Math U See

Is there more angst spilt in homeschooling over any subject more than math?Math is a subject none of us want to mess up. Once our children hit middle school, people start asking how we think we’re going to teach upper level math competently.

And we wonder that ourselves, too, even if we don’t like being asked about it.It’s possible to wing math in the early years, but because math is a consecutive skill, where one concept builds upon another, it’s best to choose a program and stick with it. Different programs use different vocabulary.

Different programs teach concepts in different orders, but different logical, step-by-step orders – so skipping around between programs can lead to gaps and confusion more than in any other subject.I’ve written before about. We’ve been using it for 9 years now, and with all my students so far. We use the video lessons (I’ve watched them too, so I understand how to teach the material) and the blocks – the whole package. I love it.In the last almost-decade of sticking with the same program and walking 4 students (and soon starting my 5th) through the process, these are my top 5 tips for using and organizing Math-U-See.If you use Math-U-See, please share your tips and suggestions in the comments, too! Math-U-See Tip #1: How to store the blocksare a core of the curriculum, and they are very cleverly designed and implemented in the program.

You can buy a wooden case from them to store your blocks, but that’s rather pricey.Instead, I use a. Kids can dig around and find the block they want quickly, but we can also put them away quickly because we don’t have to sort them into correct cubbies.Math-U-See Tip #2: Reserved CrayonsIn Primer and Alpha, kids do quite a bit of coloring with their math. As they learn the blocks in the first few lessons, they’re supposed to color the blocks the right color. With my first student, we hunted around the crayon bin every time, with my son constantly asking, “Is this an ok color? Is this one ok?”When I ordered Primer for my third, knowing I had at least 2 more after her, I got smart and set aside hand-picked crayons.

I pulled out the colors that best matched the blocks and stuck them in a small container that lives in our math book bin.When she sat down with her lesson page, she had the little container with just 10 crayons, and it was clear which color was intended.Math-U-See Tip #3: Pull out the pages, use clipboards, have a “turn in” containerThis Math-U-See workflow is probably my best tip. Is it ok to put the best tip in the middle?First, I tear out the math page to be completed each day from the workbook. The kids do not handle the workbooks themselves directly. If they did, the covers would be torn in no time and I’d have a headache figuring out what I’m supposed to be assigning and checking in each of the 4 books that won’t stay open to be checked.After all, Math-U-See is a mastery-based program. My kids never do all the pages in the book and sometimes they need more pages than are included in the book (we use the tests as extra work pages and also print extra practice off their website). When I tear out their workpages and stick them on their color-coded clipboards, it doesn’t matter whether I pulled the page from the workbook, the test book, or off the printer – they know and I know their math for the day is on their clipboard.Plus, we make them correct their work until they get 100% – mastery approach, right?

So if a page wasn’t 100%, it goes back to the clipboard. Whatever is on the clipboard is the work to be done.And where does it go when it’s done? At one point they were supposed to put it onto my clipboard when they were finished so I could check. However, my clipboard could be anywhere and it always had other things I wanted to see on top, too.

They couldn’t always find it and I didn’t really want those extra pages cluttering it up.So, I bought a mail sorter and it lives on the counter. When they finish their math, it goes into the mail sorter to be checked. If it’s all correct, the page goes into the trash or fire-starter bin.

If it needs another attempt, it goes back on the clipboard.Now that my husband checks the math, this process also makes it obvious to him when there’s math to correct. If it’s in the mail sorter, he knows it’s his to-do.Figuring out a workflow process so everyone knows exactly what needs to be done with the least amount of rifling and questions is the goal. Math-U-See Tip #4: Lined paper sideways for figuringI got this tip from Mr. Demme himself. Keeping numbers straight and in their right place is critical, no matter which math program you use.My older students use graph paper to show their work, but that seems a bit excessive (and also not large enough squares) for the elementary students.

Once they get into carrying or borrowing, though, it’s super handy and leads to fewer place-value flubs if you simply turn a lined piece of notebook paper on the side to help you keep the numbers in their right place. Math-U-See Tip #5: Add in regular drillI appreciate and value the mastery approach of Math-U-See, and they emphasize knowing the facts perfectly before moving on. However, if they don’t use them, they lose them, and knowing the facts isn’t the same as being able to do them quickly.So we add drill practice to our daily math routine, at least for the elementary students. I use both (love it!). We’ve also added times table chanting to Morning Time before because those facts needed review.No matter what program you’re using, we as the homeschool mom need to be alert and wise in applying it and adding in supplements or taking a break or pausing to review based on what each child needs to make progress. April 11, 2017 No, that’s not important except that it allows them to quickly grab the right block without counting the squares.

