Math Programs

I really like Math U See (www.mathusee.com). Other approaches that people like around here, Singapore math, Landmark School math (not sure how manipulative based that is), etc.

Math U See is nice. Affordable. Understandable (you might learn something if you aren’t the best in math), etc.

Also I would recommend getting the manual for On Cloud Nine (Lindamood bell). It is not really a program but an approach or philosophy to help you approach math with your kiddo(s).

—des

I haven’t used Singapore math myself so am operating on second-hand opinions, but every review of it I hear is in the right direction. Caution: things that are “fun” and “easy” and so forth are often dead ends. Go for the dull but tried-and-true.

I agree on the Math-u-See. I used it last year and will use it again this year. They will send you a free video I believe to check it out.

www.mathusee.com

I will be using the new version this year and have heard good things about it on the mathusee listserv.

Michelle

Tex,
I am also a resource teacher from Texas and am using the Saxon Math program. What grades do you teach? I am looking for another program as my class is kind of hard to manage with all elementary grades in the room at once. That is the beauty of being from a small school and being the only elementary special ed teacher. I will be reading all of the posts to your question and also hope to gain some knowledge. Andra

I think Math-U-See (especially the improved, new version) might be better for classroom use than Singapore. I have used both programs in tutoring situations, and Singapore can move too quickly for some children. The older version of MUS really needed to be supplemented with computation. The newer version is supposed to be much better in this respect, so it might not need supplementation.

Personally, I prefer the Singapore approach because of the way it teaches mathematical thinking. For children who can handle it, I think it is the very best program available. However, MUS is excellent at teaching conceptual math to children with a wide range of abilities. In other words, the population able to benefit from MUS is larger than the population able to benefit from Singapore. MUS works well for bright math students as well as slower math students.

Nancy