Saxon math is my favorite, but it can be tedious for a gifted learner.
First of all, use first or second edition Saxon 7/6. Later editions include the popular-with-teachers-but-not-with-gifted-kids "tell how you answered this question" type questions, and the leveling is not as consistent in later editions. (Meaning you might find practice problems which you have not yet learned to do, and the order of the lessons is not as incremental as previous editions).
Here's how we use Saxon 7/6 with a gifted learner:
First, finish Math 5/4 and skip Math 6/5 entirely. Why? Every lesson in 6/5 is either taught in 5/4 or in 7/6. The book is useful for kids who need a small expansion of the same topics, like with bigger numbers, but it is not helpful for gifted kids.
Then, do all of Math 7/6 in 85 lessons or less. Move as fast as you can without skipping concepts that your child doesn't already know. You can do or skip the tests, depending on how fast your child needs to get to Math 8/7, which is pre-algebra. For each lesson, do all the practice problems from every included lesson group and then either every other or every third practice problem, depending on how many problems you already did. Your kids might have greater tolerance than mine. Mine refuse to do more than about 20 problems a day, including the practice problems. Mine really prefer to do no more than 6 practice and no more than 13 problem set problems or I get math resistance and refusal, and we all hate that.
Here is our lesson sequence. You can do even fewer lessons, combining more or skipping more if your child really gets it already and is bored (and therefore resisting math).
1. Lessons 1-4
2. Lessons 5-7
3. Lessons 8-11
Test 1
4. Lessons 12-13
5. Lessons 14-15
Test 2
6. Lessons 16-17
7. Lessons 18-20
Test 3
8. Lessons 21-24
9. Lesson 25
Test 4
10. Lesson 26
11. Lessons 27-28
12. Lesson 29
13. Lesson 30
Test 5
14. Lessons 31-35
Test 6
Skip lessons 36-38 because that material is covered again in later lessons in the same book
15. Lessons 39-40.
Test 7
16. Lessons 41-42.
Skip lesson 43
17. Lessons 44-45
Test 8
18. Lesson 46-50
Test 9
19. Lesson 51
Skip lessons 52-53
20. Lessons 54-55
Test 10
21. Lessons 56-57
22. Lessons 58-59
23. Lesson 60
Test 11
24. Lesson 61
25. Lesson 63 and then Lesson 62.
26. Lesson 64
27. Lesson 65
Test 12
Skip lesson 66
28. Lesson 68 and then Lesson 67
29. Lessons 69-70
Test 13
30. Lessons 71-72
31. Lessons 73-75
Test 14
32. Lessons 76-77. Teach that is means = and of means multiply, so you can translate word problems into math problems. Teach that a fraction of a number is another number, and you can use the formula F x N = A to figure out the answers to these problems more quickly and easily than using the lesson's methodology. Likewise, a Decimal of a Number is Another number, so use D x N = A also.
33. Lessons 78-79
34. Lesson 80.
Test 15
35. Lessons 81-82
36. Lessons 83-84
37. Lesson 85
Test 16
38. Lesson 86
39. Lesson 87
40. Lessons 88-90
Test 17
41. Lesson 91
42. Lesson 92
43. Lesson 93
44. Lesson 94
45. Lesson 95
Test 18
46. Lesson 96
47. Lesson 97
48. Lessons 98-99
49. Lesson 100
Test 19
50. Lesson 101
51. Lesson 102
52. Lesson 103
53. Lesson 104
54. Lesson 105
Test 20
55. Lesson 106
56. Lesson 107-109
57. Lesson 110
Test 21
58. Lesson 111
59. Lesson 112. Teach the formula a Percent of a Number is Another number, or P x N = A. You can always use the fraction (p/100) instead of a percent or the decimal form if that makes solving it easier. Often, an easier method than the one they teach is to convert to decimal in your head and then multiply.