I’d also be watchful for not letting the habit of doing her own thing instead of following the instructions begin. Color isn’t a big deal, but following instructions as written and wrong v. Right answers are foundational in math.It’s not necessarily a big deal, but just keep your eyes open that you don’t let her call the shots and not do something if she hates it. It’s less about the color of the block and more about paying attention to the habit of attitude and work being practiced.

April 11, 2017 Thanks for that friendly kick-in-the-pants reminder to make her follow instructions, even if she’s not a fan of them. =) I guess it’s not so much that she hates it (and that therefore I let her off the hook), it’s more like if she hates it AND I think that it’s just busy work then I’m likely to let her skip it if she understands the concept. If she knows that 4+5=9 and can answer that and write the correct numbers by the blocks then I don’t really care if she knows the color of them UNLESS it’ll be important later on, which with this I haven’t seen how it could be important. Does that make sense? I always make her correct mistakes so she’s not getting away with wrong answers. April 11, 2017 Mystie,My kids have struggled in math (except the youngest!?). I used to think they just were not good in math, but I realize that they have not gotten a good foundation.

We have tried different math curriculums. I was just about to start Saxon, but my son has transferring problems and my 17 year old has not done well with Teaching Textbooks. TT seems to leave out important ideas or their own math vocabulary which doesn’t help,understanding! We just seem to be getting farther behind. Do you think Math U See could help with remediate my struggling students??

April 11, 2017 Long (looooooonnnnng) time user of MUS here too – I love your tips and use most of them myself!.Yes we dropped using that divided wooden box years ago when I realized my kids were dreading using the blocks every day precisely because they hated the meticulous way the blocks had to be put away. Now ours are in a big tub too, just randomly dumped, and even my toddler loves to “do math” (aka, play with the blocks).This is so simple and so utterly brilliant and I am downright embarrassed I never thought of it.

We are definitely doing this TODAY.Are your clipboards for your kids filled daily or weekly?.This helps my kids so much, and even my older kids will occasionally sketch themselves some light lines to keep their columns straight when they run across a problem like that.This is an absolute must!! I’ve used Calculadder but hate hate hate the weird checking method. (Is it just me?) We are currently using the drill page offered on the MUS website, which my kids think is fun, so it works. Xtra math is great too! April 14, 2017 We also use MUS and have for the past two years (kiddos are now in 1st and 3rd), and I’ve been contemplating trying a different program next yearbut now that I’ve read your post, I’m second guessing again!? I feel like there are missing concepts that need to be filled in (time, money, fractions, etc.) but I LOVE the mastery approach. So I’ve been supplementing, like you suggested.

So thanks for giving me some food for thought! I need to remember that the curriculum serves me and the kids, not the other way around. Ah, the struggles of a former classroom teacher!?

Click Image for Purchase Prices and Shipping DetailsDid I use other curricula? As a secondary math teacher, I had been trained to consider the spiral curriculum to be a good idea. As a homeschool parent, I came to realize there was no institutional requirement to keep pressing on when my children didn’t quite master a math concept. We could slow down and spend time on things my children found difficult, then move along faster when things were easier. The vast majority of institutional curricula was designed around the spiral curriculum model; Math-U-See was a mastery curriculum. Math-U-See teaches one topic at a time.If the student doesn’t understand the first explicit explanation, a second way of understanding the topic is offered.

If that doesn’t work, there is often a third. Extra practice is available. In a spiral curriculum the student moves on to the next topic on schedule, because eventually the topics all reoccur on rotation, only with a bit more complexity each time. Spiral curriculum works very well in institutional settings, in that it is the most efficient way to optimize aggregate standardized test scores in a population of students. A mastery curriculum like Math-U-See often works better in a one-on-one setting such as homeschooling or tutoring. Ample Practice and ReviewThe key to Math-U-See’s success isn’t simply mastery learning, however.

Math-U-See also provides ample practice of previously mastered material. This is important, because mastery learning without review of old material often results in students forgetting what they’ve learned. A typical unit within Math-U-See consists of instruction, a few pages of exercises for the new material, and several more which combine practice of the new material and topics mastered in months and years past.The mastery learning model, ample practice and regular review are very helpful, but the genius of Math-U-See lies in the Instruction Package and Awesome Manipulatives!Seriously, Math-U-See blocks are pure genius. They combine the best qualities of ordinary integer block sets and Cuisenaire rods to create a math manipulative set that is at least twice as useful.

