Good morning everyone! I am so excited today, I have a great giveaway for all of you Math-U-See and Spelling You See users out there! And if you haven’t tried Math U See yet, now is a perfect time to check it out. If I switch curriculum, I try to do it after the Christmas break so it’s like a nice clean start.
Math-U-See
One thing I love about Math-U-See is that they 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.
This is what the Math-U-See looks like in our workboxes. I pull out their worksheet each day and keep the video DVD and our little plastic storage container. (For those of you interested, this is just a movable bead divider box from my local craft store.)
I’ve since upgraded to their wooden sorting box which has a nice area for working problems in it, and also holds all of the blocks nicely.
Math-U-See App
They also have a new Demme Learning Math App which is basically a portable supplement with the same colors, shapes, and functionality as the physical blocks, fraction overlays, and algebra/decimal inserts that are integral to Math-U-See from Primer through Algebra 1.
The Teeny Tot loves figuring out her math using the iPad, and it’s great for an alternative, or if you’re doing math on the go as well.
Spelling You See
I’m sure some of you saw that I’ve added Spelling You See to my curriculum list this year. Demme Learning has recently come out with Spelling You See which is a unique spelling curriculum. We’ve been using this product since mid-summer and so far we like it.
What is it?
The Spelling You See program follows a developmental philosophy that students move through these five stages:
- Preliterate
- Phonetic
- Skill Development
- Word Extension
- Derivational Constancy
“Our program is research-based and based upon the finding that all students move through the same sequence of stages as they are learning to spell. Stages can’t be skipped or sped up. Although the stages children move through are the same, the pace at which they move through each stage is unique to each child.” ~ Spelling You See
There are no spelling tests so I am still waiting to see how effective this method is. But, so far I do like the concept. I also like that the copy work is educational as well, so double bonus! And honestly it serves as handwriting for my kiddos as well, so triple bonus!
There is also a weekly dictation lesson and so they suggest that you monitor progress through those assignments to see that words are being spelled correctly on an increasing basis. They suggest that you will also notice an improvement in spelling and reading in other areas of your students work. So I’ll keep you posted on how this works for us.
Win it!
Demme Learning is offering a giveaway for 1 level of Spelling You See OR Math U See, reader choice! So that means you can pick which product you want, and what level fits your homeschool best! Enter below to win!
We’ve been using mathusee and really like it. Would love to win as we need to go to the next level with both of our older children.
This is our first year of homeschooling…And Math U See has been recommended to us by friends but we have not started yet. Thanks for all the encouragement you are!
We love their products!
I have heard great things about Math U See! I would love a chance to win this.
Starting our homeschool journey in January and this is perfect timing. I would be so thankful to win this!!!!
We are enjoying Primer with our kindergartener! I just have a question- what is a good age/grade to start spelling? I have a kindergartener and the SUS readiness guide seems to be appropriate for him. I am worried though that this might confuse him and with what we are learning in our our phonics/reading program.
Hi Jen,
I normally start spelling in 1st grade since in Kindergarten they’re still really learning basics of letter sounds and beginning reading. But that’s just my 2 cents ;o)
I have been using a different program for my dd. I was just previewing a friend’s copy of her level of MUS and am very interested in using it for my oldest daughter and for my son getting ready to start K next year! I like the approach and think it would be very beneficial for both my learners!
This is great! I would love to try Math U See or Spelling U See! We are starting mid-year with our first year of homeschooling right after Christmas! Starting off 2015 with a bang!
I would love to start this program with my kiddos. Fingers crossed.
Our 6 yo reads chapter books in an afternoon, however, she despises handwriting practice. Since she wants to learn to spell, this may be just what we need!