I appreciate your comments for sure! It's definitely a gentle math. But the stories each week do reinforce the real world examples - and the copy work is because of the roots in Charlotte Mason method. Also, I can't tell you how many times in this curriculum the child is asked to explain to the teacher, in their own words, each concept. Many many many. Thanks for your video! :)
I enjoy the real world to be more involved in math. For example, when students learn about focal points... I like them to create their own parabolic "cooking tool" to cook hotdogs on it using the mathematical focal points not just read about it. I thought they can do better with that and include more discovery lessons instead of telling the "rule".
Id like a review on apologia math if you have it. I have a child who really struggles w math, at 9 we are still at addition and subtraction and i dont know what to use anymore.
We use Singapore and I recommend Singapore math to many! I know apologia math isn't as well known but I'm also not familiar with their approach in teaching math
Did you use the Practice Make Perfect workbooks that go with the Math? I highly recommend that. It has way more practice. If that's what you are looking for. Also, I believe level 5 there will be a book in the Fall for practice. Call the company. A lot of children get overwhelmed with curriculum that has a lot of problems on the page. You could print an extra worksheet for practice. There is not one perfect curriculum out there no matter how long you search.
I didn't know that the practice makes perfect even existed so no, we didn't use it. I went back to Singapore since we really like it -- totally agree, will never find a perfect curriculum!! Thats actually why I'm thinking of using my own curriculum for high school from when I taught because I tweeked it so many times accordingly!
Well if you skip the reading part in the beginning of the lessons, you are completely missing how the curriculum ties math concepts into our real world experiences. That’s actually what this curriculum excels at. This curriculum is amazing for certain kids. If you use it, be sure to do everything involved if you want to get everything you can out of it.
We did but for some kids, it doesn't work. That was the goal of making the video--- for some it works, for others it doesn't. As a math teacher, I would only use this with a child who is really really struggling in math because it lacks the connection to the real world. It tries to do it with the story but the actual mathematical examples really lack the real life connections.
@@TheBalancedMom Can you give an an example of how a certain math concept connects to the real world? Why don’t you think the stories in this curriculum connect math to the real world? And then why would this be a good curriculum for struggling kids? You don’t think kids who struggle in math need to see the connection to the real world?
Of course I believe they need the connection. I think it's better for a struggling student because of the level it's at. It's a very simple curriculum (bare bones type of math). It lacks to draw examples to real life---like dealing with fractions and looking at pie pieces, absolute value as distances to homes, negative integers as temperature or owing someone money. It just really lacks a lot of depth in my opinion which EVERY child SHOULD get but because it's Soo simple, it can be used best with a struggling student.
@@PIF95 to add, the stories connect it to the real world but the examples should be more concrete and thoughtful. They are super basic and don't challenge the student to think further or deeper. It's always "do this and do that" instead of having a child explore a topic and conclude or deduce something about the concept.
@@TheBalancedMom I’d have to disagree with you here. If someone puts the book in front of their child and tells them to do the problems, then yes all that you said is true. But if a parent sits down, reads the stories with the child, then uses the weekly story to teach the concepts, it absolutely makes a connection (which is how Charlotte Mason curriculums are supposed to be used). I mean the 3rd grade level literally uses pie slices to teach fractions (and then you make a pie together to teach how to use fractions of measurements, then cut that pie into fractions for your family). It seems you’ve lost a lot of the good of this curriculum because you weren’t using it the way it was intended. But no worries, everyone has different opinions, that’s totally fine. I just hate to hear you put down a very good homeschool curriculum because it seems you misunderstood how it was intended to be used.
Oh my gosh yeah My first thoughts were “why switch from Singapore?” Daughter is mathematically inclined for sure and she wouldn’t even want to pick up Masterbooks over Dimensions. I do like the idea of them writing their own summary sentence or of each lesson to help firm up their understanding so I might take that away from this
I love that there are stories. That sounds like such a fun approach. Thanks for your honest review. Just subscribed. I also have a channel with tons of homeschooling content. I would love to be friends and connect here 😊. Looking forward to watching more of your videos.
I appreciate your comments for sure! It's definitely a gentle math. But the stories each week do reinforce the real world examples - and the copy work is because of the roots in Charlotte Mason method. Also, I can't tell you how many times in this curriculum the child is asked to explain to the teacher, in their own words, each concept. Many many many. Thanks for your video! :)
I enjoy the real world to be more involved in math. For example, when students learn about focal points... I like them to create their own parabolic "cooking tool" to cook hotdogs on it using the mathematical focal points not just read about it. I thought they can do better with that and include more discovery lessons instead of telling the "rule".
