DH and I are having a difference of opinion--HELP please

[tabmtbc]

Just today I was telling dh that dd11 is on her 2nd math book of the semester. She finished Epsilon of MUS and is on Lesson 12 of Zeta. So far nothing in this has challenged her at all. Math is really clicking for her right now. If she keeps on how she is, she will be in Pre-Algebra by January or February. This is a complete turnaround for her as it took us 2 years to go through Gamma (the multiplication book) and one year for every one of the other books.

DH says just because she can do all the problems on the test and get 100 (and most of them she can do equally well showing her work or in her head) that I ought to make her do EVERY PROBLEM on EVERY PAGE in EVERY MATH BOOK including the ones we skipped straight to the test on. I asked him why. "For practice," he says. "She needs practice or she will forget how to do these problems."

I totally disagree and I told him so. My rule is, if you miss a problem, you have to do 5 just like it to show me you can do it. She would be BORED out of HER MIND if I made her do every page of every thing she already knows how to do. And if I was gonna do that, why don't I just put her in ps?

We've had this disagreement about things before. Like there was a book in the old Sonlight
Sci 5 called AN INTRODUCTION TO WORD PROCESSING. She had already been using Microsoft Word for some time. The book is very basic. It starts with "This is the power cord to the computer...this is the keyboard...this is the mouse." We skipped to the first thing that I knew she didn't know how to do and started there. He said then that I ought to make her do all the other pages too, even though once I showed them to him, he knew she knew how to do them.

As near as I can figure, his concern is that there will be terrible gaps in her education if we don't do every page and every problem and every exercise of everything. I can kinda see his point but they don't do that in any ps that I know of anyway. I understand that he wants dd to have a stellar education. I do too. But if she's bored and ready to move on and I don't move with her, I will lose her and then school will become a battle. If a child understands a concept in 2 pages, I don't see the need to do 27 pages of the same thing they have mastered just because the pages are there.

Last week when he was home sick, he watched her do her math. He saw what I was talking about. And yet, he still thinks I ought to make her do every page and every question of every thing in every subject.
By that logic she should be reading 6th grade level books because she's chronologically in the 6th grade--even though she was capable of reading 10th grade level books in the 2nd grade.
Thoughts? Anyone been there?

[Rosie_0801]

"I can see this is important to you, Dear, but her and I have other things to accomplish in our day. How about you sit down with her when you get home to do the rest of those problems? I don't think it would be very good for your relationship with her, and it seems kind of mean to punish her for being smart, but if it is that important to you that she does those extra pages, well I guess I need to let you sort it out." I don't imagine that would last for very long. Dads tend to lose interest in other people working excessively when it becomes them working excessively, especially when they have already been to work that day.

First, though, I'd look up the Math on the Level system of review and see if that would please him. It would be far less painful for everyone.


Rosie

[nmoira]

Does he agree that some children need more practice than average to attain mastery? Would he recommend that these students only be allowed to do the problems in the textbook and not be given extra practice? The opposite holds true from some children as well. It helps to remember that most math workbooks are written with average to somewhat below average kids in mind. If he's worried about retaining skills then short, occasional reviews can be scheduled; however, arithmetic is constantly reinforced through use in higher math (and everyday life), so I don't think it's much of a concern.

[lmrich]

I wish I could remember the facts here but it is something like this.... an above average child needs to repeat or practice a new skill 5 - 15 times to learn it. An average child 25 - 50 times. A below average 5 0 - 200 etc... So tell him to rejoice that your child must be gifted!! If she gets; she gets it!!!

[StephanieZ]

You are right. He is wrong.

Classic problem, lol.

How you work that out is a marital issue.

With my dh, I'd just tell him -- "Sweetie, darling, dear, you are so wrong about this. I've read a bunch of books about education and read all these boards, etc and I've been doing this for a zillion kid-years and I know what I am doing. I'm happy to hand off the books/links/etc to you for your edification if you wish. Once you've read them, let's go to dinner a few times to talk about them. A book club once a month on a new book! Yay!!" etc etc

(DH would be gasping for air and heading for the nearest exit at the suggestion he read the books. . .) My dh learned a long time ago not to go up against me on parenting decisions. . . by the time the kids were schooling, he already respected my leadership there enough to not challenge it. He'd never dream of it. (And he is a very smart, powerful kind of a person. . . But he also respects MY expertise in these areas.) If that approach would fly with your marriage, feel free to borrow it. I don't question dh's medical expertise (he's a vet and I manage the business end of the practice) and he doesn't question my parenting/educational expertise. . . It's a deal that works for us.

