If you switched from MUS to Horizons....

[Another Lynn]

did you have to back up a year? I've read several reviews and comments that Horizons is more advanced than some math curriculums and since MUS doesn't even touch on a number of concepts until later (we are 2/3rds through gamma right now), I'm wondering if Horizons 4 in the fall would be too far ahead of us. (I've also thought about switch to Horizons 3 now -with ~12 weeks of school left - and just catching up down the road?)

Thanks!

[JanOH]

I'm just doing this now, though we are only 2/3'rds through Alpha. I ordered Horizons 1 thinking that we would just do the second half of the book. It arrived yesterday and I think he could make it past the first test at lesson 10 and then he would be lost so I guess I'm starting almost at the beginning.

Have you downloaded the placement tests Horizons has on their website? I'm guessing the main problem you are going to have is that the scope and sequences are so different. If you want to start with Horizons 4 you may just have to plan on slowing it down and creating extra worksheets on the concepts that haven't been introduced in MUS.

HTH
Janet

[Kayaking Mom]

We finished Alpha then did a gap of Critical Thinking first grade math for review, and to not get DD too far ahead grade-level wise. She also needed the practice and to cover some stuff that MUS does not cover. We followed that with a month of drill of 0-9 addition and 19-0 subtraction (it was over the holidays and I did not want to start a new cirriculum). After that we started Horizon's 2. The first couple of weeks and intense review were a little rougher than I had hoped. I did almost everything in the TM - flash card drills, extra drill pages, etc. and I am VERY glad that I did. We're on lesson 47 now and DD loves it and it
s going really smoothly. It's a great balance in the number of problems and it's very straightforward. I am very pleased. I am using MUS Primer and Alpha for #2 kid and then we'll move over to Horizons. I am also keeping MUS in my back pocket because I think the way it explains concepts is brilliant.