Does anyone supplement MUS? I'm looking to use Saxon and MUS...

[Sue G in PA]

If you do this, how do you do it? I'm thinking that after we get into MUS more I will supplement w/ the Saxon we already have been using (before ds6 went on strike :)). Perhpas the "break" was what he needed, but my gut is that MUS will be a hit with him. BUT, I don't want him to miss out on the concepts taught in Saxon 1 but NOT in MUS. KWIM? If I were to supplement, what would you suggest? One week MUS, One week Saxon and so on? OR, alternate days? OR do one MUS page and one Saxon page each day if he can tolerate it since MUS pages are less problems. Thanks!

[Lori D.]

- Using Saxon as the supplement to the spine of Singapore:

For my math-minded son, I wanted him to see math from more than one point of view. How we used Saxon as a supplement: he would go through all of the Singapore for the year, usually finishing about 6-8 weeks early; for the rest of the year, we did a "fast review" of Saxon, picking a math topic, finding all the lessons that addressed, reviewing those lessons together (we could do up to 3-5 lessons in one sitting), and then have him do a few practice problems out of the textbook.

We were able to do this with Saxon 54 and 65. After that, we tried Algebra 1/2, but it took so long, that it cut in to our ability to also complete Singapore's NEM1 that year, plus I found I was increasingly NOT liking Saxon's very abstract presentation, and their philosophy which seems to focus more on formula memorization rather than actual mathematical thinking and problem solving, so we dropped Saxon and have never looked back.


- Using MUS as the spine, and supplementing with Singapore & Keys to...:

My math struggler uses MUS (currently using Pre Algebra), and we do supplement it. Last year when he did MUS Zeta, we supplemented with Singapore 4A/B and 5A. This year with MUS Pre Algebra we're supplementing with Singapore 5B and 6A/B, and also with portions from the "Keys to Decimals" and "Keys to Percents" workbooks. MUS and Singapore are good, complimentary math programs, in my opinion. MUS as our spine really teaches him the how and why of the math concepts; Singapore gives him opportunities to learn how to really problem solve; and the Keys to... workbooks help him review/keep fresh on how to do math concepts that he was a little week on.

The way we're working doing MUS with supplements: he goes through the entire level of MUS; on days where he finishes his worksheet page early, I also have him do a page from a Keys to... workbook. Then at the end of the year we use the remaining 6-8 weeks to do a skimming review of Singapore, usually going over the teaching text for 2-3 lessons, and then I have him do selected problems.


Hope that helps! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Lori D.]

Not that I am an expert, so take this with a grain of salt, but -- when your children are in the young elementary ages, up through about 4th grade, it is very easy to supplement, and to do it as you suggest: do your spine math 4 days a week, and then pick a topic from your supplement math and do that as a sort of "fun Friday" for something different.

In those early elementary years, we used a lot of booklets and accompanying manipulatives (such as geoboards and "Discovering Math with Geoboards", or pattern blocks and a booklet on beginning fractions using pattern blocks) as supplement. Miquon math is also excellent as a supplemental, hands-on, inexpensive, discovery based math program for grades 1-4. For less than $60 you can get all 6 workbooks, the teacher book and the bucket of rods, and there are enough concepts to cover as supplement to last you at least 3 years. : )

Just my opinion, but the only Saxon level I think is really worthwhile is Saxon 3, which is really a great summation of not only all the math concepts to be learned in those early years, but it also covers all those "extra" concepts such as time, money, making change, temperature, etc. Personally, if I were to use Saxon as a supplement, I think that would be the only level I would bother using. Just my opinion!

Warmly, Lori D.

[Sue in St Pete]

Ds does 2 MUS pages and 3 CWP 3x a week. We use the CWP a year behind MUS (ie. MUS Gamma & CWP 2). I think we started after Delta. I wish I had started earlier.

I tried in 2nd grade to supplement with the entire Singapore Textbook & Workbook, but the experiment failed miserably.

[Jenstet]

[quote=Sue in St Pete;113296]Ds does 2 MUS pages and 3 CWP 3x a week. We use the CWP a year behind MUS (ie. MUS Gamma & CWP 2). I think we started after Delta. I wish I had started earlier.


Why do you wish you had started earlier? I have an inkling of a concern with MUS but I do like the program. What is CWP?

[Quad Shot Academy]

We just started Delta and I was planning on supplementing with three workbooks next time I place a Rainbow Resource order. They are from the Focus On Math series, the geometry, problem solving and measurement books. Here is a link to the series:

http://rainbowresource.com/search.php?sid=1205939473-99019

They are very inexpensive, about $3 each and look like they are full color. I haven't got them yet, so I can't say for sure how great they will be. Has anyone else used this series?

[Sue in St Pete]

Why do you wish you had started earlier? I have an inkling of a concern with MUS but I do like the program. What is CWP?

CWP is Singapore's Challenging Word Problems. I wish I had started earlier because MUS is weak in word problems. And because a challenge in math is good for my math-oriented son.

Here is a great example. In MUS, they teach area and perimeter. But they rarely mix the problems. They will have a number of perimeter problems then a number of area problems. In CWP, they will give you the perimeter and ask you to get the area. They will give you parts of one or the other and you have to figure out the rest. There may be 10 steps to solve a word problem in CWP. Where my son may have theoretically understood the difference between area and perimeter and could get by in MUS easily because the problems were similar, CWP forced him to really understand the difference and know how to get one, the other, or both.

HTH! :lurk5:

[hwfquilts]

What I have done for both my sons is supplement MUS with drill sheets (no fun, but necessary) and in first and second grades with Abeka's student books. All we do with Abeka are the non-computational things - time, temperature, graphs, money, etc. I circle the numbers of the problems he needs to do (3-5 per 2-sided worksheet) and he does them.

I've also supplemented with Singapore word problems

This year for my older son (5th grade - Epsilon) we've supplemented with Key to Fractions.

Best,
Heather