Like Cuisenaire rods, each numeral gets a graduated length rod of the proper relative length and specifically assigned color. Like place value blocks, there are units blocks, tens rods, and hundreds plates sufficient to build a one thousand cube. Unlike the other products, each of the plastic manipulatives is formed in such a way that the student can easily count their value visually and manually, confirming (or proving) their relative size. DVD-Rom Instructions for Each Lessonfeature Mr. Demme, the creator of Math-U-See, explaining how to teach the material to your student. Demme recognizes that both parent-instructors and students have different modes of learning!) The teacher’s manual explains how to teach each unit, as well as providing exercises, helpful appendices and answers to exercises and tests.

The Instruction DVD also explains how to use the rods and other helpful techniques to teach your student.Many parent-teachers watch the videos with their children. This strategy works well with more mature independent learners. In general, the availability of two different modes of instruction for the parent teacher and several ways of explaining the material to the student – not to mention excellent manipulatives, all serve to make Math-U-See a real winner. Math-U-See Has a Sequence – NOT Grade Levels!Any parent whose child has ever struggled knows the angst students experience when their textbook is clearly marked for their previous grade. Math-U-See addresses this by publishing textbooks labeled as. Primer for Introductory Math. Alpha for Single-digit Addition and Subtraction.

Beta for Multiple-digit Addition and Subtraction. Gamma for Multiplication.

Epsilon for Division. Delta for Fractions. Pre-algebra. Algebra I. Geometry. Algebra II.

Pre-Calculus &. Calculus.I find this very useful when I am teaching students who are not on grade level or tutoring students with gaps in their early learning. They quickly forget that they’re “behind,” because nothing about my attitude or their learning materials suggests this. They’re free to simply learn at their own pace. Multi-disciplinary PossibilitiesAnyone who’s been to this site before knows that “connected learning” is my shtick. I teach subjects together, I use multi-sensory approaches and I pay careful attention to what a student knows, relating new information to prior knowledge. How does Math-U-See fit in to my style?Very well.

Www.mathusee.com/

It is already multi-sensory, and because it is a mastery-learning program the student’s new lessons are always built on a firm foundation of previously acquired skills. Last but not least, because Mr. Demme uses realistic word problems in his arithmetic and geometry lessons and social studies and science problems in his higher math courses, Math-U-See ties into other subjects very, very well.

The Math-U-See presents the right tie ins at roughly the right point in a student’s development. Reviews, Reviews, Reviews!I am currently using Math-U-See Alpha with a struggling learner. It’s great for both of us.

He’s learning like never before, and I’m getting a change to start nearer the beginning. I started using Math-U-See with my own children at Gamma.

Math U See Worksheets

I will review this particular level next. I encourage you to have a look at that review. I will be reviewing all the Math-U-See Levels I’ve personally used. This means I’ll be leaving out Primer and Beta for now. Sorry folks, I’ve never used them! SummaryEach Math-U-See Curriculum set is complete in scope. If you use Math-U-See as designed, you shouldn't need any supplements.

Math U See It

It is actually designed for homeschool use, so no adaptation is required. It works well in a cooperative setting. Each student can buy a student pack, and the teacher can have an instruction pack which she uses to grade material and present lessons each week. Math-U-See is unusually accomodating to multiple learning styles. It has many tie-ins to practical life, science and sociology - but it is not a curriculum that actually combines two subjects.

It is designed for the student and teacher to work on together, and while independent learners can use Math-U-See, particularly in the upper grades, this is not Math-U-See's principle strength. I consider it to be a good value because of it's intrinsic value, moderate price and high resale value. Most users keep their Math U See Instruction Pack to use with younger siblings. Exceptionally frugal parents do not allow their children to mark on workbooks or test booklets, preferring to use those again as well. They are sold separately and readily available second hand, so frugal parents have many options.

I know I’m jumping the gun a bit, with a 6 month old, but I find reading about different methods of learning really interesting. I never really knew about this sort of approach before, since at school we were taught in the traditional way from a textbook with examples.

If you didn’t grasp it almost straight away, you would probably fall behind and find it difficult to catch up. The idea of a mastery style approach is very attractive for this reason. I will have to look into Math U See a bit more thoroughly I think, thanks for the eye opener!Joe. I am using Math-U-See Beta right now. It is so relaxing and easy to use.

The child I am tutoring is much less stressed out over math. It’s his favorite subject now! He knows he’s learning. His parents are so impressed and grateful. It makes me look like the most brilliant teacher in the world, and all I’m doing is following the directions that go with the Instruction pack! The manipulatives that come with Math U See are key.

They combine the best aspects of other popular manipulatives, making them very versatile.