Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Math Curriculum Suggestions?

Oh good, I'm glad you hate A Beka too!

Abeka math is the reason DD9 starting disliking math. I got Dreambox to get her to enjoy math.

Another one is MEP. It is free to down load and some levels can be done on line. It is English based on (Hungarian?) So integrated but challenging and conceptual. There are lesson plans for a ckadd teacher and a workbook (the levels I have looked at only have one page per day.

During the school year, yy DS8 does Singapore math at school, and Dreambox at home. His teacher likes the TenMarks program- DS thinks it's boring, but I like the straightforward math. It's a good "check" for understanding.

When I want to introduce new ideas, I use "Horrible Maths" and a book called "Help your kids with math" by DK. It's actually quite a good book for introducing beginner algebra, geometry, etc. or topics that tend to interest gifted math students (golden ration, etc.)

We tried Beast Academy and may work with it a bit this summer. I think DS needs to develop more patience for it because the problems are more analytical and time consuming. He is likely moderately ADHD, and loses his cool easily.

All that said, I think Singapore math is a solid elementary school curriculum with the potential for high level thinking via challenging word problems.

Because DS goes to private school, I am introducing algebra gradually into his thinking, rather than looking for a formal algebra curriculum. It shocks me that in a couple of years, DS may be ready for "real" algebra.

I would just like to say, there is a lot to math. There are many types of thinkers who turn into math lovers. Some highly logical people love math, some very visual spatial people love math. Some people need to learn math bottom up as it is taught in most schools, some are able and prefer to learn top down where a tough real world problem is expressed then said individual must learn all of the math to solve the tough problem. Often, I've seen on this forum "Foster the love of reading", good advice, I say the same holds true of math. I do love math. If an individual loves math they will become very good at it.

I believe the way to learn to love math is to see it in a light where some area of its natural beauty according to ones own strengths is illuminated. This requires some searching. For me math is very visual. When describing math concepts I use visual words. I try to explain the shape of the problem. I was this way as a very young child, and I hated time wasted on all of the building blocks that teachers felt were sooooo important, which were painfully obvious to me. So in grade school, I hated math class, but did love math.

So in practice if the child has any area of math that the child loves, I would say foster that love, and find problems that require the learning of the necessary building blocks. Doing fun projects that really require math to solve, to me those are awesome. They are best when not manufactured, but legitimately real. So often in grade school all of the problems are so obviously manufactured to teach a specific concept, where as in the real world math shows up in unexpected ways. The fun for me is solving that unexpected math.

True, all of the grade school checkboxes should get checked, but the love of math is far more precious than the checkboxes.

What good advice, it is 2 day. It's too bad I can't really find much time or possibility for it with my public schooled child. She is extremely interested in what I guess is number theory. She is fascinated by things like primes and finding huge primes. Anything with a pattern involving pure numbers is like catnip for her. Interestingly, she also loved percentages, for some reason I can't place. Otherwise, she is not much into school math on an everyday basis. I am hoping that the leap into more exciting concepts will turn on some lights for her. She will have to take a test to determine her middle school math placement soon and I certainly hope she does well, or she'll be wasting her time. But she has a tendency to learn things perfectly and forget them if they are not used.

Apologies if I'm saying something you already know well! But one option that jumps to mind for recreational number theory is the AoPS videos, which are quite entertaining. While they do not yet, unfortunately, have videos for their Number Theory Course, they do for the Counting & Probability one, which looks like it would hit on at least a few of her favourite things (www.artofproblemsolving.com/Videos/index.php?type=counting). There's also number theory and related videos in the Pre-Algebra course (www.artofproblemsolving.com/Videos/index.php?type=prealgebra).

I hear you on the difficulties of after-schooling - we've found it very challenging to find time, and not always fun and rewarding the way we'd like. But if your DD is the self-motivated kind (about which I know nothing ), perhaps she might enjoy wandering through the AoPS book and Alcumus questions at her own pace?

We supplement rather than homeschool, but my younger one (8) wants games instead of the usual curriculum at school and complains a lot. I responded by adding recreational math about once a week outside school, and it seems to improve her attitude so she will do the regular curriculum. Vi Hart videos, Numberphile videos, stuff from Moebius Noodles, an item from an Ian Stewart book, a chapter from The Number Devil, etc. all work as stimulus for her. Because it's just to keep her attitude up, I don't worry too much about exactly what she learns from these. She still doesn't like the school math, as she calls it, but she sees why it's necessary for what she likes.

We usually end up doing fun math together instead of a bedtime story that night or in a spare 10 minute chunk of time, and she keeps thinking about it and playing with the ideas later without me.

Maybe this would work for you, too - pick whatever curriculum works for you in terms of content and pedagogy, and keep her motivation up with fun bits outside the curriculum?

No, you're not saying anything I know!--because her school workload is so heavy and she so values her free time (she is very creative) that I rarely dare to venture into afterschooling. Problems of any kind would certainly scare her off. But she likes to TALK about math that interests her, and watch some videos. So thanks! I wish we were mathier. I feel bad that she doesn't have mathy parents.

ETA: I think one of her potential middle schools does a big stock market simul...actually, yes, I could totally see her being into that.

My son also likes to talk about math. Maybe you can find a local math club for her to attend? We did and DS loves going to it.

I am decent at math but not at his level so we found a college professor that tutored him occasionally. DS was very excited after their lessons/discussions.