60. Lesson 113
61. Lesson 114
62. Lesson 115
Test 22
63. Lesson 116
64. Lesson 117
65. Lesson 118. Review P x N = A and show how it can be used for this type problem.
Skip lesson 119 (it was done in Math 5/40
66. Lesson 120
Test 23
67. Lesson 121
68. Lesson 122. Review F x N = A and show how it can be used for this type problem.
69. Lessons 123-123
70. Lesson 125
Test 24
71. Lesson 126
72. Lesson 127. Review D x N = A and show how it can be used for this type problem.
73. Lesson 128
74. Lesson 129
75. Lesson 130
Test 25
76. Lesson 131
77. Lesson 132
78. Lesson 133. Review P x N = A and show how it can be used to solve this type of problem. Translate, solve.
79. Lesson 134
80. Lesson 135
Test 26
81. Lesson 136
82. Lesson 137
83. Lesson 138
84. Lesson 139
85. Lesson 140
Test 27
Test 28
Almost everything in Math 7/6 is also taught in either 5/4 or 8/7. So don't worry about moving through it quickly. Do get the fractions stuff down solidly, though, because 8/7 assumes you know it well. Everything else is reviewed thoroughly or is a slight expansion on what is already known.
Move on from Math 7/6 to Math 8/7. Saxon did produce a Pre-Algebra book, but Math 87 actually prepares a student for Algebra better than Pre-Algebra does, and it's leveled better (the increments are more appropriate).
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Tips for Dealing with Math Refusal: Eat First
The bane of every homeschool mother's existence is math.
It's not because we all hate math. Some of us actually enjoy it quite a lot--both in the doing and the teaching.
No, the thing about math that we all hate is that every single one of us has run into days (or weeks or months) when you sit down and say, "Open your math book," and your child cries. Or stomps out of the room. Or starts nicely and then melts down the instant you start a new topic they've never heard of ("What do you mean, place value?! Waaaaahhhhaaaaahhhh!"). Or worse, they sit agreeably but won't put pencil to paper, and hours later they are still there, engaged in a silent battle of wills with you--insisting they will not do their math while you insist they will stay at the table until it's done.
Sound familiar?
Whether it's loud and angry or silent and passive-aggressive, math refusal is one of the single most frustrating things homeschooling moms deal with it.
So I will be posting a series of tips for dealing with math refusal.
The first tip is an easy one: never start math without eating first, both you and your child. Every math lesson should begin with a snack--and for many children, the snack needs to have protein in it. Nuts, eggs, peanut butter, and hot dogs are favorites around our house.
For some reason, I find two things happen when my kids eat first:
1. They don't fight me every step of the way. They are more patient and compliant, and even cheerful, even in the face of a boring assignment.
and
2. Their brains work better, so they can comprehend and complete the math lessons many times quicker than they can if they are hungry.
If we start math and I am getting signs of a math refusal episode coming on, I will put our books down, pencils away, and say, "Let's eat first," or "Who wants a peanut butter sandwich?"
I've said it enough times that my children have begun to self-regulate. If they sit down to their math and find themselves staring blankly at the wall instead of getting it over and done with, they will often stand up and say, "I think I'd better eat first."
It takes 10 minutes to eat a snack, and can take hours to deal with the fallout of shut off brains and hangry children. Even if you're in a hurry, it's a good idea to do a snack first, math second.
It's not because we all hate math. Some of us actually enjoy it quite a lot--both in the doing and the teaching.
No, the thing about math that we all hate is that every single one of us has run into days (or weeks or months) when you sit down and say, "Open your math book," and your child cries. Or stomps out of the room. Or starts nicely and then melts down the instant you start a new topic they've never heard of ("What do you mean, place value?! Waaaaahhhhaaaaahhhh!"). Or worse, they sit agreeably but won't put pencil to paper, and hours later they are still there, engaged in a silent battle of wills with you--insisting they will not do their math while you insist they will stay at the table until it's done.
Sound familiar?