[elise1mds]

Oh, heck... I'd never be as far as I am if I made my son do every problem. If I can test him orally or on paper and he can answer correctly either way - and explain his answer - why do I need to hold him back? We're using MUS as well and will finish Alpha in mid-January. There's no way that would be happening if he'd had to do six pages PLUS the test for every lesson. We review regularly, so I don't see the point in backing up and making progress into tedium. I also see no point in making her resent the work if she's moving so quickly in math after spending so much time on it before.

I guess I'd ask what his real concern is if she doesn't do every problem. I might also ask him if he had to do every single problem in every single book when he was going to school. I'd say odds are pretty good that he didn't. That would irritate me to no end. I hope you can work it out amicably and not punish your daughter for her awesome progress!

[OrganicAnn]

If his basic concern is that she'll miss something or forget something. Maybe you could suggest that you retest the concepts again in one month, 3 months, 6 months (whatever is the right time frame) and that if she has forgotten anything you can review the topic doing more problems. But if she still has retained the concepts then just keep moving on.

[WendyK]

You might persuade him by saying she doesn't need more busy work, but rather she needs more challenging work. Why not look for some challenging supplements to use instead of forcing her to do busy work simply because it is printed in the book you bought?

It would be like one saying to a child who reads at a 5th grade level in the 1st grade that he must be taught to read and go through the steps of reading instruction. Why would you teach a child that can read how to sound out words? Why would you make a child who reads long chapter books read Hop on Pop?

If text books were designed specifically for the individual, each book would look different. It would contain the appropriate number of problems needed for the specific student to grasp and practice the concept. But we all know that textbooks are not designed specifically for individual users. It is hard to accommodate individuals in a traditional school setting. But in a home school we certainly can accommodate. Isn't that part of the point of homeschooling in the first place?

Unfortunately, I have not found perfect textbooks that I didn't have to tweak. And often times I end up skipping over a lot of stuff or moving quickly through other stuff. It is less comfortable to not follow the book step by step. I also hate spending money on books I don't end up using much of. But it is what it is. I try to find what really engages my child. If he is bored he tends to shut down. It is specifically why I homeschool. I want him to learn at his pace.

[joannqn]

You might persuade him by saying she doesn't need more busy work, but rather she needs more challenging work. Why not look for some challenging supplements to use instead of forcing her to do busy work simply because it is printed in the book you bought?

:iagree:

We love and use Math-U-See as well. It is our base program. For a child who gets math, though, it's not enough. I'd suggest adding in logic and problem solving. We use Perplexors and Math Olympiad. After algebra, we'll be using Art of Problem Solving after each Math-U-See level to beef it up.


I made your husband's mistake with my daughter. Within a year, she went from wanting to learn to hating anything to do with school. I've spent the last couple of years undoing the damage. A child who already knows something, doesn't need to be taught it over and over and over again.

I would suggest that the author of Math-U-See himself suggest using as many pages as the child needs, whether that means doing fewer sheets or printing off extra practice. I would also explain to him that concepts are reviewed in the systematic practice pages. So, when you get to a place that challenges her, the practice pages at that level will review the prior material.

I've taking my son through Epsilon and Zeta using just lessons on the white board and the test pages...they have those review questions too. I'm not worried because I know he gets it, and I know that there will be review in the future levels. He's starting prealgebra in January.

[KAR120C]

If his basic concern is that she'll miss something or forget something. Maybe you could suggest that you retest the concepts again in one month, 3 months, 6 months (whatever is the right time frame) and that if she has forgotten anything you can review the topic doing more problems. But if she still has retained the concepts then just keep moving on.
My DH had a similar concern early on -- that knowing something right now doesn't necessarily mean that DS will know it forever -- and he has a point. Actually the psych that originally evaluated DS said the same thing. His professional advice, and what DH and I have agreed on, is that if DS knows something right now, then absolutely move on. But in three or six months, try it again and see if it's still stuck.

We used Singapore Primary throughout the elementary levels, and I ran the Challenging Word Problems about six months behind for exactly this reason. We reviewed everything, and after a long enough delay that I knew he had to pull it up from memory and not from recent discussions. On top of that, for the things that I think are really really important, we review annually (just before our year starts in September) until it just gets ridiculous: multiplication facts, basic algebra, map quizzes, spelling rules, science vocabulary -- anything I don't want him to lose from the years before.

