Math U See for elementary ages

by Laura
(North East, MD USA)

Product: Math U See
Subject: math
Levels Used: Primer, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon
Dates Used: Since August of 2006

Likes: We love having Steve Demme walk through the lessons on the DVD. For the younger ages, the DVD is intended for the teacher. As they get further into the program, I have the students watch the DVD segments as well. Even my youngest child likes to watch from Primer - although there isn't much for him to 'learn' by doing this.

I was originally pulled to this curriculum as each skill is worked on thoroughly before moving on. My eldest had struggled with math using a typical textbook at school. Starting with some review before getting to new stuff help bolster his confidence some.

Dislikes: While the program is good, there are a few drawbacks. The scope and sequence does NOT follow the typical school's scope and sequence. So, testing might show a student to be behind in some areas. This is also a concern if a child needs to be placed back into a school setting.

The second drawback (if you want to call it that) is that a math phobic child might still struggle. The reviews I read were glowing about all the students who started to have it all click after failing in other programs. Having the child teach back the lesson after they master it helps, but one son still struggles with retention of previous lessons.