Thank you for this review. I was really close to ordering this math but you pointed out a few things that I know I don't like.
Absolutely!!
Id like a review on apologia math if you have it. I have a child who really struggles w math, at 9 we are still at addition and subtraction and i dont know what to use anymore.
I don't im sorry. I recommend Singapore as it's rigorous and builds a very strong math foundation!
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Thanks for the review. Would love to see a review on Apologia Math as I’m trying to decide between that or Singapore Math
We use Singapore and I recommend Singapore math to many! I know apologia math isn't as well known but I'm also not familiar with their approach in teaching math
@@TheBalancedMom Thank you!
Did you use the Practice Make Perfect workbooks that go with the Math? I highly recommend that. It has way more practice. If that's what you are looking for. Also, I believe level 5 there will be a book in the Fall for practice. Call the company. A lot of children get overwhelmed with curriculum that has a lot of problems on the page. You could print an extra worksheet for practice. There is not one perfect curriculum out there no matter how long you search.
I didn't know that the practice makes perfect even existed so no, we didn't use it. I went back to Singapore since we really like it -- totally agree, will never find a perfect curriculum!! Thats actually why I'm thinking of using my own curriculum for high school from when I taught because I tweeked it so many times accordingly!
Oh my goodness I didn’t know they had that workbook to go with that ! Thank you !!! I’m definitely going to order both!
Well if you skip the reading part in the beginning of the lessons, you are completely missing how the curriculum ties math concepts into our real world experiences. That’s actually what this curriculum excels at.
This curriculum is amazing for certain kids. If you use it, be sure to do everything involved if you want to get everything you can out of it.
We did but for some kids, it doesn't work. That was the goal of making the video--- for some it works, for others it doesn't. As a math teacher, I would only use this with a child who is really really struggling in math because it lacks the connection to the real world. It tries to do it with the story but the actual mathematical examples really lack the real life connections.
@@TheBalancedMom Can you give an an example of how a certain math concept connects to the real world? Why don’t you think the stories in this curriculum connect math to the real world?
And then why would this be a good curriculum for struggling kids? You don’t think kids who struggle in math need to see the connection to the real world?
Of course I believe they need the connection. I think it's better for a struggling student because of the level it's at. It's a very simple curriculum (bare bones type of math). It lacks to draw examples to real life---like dealing with fractions and looking at pie pieces, absolute value as distances to homes, negative integers as temperature or owing someone money. It just really lacks a lot of depth in my opinion which EVERY child SHOULD get but because it's Soo simple, it can be used best with a struggling student.
@@PIF95 to add, the stories connect it to the real world but the examples should be more concrete and thoughtful. They are super basic and don't challenge the student to think further or deeper. It's always "do this and do that" instead of having a child explore a topic and conclude or deduce something about the concept.
@@TheBalancedMom I’d have to disagree with you here. If someone puts the book in front of their child and tells them to do the problems, then yes all that you said is true.
But if a parent sits down, reads the stories with the child, then uses the weekly story to teach the concepts, it absolutely makes a connection (which is how Charlotte Mason curriculums are supposed to be used). I mean the 3rd grade level literally uses pie slices to teach fractions (and then you make a pie together to teach how to use fractions of measurements, then cut that pie into fractions for your family). It seems you’ve lost a lot of the good of this curriculum because you weren’t using it the way it was intended.
But no worries, everyone has different opinions, that’s totally fine. I just hate to hear you put down a very good homeschool curriculum because it seems you misunderstood how it was intended to be used.
I think you had some really great comments and take-aways on this. Math really is a whole new language.
Thanks :) Hope you are well!!
Oh my gosh yeah My first thoughts were “why switch from Singapore?” Daughter is mathematically inclined for sure and she wouldn’t even want to pick up Masterbooks over Dimensions. I do like the idea of them writing their own summary sentence or of each lesson to help firm up their understanding so I might take that away from this
Yes--- I still think even Singapore can improve but for now, it's the strongest one out there imo
I want to like Masterbooks but for for me it's just not enough. Too much copy work. I like the practice makes perfect workbooks though.
Me too! I felt this
@@TheBalancedMom
Thanks for watching!
I love that there are stories. That sounds like such a fun approach. Thanks for your honest review. Just subscribed. I also have a channel with tons of homeschooling content. I would love to be friends and connect here 😊. Looking forward to watching more of your videos.
Thanks for watching! Blessings!
wow amazing
Thank you