Any kids Advanced in Math? What to do?

[MrsJewelsRae]

I am very impressed with "Teaching Textbooks" math curriculum and am pretty much sold on it. We were at a Christian HS conference yesterday and almost bought it but weren't sure which grade to go with. My 7 yr old ds (will be 8 in May) is fairly advanced in math. He's going into grade 3 in the fall, did math easily at 1 grade level ahead this year and judging by the placement tests he's at a grade 5 level. He loves math, is a natural at it, certainly doesn't get it from me! Anyhow, the guy from head office said we can either put him in 4th grade math and take the chance that it could be too easy but might help to just reinforce his skills, or we could put him at grade 5 which would be a little more challenging for him but at some point he will likely hit a wall when it comes to they type of math that a child needs to be mentally mature enough to compute (algebra? can't remember!) at which point we'd have to scale back and wait for him to be ready. My friend has TT Gr 4 that she said she could lend me, so I'm going to try that for now and see how he does. If it is too easy for him and not challenging at all, is there harm in putting him 2 grade levels ahead for 1 subject? My dh doesn't want him to be bored and we should cater to his natural ability, but I worry that if we challenge him too much he'll lose his confidence or end up hating math!

Anyhow, I've spent a lot of time on their site, going through all the material and my one friend had used 6 math curriculums in the past and is sticking with TT which she LOVES and raves about. I figure, my ds is going to pass my ability in math in no time at this rate so with this interactive computer math he will be able to have it taught by someone that actually knows what they're talking about. Not to mention my ds seems to really like it so far and is very excited about getting it. It would free up time for me to work with dd or the baby and put more time into the subjects he needs more 1 on 1 time with such as history or science which we prefer to do together.

[kgianforti]

Does TT have a placement test? I would start with that.

ETA: Duh! You did mention the placement test! LOL!

[mom2ponygirl]

Disclaimer: We haven't actually used TT or looked at it, but from all the math people I know, I hear it is not a rigorous program. I would not recommend it for a math gifted kid. A friend used it with her math gifted son and they loved the ease of it, but once he was exposed to math from other sources he was shocked at how behind he was.

We used Singapore math and Zaccaro books (Challenge Math, Become a Problem Solving Genius, etc.) at that age/stage. When you get to algebra, you want to head to www.artofproblemsolving.com which is great for math loving kids.

I've also heard good things about MEP math, available free online. We are going to play with some once dd's AoPS class ends in April to check it out.

[moominmamma]

Generally speaking I find placement tests to be very accurate. If the TT assessment says 5th grade I'd go with that.

However, I'd still borrow the 4th grade material for a while. Not because I think it'll likely be the right level for your ds, but because you may discover it's not actually the best math program for your ds. I understand it's been fabulous for your friend's kids, but does she have quick math-intuitive learners who are way ahead of their agemates?

My own kids have found Teaching Textbooks to be far to slow and repetitive for their tastes. The explanations were simplistic and formulaic, rather than appealing to deep mathematical logic, and they found it very difficult to skim through the program, because there aren't unit objectives and chapter headings and end-of-chapter summaries to make it clear what is new and what is review. At least, we found this at the Algebra I and II level. I have a 7yo who is probably at a 5th grade level. She's a compliant little thing who loves repeating things she's good at, but I think even she would run out of enthusiasm for Teaching Textbooks pretty quickly.

Not saying TT won't work for your kid, but I would give it a good look-over and consider the issues of pacing and repetition before jumping aboard and assuming it will work as well for your ds as it does for your friend's children.

Miranda

[moominmamma]

Also, on the issue of not being ready for a high school algebra text at age 9 or 10, I agree that' s a bit of an issue. But IMO you don't deal with that by having a child spend a year or two repeating the basic arithmetical skills they nailed long ago. Instead you look for non-traditional approaches to algebra and do a lot of interesting enrichment with non-algebra topics.

Miranda

[cbyrum]

We chose to use Singapore (and/or Math Mammoth) with my 5 yr old mathy boy. Just looking at the placement test for TT my son could easily pass the test for lvl 4. He's doing Singapore 2b at home with me as well as EPGY where he's in grade 3. 2b is easy for him but I wanted him to get the mental math that they teach in 2b.

It seems that TT runs a year off since he's pretty solidly in grade 3 but is in grade 4 with TT. If he passed the test to be in grade 5 I'd put him there

[MrsJewelsRae]

Thanks so much for all the helpful feedback! Good to know that TT is not so tough, he placed 2 grade levels ahead on the Saxon math placements as well, how do they rate? I am going to borrow my friends TT Math 4 and start soon to see how it goes, then we'll know if we want to invest in the gr 5 for the fall. He is just tired of a dry textbook approach to math, we used BJU (Bob Jones) this past year at a gr 3 level and I feel it has served him well but he is really intrigued by doing something animated on the computer. Are there other math programs out there that are less "booky", something animated on the computer that doesn't have to be too parent involved? I've heard lots of people loving Math U See, but I could barely make it through the boring info session on their website. What if I did TT and supplemented with some "mind bender" type stuff along the way a few times a week?

[moominmamma]

I think Teaching Textbooks and Saxon are quite similar, except in mode of presentation. They're both spiral and slow-moving, with tons of repetition, both considered especially good programs for kids who tend to struggle with math. TT has the advantage of an engaging presentation style, whereas Saxon tends to be perceived as very boring by a lot of kids.

My kids enjoyed the novelty of the computer-based presentation in TT for about two weeks and then the content and pace started to grate on them. By borrowing TT4 you might be able to discover if your ds will feel the same way.

Miranda

[VisionaryMom]

Originally Posted by MrsJewelsRae

but at some point he will likely hit a wall when it comes to they type of math that a child needs to be mentally mature enough to compute (algebra? can't remember!) at which point we'd have to scale back and wait for him to be ready. My friend has TT Gr 4 that she said she could lend me, so I'm going to try tha

As someone who is gifted in math, this statement would turn me away from the program.

If your son has an intuitive understanding of math but lacks the formal language to use it, then I'd do a review (but not buy a whole curriculum) to teach the words to go with the concepts. Otherwise, I might consider purchasing a curriculum to use as review with the understanding that we wouldn't go through it lesson-by-lesson.

[craft_media_hero]

Singapore!

[moss]

we're a math-u-see family (ds is very visual-spatial and it works really well for him). i find that their program is really easy to telescope. if i see that he's got a concept locked in, we skip ahead to the next lesson. (he loves that his lessons are on dvd)

this article on hoagies about epgy was really interesting: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/epgy.htm