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rose gardens
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| Posted: March 16 2006 at 3:18pm | IP Logged
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I want to get other homeschoolers perspective on completing math books.
Typically we work through math books until finished. My first grade son (3rd child of 7) had trouble memorizing addition earlier this year, so we set aside his workbook for a couple months to focus on addition facts. He never did memorize them all-we're still working on that-but we resumed using his book. We're not even halfway through the book yet, and he takes a l-o-n-g time on each page, (in large part because he doesn't have the facts memorized.)
Frankly, I'm frustrated. Math came easy to me and my older children, but not to this child. He's using Modern Curriculum Press for his first grade math as recommended by CHC lesson plans, but I prefered Singapore Math. I'm tempted to skim through the basic concepts in the book without doing every page, focus back on memorizing, then switch back to Singapore math for second grade.
Any thoughts?
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Shari in NY
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| Posted: March 16 2006 at 3:59pm | IP Logged
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Sounds like a good plan to me  I gave up teaching SaxonK to my son last year because of the time involved. And we didn't start seriously doing math this year until January because he needed to focus on reading. But now he is doing Saxon2 with no problem, I think from listening to his brothers working on their math facts. Anyway, he just "absorbed" it somewhere!
Shari in NY
mom to Ked,22; Tegan,20; Sam,17; Adam and Joe,9 and Ken,6
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Taffy
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| Posted: March 16 2006 at 5:15pm | IP Logged
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My biggest concern would be that he understand the math concepts that he's to be learning. Not having his addition/subtraction facts memorized will slow him down but what would slow him down more is that he doesn't understand what he's supposed to do. This is what happened with my oldest. Once I realized this, I went back to having him use manipulatives to answer the questions and that sped things up considerably.
FWIW, we divide math into three segments of 15 min each. First, we do drill practice (flashcards, skip counting, and sequencing skills which my ds has a lot of difficulty with). The next segment involes his workbook (we use Singapore Math), and the last segment involves story problems which may or may not come from a text.
To answer your question, use the workbooks when they are useful to achieving your learning objectives. If it's too easy for them, skip it. If the work is too challenging, supplement with other activities to teach the concept. Mastery is SO important at these elementary levels.
Liz
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rose gardens
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| Posted: March 16 2006 at 5:45pm | IP Logged
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Thank you both for your replies. It's nice to be able to run this past other homeschoolers.
Taffy wrote:
| I went back to having him use manipulatives to answer the questions and that sped things up considerably. |
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That's a good idea. He has the hardest time on problems when he runs out of fingers. I think the manipulatives would help him a lot. I believe he understands the concepts, but struggles with memorization. We already are spending separate time drilling apart from the workbook. I'm kind of attached to doing formal studies from a few workbooks, and I fear he won't finish first grade if we don't finish the workbook. 
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Rachel May
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| Posted: March 16 2006 at 7:30pm | IP Logged
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rose gardens wrote:
We're not even halfway through the book yet, and he takes a l-o-n-g time on each page, (in large part because he doesn't have the facts memorized.)
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One of my first graders was having this trouble with addition facts in November, so we went back and forth between our regular curriculum (Math U See) andMarcy Cook Math which all the kids love. We skipped some pages in the workbook, went back, played cards, played dominoes, took a break; the whole process seemed endless!
Finally, last week he seemed to get it, and jammed through the rest of addition and 2 chapters of subtraction in a few days. I think it was one of those pauses that they seem to have from time to time. Math U See isn't labeled by grade number which will make it easy for me to call it done for the year and pick it up again in 2nd even if the WB isn't done.
Just my 2 cents!
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Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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rose gardens
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| Posted: March 16 2006 at 9:40pm | IP Logged
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Thank you Rachel. That's encouraging to read about your first grader. Yes, sometimes the process does feel endless. I think that's why I've always liked reaching the end of a workbook so I can achieve an end! The end is suppose to be learning, not completing a workbook, but I sometimes confuse the two. 
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Erin
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| Posted: March 17 2006 at 5:36am | IP Logged
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rose gardens wrote:
| The end is suppose to be learning, not completing a workbook, but I sometimes confuse the two. |
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This is so right, WB's are a tool but not an end in themselves. I also have one child who does not love maths, his three siblings LOVE maths and I have taken a long time to accept who he is. DS is 10 now.