Most things do stick pretty well, and in some cases he does better in six months than he ever did on the original lesson, having had time to make some connections and think about it. But there are plenty of exceptions.

I certainly wouldn't advocate the every problem in every book approach, but maybe you could find middle ground in some kind of regular, systematic review. He could see that it really does stick most of the time, and you could be sure that when it doesn't you catch it.

[tabmtbc]

:iagree:

We love and use Math-U-See as well. It is our base program. For a child who gets math, though, it's not enough. I'd suggest adding in logic and problem solving. We use Perplexors and Math Olympiad. After algebra, we'll be using Art of Problem Solving after each Math-U-See level to beef it up.


I made your husband's mistake with my daughter. Within a year, she went from wanting to learn to hating anything to do with school. I've spent the last couple of years undoing the damage. A child who already knows something, doesn't need to be taught it over and over and over again.

I would suggest that the author of Math-U-See himself suggest using as many pages as the child needs, whether that means doing fewer sheets or printing off extra practice. I would also explain to him that concepts are reviewed in the systematic practice pages. So, when you get to a place that challenges her, the practice pages at that level will review the prior material.

I've taking my son through Epsilon and Zeta using just lessons on the white board and the test pages...they have those review questions too. I'm not worried because I know he gets it, and I know that there will be review in the future levels. He's starting prealgebra in January.
Perplexors
Math Olympiad
Art of Problem Solving

Where would one find these and/or find more info about them?

[lgm]

>>We've had this disagreement about things before. Like there was a book in the old Sonlight
Sci 5 called AN INTRODUCTION TO WORD PROCESSING. She had already been using Microsoft Word for some time. The book is very basic. It starts with "This is the power cord to the computer...this is the keyboard...this is the mouse." We skipped to the first thing that I knew she didn't know how to do and started there. He said then that I ought to make her do all the other pages too, even though once I showed them to him, he knew she knew how to do them.

There's your answer, right there "I showed..."...your husband needs to see, not hear about what you're doing. Sounds like a good excuse for coffee and dessert while you have your parent-teacher conference and show how you placed her, the portfolio and plans...



I would acknowledge his extremely valid point - the 'use it or lose it' point - and show the plan for retention of skills, whether it is in the current math series, the review, a semester exam, or whatever. I'd also show acheivement test results - they should be very high if true mastery was acheived.

With us, we use Dolciani which is very convenient because it includes cumulative review sets in those skills that students tend not to use in real life and it builds...i.e. whole numbers are not used for everything once pre-algebra arrives. They have to use fraction and decimal operations as they learn new material, which totally beats doing a page of review. We also do math counts problems.

He may also be kinda sorta asking about fluency - the ultimate mastery - , maybe remembering back to his own schooling. Usually working all the problems helps a non-math brain child build fluency once they've mastered the concept. I prefer to do this in lesson , rather than review mode. Math brains don't need to do as many to attain fluency. One can judge fluency by the time taken to solve the problem or work the exercise as well as by the ability to easily explain the concept and the procedure, in both symbols, pics and words. Your dh might need to see how you judge mastery and fluency in order to be comfortable with your child skipping problems.

It's great that he is so concerned about an excellent math education.

[melmichigan]

Would it be any help to remember that most prealgebra programs contain a large amount of review, so it won't be the only time she sees the material?

I also second any problem solving type activities you could add.

[tabmtbc]

