Our Math Choices–Virtual Curriculum Fair

Math is one of those subjects you may love or hate but you’ve got to do.  Arithmetic is a basic need for functional adulthood and higher math is needed in many professions.  Our family has tried a few different math programs over the course of our homeschooling journey and there is one we will stick with.  This post will share our math choices in a very long-winded fashion.  I’ll tell you about the curricula we use, why we love it, how we use it on a daily basis, which of my children are using it.  If you’re short on time skim the headings and bold print to find what you want to know!

In the beginning we used Saxon math.  It’s a spiral approach.  Basically your child has a new lesson every day for close to 12 days.  Then they are re-exposed to the first topic from nearly two weeks before, learning a little more before running through the other 11 topics again.  This spiral approach gives a child variety, which some love, but it can cause problems for others.  In my oldest daughter’s case she simply couldn’t grasp a concept with exposure once every 12 days.  She needs to focus on one thing until she gets it mastered.  Muddying the waters with other topics meant she remembered nothing. 

After 3 years we investigated other math curricula and made the switch to Math U See.  My oldest was now in 3rd grade and could not do basic addition, much less anything else.  We began with MUS Alpha – the very beginning.  Math U See uses a mastery approach that is very effective so long as you’re comfortable not following the exact same schedule as the public schools.  I’ll talk more about that in a minute. 

A few things I love about Math U See:

• Each lesson is focused.  The lessons are short because you’re focusing on one skill, they’re twaddle free.  Short lessons equal better attention from the child.
• It is multi-sensory.  A child learns by building with the manipulative blocks, writing the problems, and saying it all aloud. 
• A child is encouraged to prove their mastery of a concept by teaching it back to the parent.  This narration is higher involvement – they have to understand why they’re doing something well enough to teach someone else, not just how to do it.
• They incorporate real-life word problems applying math skills from the beginning.  A child is never left to wonder “when will I ever need to know this?”  The same day they learn how to figure averages they’ll do word problems related to figuring average rainfall in a week. 
• The lessons are taught on DVD.  Technically this is for mom to watch, but many let their students watch the dvd lesson.  At my house the DVD is for me, while my sister across the country has her son watch the DVD. 
• Workbooks are used for practice and review.  You only use as many pages for a lesson as the child needs, with the option to print more free from the MUS website if the 6 given are not enough.
• Each level has a focus.  Alpha is addition, Beta is subtraction, and so on.  You master the full range of one thing before mixing in another, providing a thorough grounding in each concept. 

The thing you’ll find with MUS is that ‘extra’ topics like calendar skills, money, time, and measuring are not covered in a traditional time frame. Fractions are not dealt with until the fifth book, Epsilon, for example.  There are two things you can do about this. 

• First, just be patient and tackle them when they appear in the curriculum.  With this option you must recognize a child taking a standardized test will score lower in early grades math because these areas have not been addressed on a public school timeline. 
• The second option is to just teach these on your own when you want them addressed.  We’ve enjoyed the Math Mammoth Blue Topic e-books when a child is interested in a topic before MUS teaches it.  

Who Uses Math U See at My House?

Makayla is my 5th grader and she’s working on the Delta level.  She has gone through 3 full levels and is into her 4th in 2.5 school years with her late start.  She’s now slowed to a comfortable pace and will probably finish about one level per year from here on out.  Joseph and Emma are my 1st grader and Kindergartener.  Last year they worked through Primer, now they’re working together through Alpha.  Daniel is my just turned 4 year old.  He’s working through the Primer level because he insists that he 'do math'.  I don’t feel children need a math curriculum until they’re 5 or 6, but if they want to do it sooner then it doesn’t hurt to let them begin slowly. 

How Do I Teach 3 Different Levels in Real Life?

It’s easy!  First, each level only needs one day to be directly taught new material in a typical week to week and a half.  I stagger those lessons to different days of the week.  My Delta student has direct instruction from me on one day for a new concept while her younger siblings are doing practice pages or tests in their levels.  They’re all around the table and I can help younger students as needed.  My Alpha students have their direct instruction from me on another day of the week, while my Delta and Primer student are working on practice or test pages.  My Primer student gets a new lesson on yet another day when all the older students are practicing their current lesson.

I also have two (soon to be three) younger children ages 2, 1, and ready to be born.  We do table time with everyone.  These youngest children are seatbelted into booster seats with math manipulatives, toys, puzzles, or other activities.  This enables me to rotate around the table helping each child and keeps the little ones within arms reach and out of the toilet, trash can, and other interesting places. 

Want to See Math U See in Action?

You can go to their website and watch a series of videos that show you the theory and the lesson structure.  It’s right on this page.  You’ll get a great look at just how the manipulatives make sense, how the multi-sensory approach of Build it, Write it, Say it helps cement learning, and you may just decide math is not so bad after all.  I know I did!

In case you’re wondering – no, I am not affiliated with Math U See in any way.  I’m just a mom whose relationship with her daughter was saved by a math curriculum that makes sense.

You can visit the Virtual Curriculum Fair to read more posts this week about Discovering Patterns: Mathematics, Logic, and some Science.