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

So, I am considering where I want my kids to go to school in the fall. One school I'm considering uses Pearson Envision for 4th grade, but for highly gifted kids they use the 5th grade level. Then they start with Math Connects Course 2 in 5th grade. I know I have read bad things about Envision Math but can someone clarify what is bad about it? Is it bad enough to avoid the school? Is there a lot of writing or "showing work" required? Because both of my kids would really hate that. And what about Glencoe Math Connects?

Feel free to share other curriculums and which ones you don't like or like.

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.

I can comment on Pearson Course 3 (and up)-- Course 3 is a horrific mashup of concepts, without a lot of coherent framework to tie them together.

Given what my DD has seen as a tutor for this course, it's fine for GT learners, but pretty much awful for everyone else. It's ten miles wide and about half an inch deep, if that makes sense.

Ok, thanks. It doesn't sound like it's as bad as Everyday Math, but that's probably not saying much. DS has done some Singapore math and I like how that curriculum let's them (or even encourages them) to solve things in their head rather than writing down every single step. It suits DS in particular. He has no idea how he solves things half the time, or if he does, he can't explain it. He did 12X18 in his head last night in about 10 seconds (he had to figure out how many inches are in 18 feet), and he did not like the idea of writing 12X18 down on graph paper like the teacher wants, and doing the actual computations on paper. Personally I think he needs to learn to write because he makes too many errors, but not write excessively either. DD is better about writing things down, but not great.

Funny you say that... I have friend at a very large international school in Asia and her school recently switched from Everyday Math to Envision. She does like it better than Everyday Math but I don't get the impression it is terribly different.

Could be it's just as bad--I don't know. Everyday Math seems to be the one that everyone puts down constantly, though.

EnVision is almost as bad. (Seriously). Same hash, different company.

Ducking in here curious about the BEST math curriculum, particularly for a HG kid who's skittish about math. My daughter does 'Life of Fred' at her school supplemented with IXL practice and it's not working for her. She likes that Life of Fred has CONTEXT (how would you use this math in the real world) but thinks it lacks CONCEPT (why do these techniques work, what's the theory behind them). At least this is what I gather from her less than coherent feedback. I think last year the teacher made a point of including the concept stuff, but this year she feels like she's not getting taught math. The teacher works through sample problems and they practice using IXL (I think that a lot of people would say this is teaching, but I think she's looking for something more here). And IXL's scoring system just drives her nuts.

We have the option of switching to different curriculum, but which one?

I don't know--here's a website describing Singapore Math. I thought it was a good curriculum but it might not have ENOUGH drill on basic facts, like it might introduce multiplication and then a couple lessons later it's expecting the kid to solve 96X8. They have to learn their math facts before they can do that, so outside drill/practice besides the regular curriculum is needed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_math

Here's a link to the Mathematically Correct Website. It has some reviews of math curriculum. I'm still searching through the site trying to find info on Envision and Math Connects.

http://web.archive.org/web/20120414010022/http://www.mathematicallycorrect.com/books.htm