This post continues with our Wisdom’s 7 Pillars resource recommendations, today on the topic of L.E.D. Math.
\nUPDATE at the end.<\/p>\n
LED MATH<\/p>\n
Of all the things we teach our children, math is probably the hardest<\/p>\n
for parents to implement in a “lifestyle” way, especially beyond the<\/p>\n
very young childhood years. In keeping with LED principles, we desire<\/p>\n
to keep math instruction as informal as possible for those early years,<\/p>\n
and not resort to formal “school book” type programs until the formal<\/p>\n
education years (the youth\/teen years). We have implemented several<\/p>\n
things that have worked well for us. We are working at getting those<\/p>\n
things into a “presentable” format for others\/you to use. We have also<\/p>\n
found & recommend several resources that help us stay true to L.E.D.,<\/p>\n
while providing instructional guidance.<\/p>\n
INFORMAL<\/p>\n
As a part of Lifestyle Education through Discipleship principles, we<\/p>\n
believe most academic instruction, including math, should be fairly<\/p>\n
informal, up to about the age of 12 or 13. The math concepts can<\/p>\n
mostly be taught orally and informally through household objects and<\/p>\n
dialog, with a little paperwork instruction included as needed. Our<\/p>\n
children’s absolute favorite, and highly effective, math instruction<\/p>\n
for the early years, we called “Money Math”. Very simply teaching them<\/p>\n
to add and subtract through the use of money. They were “paid” for<\/p>\n
doing things, and they “paid” for receiving things; beginning with<\/p>\n
pennies, and progressing through nickels, dimes, quarters, half<\/p>\n
dollars, and bills. They had to keep a running total, adding what they<\/p>\n
were to receive, and subtracting what they were to pay. Money is<\/p>\n
definitely the easiest and most logical way to teach our base ten<\/p>\n
system, decimal placement, and negative numbers. We offer a booklet<\/p>\n
called Freedom & Simplicity in Math (for the Childhood years), that<\/p>\n
includes our “Money Math” ideas, as well as some charts and tools for<\/p>\n
those early years. Calendars, clocks, and measuring devices round out<\/p>\n
the *needs* of the early years.<\/p>\n
We also love to incorporate Cusineaire rods (and counting bears) in our<\/p>\n
hands-on, build it, see it math instruction. Yes, you can do the same<\/p>\n
thing with popsicle sticks and dried beans, but the rods (and bears)<\/p>\n
are so colorful, sturdy, uniform and fun. They aren’t just a “school”<\/p>\n
tool; they are a fun “toy”, for building houses, complete with a family<\/p>\n
to live in them. Our toddlers love the Jumbo rods and bears, too.<\/p>\n
Our favorite resource by others, for these early years, which covers<\/p>\n
all the topics typically taught in K through third grades, is “An Easy<\/p>\n
Start in Arithmetic”, part of the 3 R’s series by Ruth Beechick. (We<\/p>\n
recommend the whole series.) Mrs. Beechick includes ideas for teaching<\/p>\n
each topic informally as you go through your day in managing your<\/p>\n
household with your child alongside. Some written work is also<\/p>\n
incorporated, as you design it (very simple, no daily worksheets to<\/p>\n
write or such). A few simple chart ideas are also included. To<\/p>\n
continue on with these ideas and foundation, Mrs. Beechick has also<\/p>\n
written “How to Teach Your Child Successfully”. In it she gives ideas<\/p>\n
& guidelines for older children (4-8 grade), in all foundational<\/p>\n
subjects. We believe that “An Easy Start in Arithmetic” is all you<\/p>\n
would *need* to teach your child math in those early years. Add on the<\/p>\n
“Freedom & Simplicity Math”, Cuisenaire rods, and counting bears for<\/p>\n
some practical, hands-on application ideas. “How to Teach …” will<\/p>\n
guide you through the concepts needed to continue the rest of the later<\/p>\n
childhood years, but many will probably want to add a little more from<\/p>\n
other resources at this stage.<\/p>\n
CONCEPTUAL<\/p>\n
For those that desire to add a little more to the subject including<\/p>\n
