Post a message or simply read what others have written and answered. Rachel, a RightStart™ Math user and one of our customer care people, will be monitoring this forum. She will respond to your questions as needed.
Have a great day and remember to play a math card game!
Hello Brenda,
I find that Level E, for its level, does a great job on teaching fractions, percentages, and decimals. But you are correct, in the whole scheme of fractions, percentages, and decimals it does not go into depth, as that would be more suitable for the next level of mathematics, which is tentatively called An Algebraic Approach. This would be the second half to the Geometric Approach, and ideally you would teach the Geo App and the Alg App alternately. So you would do the Geo App 3days and the Alg App 2 days a week, or something like that.
In the Alg App, you will find the concepts you are looking for taught more in depth. How long until that comes out, you ask? Not any time soon
What should you do then? Well, there are several options.
You can continue with the Geo App. I found that my son did well with that level. All that he had been taught in the previous books came into use, except for long division we practiced that on Fridays separately. He was regularly doing fractions, ratios, percentages, multiplication, square roots, etc in the Geo App.
Now he is doing VideoText Module A and we are learning many concepts that I think would be found in the Algebraic Approach. He is now learning the concepts you were concerned about.
Another approach you can take is to do the Geo App along with VideoText Module A, and alternate days.
A third way would be to do Singapore 5B, or 6A/6B and the Geo App.
I have looked into many other pre-algebra programs and find that they are only teaching procedure and not HOW it works, which I personally can not endorse a program that will not value the child's need to know WHY.
So until the algebraic approach is here you are correct that the long term of the use of fractions, and so on, is not covered to the depth Dr. Cotter would like to see, but we have many children (including my own) that are transitioning well to the Module A, that is teaching them those concepts. In other words, what they do learn in Levels A-E is enough for the Geo App, but transitioning to Algebra they need a little more instruction and the Module A of VideoText seems to be working.
Please let me know if you have any more questions. You can email me directly at Carissa@alabacus.com .
Thank you for giving your child a RightStart in Math,
Carissa
RightStart™ Mathematics by Activities for Learning, Inc.
For program questions: 888.272.3291
To place an order: 888.RS.5.MATH (888.775.6284)
www.RightStartMath.com
Our Mission: To help children understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics
