Why We Switched Curriculums...Math-U-See to Math Mammoth

Рет қаралды 10,829

4 жыл бұрын

I was requested to explain why we switched math curriculums last year, specifically why we switched from Math-U-See to Math Mammoth. In this video, I explain those reasons as well as why we are not using Teaching Textbooks.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below!
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Пікірлер: 51

@amandayoung5627 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for posting this! This is exactly what we are going through right now with TT and math U see. ❤️❤️❤️

@SaraWeston 3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@redeemedmama6768 3 жыл бұрын

Great video review! Thanks!!

@michaelagoen4603 3 жыл бұрын

Very helpful. Thank you!!

@SaraWeston 3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@mumof2294 4 жыл бұрын

Thank u so much for this video 🥰

@SaraWeston 4 жыл бұрын

My pleasure 😊

@Alena5irotka 4 жыл бұрын

It’s interesting how my family and yours use similar curricula and later switch to something else at the same time (we made a switch to LoE a few months before you talked about it and I ordered Math Mammoth a few days before watching this video). Thank you for sharing your experience! Love your channel!

@SaraWeston 4 жыл бұрын

That's so funny! Great minds think alike 😉

@kuyuke 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for making this video. As someone who struggled in math all throughout my public school education, I have been agonizing over what math curriculum to choose for homeschooling my 5 year old daughter. After watching so many reviews I thought I had settled on Rightstart..but something stopped me. Back to the drawing board and here I am at your video! At least watching all of these videos has given me the reassurance that if something doesn't work, I'll know that I haven't failed my daughter and it's not the end of the world if we need to switch to a different tactic. But I have a really good feeling about starting with Math Mammoth and also reading her Life of Fred in our morning basket. Again, thank you for making this video! =)

@SaraWeston 4 жыл бұрын

So glad it could help!

@pinkorganichorse 2 жыл бұрын

What didn't you like about rightstart?

@Ashergaming2 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing this! I was on the fence with M-U-S & MM. I can see now that MM would be a much better fit for my oldest daughters for many of the same reasons it works for yours! My daughter also tried to trial for TT & she did not like it. She has the constant clicking, or having to wait to click that she does not need to review etc. She likes to just get to work. She also prefers pencil/paper over videos it seems in general. Anyways, thanks again for taking the time to make this video! :)

@SaraWeston 4 жыл бұрын

So glad it was helpful!

@thisamazinglife5077 4 жыл бұрын

We use Math Mammoth also and like it. I real like the mental math strategies.

@priscillashaw5715 4 жыл бұрын

We like MUS. We also felt like pulling out the blocks were more of a distraction than anything. We did end up trying math mammoth when we were half way through alpha. We did 1A and 1B (part way through). We ended up quitting because it seemed too daunting for them by the end of the level. It's so hard picking math programs. But now were back at using math u see. Have you heard of Kate snow? If you Google homeschool sisters podcast and Kate snow she has her master's in math and home educates her children and I think also has an education degree. It has helped me understand more about how math sticks. She has a book called addition math facts that stick. There's also subtraction , multiplication and division. She explains why it's important to nail the addition down before going on to the next concept etc. Thank you for sharing . I also agree it's nice having people share why not just what we are using . Thank you!

@SaraWeston 4 жыл бұрын

I haven't heard of Kate Snow. I'll have to look her up. It definitely helps to know there is a "reason behind the madness" (in this case, all the addition problems) to help you get through some tedious tasks.

@kimfoglore2758 4 жыл бұрын

@@SaraWeston we also love Kate Snow and have gone through the Addition Facts That Stick book. Kate Snow is also a supporter of Math Mammoth. So we are using Math Mammoth and we are loving it!

@Alena5irotka 4 жыл бұрын

priscilla shaw thank you for suggesting these great resources!

@ashgarstin4307 3 жыл бұрын

I'm looking seriously into mathusee and Right start. I did read an article on the mathusee website about how they expect the student to work their way out of using the blocks, because they have internalized and fully understand the concept. That was a question that I had also with the blocks. I will look into Mammoth before we decide.

@SaraWeston 3 жыл бұрын

That's good to know about their expectations with the blocks. I still have ours and pull them out when one of my kids needs help visualizing the problem but it's not that often. I'm still really happy with Math Mammoth (if you go with them, I highly recommend getting the colored versions - it just helps break up the page a bit and is helpful in certain problems. Although, I will say one of my daughters doesn't like the color all the time and has asked for her next to be black and white.)