more written “paperwork”, we still recommend keeping the instruction<\/p>\n
conceptual, concrete and informal, enjoyable, and “un-school bookish”<\/p>\n
as possible. (We don’t feel these resources are necessary, but some of you may.)<\/p>\n
The “Miquon” math series of “workbooks” utilizing Cuisenaire rods, by<\/p>\n
Key Curriculum Press, provides this type of resource. It translates “real life” math,<\/p>\n
that we’ve been doing concretely (with real objects through “An Easy<\/p>\n
Start ,”) to paper. If you choose to utilize the “Miquon” books, we<\/p>\n
still recommend using “An Easy Start in Arithmetic” as your foundation,<\/p>\n
and adding the “paperwork” as an occasional exercise, as enjoyed by the<\/p>\n
child, not an “everyday have-to”. There is no reason to begin this<\/p>\n
“paperwork” at the same time you start your informal instruction with<\/p>\n
“An Easy Start”. It can be begun even a few years later.<\/p>\n
DRILL<\/p>\n
Along the way, as your child learns the “math facts”, for<\/p>\n
addition\/subtraction, and in later years for multiplication\/division,<\/p>\n
you may want to work on these facts becoming “automatic” for him to<\/p>\n
remember. This can be done by several methods. The most notorious is<\/p>\n
by plain old fashioned flashcards, but many other ways are much more<\/p>\n
fun and just as effect, if not more so for various types of learners.<\/p>\n
“Math-It” turns the drill into a game, for both sets of facts using<\/p>\n
“Add It” and “Timz It”. (Also available are “Pre Math-It”, covering<\/p>\n
learning the addition facts through dominos, and “Advanced Math-It”,<\/p>\n
covering percents\/ decimals\/ fractions.) We have devised our own type<\/p>\n
of drill similar to “Math-It”, included in our “Freedom & Simplicity<\/p>\n
Math”. Our children also all enjoyed learning sing-song jingles of the<\/p>\n
facts from audio tapes, such as “Skip Counting”. The hands-on drill<\/p>\n
tools called “Wrap-ups” are great for your kinesthetic kids, but we<\/p>\n
found that some kids memorized where the string went more than the<\/p>\n
actual facts. An alternative to the “Math-It” games, (I mention<\/p>\n
because they are extremely popular with home ed parents) are the<\/p>\n
“Calculadders” drill sheets. These are timed worksheets, and by far<\/p>\n
the least fun and “informal” of the resources mentioned here.<\/p>\n
Occasionally these can be used with older children for brush up, but we<\/p>\n
don’t use them with our younger “informal stage” children. Freedom &<\/p>\n
Simplicity Math (or “Math-It\/Advanced Math-It”) and the “Skip Counting”<\/p>\n
tapes are our recommendations.<\/p>\n
TOPICAL<\/p>\n
Shortly before your child advances to formal math instruction you will<\/p>\n
want to make sure they have not only the basic facts “drilled”, but<\/p>\n
also all their basic arithmetic down pat. This “transitional” stage is<\/p>\n
usually between the ages of 10 and 12. During this time they will<\/p>\n
begin doing regular “workpage” “math problems”, covering all concepts<\/p>\n
of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals<\/p>\n
(money), and percents, as well as measurements, time, place value,<\/p>\n
negative numbers, and Roman Numerals concepts. Much of this will be<\/p>\n
review, but also solidifying and pulling it all together. The “Key to<\/p>\n
” series by Key Curriculum Press has booklets covering Fractions,<\/p>\n
Decimals, Percents, and Measurements. Also, you could begin utilizing<\/p>\n
the program recommended below, by covering each concept (not workpage)<\/p>\n
in the beginning levels and using some of the word problems and\/or<\/p>\n
tests from the “extra practice” booklets\/pages as indicators that the<\/p>\n
child has good comprehension.<\/p>\n
INCREMENTAL<\/p>\n
Formal instruction, including formal math instruction, begins for our<\/p>\n
children around 12 or 13 years of age. We believe the best math<\/p>\n
program, that includes all elementary and high school math concepts,<\/p>\n
taught in a line upon line, incremental, conceptual (understanding of<\/p>\n
the principles, not just rote memorization) and concrete way (with<\/p>\n
