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amyable
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| Posted: Jan 10 2008 at 9:41am | IP Logged
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We have been using first Math-U-See, and now Right Start. It is working well for my 10yo (who has learning issues, which is why we keep switching!) but strangely enough, it is tying my very smart 8yo up in knots! 
She doesn't seem to understand the "whys" behind math. She wants ONE straighforward way to do a problem, and on paper, not three different ways to figure it out in your head. She seems to have a hard time taking what we do on an abacus or with manipulatives, and transferring that to paper. BUT, if you teach her to "subtract this number from that one here, borrowing from this --cross it out and put a one over here and make this ten one less" --you know, just the algorithm, she can do it. She doesn't know what she is doing or why though.
So here's my question. Is it OK to just teach her one algorithm (sp?) and let her get the answers right even though she doesn't know why it's right?
And if so, what programs teach like this for second graders? 
Thanks for any advice!!
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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Pamin OZ
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| Posted: Jan 10 2008 at 4:04pm | IP Logged
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Oh, my son was like this! And I don't have any answers for you, sorry, as it is still something we struggle with.
Pam
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Pam in Sydney
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/paminoz/
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ALmom
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| Posted: Jan 11 2008 at 9:47am | IP Logged
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Saxon teaches like that, - but in 2nd it is time intensive and very expensive and still manipulative based. I think it is still important to understand what you are doing. Perhaps Singapore might be a help. They go into a concept deeply before moving on - but don't have a lot of fluff. They do build a really good number sense/concept sense but in very straightforward ways. At least they aren't terribly expensive.
Janet
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Taffy
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| Posted: Jan 11 2008 at 2:01pm | IP Logged
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Just wanted to second the thoughts on Singapore. We started with it but switched to Math-U-See since, while it does a great job of teaching the math concepts in a simple and straightforward way, my son's language difficulties meant that I spent a LOT of time interpreting things to a level that he could work with. I use it to "afterschool" my second born and will definitely use it should I ever get the opportunity to homeschool my other children full-time.
Just my two cents, take it for what it's worth. 
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Susan
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Susan's Soliloquy
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MichelleW
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| Posted: Jan 11 2008 at 6:33pm | IP Logged
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I ended up buying a math book from Abeka last month. One of my sons was really struggling, and I needed "just math." The books are very inexpensive (I think it is $7 for the whole year, maybe $12), so I felt it couldn't hurt to try it. It is working very well for him. The pictures are colorful, but the math is straightforward traditional math.
You can order off the Abeka website. The book for 2nd grade would be "Arithmetic 2"
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Michelle
Mom to 3 (dd 14, ds 15, and ds 16)
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Jan 11 2008 at 7:36pm | IP Logged
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Developmental Math is about as straightforward as you can possibly get.One subject per workbook. Simple explanations and plenty of practice.
Timberdoodle has it here:Developmental math
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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JEJE
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| Posted: Jan 14 2008 at 3:48pm | IP Logged
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I second Developmental Math. My older dd struggled with multiplication. DM was just the ticket for getting her over that hump :)
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Jenica - Blessed mom of:
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Remembering Leo born into heaven 7/06
The Rosemary Farm
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cvbmom
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| Posted: Jan 14 2008 at 4:05pm | IP Logged
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MathMammoth (www.MathMammoth.com) is very much like Developmental Math but WAY cheaper and has family copyright on the books (buy it once, use it for the whole family). 
We switched from Developmental Math to MathMammoth this year and have been very satisfied. I'd be happy to answer any questions about it, and so would the author - she is so quick to help.
God bless,
Christine
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4Real Forums : Living and Loving Numbers
Topic: Straightforward math?