Whether it's loud and angry or silent and passive-aggressive, math refusal is one of the single most frustrating things homeschooling moms deal with it.
So I will be posting a series of tips for dealing with math refusal.
The first tip is an easy one: never start math without eating first, both you and your child. Every math lesson should begin with a snack--and for many children, the snack needs to have protein in it. Nuts, eggs, peanut butter, and hot dogs are favorites around our house.
For some reason, I find two things happen when my kids eat first:
1. They don't fight me every step of the way. They are more patient and compliant, and even cheerful, even in the face of a boring assignment.
and
2. Their brains work better, so they can comprehend and complete the math lessons many times quicker than they can if they are hungry.
If we start math and I am getting signs of a math refusal episode coming on, I will put our books down, pencils away, and say, "Let's eat first," or "Who wants a peanut butter sandwich?"
I've said it enough times that my children have begun to self-regulate. If they sit down to their math and find themselves staring blankly at the wall instead of getting it over and done with, they will often stand up and say, "I think I'd better eat first."
It takes 10 minutes to eat a snack, and can take hours to deal with the fallout of shut off brains and hangry children. Even if you're in a hurry, it's a good idea to do a snack first, math second.
Monday, January 25, 2016
How to Use Saxon Math with Gifted Math Students
Saxon Math is brilliant for students who don't think they are "math people" or who just plain struggle with math. The lessons are carefully-planned, the "incremental development" they advertise doesn't move too fast, there is plenty of practice (including extra practice in the back of the book), and the kids never get a chance to forget what they previously learned because they are constantly practicing it again.
But what about gifted students?
Saxon works brilliantly for them, too.
Gifted kids have a habit of practicing "get it and forget it" in math. It makes sense, they can do all 30 practice problems that are all the same, and then when the teacher never brings it up again, they simply forget whatever skill they learned, moving on to more interesting things. Saxon doesn't let them do this.
But Saxon risks moving too slowly for gifted math learners.
I know; I have a house full of them.
Homeschooling 8 gifted kids, I've learned a thing or two about homeschooling gifted kids using Saxon Math.
Here's how we do it:
Start in the right book for your child.
Take the placement test when you start, and repeat it if you get hung up in math refusal. Do not be afraid to jump to the next book--Saxon reviews everything. I counted once and found only 3 lessons in Math 6/5, for example, that were not also covered in Math 5/4, and those three were covered in Math 7/6, 8/7, and Algebra 1/2. You won't miss anything if your child skips ahead. I have successfully started some of my children in Math 5/4 at age 5. My only tip is, if you're getting into the upper levels of math with a little child, remember that their brains are bright enough but their attention span might be shorter, and don't expect to do more than 7-12 problems per day total.
You can find the placement tests free online here (younger kids): http://www.hmhco.com/~/media/sites/home/education/global/pdf/placement/mathematics/k-12/saxon-math-homeschool/sm_hs_hs_primary_placement.pdf?la=en and here (older kids): http://www.hmhco.com/~/media/sites/home/education/global/pdf/placement/mathematics/k-12/saxon-math-homeschool/sms_plt_middlegrades.pdf?la=en.
My only caveat here is that Math 5/4 is where a child learns both multiplication and long division. Don't skip Math 5/4, even if your child tests out of it, unless you know they can do multiplication and long division.
Skip every other book entirely.
Start in Math 1 (not Math K) at age 3 or 4 (as soon as your child wants to and can do the first few lessons without any trouble) and only do books that start with an odd number. Skip every other book completely. (We do Math 1, Math 3, Math 54, Math 76, Algebra 1/2, Algebra 2, etc.) With the higher math, you might find your child needs to slow down (use Algebra 1 as well as Algebra 2, for example).
Only go through entire lesson if your child needs it.
This is especially important for Math K-3. The entire lesson is scripted, and if you read the entire script, your gifted child will be so bored. If your child understands how to learn new math concepts, only hit the highlights of the lesson and then move straight to the practice problems.
