Chalkdust advice

[Riverfront Headmistress]

Dd started basic math in June and July, August we took off, and began again two weeks ago. She is struggling with the math. I have broke it down to very small parts, but she is still on chapter one. The problem isn't the new information (exponents and order of operations), the problem is multiplication and division (and her sloppy handwriting!).

Multiplication and division is nothing new (nor is the sloppy handwriting). She is begging to use Fred because Chalkdust is "too hard." In all honestly, I don't think Chalkdust is too hard; as her teacher/mother I wouldn't ask her to do something math related that I didn't think she was ready for. And this is all "elementary" problems that she has done in the past. The child is bright, but she would rather read all day and not solve systematic math problems. Her strengths are in the arts and humanities.

I'm rambling, I know. However, I need advice and encouragement from the btdt crowd. After seven years of homeschooling, you would think I would have this whipped and under control. However, I'm feeling as though I'm an inadequate newbie (maybe I am).

This. Is. Tough. Can I go back to the elementary years? They were much easier.

[MSPolly]

Okay, first of all, does she have her multiplication tables down firm? How does she do with flash cards? Honestly, every one of my kids who has this issue, it boils down to not knowing their facts and getting stumped there.

On the handwriting, I have had this issue as well. My solution was to buy graph paper. Not the itty bitty scientific squares, but just basic graph paper. I have them do their math on that. It helps them get used to proper spacing and keeping problems in straight columns. This was a big help to mine!

Lastly, is just to give her a pep talk on the fact that sometimes, in life, you have to do that thing which does not bring you joy. Do it quickly, and then you have more time for that which you love. :) I tell them it is character building! LOL!

I hope this helps! My third child is halfway through Basic Math now. It is a great course!

[Susan C.]

We did Chalkdust PreAlgebra with our first. In hind sight, we could have easily gotten by with doing the first third to half of the problems in each section and skipping the harder problems. It is harder than other programs. Our second child did BJU Prealgebra and it went well, it wasn't near as hard as Chalkdust but still plenty rigorous. FYI we really liked BJU 7th grade text, Fundamentals of Math. No dvds were needed.

[Rhondabee]

And, things are so much better even though he is now doing 25 - 35 problems every day. (We quit CD Basic Math after the lesson that introduced both exponents *and* Order of Operations in one lesson - neither of which he had been exposed to before, and so I ended up breaking the lesson in half and teaching it myself anyway.)

I went through the CD TOC and tried to match up the topics with R&S-7, thinking maybe I could salvage the teaching, if not the book, and I was frankly amazed at how many topics were left out of the Basic Math. I did not realize it is a remedial college textbook, and it bunches lots of stuff together that my 6th grader needs spelled out one-step-at-a-time. He also just wasn't getting enough daily pencil-to-paper practice with CD.

After the summer off, ds was struggling with math facts, too. But, the R&S book recognized that might be a problem and provides practice drills. (We just use our old flashcards, but that extra drill has been very helpful!) Maybe adding that to the CD might solve your problem, though I don't think it would have ours.

I also just bought Life of Fred Geometry for my older ds, after he got to the Chapter One Review in CD and saw how far back it goes. (The first chapter covers between 4-5 chapters worth of info in the Holt Geometry high school level book I have here.) I *knew* that the Geometry I chose was a college level text, but I thought with a master teacher, ds could handle it. Maybe my kids are just dum-dumb's, but again the complaint I have is that there is just not enough repetition - and not enough daily review and reinforcement. I don't have the Life of Fred here, but I sure am praying it will help!

(Anyway, sorry so long, but I really do understand your dd's angst!)

Best wishes!

[Riverfront Headmistress]

Dd just finished R&S and begged not to do it again because she was bored. Multiplication facts are not a problem. She knows facts 1-15 as well as squares and cubes (thanks Classical Conversations!).

Yesterday I gave her a pep talk. Said child is very organized, and I encouraged her that math follows the same organized patterns that she thrives on. It is my belief that once she understands the problems, that she will love math.

In the end, she grabbed LoF, completed a lesson, then grabbed CD and completed the lesson with no problems. :tongue_smilie: She admitted that maybe she should do both programs, because Fred helps "Warm up her brain."

[Laurel-in-CA]

Just empathy to offer. This is the reason dd and I did MUS pre-algebra over the summer (it was grim, tearful, frustrating). We got 1/2 way through and then started Chalkdust Pre-Algebra at the beginning of our school year. The CD Pre-Alg. is going *much* more smoothly just because the concepts are "second time around" for her. It sounds like with LOF and CD balancing each other ... and your dd's willingness (the biggest ingredient!) you are going to make it. Once you're past the 1st month, routine established, it does get easier....not the math but the commitment to getting it done.