Steve's comments in black. National Math Panel recommendations in blue.
page xii
International and domestic comparisons show that American students have not been succeeding in the mathematical part of their education at anything like a level expected of an international leader. Particularly disturbing is the consistency of findings that American students achieve in mathematics at a mediocre level by comparison to peers worldwide.
We are not doing well in math education in the USA.
page xiii
Although our students encounter difficulties with many aspects of mathematics, many observers of educational policy see Algebra as a central concern.1 The sharp falloff in mathematics achievement in the U.S. begins as students reach late middle school, where, for more and more students, algebra course work begins. Questions naturally arise about how students can be best prepared for entry into Algebra.
These are questions with consequences, for Algebra is a demonstrable gateway to later achievement.
We need to learn Algebra. Which is one reason we teach it in all of the Math.U.See levels from Primer to Calculus.
The essence of the Panel's message is to put first things first. There are six elements, expressed compactly here, but in greater detail later.
The mathematics curriculum in Grades PreK-8 should be streamlined and should emphasize a well-defined set of the most critical topics in the early grades.
Keep it simple and straight forward.
page xiv
Use should be made of what is clearly known from rigorous research about how children learn, especially by recognizing a) the advantages for children in having a strong start; b) the mutually reinforcing benefits of
conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and automatic (i.e., quick and effortless) recall of facts; and c) that effort, not just inherent talent, counts in mathematical achievement.
I underlined the three key points. My translation: know why, know how, and mastery.
page xvi
Curricular Content
1) A focused, coherent progression of mathematics learning, with an emphasis on proficiency with key topics, should become the norm in elementary and middle school mathematics curricula. Any approach that continually revisits topics year after year without closure is to be avoided.
Closure. To fully understand one topic before moving to the next topic. Sound familiar?
page xvii
By the term focused, the Panel means that curriculum must include (and engage with adequate depth) the most important topics underlying success in school algebra. By the term coherent, the Panel means that the curriculum is marked by effective, logical progressions from earlier, less
sophisticated topics into later, more sophisticated ones. Improvements like those suggested in this report promise immediate positive results with minimal additional cost.
Note "logical progressions" such as addition and subtraction before multiplication and division.
By the term proficiency, the Panel means that students should understand key concepts, achieve automaticity as appropriate (e.g., with addition and related subtraction facts), develop flexible, accurate, and automatic
execution of the standard algorithms, and use these competencies to solve problems.
Proficiency, I like that word. It means mastery. I may have to add it to subsequent editions!
4) A major goal for K-8 mathematics education should be proficiency with fractions (including decimals, percent, and negative fractions), for such proficiency is foundational for algebra and, at the present time, seems to be severely underdeveloped. Proficiency with whole numbers is a necessary precursor for the study of fractions, as are aspects of measurement and geometry. These three areas--whole numbers, fractions, and particular aspects of geometry and measurement--are the Critical Foundations of Algebra.
This makes sense to me. A downright logical progression.
page xix
Learning Processes
10) To prepare students for Algebra, the curriculum must simultaneously develop conceptual understanding, computational fluency, and problem solving skills. Debates regarding the relative importance of these aspects of mathematical knowledge are misguided. These capabilities are mutually supportive, each facilitating learning of the others. Teachers should emphasize these interrelations; taken together, conceptual understanding of mathematical operations, fluent execution of procedures, and fast access to number combinations jointly support
effective and efficient problem solving.
Learn how to do math AND why to do math.
11) Computational proficiency with whole number operations is dependent on sufficient and appropriate practice to develop automatic recall of addition and related subtraction facts, and of multiplication and related division facts. It also requires fluency with the standard algorithms for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Additionally it requires a solid understanding of core concepts, such as the commutative, distributive, and associative properties. Although the learning of concepts
and algorithms reinforce one another, each is also dependent on different types of experiences, including practice.
Don't move from topic to topic unless mastery, I mean proficiency, has been demonstrated.
12) Difficulty with fractions (including decimals and percent) is pervasive and is a major obstacle to further progress in mathematics, including algebra. A nationally representative sample of teachers of Algebra I who were
surveyed for the Panel rated students as having very poor preparation in "rational numbers and operations involving fractions and decimals." As with learning whole numbers, a conceptual understanding of fractions and decimals and the operational procedures for using them are mutually reinforcing.The curriculum should afford sufficient time on task to ensure acquisition of conceptual and procedural knowledge of fractions and of proportional reasoning. Instruction focusing on conceptual knowledge of fractions is likely to have the broadest and largest impact on problem-solving performance when it is directed toward the accurate solution of specific problems.
Finish Epsilon and Zeta before tackling Pre-Algebra.
page xxiv
30) Mathematically gifted students with sufficient motivation appear to be able to learn mathematics much faster than students proceeding through the curriculum at a normal pace, with no harm to their learning, and should be allowed to do so.
If you have a bright student, let 'em go!
Instructional Materials
31) U.S. mathematics textbooks are extremely long--often 700-1,000 pages. Excessive length makes books more expensive and can contribute to a lack of coherence. Mathematics textbooks are much smaller in many nations
with higher mathematics achievement than the U.S., thus demonstrating that the great length of our textbooks is not necessary for high achievement. Representatives of several publishing companies who testified before the
Panel indicated that one substantial contributor to the length of the books was the demand of meeting varying state standards for what should be taught in each grade. Other major causes of the extreme length of U.S. mathematics textbooks include the many photographs, motivational stories, and other nonmathematical content that the books include. Publishers should make every effort to produce much shorter and more focused
mathematics textbooks.
AMEN!!
Page xxv
Assessment
38) Calculators should not be used on test items designed to assess computational facility.
And again I say, AMEN!!
Page 3
Mathematics literacy is a serious problem in the United
States. According to Philips (2007), 78% of adults cannot explain how to compute the interest paid on a loan, 71% cannot calculate miles per gallon on a trip, and 58% cannot calculate a 10% tip for a lunch bill. Further, it is clear from the research that a broad range of students and
adults also have difficulties with fractions (e.g., Hecht, Vagi, & Torgeson, 2007; Mazzocco & Devlin, in press), a foundational skill essential to success in algebra.
The recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, "the Nation's Report Card") shows that 27% of eighth-graders could not correctly shade 1/3 of a rectangle and 45% could not solve a word problem that required dividing fractions (U.S. Department of Education, 2004).
Sigh ..., they need to study Epsilon.
This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in partis granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: National Mathematics Advisory Panel. Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, U.S. Department of Education: Washington, DC, 2008.

