I need a good math program

I think you would get better suggestions if you would provide more information. Does he have problems with math facts and/or math concepts in addition to math word problems? What are his major difficulties?

Also, do you want a math program you can use at home with him? Or are you asking about something for an IEP at school?

We have been using Math-U-See at home (http://www.mathusee.com) and have been happy with it. It is really good for developing math concepts. We are supplementing with Quarter Mile Math for drill in math facts (http://www.thequartermile.com).

Mary

Liz wrote:
>
> My son is in third grade and has a reading disability. He is
> now struggling with math and I am seeking advise on math
> programs that are good for these kids.

My son struggles with multipacation facts, word problems and now graphs. I am looking for something to use at home and I would also like to have something put into his IEP. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you

My son struggles with multipacation facts, word problems and now graphs. I am looking for something to use at home and I would also like to have something put into his IEP. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you

Take a look at Math Facts the Fun Way at http://www.citycreek.com Most LD kids learn quickly with this approach.

We are using Quarter Mile Math (a software program) for drill exercises in math facts. It is very incremental and allows you to choose specific facts to drill — e.g., the 3-times table — or combinations — e.g., all multiplication facts through 12x12. We do only 10 minutes a day, and I do the keyboarding for my daughter. Website for this is http://www.thequartermile.com This has been the most painless way for us to do math drill.

Many homeschoolers use CalcuLadders for math drill. Each grade level has a wire-ring book with 16 pages of about 17 different levels of math facts. Each day the child does one page, timed. When the child can pass a certain time level accurately, he/she moves on to the next level. Cost is about $13.50 per book, and it is available from http://www.rainbowresource.com (ask for their printed catalog, which is a terrific resource).

Reading is, of course, critical to being able to solve word problems. If you haven’t looked at it, you may want to get a copy of Reading Reflex by McGuiness and try tutoring your son at home in reading. I used this book with my daughter and it helped a great deal with reading.

Another item worth looking at is “It’s Elementary” Book 1 by M.J.Owen. This is a workbook of 275 math word problems presented with a strategy for analyzing them called TINS. The student uses a procedure of circling important words and phrases, deciding on what needs to be done (addition, subtraction, etc.) — a total of 4 steps. The problems start out very simple. You can get this from EPS at http://www.epsbooks.com. You can probably download some sample pages to take a look before you buy.

I don’t know what to suggest for graphs or IEP.

Mary

You might want to look into Saxon Math at www.saxonpub.com. The third grade series includes a teacher book, which tells you everything to say to teach a subject—for this reason it’s popular with homeschoolers. It really helped me a lot in explaining concepts to my son, who is language disordered. The workbook is great—I actually used it alone, going to the manual only as a reference (not what they recommend). I really liked their approach to teaching the times tables—they start out by having kids learn how many days in one week, then two, then three, etc. This lays down the basis for learning the 7X first. The 2X are then taught as addition doubles. The workbook includes timed math sheets—these can be copied so your son can do three a day—addition, subtraction, multiplication. This takes only five minutes a day, and it really helps to reinforce. Then he could do one side of a workbook sheet. The whole thing would not take more than 20 minutes in the morning. If you have time, you could do the other side of the math sheet at night (it’s more of the same problems) or making sure he understands everything. Story problems are on every math sheet. One step problems are done a lot before moving on to two step problems. (No trick story problems to separate the sheep from the goats like in my son’s school math text.) Graphs are also introduced early and gradually. I found this to be a really great series for language challenged children, at least the K-3 stuff authored by Nancy Larson. The higher grades don’t have a workbook, just a text, and are more language intensive, although the website seems to offer a Nancy Larson workbook for 4th grade to schools. (I think you could just order the workbook—the manual seems available only through bulk sales, but I haven’t inquired.) Anyway, the website is definitely worth your while checking out. Good luck.

I’m a resource teacher and for my math program I like to use Touch Math with my students. Touch Math is a multi-sensory program. It uses touch points to teach facts. The child has to know how to skip count to do multiplication. Sometimes all it takes to learn multiplication facts is drill and practice. You can get these triangle flash cards which help learn multiplication and the related division facts. I also use Modern Curriculum Press math books from Pearson Learning. The books are very sequential and the students are able to experience success before moving on to a new skill. They get practice with story problems, calculators, and estimation in each chapter. Touch Math products can be ordered from www.touchmath.com. The math books from Modern Curriculum Press can be ordered from www.mcschool.com. Good luck!

Where did you find this program? Please respond.

I am a special ed teacher and curriculum specialist and have both used, trained teachers in and recommended the use of Touch Math as an extention to the standard curriculum. It is a multi-sensory strategy that gives kids cues and eventually fades them as the students approach mastery. Dee’s response includes a web address for material. I also have songs that go along with the sequence counting when you get to multiplication. Additionally, the best proram I have seen for teaching money is published by Edmark and is titled “Touch Money” (not the same company as touch math, but also multi-sensory in it’s approach to teaching coin values and counting).