visual manipulatives to help further understand whatever skill they are working at the time. However to my surprise the students do not become depending on the manipulatives to solve problems. They’re simply hands on training tools to use until a concept is mastered.
Pros:
- Hands on learning.
- Teaches to mastery.
- Visual aids to help explain various skills.
Cons:
- Skills are taught in a non-traditional order.
- Manipulatives can be pricey unless purchased used.
So, now comes the fun part!
What are your favorite Math curriculum, resources, websites, etc? Leave a comment below discussing your choices for this year and why.
Feel free to ask questions or reply to each other too!
It’s my way of doing a forum without actually doing a forum haha!
And hopefully this will help us all as we start the process of researching curriculum, and trying to decide what will be the best fit for our homeschool.
Note: Please keep today’s conversations geared towards MATH, I will be posting one for each subject separately so we can keep our comments organized.
Click here if you missed my previous Homeschool Curriculum Forum posts!
Disclosure: This was not a sponsored post, I may however be affiliated with one or more products mentioned. The opinions expressed in this post were not influenced by the company. They are products I have used and felt like sharing, cuz’ it’s my blog and I can if I want to.
My daughter R was math phobic starting out in school. We found Singapore math. I wasn’t to sure of it, because it wasn’t how I was taught math. Well many assessment tests and years down the road(she is in high school now) she is advanced in her scores. The Singapore program, if researched is at top of world in aptitude. However, you need to use the manipulative s and games to make it all gel. The other trip up with this program is it took them a while to overcome the “lost in translation” so there are several different versions out there. You need to get the student wkbks. A and B, lesson bks. A and B as well as the teachers bks that correspond and Manipulative s. I do think it is a little weak in geometry so, i would add a little in that area. At the age of most of these kids you can play all sorts of math games and do very well with the teaching of math facts just try to do it almost everyday. Most import is to have fun. Try game like four Square with numbers you add together(gym and math). Addition and subtraction, multiplication and division bingo and what ever you can think up. I more interesting for you and memorable for everyone if you remember to have a little fun every so often. What a great idea for this site. Awesome homeschooling mom!
Everyone gave some great information thank you!
I’ve seen a few posts talking about Common Core and I wanted to clarify something. Most curriculum may already align but to settle worries or to encourage school districts to adopt the program they will put out the documentation about the alignment. It doesn’t necessarily mean they changed even one comma. Of course many programs will come out wish a new version fixing a mistake, tweaking something that was suggested, etc.
I probably won’t go with MUS for a few reasons but knowing it aligned made it easy for me to ensure my child wouldn’t have a problem knowing the content for end of year testing. And I don’t have to spend hours with the Common Core guidelines and the math books. 🙂
I see this thread started a while back, but I wanted to add that I, too, am not satisfied with MUS. As others have stated, it seems to lack a lot, such as enough emphasis on money and time. We will likely be switching to CLE (Christian Light Education by Christian LIght Publications). Their math program is a spiral method. I had both my dd’s take their free, downloadable assessment test. It was dismal. They’re both one year behind the CLE grade designations. But, CLE does warn you that you should test at least one grade level below your current grade (we went down two levels for testing – yikes!). This math program incorporates real life math situations, and gets some Bible in too! It is Mennonite based which makes it basic, affordable, and down-to-earth. We don’t need something flashy, just the facts. Anita
Thanks for sharing!!
My son used Singapore math two years ago. It’s much more challenging than regular US math. The workbooks were very boring and sometimes confusing. We quit and switched to US math after two months.
Then my son’s teacher recommended Beestar to us. As a home learning site, it offers many subject programs such as language arts, social studies, and best of all, its math program is completely free.
We then subscribed and received its math practice every week. My son likes working on it because the questions are interesting and many of them come from real life problems. He doesn’t need to spend time on repetitive work since the questions are very representative.
In just one year, his teacher told me he’s gained strong interest for math and suggested him try Beestar’s GT math program. I am happy for him. The site saves his math as well as his confidence.
My son has been doing Algebra 1 this year and has been really struggling with it. He tested well out of 8th grade last year and I am wondering that with the new curriculum this year (time4learning) if there are gaps that we missed.
I am looking for a way to get him back on track. Please, any suggestions would be appreciated!
Megan
Hi,
I go to school but my parents prepare me for math in summer before I go to school, My dad and I follow Common Core take from gov websites and then prepare per topic. Also start making videos for other kids who are studying at home or need help with homework. I am 7th grader, learning math and over weekend, explore new topics and learn it and make quick videos for myself and for others:) that might help.
Have completed videos for 5th grade, 6th grade, and working on 7th grade with my sister.
here is our website.
http://www.broandsismathclub.com/
we use different books mostly get from school and sometime order online.
Thanks
Ali
Hello everyone, I am fairly new to homeschool well my daughter is in 3rd grade and we took her out of Public school half way through 1st. I am still figuring this all out lol, Anyway my daughter hates math! We struggle to get through it on a daily basis. 1st grade was Saxon… 2nd grade and 3rd we have been doing Singapore math. I am not a strong math person so as she grows it will become hard for me to teach her math. I have looked at Math u see and just have not committed to it yet. I feel that a dvd or online program that can teach her the lesson will probably work better than me explaining it to her. Sometimes I really get confused. Any suggestions or help would be great thanks. I want to start something new or I may have to consider putting her into a private school. Even thought about hiring someone else to teach her math.
One that hasn’t been mentioned yet but is excellent is UnLock Math at http://www.unlockmath.com
Exciting videos with an energetic teacher, unlimited practice & review, fully worked solutions & explanations. With a testing and assessment platform that is interactive & adaptive that goes way beyond multiple choice. Even allowing students to graph just like on paper!
Hi everyone!! Really love the post, and every Math techniques you’ve shared. But let me share to you my thought, now a days where the internet have been a vital part in our daily living, mostly parents do let their children study math through online websites, and I am one of those parents :-D. Luckily, my 7 year old child love this site so much: Selective School Exam
Why not try this and see if your child would love it too.
Thank you!