4Real Forums: Right Start Question

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Living and Loving Numbers
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Topic: Right Start Question

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Donna Marie
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Joined: Feb 07 2005
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Posted: March 25 2006 at 11:14pm \| IP Logged

Hi all!

We have been using Right Start and I do like it, but being the burnt out mom in March...I have a question ;)

I have been trying to get my older kids on this as well as the younger and I find that it is hard to get to or I am not moving ahead as quickly as we should....one or two of them want to be more independent...

Is there some trick to getting this done in a more timely way with several levels going? I do find some of the typos a bit distracting, but there doesn't seem to be many...

I was seriously wondering what Math U See is like...I love the idea behind Right Start and I don't know whether or not I should just buckle down more or change direction...or perspective...any advice? I have to teach this 5 different ways...AND..one of my kids has issues and needs things very hands on and visual...and my 1yo is veeerrry active...yikes!

God Bless!
Donna Marie from NJ
hs momma to 7dc

stefoodie
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Joined: Feb 17 2005
Location: Ohio
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Posted: March 26 2006 at 7:27am \| IP Logged

donna marie, i haven't done Right Start with different levels, but thinking of doing it next year. we *have*, however, allowed our 9-yo to do the worksheets independently of lessons with me from dec. to february mostly because we were traveling and in and out of hotels, etc. he has progressed very quickly, though we had to go back for a couple of lessons because based on the worksheet he didn't know what he was doing. so in answer to your question, if one or two want to be more independent, let them be IMHO. it didn't really hurt my kid's learning and AFAICT he's even benefited from it. if we had waited until we were all settled.... well, let's just say he might still be waiting.

my high schooler uses Math U See, she loved it for Geometry and she loves it now for Algebra (yeah, Mom forgot to do Algebra 1 before Geometry, but she did ok). We're probably going to stick with Math U See through high school because she's really enjoying it.

funny thing is my 7-yo for whom I was planning to start on Right Start this year got hold of his older sister's Saxon workbook that I never got rid of, and he just pulls it out of the shelf daily and does several pages. The ones he doesn't understand he just leaves. what i'm doing then is backtracking to see which pages he didn't do (and he doesn't do them in order LOL) to see which aspects of math i should be focusing on. so now i'm teaching him how to tell time, and he's going back to old exercises and doing them.

the past few months i *really* learned to relax about math. it's incredible what they teach themselves when mom doesn't have the time to teach them. my 7-yo now does sums and subtraction problems with a speed i didn't even think a 7-yo was capable of. if i had done it "by the book" we would still be at counting. another testament that unschooling works

maybe what you can do is work the most with the kid that needs things very hands on -- but even there you can just do a few basics and then let him/her explore -- what i used to do with the very nosy toddler is give her a few math pieces that she can play with so she feels like she's a part of it, i.e., pattern blocks or her own abacus, etc.

hth,

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stef

mom to five

asoldierswife
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Joined: March 07 2005
Location: Georgia
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Posted: March 26 2006 at 10:17am \| IP Logged

If you are really interested in Math-U-See, they have a free video or DVD you can order from their website http://mathusee.com. It's an hour and a half long, very informative, and even comes with a bag of microwave popcorn! Mine arrived in less than a week.

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With love,
Jennie C.

Far Beyond Pearls

kristina
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Joined: Feb 24 2005
Location: New Hampshire
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Posts: 524

Posted: March 26 2006 at 11:04pm \| IP Logged

Dear Donna Marie,
Our sons really enjoyed Right Start. They learned so well with it! Dr. Cotter has incredible ideas that just seem so common sense. I was sold on Right Start after I listed to Dr. Cotter's talk on teaching math K-3 from a NACHE convention. However, like you, I became burnt out. We had an infant when we were using it and I was just too fried to put together labor intensive lessons. If Dr. Cotter had dvd lessons like Math-U-See, I probably would have continued with it.

We did not move as quickly as I planned with Right Start. We were still using the first grade level for grade 2, but I felt that the program was so advanced that it did not matter.

Last year, we took most of the month of Feb. off for much of school and basically unschooled. We switched to Math-U-See and our children did not complain. It only took our son four months to complete the entire Beta program. I posted about our how we use MUS in this thread in response to Cheryl's question.

You mention that one of your children is very hands on and visual. The manipulatives are just right for that purpose. I know they have helped our young gentlemen to understand the lessons.

Blessings,

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kristina

yesterthoughts

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