math help for accelerated 6yo needed - Page 2

[moominmamma]

Originally Posted by pigpokey 

Timez Attack multiplication and division will make sure she has automatic recall and isn't just figuring it out (time challange).

As one who was radically accelerated in school but still didn't have my need for challenge in math adequately addressed, I'm eternally grateful that I did not work on this skill ahead of time. While my parents had supported my exploration of things like square roots, decimals and the metric system, all of which fed my insatiable curiosity for math, I'm glad that they didn't drill me on math facts at home. Partly because that wouldn't have been nearly as fun as what they did help me do, but also because it gave me one thing I could do alongside my class in 3rd grade: work on improving my speed recall of multiplication facts. 

Miranda

[pigpokey]

I didn't realize the original post was so old.  And it was about a home school student, so "what to do alongside 3rd grade peers" wasn't an issue. 

[moominmamma]

Originally Posted by pigpokey 

I didn't realize the original post was so old.  And it was about a home school student, so "what to do alongside 3rd grade peers" wasn't an issue. 

Ah, okay. I thought you were responding to subhuti's thread-bumping request for similar input for her school-going kindergartener. Different needs, different suggestions.

Miranda

[Subhuti]

Originally Posted by moominmamma 

As one who was radically accelerated in school but still didn't have my need for challenge in math adequately addressed, I'm eternally grateful that I did not work on this skill ahead of time. While my parents had supported my exploration of things like square roots, decimals and the metric system, all of which fed my insatiable curiosity for math, I'm glad that they didn't drill me on math facts at home. Partly because that wouldn't have been nearly as fun as what they did help me do, but also because it gave me one thing I could do alongside my class in 3rd grade: work on improving my speed recall of multiplication facts. 

Miranda

This is a really good point.  It will be covered so why bore her with it?  Let her have something challenging IN class.  Thanks.

[Subhuti]

Originally Posted by moominmamma 

If your dd is in school that presents some rather different considerations than a homeschooling situation. In your case I would try to avoid promoting acceleration through the standard scope & sequence that school uses, as that will only increase the mismatch. Instead I would focus on enrichment with tangential topics. My youngest did Singapore Primary Math, but that had her finishing pre-algebra at age 8, not a situation that would be well-suited to a child in school!

You could look for books by Theoni Pappas (eg. "Penrose the Mathematical Cat") and for logic games (chess, Set, Logical Journey of the Zoombinis) instead of curriculum style resources.

Miranda

This is a really good point -- rushing through the regular curriculum at a young age in a school situation will create more boredom in the future.  Rather -- enrichment ... I think that is a great idea --- with the child as the guide.  

my kids did both recently beg me to explain square roots -- I had to dredge that out from memory -- but I can leave the rest of the curric for the reg. classroom.

from what i see the Accelerated Math is more of an enrichment program rather than skipping to future topics.  It presents (to my kgartener) addition and subtraction in a lot of novel formats -- graphs, charts, drawings, etc.  It's not bouncing ahead to other topics.  At least at this point.  
 

[domesticidyll]

some things DS has liked:

Historical Connections in Mathematics

Code Breakers

living math--the book Blockhead, about Fibonacci numbers, and then exploring Fibonacci in art and nature; Mazes Around the World, and playing with drawing labyrinths from a nucleus

Challenge Math and Primary Grade Challenge Math

Life of Fred

Khan Academy

Family Math

Math Games Around the World

[heatherdeg]

We love Life of Fred.  I especially love that 1) they now have the series complete from start to college; 2) the lessons are mercifully short and the "testing" to move on is equally short and relevant; and 3) they're interesting stories that even my advanced reader (at 7yo he went through the Harry Potter series in roughly 4 hours/book) finds engaging.  He is currently on the 5th book (which claims to be 2nd-4th grade level range) and is doing unions of sets (set notation starts very early), median average, subtraction with carrying, percentages and I forget what else.  He's gone through the books relatively quickly partially because he really did already have a number of math concepts figured out.  We started at the VERY beginning just to ensure there were no gaps.  And it's an inexpensive curriculum.

