Homeschool World Forum

Have you tried Saxon Math? Every problem set contains a few of each type of problem used throughout the previous sets, so it's good for keeping drilled in the concepts without beating them to death. Regular drills might contain dozens of the type of problem currently being learned, but someone who has trouble with math will only remember the basic concept long enough to finish the drill - not terribly useful. You need reminders for at least several weeks to move the concept into long-term memory.

Also, have you tried checking her learning style? Auditory or kinesthetic-tactile (hand-on) learners often have a lot of trouble understanding and retaining concepts through visuals. You might do better with videos or math manipulatives if your daughter isn't visual.

Thanks for the reply. Here is what I think I am going to do. I think I will stop BJU math, because there is not any review except at the end of the chapter. I am going to get Saxon 76 and give it a try..and use some supplemental books that I printed online.

I am just so worried about the standardized test she has to take. She has not been tested since 3rd grade and she scored low in math then. I wish there was a way to catch her up before march.

thanks!

If she doesn't score well, then she doesn't score well. The best you can do right now is find a method that works - hopefully Saxon - and start catching her up to where she should be. If you work year-round rather than taking the summer off, you can keep her workload small while still doing significantly more than a grade of math per year. She may or may not score well now, but she should be able to score well in another year or two.

If the problem is not knowing math facts, the BEST way to upgrade those quickly is with math drill software. The best I have found so far is Barnum Software's "Quarter Mile" program. It's very motivating, as you are racing against your own best speed scores, and completely customizable, so you can drill just the facts you need to improve.

I suggest you drill not only the missing multiplication facts, but ALL the math facts, as if your student is slow in ANY math facts it will really slow down higher math, as you have found!

Go to http://www.thequartermile.com to find out more.

Here's a link that might help, if she get's interested, she might get hooked! http://thatquiz.com/

There's a great tutoring site out there that works on-line. It's mindsprinting.com. I really wish that I would have had something like this to help me with math. They offer a free assesment test and sample lessons on-line. It can be used as a stand-alone curriculum or it can be used to suppliment a student's understanding. Try it out and see if it's right for you.