@ashgarstin4307 3 жыл бұрын

@@SaraWeston Thank you! It's so difficult to know what will work for each child, honestly. I feel like I've gone down a rabbit hole of math curriculums and math mammoth seems to be like the one that not so many people talk about, but everyone likes. I have seen many, many people say that they supplement with Math Mammoth for many of the reasons that you state in your video.

@pinkorganichorse 2 жыл бұрын

@@ashgarstin4307 which did you choose and why?

@melissatwitchell9861 4 жыл бұрын

Do you go to a charter in north SD county? Your terms of ES and timeline reminds me of our old charter (Go Bears!). We moved and are going to be homeschooling again...I miss our old school.

@apkalay1s 2 жыл бұрын

My oldest does really with math mammoth! I have even learned a lot from the curriculum. We are using the 3rd grade math

@SaraWeston 2 жыл бұрын

That's awesome! We're still using it and I don't see us switching.

@eve1132 3 жыл бұрын

I want to switch from Saxon to Mammouth. I just can’t take Saxon it’s so overwhelming I just don’t like it! Any Saxon advice ?

@SaraWeston 3 жыл бұрын

Sorry, I don't have any advice about Saxon as I've never used it before. May is a really tough subject, I've found, to find a good fit with. I don't think any program is going to be a perfect fit that checks all the boxes but you just have to find one that works well enough that you can stick with. Wish I had better insight for you!

@tinakenny.777 Ай бұрын

Thank you for this video! Do you still use/enjoy Math Mammoth? 🙂

@SaraWeston Ай бұрын

You're welcome! Yes, we still use MM for all my kids. My oldest "aged out" of the program last year (she completed the 7th grade book as a Pre-Algebra course) and she was SO well prepared for Algebra this year with a different curriculum (Mr. D Math). I talk about this more in my Year-End Update Video that is up on my channel now, if you're interested. I have zero plans of switching from this curriculum for any of my other kids until they age out as well. If they had High School levels, I would have stuck with them but they don't 😞

@Rachel65431 9 ай бұрын

What typing program did you use for you daughter with dyslexia? Does your oldest daughter also have dyscalculia? I have a couple with dyscalculia and I am lost as to which math program would be best for kids with dyscalculia. Any ideas or insight?

@SaraWeston 8 ай бұрын

I can't remember the original program we tried many many years ago but we switched to the Good and the Beautiful and that was ok for her but it never really clicked and I don't think she was quite ready/motivated to do it much a few years ago when we first started it. Now, she uses TypingClub.com and has done well so far. It's doesn't seem overwhelming like the first one did but it's more "flashy" than TGATB. She does not not have dyscalculia (I actually had to look that up because I had never heard of it before, TBH). So we've used Math Mammoth for years and that's been a really good fit for all my kids. Sorry I can't be of more help with this. That must be so frustrating for both you and your kids.

@racheleldred8346 4 жыл бұрын

How did you figure out where to place your kids for the switch? Did you use their placement tests?

@SaraWeston 4 жыл бұрын

If I'm remembering correctly, I looked at sample pages that they had available on the website. I switched my 1st grader in the middle of the year and I still put her in the 1st grade level, book A. Because Math Mammoth has a spiral approach to some degree, there were things that my daughter hadn't covered yet in that level/book and I didn't want her to feel behind. We completed that level at the start of her 2nd grade year and then went into the 2nd grade level when we were done with that. We may not finish the 2nd grade level by the end of this year but I'm just planning on her doing a couple pages a day throughout the summer to finish it up possibly before the start of 3rd grade. My hope is to have her start the 3rd grade level as close to the beginning of the school year as possible. The Educational Specialist we meet with at our Charter School told me (cause I was wondering about my Kindergartener who seems advanced in math and wasn't sure if I should put her in the 1st or 2nd grade level next year) that the Math U See levels are a little behind what you might find in other curriculums for the same grade. She told me to go ahead and have her do the 1st grade level and move quicker through it if it was too easy for her - that way, she wouldn't miss out on any new concepts that were taught. So, my Kindergartener is almost done with Alpha in Math U See (she'll finish it in the next couple of weeks) and I ordered the first book of Grade 1 for her to start this year. We'll move through it at her pace but I expect to start Grade 2 by the end of the next year. I hope that helps you to figure out how to place your kids. If you have more questions, just let me know and I'll try to respond as soon as I can.