Skip parts of every lesson.
I know it sounds horrible, but you can and should skip parts of each lesson. Every Saxon lesson is designed to have 3 parts: a warm up, a lesson with practice, and a "problem set" that reviews the current and previous lessons. For gifted kids, this is overkill.
Skip the "mental math" or "warm up" at the beginning of every lesson entirely. Do the lesson until your child starts saying, "Okay, okay. I get it." Then stop and move on to the practice problems (marked with lowercase letters.) Do all the practice problems. Then do only some of the problem set. I usually have my kids do the odds or the evens (odds on odd lesson numbers, even on even lesson numbers). I have been known, though, to have them do every third or even every fourth problem in a problem set.
As long as they are still passing the tests with 19/20 right or better, they are getting it, even if you skip a lot of the problem sets.
Don't skip the problem sets all together, though. That's where the wonderful spiral review-learning happens, that helps the kids never forget anything. You don't want to miss that benefit of Saxon!
Do more than one lesson a day.
Frequently, I find that I can teach two or three lessons in one sitting and the kids get it just fine. I never skip lessons, but we do go through them fairly quickly sometimes. For example, we do all 120 lessons, all 12 investigations, and all 23 tests from Saxon 7/6 in 115 days. I go through the book when a child starts and make a chart of which lessons to combine, but you can just sit down before math each day and look at the next three lessons and decide how many your child can handle that day. Always do all the practice sets for all the lessons. These are the problems marked with lowercase letters. Then, depending on how many practice problems they did, do every other or ever third problem in the problem set of the last lesson only. Skip the problem sets from the first (and second, if you do three) lessons you taught.
Remember, gifted kids "get it" faster and need less practice, so don't be afraid to set them loose and go through the program as fast as they want.
But what about gifted students?
Saxon works brilliantly for them, too.
Gifted kids have a habit of practicing "get it and forget it" in math. It makes sense, they can do all 30 practice problems that are all the same, and then when the teacher never brings it up again, they simply forget whatever skill they learned, moving on to more interesting things. Saxon doesn't let them do this.
But Saxon risks moving too slowly for gifted math learners.
I know; I have a house full of them.
Homeschooling 8 gifted kids, I've learned a thing or two about homeschooling gifted kids using Saxon Math.
Here's how we do it:
Start in the right book for your child.
Take the placement test when you start, and repeat it if you get hung up in math refusal. Do not be afraid to jump to the next book--Saxon reviews everything. I counted once and found only 3 lessons in Math 6/5, for example, that were not also covered in Math 5/4, and those three were covered in Math 7/6, 8/7, and Algebra 1/2. You won't miss anything if your child skips ahead. I have successfully started some of my children in Math 5/4 at age 5. My only tip is, if you're getting into the upper levels of math with a little child, remember that their brains are bright enough but their attention span might be shorter, and don't expect to do more than 7-12 problems per day total.
You can find the placement tests free online here (younger kids): http://www.hmhco.com/~/media/sites/home/education/global/pdf/placement/mathematics/k-12/saxon-math-homeschool/sm_hs_hs_primary_placement.pdf?la=en and here (older kids): http://www.hmhco.com/~/media/sites/home/education/global/pdf/placement/mathematics/k-12/saxon-math-homeschool/sms_plt_middlegrades.pdf?la=en.
My only caveat here is that Math 5/4 is where a child learns both multiplication and long division. Don't skip Math 5/4, even if your child tests out of it, unless you know they can do multiplication and long division.
Skip every other book entirely.
Start in Math 1 (not Math K) at age 3 or 4 (as soon as your child wants to and can do the first few lessons without any trouble) and only do books that start with an odd number. Skip every other book completely. (We do Math 1, Math 3, Math 54, Math 76, Algebra 1/2, Algebra 2, etc.) With the higher math, you might find your child needs to slow down (use Algebra 1 as well as Algebra 2, for example).
Only go through entire lesson if your child needs it.