[tabmtbc]

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in partis granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: National Mathematics Advisory Panel. Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, U.S. Department of Education: Washington, DC, 2008.

To order copies of this report, write to:
ED Pubs, Education Publications Center, U.S. Department of Education,
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398
or fax your request to: 1-301-470-1244
or email your request to: edpubs@inet.ed.gov
or call in your request toll free: 1-877-433-7827 (1-877-4-ED-PUBS).
or order online at www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html.
or download at: www.ed.gov/MathPanel.

[WendyK]

Yeah, but this is written to talk about how to prepare the masses. It isn't written to talk about how to prepare your child.

What happened to thinking outside the box once in awhile?

[priscilla]

I would move on if she knows the material and save the problems she did not do for review in small bits. I did this with my dear son. For example, his curriculum gave him about 4-6 sheets of about 20-30 math problems for a math fact such as addition, etc. I had him do 1-2 sheets to make sure he understood concept and moved on. I had him do about 3-5 problems from the sheets he did not do over the next several months or even over the next year occasionally as review:)

[Truscifi]

We do 5 minutes of review every day after our regular lesson. It is long enough to be effective, but short enough that ds doesn't get to bored. Of course, we are doing 2nd grade, so the review is a lot simpler. I don't know how far I will be able to take the 5 minute flash card review when he is in more advanced mathematics.

If I tried to make him do every problem on every page (I did last year with Saxon) he would have a meltdown. By the end of last year he cried every time he saw his math book. It was horrible.

[joannqn]

Perplexors
Math Olympiad
Art of Problem Solving

Where would one find these and/or find more info about them?


Perplexors (http://www.fatbraintoys.com/google_search.cfm?q=perplexors&x=0&y=0) are logic puzzles. There are three kinds: grid, math, and venn. The math ones are the most difficult for us and the venn ones are the easiest.

Math Olympiad and Art of Problem (http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Books/AoPS_B_Texts.php) solving can both be found at the Art of Problem Solving website. The link goes directly to the list of books they sell. The Math Olympiad are quite challenging. The Art of Problem Solving books are high school level math, but with a problem solving emphasis...designed for those who gifted in math. They have sample pages for their books (the AOPS ones) online.

[joannqn]

If I tried to make him do every problem on every page (I did last year with Saxon) he would have a meltdown. By the end of last year he cried every time he saw his math book. It was horrible.

I had the same problem with several subjects, but especially Saxon. With language arts, I just hadn't accelerated her enough. With Saxon, she just HATED the curriculum.

[skaterbabs]

"Well, honey, she's proven to me that she really, really 'gets it', so unless she's having an off day and struggling with ____, we do ___ and then go on to the next thing. I totally understand your concern about her not retaining ____, which is why I DO make her do those problems on the days she cannot demonstrate to me an easy mastery of that concept. But honestly, *I* would be bored with that much repetition, and I know she gets bored with it. That's the great thing about homeschooling - if your child understands the material there's no reason to beat them over the head with it. The publisher doesn't expect us to do every single one, they include it for the kids who really need that extra practice and DD doesn't need it."


FTR, this is something I've struggling with as well. It's very difficult for me to not make the kdsi do EVERY problem on EVERY page of EVERY assignment. It wasn't until Dot started getting really whiny and bratty about doing her math that I realized that just because the problems are there doesn't mean we have to do ALL of them. No one is going to look over my shoulder and say "Why didn't she do numbers 7-20?"

