Behind in math...help!

Hi there, My ds is in between 4th and 5th grade. He is really struggling in math. I feel like the curriculum we have used doesn’t ever repeat a concept. As long as he manages to get enough problems right to pass a section he goes onto a new concept. What’s happening though is he remembers just enough to get by and it’s beginning to catch up with him. Does anyone have a math curriculum suggestion for a struggling student? Thanks

Here is a website shared today by www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com that "is a free math website that explains math in a simple way, and includes lots of examples, from Counting through Calculus!

Here are the topics that She Loves Math covers, as expanded below: Basic Math, Pre-Algebra, Beginning Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, Advanced Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Trigonometry, and Calculus."

http://www.shelovesmath.com

It might be of help to someone.

In answering your question, I have found with my children that the more we make it real to them the better it is for them to like or understand math concepts, and we can always come up with games or a way to bring math to life. It takes time and effort though. Also, keep making him repeat what he hasn’t yet grasped. For this I love Practical Arithmetics by Strayer-Upton. It has a lot of problems on each page for practice. This book isn’t set with a lesson per day, you can use it and tweak it to your needs. I spend a lot of time on repeating that which my child is struggling with until they can do it very easily. It has diagnostic tests and that helps me to know what my child is struggling with, and it gives the page numbers for help. It is a blessing to have this book. But as I said before, making math come to life is where we help our children to really grasp it. When my oldest was a bit younger we played little shop with price tags, sales tickets, etc. There is a resource that I really appreciate that helps go even further into this, Your Business Math by Simply Charlotte Mason.
It is helpful if you can give them manipulatives as well. I like Hands-on Standards by Learning Resources. If you can give them multiple ways to explore math I think they will have a better chance to learn it and even enjoy it. I have used and still use Miquon Math by Rainbow Resource as well. It is different but very helpful. My children really like it.and I recommend using living math books. Your library probably carries many of these. Online you can find blogs on this subject as well. And I have found some good book titles in the “Books Children Love” book.

I hope I have given you some ideas and thoughts and that you can explore this a bit more.
Let me know if you have any questions that I can help with. Blessings.

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Thank you so much for all of the ideas. You have been most helpful! Cannot wait to look into some of the resources.

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I am new to homeschooling as well, so I don’t know much about the curricula out there. However, I try to find printables when my son is struggling, which helps immensely :slight_smile:

For math with plenty of review (and isn’t Saxon), look at Christian Light Education math. Take the free PLACEMENT TEST and start where he places which will likely be below his “grade”. This is normal for kids coming to CLE from other programs. It is not an expensive curriculum, either. The first book always reviews the previous grade so you can skip it. Do not skip any other problems!!! People do but you (and he) will pay for it later. CLE Math is almost a year advanced, genrally of any other program so don’t worry about the number on the front. 4th and 5th offer a textbook option which is identical to the Light Units, just not consumable.

Another option is BJU but I am not impressed with the lack of consistant review.

We just started homeschooling in January (taking my daughter out of a private Montessori school). A friend of mine recommended Teaching Textbooks and my daughter loves it. She is in the third grade and she started in January at the beginning of the TT curriculum and will probably finish the entire years worth by the middle of April. She is no math genius at all but TT is so good about reviewing the past lessons over and over again while practicing on the new concepts. I have already purchased Beast Academy to add to the end of the semester in order to give her some additional math when she finishes TT3. Beast looks like amazing curriculum that teaches kids an alternative way at looking at math problems.