This is especially important for Math K-3. The entire lesson is scripted, and if you read the entire script, your gifted child will be so bored. If your child understands how to learn new math concepts, only hit the highlights of the lesson and then move straight to the practice problems.
Skip parts of every lesson.
I know it sounds horrible, but you can and should skip parts of each lesson. Every Saxon lesson is designed to have 3 parts: a warm up, a lesson with practice, and a "problem set" that reviews the current and previous lessons. For gifted kids, this is overkill.
Skip the "mental math" or "warm up" at the beginning of every lesson entirely. Do the lesson until your child starts saying, "Okay, okay. I get it." Then stop and move on to the practice problems (marked with lowercase letters.) Do all the practice problems. Then do only some of the problem set. I usually have my kids do the odds or the evens (odds on odd lesson numbers, even on even lesson numbers). I have been known, though, to have them do every third or even every fourth problem in a problem set.
As long as they are still passing the tests with 19/20 right or better, they are getting it, even if you skip a lot of the problem sets.
Don't skip the problem sets all together, though. That's where the wonderful spiral review-learning happens, that helps the kids never forget anything. You don't want to miss that benefit of Saxon!
Do more than one lesson a day.
Frequently, I find that I can teach two or three lessons in one sitting and the kids get it just fine. I never skip lessons, but we do go through them fairly quickly sometimes. For example, we do all 120 lessons, all 12 investigations, and all 23 tests from Saxon 7/6 in 115 days. I go through the book when a child starts and make a chart of which lessons to combine, but you can just sit down before math each day and look at the next three lessons and decide how many your child can handle that day. Always do all the practice sets for all the lessons. These are the problems marked with lowercase letters. Then, depending on how many practice problems they did, do every other or ever third problem in the problem set of the last lesson only. Skip the problem sets from the first (and second, if you do three) lessons you taught.
Remember, gifted kids "get it" faster and need less practice, so don't be afraid to set them loose and go through the program as fast as they want.
Why I use Saxon Math
There are a thousand ways to teach your child math, from unschooling to DIY to buying a curriculum.
I choose to use Saxon Math Homeschool sets.
Why?
For starters, it's a complete homeschool math curriculum that has been producing materials for homeschoolers for decades. Saxon knows what homeschool families need. A Saxon Math homeschool kit includes not just the book, but the tests as well and all the answer keys to both tests and every single problem set. A homeschool program I belong to recently purchased a non-homeschool Saxon math text, and it's not the same. The homeschool kits include things you, as a parent-teacher, need in order to teach math. (Get the homeschool kit. It's worth it.)
Saxon Math is a solid, proven math curriculum. I read an article a few years back (and I wish I could find the link) about a failing school in California. They'd been failing, with the lowest scores in the district for years. Then all of a sudden, in one year, their scores went from the lowest to near the highest on the standardized math tests. What changed? The teachers saved their own money and bought classroom sets of Saxon Math books to teach from. Saxon Math works to teach kids how to do math. Kids who use Saxon are prepared for college math. Saxon works.
And my favorite thing about Saxon Math: every single lesson includes a "Practice Set" of math problems that come from the lesson the child just finished and all the previous lessons. This has two benefits: 1. The kids never forget how to do the math because they are constantly practicing it, and 2. The kids never have to do thirty of the same type of problem, so they don't get as bored doing math every day.
Of all the ways to do math out there, I recommend using the Saxon Homeschool kits. You can buy them from Saxon (http://www.hmhco.com/shop/education-curriculum/math/homeschool/saxon-math-homeschool), get them on Ebay or Amazon (but make sure you're getting the whole kit: Textbook, Test booklet, and Answer Book), or order them from a curriculum library or co-op in your area. Even the "old" Saxon Math kits are fabulous--I love my second editions as much as my most recent editions.
I choose to use Saxon Math Homeschool sets.
Why?