[lgm]

"Well, honey, she's proven to me that she really, really 'gets it', so unless she's having an off day and struggling with ____, we do ___ and then go on to the next thing. I totally understand your concern about her not retaining ____, which is why I DO make her do those problems on the days she cannot demonstrate to me an easy mastery of that concept. But honestly, *I* would be bored with that much repetition, and I know she gets bored with it. That's the great thing about homeschooling - if your child understands the material there's no reason to beat them over the head with it. The publisher doesn't expect us to do every single one, they include it for the kids who really need that extra practice and DD doesn't need it."


FTR, this is something I've struggling with as well. It's very difficult for me to not make the kdsi do EVERY problem on EVERY page of EVERY assignment. It wasn't until Dot started getting really whiny and bratty about doing her math that I realized that just because the problems are there doesn't mean we have to do ALL of them. No one is going to look over my shoulder and say "Why didn't she do numbers 7-20?"

Reducing an exercise set or compacting the curriculum is fine if there is nothing to be gained. One has to skip knowledgably, though, or the student will not develop insight or valuable knowledge. An example from prealgebra is factoring and exponents: do enough and you'll realize how powerful 2 is and easily know your factors of 2. Skip a lot b/c the exercise is repetitive and you'll have trouble in algebra because you don't know all the ways 64 (for ex) can be made with primes and squares. An example from algebra is factoring trinomials...skip the few later exercises that have the student factor a negative number out first and he won't develop a key insight that will be valuable in the years to come.

[Julie in Monterey]

"We used Singapore Primary throughout the elementary levels, and I ran the Challenging Word Problems about six months behind for exactly this reason. We reviewed everything, and after a long enough delay that I knew he had to pull it up from memory and not from recent discussions. On top of that, for the things that I think are really really important, we review annually (just before our year starts in September) until it just gets ridiculous: multiplication facts, basic algebra, map quizzes, spelling rules, science vocabulary -- anything I don't want him to lose from the years before."

Mo[/QUOTE]
:iagree:

[skaterbabs]

Reducing an exercise set or compacting the curriculum is fine if there is nothing to be gained. One has to skip knowledgably, though, or the student will not develop insight or valuable knowledge. An example from prealgebra is factoring and exponents: do enough and you'll realize how powerful 2 is and easily know your factors of 2. Skip a lot b/c the exercise is repetitive and you'll have trouble in algebra because you don't know all the ways 64 (for ex) can be made with primes and squares. An example from algebra is factoring trinomials...skip the few later exercises that have the student factor a negative number out first and he won't develop a key insight that will be valuable in the years to come.


That's why I mke Dot demonstrate mastery of the concept before skipping. Granted, we're not talking algebraic factors at this point, but the massive amounts of review of basic addition/subtraction facts (to ten) that she's known since she was 3. ;)

[lgm]

Add. facts to ten are an excellent example of hit and miss assessment. Many people (not necessarily yourself as I don't know you in IRL) assess for 'the concept of addition' and mastery of all 'fact families', but skip the assessment for the internalization of the commutative, associative, and additive identity properties of addition. It's important that the child know, understand, and apply these properties and that internalization comes with practice. Waiting until Algebra makes Algebra a tough course.

[Spy Car]

You might persuade him by saying she doesn't need more busy work, but rather she needs more challenging work. Why not look for some challenging supplements to use instead of forcing her to do busy work simply because it is printed in the book you bought?

BINGO!

Take a look at MEP Math. There is no charge for these outstanding materials. They are also mentally challenging for children (in a fun ways). So she could spend some of her math-time going "deeper" and doing far more interesting work than endlessly repeating the sorts of equations she's already well demonstrated she understands.

Give her the opportunity to build critical thinking and logical reasoning skills through the math supplementals.

Bill

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm

Bill

[yslek]

MUS has all of those pages/problems to ensure that students who need the extra practice have enough material to work with. Steve Demme himself recommends moving on once mastery is demonstrated.

When B (not an Accelerated Learner, btw...I just lurk on this board for fun every once in a while :D) was doing MUS, I would require a minimum of one lesson page, one review page, and the test. (If he had no problems with the initial lesson page, he'd do the review page next, and if he had no problems with that, he'd go on to the test.) Some lessons went by very quickly. For others, he really needed all six pages in the student book (and sometimes extra worksheets printed out from the MUS site) to master a concept. Most lessons were somewhere in between.

If your dd gets it, there's no reason to make her do extra work, especially since review is built into the program with the review pages.