I homeschool my 8yo bp, ld, ts/adhd? son and we are struggling with math facts right now.
This is slowing down his math skills altogether.
Right now we have been using Attack Math by EPS. We are at 3 digit numbers but basically he needs to count on fingers, use objects (not well) and number line to get at some kind of answer and often the answer is incorrect and I have to ask him to recount again. Then he becomes angry and frustrated. School time ends rather quickly after that.
So I am considering Mastering Mathematics by Letz Farmer and Semple Math. Does anyone know anything about these? I am also checking City Creek Press. I am interested in checking out the publication from Landmark. Would anyone compare and contrast these? We are working through Singapore Math and it is absolute hell. This child is not visually oriented. I would like to say he is kinesthetic but he can’t even count blocks accurately and loses track of what he counts and becomes distracted.
Thank You for any information.
Re: math-Thank You
Thank You.
I have City Creek Press stuff ordered. Now I just have to wait for it.
Opinions on Math It?
Carolyn
Re: math-more questions
Also how well does investigations work with a homeschooling situation as opposed to a classroom full of kids? I am looking for a curriculum that is rather easy to implement and won’t cost me an arm and a leg. By the way Rainbow Rock put out by Singapore Math is one of the best Math CD’s I have ever seen. I think it has won a lot of awards as well.
Re: math-more questions
Carolyn: We homeschool and Investigations has worked well for us. Now don’t get me wrong, it took a lot of planning. During lessons I have to know what questions to ask and how to get him to think mathematically. I would strongly recommend a three book series “Young Mathematicians at Work”. I would read these before starting Investigations. I just read the first one that deals with additioin, subtraction and number sense. This book gave me great insight into what is going on in creating number sense in children. It has better prepared me to teach the Investigations program. Also, you will have to get a bit creative. Many of the Investigations lessons refer to surveys and depend on class responses. I just got a sock organizer and placed little stuffed animals in them. We named each of the little animals and these are my son’s classmates. When we do surveys I tape each animal’s response to their slot. Without sounding too dramatic, this program took my son from fighting me every single day, to an acceptable level of compliance when doing math. Without it I feel sure my child would have been doomed to a math phobia. Instead he has a chance to really like math and embrace it with creativity - which by the way is what real mathematcians do.
This is my first year of home schooling, my daughter is in the seventh grade (Non Verbal Learning Disability), and I am a former special educator. I would recommend two ideas: For Math Facts: Key Publishers, Inc./City Creek Press Math Facts The Fun Way by Liautaud and Rodriguez. This is a colorful laminated spiral book and set of flashcards with picture clues and a short story or hint to remember each fact. (There are no groans when we work on facts.)
For daily math work: I found (bookstore) and really like Spectrum Math by McGraw-Hill Children’s Publishing . Its on grade level and the pages age simple and clear.