Curriculum: Math

Math can be a big scary subject. Many have heard horror stories of "the core" and how they don't teach math how they used to, how it's silly, and how just need to go back to the old way of teaching math. You will have people that look specifically for a curriculum that is core based and others that look specifically for one that is not core based. There are no right or wrong answers, but you have to find what is best for your child. If your child is going to be a doctor then I would suggest a more robust curriculum. If you child wants to be music teacher, a less robust math curriculum may be just fine. We are going to talk about a few of the curriculums that we have used for math and what we find to be the Pro's and Con's. This is not an exhaustive list, simply the ones that we have some experience with.

Math U See

We both started using Math U See. It's simple. It has a DVD that we can have our kids watch on their own or with them and the lessons are short and easy. There are manipulatives and it is a very visual math program. It focuses on one concept at a time until the child masters it and then moves on to the next concept. Primer focuses on patterns, numbers, and counting. Alpha focuses on addition and subtraction. Beta focuses on multi-digit addition and subtraction. You can visit the website to see the entire curriculum. There was nothing wrong with this curriculum. I found that is was too simple for my kids and left them wanting more. I also found by the time they progressed to the later books that they forgotten some of the previously learned material even though they had mastered it at the time.

Pros	Cons
Very visual and hands on	​Repetition can become boring
Simple, repetitive design	Must master to move on
​Easy tear out pages	May forget concepts since not reviewed
​DVD instruction

Christian Light Education

A friend told me, Jessica, about Christian Light Education when I expressed that I didn't think Math U See was enough and so we decided to give it a try. I loved that it introduced concepts and reviewed them regularly (We call this the spiral method in the education world). It would introduce a concept and then build upon it each year that we came back to it but also reviewed it throughout the current year. The curriculum is broken up into 10 small workbooks with 17 lessons in each. We do 4 days a week so we do one lesson a day and combined 16/17 together and are able to get through one book a month. In the younger grades it has daily timed tests for math facts and flashcards as part of their daily work as well as practice counting by 1, 2, 5, 12, etc. For me, it was just the comprehensive education we were looking for. I felt like the concepts were explained well in the book. I would recommend keeping the booklets for the entire year even when you are done with that particular one. Sometimes I would forget exactly how to help with a certain concept and had thrown out the book with the explanation. There are teacher guides but since I found myself not using them I went to just buying the answer key. My oldest was always helpful in helping her younger sister remember forgotten concepts. I also love that throughout the curriculum it covers how to write checks, calculate interest, and more. Some may find this as a con and wonder why we still need to know how to do these things but I find it valuable.

Pros	Cons
Reviewed concepts often	Disposable books and may forget how to do a concept if thrown away
Builds upon prior knowledge
Write in workbooks

These are the only 2 curriculums that I have used. But I am going to list a few others that I friends use and love.

Teaching Textbooks A web based math program that is considered college prep although not as rigorous as others.

Singapore Math Singapore math is a highly effective teaching approach based on research of math mastery in Singapore, which consistently ranks at the top in international math testing.

Masterbooks Brings concepts to life through a Charlotte Mason flavor of engaging stories, hands-on experience, and practical application.

What math curriculum do you use and love? Tell us about it in the comments. You could be helping another family find the curriculum that is right for them!