I have to often remind myself it doesn't matter if his WB doesn't get finished as long as he understands the concepts, if I had my time again with him I would certainly do many things differently. Btw now that we have changed to Singapore Maths he finds maths far more tolerable and at times enjoyable.
Search for other ways aside from WB's that help re-inforce these concepts for your son. Its a pain I know to have to do something different for one child.  It sure would be easy at times if they were all the same, but then I guess how boring.
All the best finding the right path for ds and yourself.
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rose gardens
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| Posted: March 17 2006 at 8:48am | IP Logged
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Erin wrote:
| Search for other ways aside from WB's that help re-inforce these concepts for your son. Its a pain I know to have to do something different for one child. It sure would be easy at times if they were all the same, but then I guess how boring. |
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Yesterday I remembered one of the reasons we chose to homeschool this child. I imagined he'd come home daily with workbook pages not finished at school to be completed. Now I fell into the rut that I wanted to avoid. This child does not make life boring, but his math workbook has been. No wonder we struggled.
Thanks again everyone for the ideas and support. Now I'm excited to try some different teaching methods with him again.
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Erica Sanchez
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| Posted: March 17 2006 at 4:34pm | IP Logged
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We use MCP workbooks for Math, too. A little boring, but the kids like them. After the Christmas break, it just seemed they were doing the same-ol-thing in the first half of the book, so I let them choose any chapter they wanted and we started there. They LOVED it! Two went straight for the last chapter! Math has been great for a few months now. I think it is just the way MCP is set up....so much review at the beginning. The fun stuff like fractions, geometry, and measurement is all at the end of the book. We'll go back and review the basic skill of subtraction, multiplication, etc. I don't think we've ever finished a workbook, but this method at least feels like we've covered most everything, this year anyway! Oh, and most days, I only have the kids do the front of the workbook page if I see they've gotten the concept right away. Maybe a few on the back for review.
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ALmom
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| Posted: March 17 2006 at 8:42pm | IP Logged
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You mentioned that you switched to MCP to follow CHC's plans. Do you both still like Singapore Math better? The reason I ask is just to make sure you know that you can simply scratch in what you do in whatever Math, right there on the lesson plans as you go along. Math is easier to do this way as it is sequential. It frees you to use whatever works.
If you prefer MCP, then, still no need to get real stressed over WB pages. There is a lot of repetition. Once they have concepts, (ie do what you need to do to help develop that automaticity with addition /subtraction and then you'll find the rest can be done quite quickly and/or skipped) then you can spot check through the WB till you find where they need to be.
Janet
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rose gardens
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| Posted: March 18 2006 at 8:51pm | IP Logged
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Erica Sanchez wrote:
| ... I let them choose any chapter they wanted and we started there. They LOVED it! Two went straight for the last chapter! Math has been great for a few months now. |
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That's a great idea! Some of the later chapters build on the earlier concepts, but others are quite independent concepts. Maybe if we kept drilling the addition facts, but tried some other part of the workbook that interests him we'd do better.
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rose gardens
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| Posted: March 18 2006 at 10:00pm | IP Logged
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ALmom wrote:
| You mentioned that you switched to MCP to follow CHC's plans. Do you both still like Singapore Math better? The reason I ask is just to make sure you know that you can simply scratch in what you do in whatever Math, right there on the lesson plans as you go along. Math is easier to do this way as it is sequential. |
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Yes, it's the sequential nature of math that left me uncomfortable about not completing the first grade workbook. Switching math programs in second grade may throw some of that off. I like Singapore math better. I assume my first grader likes it better because we didn't have this problem last year. He got through Singapore's two year kindergarten math in one year.
My older children began using CHC material when CHC didn't have lesson plans for their grade level. As I like their other material, I thought we'd try their whole first grade program. I intended to follow the lesson plan closely, but my first grader and I loosely use their lesson plans now.
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rose gardens
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| Posted: March 18 2006 at 10:13pm | IP Logged
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Yesterday I pulled out some math toys that we hadn't used for a long time. We worked some of his math problems counting on the blocks. My first grade son (and his younger siblings) had a blast playing with them.
We are taking spring break next week. Or are we studying physical education and sports with a field trip? In any case, we'll be taking a break from the usual class work. It's time for fun. And when we get back to class work, I plan to keep up the fun. 
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4Real Forums : Living and Loving Numbers
Topic: Finishing math workbooks