I honestly thought we were going to need a manipulatives-based math program but this is really working well.  I own Singapore 2a/b (where he placed in August, before we did any of the Fred books) but we've never used it.  Although my son conceptually "got" addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, he didn't know his facts cold and that was apparently a critical factor before starting level 2.  Ummm... then how did he place into that level?!?! (in fact, he almost placed OUT of that level).  So we didn't start it this year pending learning his facts better (we used xtramath.org--a free program to help with math facts) and in the meantime, we started looking into and working on Life of Fred.  He's learning so much in such a life-applicable way that I'm thinking to hold off on a more formal program until I'm looking at him potentially wanting to attend high school.

Life of Fred goes up through Algebra, Geometry & Trig for high school and Calculus, Stats and Linear Algebra at the college level.  Someone on our homeschool e-mail list has a husband using the Fred books to get through his college Calc class.  :)   http://lifeoffredmath.com/

[moominmamma]

Originally Posted by heatherdeg 

he didn't know his facts cold and that was apparently a critical factor before starting level 2.  

Really? My kids certainly didn't! 

Miranda

[puzzlepeace]

We have really enjoyed the Sylvan Super Workbook series and love it! I meant for it to supplement our hardcover Sadlier-Oxford however it often presents things in a more straightforward manor along with colorful illustrations and/or games.  We also enjoy Khan Academy for online fun.

Sylvan books- http://www.randomhouse.com/sylvanlearningbookstore/browse.php?subject=EDU029010

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by moominmamma 

Really? My kids certainly didn't! 

Miranda

I'm going by what they laid out in the teaching guide.  The teaching guide said that in 1B, the kids learned addition and subtraction up to 20 and that it would be review.  Mine knew that stuff counting on his hands and I just figured we'd be better off learning those facts like every other kid who'd been through 1B.  :/

[moominmamma]

I never owned the teaching guides, and we just headed into Singapore 2B when my kids were keen on the challenge (somewhere around ages 5 or 6). They did really well without having math facts memorized. If they'd still been counting 0-20 facts on their fingers I suppose it might have been frustratingly slow work for them -- though possibly not. Although my kids didn't have the facts memorized, they could work out 6+7 or 9+5 quickly and easily using a combination of strategies and that didn't impede them working ahead into the 2B material. Yes, facts like 6+7 and 9+13 were "review" for them ... but that didn't mean they'd memorized them, it just meant they could easily work them out in a way that left them enough mental energy to add other concepts and layers of complexity on top. One thing my kids have taught me: not to put a whole lot of stock in general pronouncements about what order and pace learning "should" be introduced to them. I go by what they seem happy to handle, not by the rules. 

Miranda

[kgianforti]

Originally Posted by heatherdeg 

  I own Singapore 2a/b (where he placed in August, before we did any of the Fred books) but we've never used it.  Although my son conceptually "got" addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, he didn't know his facts cold and that was apparently a critical factor before starting level 2.  

I was worried about that as well since my DD didn't know all her math facts before starting 2a. I wasn't comfortable with "drilling" her because of her young age at the time so I just let it go (after asking a few btdt friends on other forums). Best decision I made...she is working along happily and steadily and recently started 3a. Her math facts are coming along too. I made up "math assignments" for her to complete. I print some pages with fun math fact practice and give her the week to complete the assignments. No pressure to get them done in a "drill" fashion and she is getting the practice with the facts.

I don't use the HiGs anymore but I do remember seeing that they think math facts should be hammered down before moving on.

[ednkirstin]

I'm a huge Saxon fan personally.  My dd5 is very gifted in math as well.  When she had just turned 5, I was teaching her how to skip count.  She's already learned how to count by 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's and 10's.  So she asked me one day (while waiting on DH at Home Depot) to teach her how to count by 11's.  I told her it was a bit tricky to count by 11's.  I said it was pretty easy up to 99 and then it gets harder.  But I thought, what the heck, I'll humor her.  So I explained the concept to her.  She then proceeded to count to 616 by 11's without skipping a beat, until dh was ready to go!  I was shocked!  Anyway, she's almost done with Saxon 2 and I'll just move her on to Saxon 3.  If she keeps up the pace, she'll probably be in Algebra by 6th or 7th grade.  It's worked great for my older children as well.  I've used Horizons, BJUP, and Rod and Staff and prefer Saxon hands down.  BTW, with dd5, I just skimmed through the material until I found a good placement for her, then started her working in earnest.  No sense boring her to death with stuff she already knows just to say she completed the workbook. :)