manipulatives) is “Math U See”, by Steve Demme. So, if this program is<\/p>\n
complete, conceptual, and concrete why do we bother recommending the<\/p>\n
other resources and not just start with “Math U See” and use it all the<\/p>\n
way through? We feel “Math U See” is an excellent program, & love the<\/p>\n
way it integrates conceptual teaching & concrete manipulatives for<\/p>\n
applying math to “real life”. However, and for us and Lifestyle<\/p>\n
Education this is a big however, we do not feel such a formal<\/p>\n
structured program should be implemented for young children. We do<\/p>\n
feel it is the best program for our older students, in those formal<\/p>\n
instruction years.<\/p>\n
All the resources recommended here have their own strengths for their<\/p>\n
own stages of learning. We have picked the best in each category (as<\/p>\n
we see it, from the wide variety we have used and thoroughly reviewed,)<\/p>\n
for working within the principles of Lifestyle Education through<\/p>\n
Discipleship. In review, those are: “Freedom & Simplicity in Math” and<\/p>\n
“An Easy Start in Arithmetic” for early Childhood stage (and<\/p>\n
optionally, “Miquon” math w\/ Cuisenaire rods); for the later Chilhood<\/p>\n
stage, “You Can Teach Your Child Successfully”, “Freedom & Simplicity<\/p>\n
Math” (or”Math-It”), “Skip Count” tapes, “Key to …” series, (and<\/p>\n
optionally, “Wrap-ups”); and for the Youth\/teen stage, the<\/p>\n
complete series of “Math U See” (which goes up through Trigonometry, if<\/p>\n
you so desire).<\/p>\n
One key component of Lifestyle Education is through “Notebooking”. Our<\/p>\n
“Freedom & Simplicity in Math” includes guidelines for Notebooking<\/p>\n
Math. As with all the other topics\/subjects we Notebook, the goal is<\/p>\n
to produce the child’s own Book of what they’ve learned and now know,<\/p>\n
their own “teaching” guideline, – their own “text”, if you must. This<\/p>\n
provides the “written work” the child does and provides him his own<\/p>\n
personal reference book for looking up concepts and procedures for<\/p>\n
figuring out problems. As far as we know this is the only resource of<\/p>\n
this kind. It will, Lord willing, be available for purchase later this<\/p>\n
Spring. Please pray for its timely completion as we put the finishing<\/p>\n
touches on this “published version” of our L.E.D. Math methods for<\/p>\n
Freedom & Simplicity\u2122 in YOUR homeschool.<\/p>\n
UPDATE:<\/b> We have not changed our opinions on the above mentioned resources. We still like them and all the “pros” of them still stand. However, there is one more addition to our list, and also another preferred resource.<\/p>\n
I would add Making Math Meaningful<\/i> by David Quine of Cornerstone Curriculum, as another option alongside of Math U See. It too teaches math in a real life setting, using manipulatives, and teaches reasoning. There are some lesson “perspectives” I prefer in it, but some presentations, (like Steve’s video examples, and the uniformity of manipulatives) that I like better in MUS.<\/p>\n
My preferred resource now though is Ray’s Arithmetic. It is a completely non-consumable program (a big plus for big families), and teaches completely through the principles of math, real life application, and reasoning skills. It is a series from the 1800’s, and therefore a bit more advanced than today’s teaching, but the books are not “grade-leveled” so that doesn’t really matter. It does not come with manipulatives, but it is expected that you will use real objects to present the lessons. It explains how you reason through to the solution of the problems. It also expects early lessons to be done orally and mentally with manipulatives, not paper and pencil, so it can be used with our informal early teaching.<\/p>\n
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This post continues with our Wisdom’s 7 Pillars resource recommendations, today on the topic of L.E.D. Math. UPDATE at the end. LED MATH Of all the things we teach our children, math is probably the hardest for parents to implement in a “lifestyle” way, especially beyond the very young childhood \u2026 Continue reading