@racheleldred8346 4 жыл бұрын

Sara Weston Thank you! That’s very helpful!

@triciamberry 4 жыл бұрын

I’m curious if you’re still enjoying using math mammoth. I’ve been torturing myself over which curriculum to get for my 3rd & 5th grader. 🤪

@SaraWeston 4 жыл бұрын

Yes, I am. I just got my next set for next year for my upcoming 5th and 3rd graders. If you have a choice, I highly recommend getting the books in color. I haven't done that before but just did and I think it makes a big difference in breaking up the problems on the page and helping things to not feel so monotonous to my girls - they're pretty excited about the color (it's nothing too crazy, I don't think, to be distracting but enough to be interesting)

@triciamberry 4 жыл бұрын

Sara Weston oh good! Because I ordered level 3,4 & 5 today haha- because my current 4th grader came out of public school not very fond of math (and she struggled with the placement tests- even level 4) so I’m planning on spending the next few months going over grade 3 with her (I ordered extra work books along with her sisters set, than we’ll move through 4th and hopefully make our way to fifth and get her caught up next year! She struggles with mental math so I’m hoping this curriculum helps her there. I DID order in color too! Phew! 👌🏻🌈

@claudiaalfaro1631 3 жыл бұрын

Turning Tides how is it going ? Could anyone share results after trying it? Loving it. Hating it !

@triciamberry 3 жыл бұрын

Claudia Alfaro it’s going well! My 11 year old tends to struggle with math in general. Mostly because she reads so quickly she doesn’t slow down to really comprehend the question and will make simple errors. I have to help her work through a lot of her math problems, but I do like the way math mammoth teaches mental math. It is exactly what she in particular, needs. She needs to grasp the big picture, and understand mentally how to pull the problems apart and different ways to solve. It’s definitely not easy. I’m planning to have her use mr. Ds math in 6 th grade. I’ve seen great reviews from students who love it- and it might be nice to have someone else teaching her- because math really is the most difficult part of our day. 🤦🏻‍♀️😭

@suzeenc186 Жыл бұрын

Sara, you said you switched from Math-U-See. If a child has finished the primer and alpha, did you still do Math Mammoth Grade 1?

@SaraWeston Жыл бұрын

Yes, I use Primer and/or Alpha in Kindergarten and then move on to MM Grade 1 when they finish regardless of their actual grade (I typically have my kids do one lesson of Math-U-See in 2 days because it was easy for them and they could handle it so they would finish the books fairly quickly). On the MM website, she also lists some workbooks that are good for Kindergarten and I've used some of those as well. I think it's worth it if your child is on the younger side to do Grade 1 from MM because each grade level builds on previous grades so it's a good foundation to start with. However, I think my oldest started in Grade 3 when we finally switched (can't remember for sure) and she's done really well with the curriculum without having done Grade 1 and possibly Grade 2. Hope that makes sense.

@suzeenc186 Жыл бұрын

@@SaraWeston Thank you, Sarah! I appreciate your help. Your answer is what I figured.

@debradenney7797 4 жыл бұрын

Do you feel like Math Mammoth has a spiral component as well? I think one of my children needs mastery and one needs spiral but I would just like to get one math program to use with them both!

@SaraWeston 4 жыл бұрын

Yes, it is both. I would probably describe it as primarily mastery and secondary spiral but definitely both. You focus on a topic pretty thoroughly before moving onto the next topic but you revisit topics in each grade level and go into them in more depth. Hope that answers your question 😁

@debradenney7797 4 жыл бұрын

@@SaraWeston Yes this helps! I think I'm going to give Math Mammoth a try this year. Thanks for posting your review!

@josephhomitz3815 2 жыл бұрын

If a child struggles a bit with math and you have only used math u see, would math mammoth be a good option to switch to? She doesn't do well with mental math but I see it teaches it?

@SaraWeston 2 жыл бұрын

Math Mammoth does emphasize mental math but it also teaches multiple ways to solve the same types of problems and then at some point they tell you to choose which method you like most to solve the problems (not every section is like this but many are). Math Mammoth also combines mastery with spiral learning and I feel like that works really well for my kids.