For starters, it's a complete homeschool math curriculum that has been producing materials for homeschoolers for decades. Saxon knows what homeschool families need. A Saxon Math homeschool kit includes not just the book, but the tests as well and all the answer keys to both tests and every single problem set. A homeschool program I belong to recently purchased a non-homeschool Saxon math text, and it's not the same. The homeschool kits include things you, as a parent-teacher, need in order to teach math. (Get the homeschool kit. It's worth it.)
Saxon Math is a solid, proven math curriculum. I read an article a few years back (and I wish I could find the link) about a failing school in California. They'd been failing, with the lowest scores in the district for years. Then all of a sudden, in one year, their scores went from the lowest to near the highest on the standardized math tests. What changed? The teachers saved their own money and bought classroom sets of Saxon Math books to teach from. Saxon Math works to teach kids how to do math. Kids who use Saxon are prepared for college math. Saxon works.
And my favorite thing about Saxon Math: every single lesson includes a "Practice Set" of math problems that come from the lesson the child just finished and all the previous lessons. This has two benefits: 1. The kids never forget how to do the math because they are constantly practicing it, and 2. The kids never have to do thirty of the same type of problem, so they don't get as bored doing math every day.
Of all the ways to do math out there, I recommend using the Saxon Homeschool kits. You can buy them from Saxon (http://www.hmhco.com/shop/education-curriculum/math/homeschool/saxon-math-homeschool), get them on Ebay or Amazon (but make sure you're getting the whole kit: Textbook, Test booklet, and Answer Book), or order them from a curriculum library or co-op in your area. Even the "old" Saxon Math kits are fabulous--I love my second editions as much as my most recent editions.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Things I like About Homeschooling: The Calendar
I've been watching my friends' kids showing off their first-day-of-school clothes on Facebook all month now. Some of them were back to school the first week in August. Most will be back long before Labor Day.
They all looked nice and shiny, with new clothes and backpacks.
But you know what? I'm not quite ready for summer to be over yet. The weather is still nice. The kids are not bored yet (although a couple of them are getting there). And I have a lot on my plate right now with having to deal with 3 broken cars in the last month (none working yet), the school computers broken in the last week (where did I put that extra monitor?), and an upcoming trip to see Grandma and Grandpa as they return from 18 months living in Africa.
I had a homeschooling friend ask a couple of weeks ago, "When are you starting school?" "I don't know," I answered, "I haven't thought that far ahead. Gotta get my cars fixed first." "I haven't started planing yet, either," she confessed. "Glad I'm not the only one!"
One of the nice things about homeschooling in Colorado is that if I'm not ready for school to start yet, it doesn't have to. I get to set my own schedule. I have to meet the legal requirements still, notifying the district 2 weeks before we start, and getting in enough days and hours, but I can start when I want, take breaks when we need them, and completely be in charge of the school calendar so that it meets the needs of my family.
So we're not going back to school yet.
Summer isn't over, and we're not ready.
They all looked nice and shiny, with new clothes and backpacks.
But you know what? I'm not quite ready for summer to be over yet. The weather is still nice. The kids are not bored yet (although a couple of them are getting there). And I have a lot on my plate right now with having to deal with 3 broken cars in the last month (none working yet), the school computers broken in the last week (where did I put that extra monitor?), and an upcoming trip to see Grandma and Grandpa as they return from 18 months living in Africa.
I had a homeschooling friend ask a couple of weeks ago, "When are you starting school?" "I don't know," I answered, "I haven't thought that far ahead. Gotta get my cars fixed first." "I haven't started planing yet, either," she confessed. "Glad I'm not the only one!"
One of the nice things about homeschooling in Colorado is that if I'm not ready for school to start yet, it doesn't have to. I get to set my own schedule. I have to meet the legal requirements still, notifying the district 2 weeks before we start, and getting in enough days and hours, but I can start when I want, take breaks when we need them, and completely be in charge of the school calendar so that it meets the needs of my family.
So we're not going back to school yet.
Summer isn't over, and we're not ready.
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