In Praise of Math-U-See
I love Math-U-See! Why didn’t anyone tell me about it earlier? Oh wait, someone did. But most importantly, Boo loves Math-U-See. A recent writing assignment had him listing his favorite school subjects and in the number one position he put Math-U-See (MUS). I asked him what he liked about it and he said that “it’s got blocks to work with and a nice DVD.” High praise indeed from my math-impaired boy. And if you have a child that struggles in math like Boo, then you know how happy this all makes me.
Let’s talk a little more about MUS. First, that “nice DVD.” What child doesn’t love a good DVD? And Mr. Demme is funny and nice and he knows how kids think. He keeps the lessons short and easy which makes everyone happy. I do some additional teaching to reinforce the concepts, using those fun blocks. Then Boo gets busy with his workbook and blocks. He works aloud so that I can see that he gets what he’s doing and not just faking his way through. The worksheets are also quick and to the point and include multiple variations of the concept, including word problems. When I think Boo is ready , he takes a test on the subject and if he passes, he moves on. We stay on a single subject as long as we need to, whether its a day or a week. If you need more worksheets, they are available on the website.
So let me tell you about Boo’s math progress. We’re still keeping up with Horizons Math. He understands what he’s working on and is able to continue to make progress, but we need to go back and learn those math facts. I look at it like earthquake retro-fitting. His foundation is shaky, but there is no need to tear down the house. With a good, strong foundation, his math house won’t come falling down. That’s where MUS is helping.
In a few short weeks, he’s gone from needing to use his fingers to add, which is really counting, not adding, to knowing a good deal of his addition facts. He actually knows his +9s! No finger counting at all! And he doesn’t know the facts by rote, either. He can actually explain to you just why 9+7=16. You know, how 9 really wants to be 10, so it grabs a unit from the 7 and turns the math problem into 10 +6. Let me say it again, The Boy is learning his math facts.
Let me just take a moment and revel in that.
In the meantime, Pumpkin Girl, who does just fine in math, has been quietly watching the DVD and listening in on the lessons. She often stands next to Boo while I help him with the blocks. Just the other day she was finished with her schoolwork and Boo was working on his dictation for the day. Pumpkin had asked to use our little white board and the MUS blocks were sitting on the table. I looked over to her and discovered that she was busy solving for x. She was quietly writing her own math problems like x+8=10 and solving them with the blocks.
Have I mentioned that I love Math-U-See?
