Throughout my adventure as a homeschool mom, there has been quite a bit of trial and error finding the math curriculum that fits my unique learners. Some programs are great for one stage of development, and then as they enter a new season of life we have to find something new. I am okay with this. They are still learning math no matter what we are using.
I thought it would be fun to grab a cup of coffee and chat about math curriculum. I will talk about a few I like, and I would love to hear about what you like, or even don’t like (just be nice about it). Here are a few math options that I like.
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Current Math Programs
You can read about our full seventh grade or fifth grade curriculum, but today I want to highlight our current math programs.
Math U See Zeta/Pre-Algebra
I tried Math U See when Carter was younger and it wasn’t quite the right fit. I always knew we would probably use it for highschool math, so when we were making decisions for what to use for middle school math, we decided to give it a try. We began the Zeta level about half way through Carter’s sixth grade year, so he is finishing that up and will start pre-algebra in a month or so. I have always liked Math U See and wish my parents had known about it when I was still in school.
How It Works
Each lesson starts with a video teaching demonstration. The lesson is meant to be watched by the parent and the parent then teaches the lesson to their kids. That’s not how we use it. Carter watches the video himself then proceeds to do the lesson. I only watch the video when Carter doesn’t understand something and I need to know how it is being taught. Math U See has a unique teaching approach, making the videos necessary to use the curriculum.
With Math U See, there are several worksheets that go with each lesson. Since it is a mastery program, you do however many worksheets needed until mastery is achieved. Each lesson covers one topic with just a little bit of review of previous concepts. There is also a test booklet that has one test per lesson. Each level has around thirty lessons, and most people complete one lesson per week to finish in a year.
Math Lessons for a Living Education
I hesitated for so long to pull the trigger on this one. It seems very simplistic and maybe even a bit ‘behind,’ but I have been pleasantly surprised by this math curriculum. The short lessons seem to hold Peyton’s attention and I definitely feel like he is learning from it. There is no teacher’s guide that comes with it, so as a parent you need to be prepared to teach the concepts. I feel pretty confident teaching math at this stage, so it works for us. It is also one of the most inexpensive math programs I have found, which I guess helps make up for using one of the most expensive programs (Math U See) with Carter.
How It Works
There is a suggested schedule in the front of the book that has spaces for dates and grades. Each weekly lesson starts with a story about twins, Charlie and Charlotte. You follow the twins’ family on their adventures, and new math concepts are woven into each story. There are then 5 practice exercises, meant to last one school week. The lessons are short without a ton of practice of concepts. If your child needs a lot of repetition, this may not be a great fit. Master Books has released some Practice Makes Perfect books for some of the math levels. These are supposed to helpful for those that need more repetition, but I haven’t used those so I can’t speak to how much extra practice they provide. There are no tests with this curriculum, but there are review lessons that can be used to test mastery of the material.
Other Programs I Like
Some of these I haven’t used extensively, but I think they are good math programs that are worth mentioning.
A+ Interactive Math
Before I get into this one let me give you a little disclaimer: I received a free Family Math Package in order to review this product. I will post a full review in the near future. All opinions on this site are always my own and my reviews will always reflect that. If you decide to purchase the family math package, you can use my affiliate code, myhsview, for a twenty percent discount. You can also sign up for one free month here.
Now that we got that out of the way, I really think this is a good option if you need your kids to work independently. I know there are a lot of parents who found themselves unexpectedly trying to homeschool and work this year. This is a solid math option that might work well for your situation. It is actually great for any situation where you need to be a little more hands off with teaching. The program is self paced with video lessons, interactive worksheets, and it’s self grading. As a parent, all you need to do is make sure they are getting it done.
For some reason, my kids have never done well with an online math format, and this program didn’t magically change that fact. Carter tried it for a few weeks and he likes the program, but there is just something about online math that doesn’t work for us. It really is not an issue with the program, it’s my kids. The video lessons are engaging and explain the concepts well, so I feel comfortable recommending it, even if I’m not using it for my kids.
BJU Press
I used BJU math with Carter for many years. Their elementary math is excellent for students who pick up on concepts quickly. The program is the right mix of hands on work with manipulatives, and written work. It is VERY teacher intensive. You absolutely cannot hand your student the textbook and have them complete the lessons without the teaching. BJU offers videos which I ended up using because it took so much time to teach the lesson. I really liked this for Carter for elementary. When I tried it with Peyton it was a flop and jumped too quickly from one concept to the next. My boys are opposite learners, so I should never try to use the same curriculum with both. I need to keep reminding myself of this, as it seems to be a mistake I repeat quite often.
Christian Light Education
Both of my kids have used this at one point or another. Carter did CLE math in first grade, and it was not a great fit for him. It is a spiral program and he needs mastery. Peyton used this for a few levels and it was great for him, until it wasn’t anymore. I think it was a developmental thing and he just outgrew the program. I haven’t found any curriculum that does a better job of teaching the basics of early math. This program lays a strong foundation and teaches each concept in baby steps. It is not colorful and there are no frills involved. I really like the thoroughness of this program and tried my hardest to keep Peyton in it. That just didn’t work out and it was time to move on, but I still recommend it.
Join the Conversation
Now it’s your turn! Do you have any math curriculum questions for me? Is there a math program you absolutely love? Have you had an ‘aha’ type moment while teaching math that you want to share? Post in the comments below and join the conversation!
I can see making errors like that… using it with one child and then just not even really thinking about it, try it with the next. Doesn’t always work unfortunately. Good that you mostly know this by now though. 🙂
I should know better by now. My boys are just night and day different. What works for one will definitely not work for the other.
We have tried different math options for our oldest. It doesn’t seem to matter what the curriculum is or the format but the topics being discussed. He did pretty well with Mr. D’s Math for geometry but even though his younger siblings are doing well with CTCMath, he did not with Algebra II.
I’ve never really looked at Mr. D’s Math. We have used CTC and it didn’t go well for either of my kids. It was frustrating because my son would get the right answer but transpose the number when typing it. He would show me on paper that he worked the problem correctly, but there was no way for me to go in and mark the answer as correct. We have just never had much luck with online math programs. Thanks for commenting, I will have to check out Mr. D’s Math.
Math is the curriculum I struggle with the most! What works for one does not work for another, and it changes at different stages of learning. You’ve summed it up well! I don’t feel strong in math myself, and I believe that carries over into my teaching. I try to really stick to the curriculum, but I haven’t found a good fit for two of my kiddos. My oldest is doing very well with Teaching Textbooks. It’s more independent, and a great fit for his left brain nature.