Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Best & worst math curriculums (and those between)

I have more experience with enVision on the 1st and 2nd grade levels. For those ages the program relies heavily on spiraling (covering a topic somewhat superficially and then coming back to it again later). As a positive, there is quite an emphasis on problem solving and conceptual questions (i.e., at least 3 word problems and 1 conceptual problem for every lesson).

It really depends on how the teacher choses to use the curriculum and what he/she uses to enrich it. For NT kids I have found that there are concepts that need to be stretched out a bit. Gifted kids tend to need quite a bit of outside enrichment (I use a lot of problem solving math books from Mindware, Critical Thinking Co., Marcy Cook, etc.). I also find that some teachers require more writing and "showing work" than others. For example, each 1st/2nd grade workbook page has a conceptual question like, "Can 3+3+2 be written as a multiplication problem? Explain." These can be used as springboards for whole group discussion, or the students can be asked to write their own answers individually.

In my opinion what it comes down to is this... There are math programs that I like better, but the ability of the teacher to adapt the curriculum to fit each student's needs is a more important factor for overall success.