Hello Cassie,

I understand your frustration as I too experience it with my children on certain days. But I would like to reassure you in some areas.
First, you have just moved and were out of sorts, your daughter is already in a full time school. You have a lot for going on top of trying to get her a solid foundation.
Second, it is normal for a child to struggle in these lessons, I found with my kids it took about 3-6 weeks (depending on the child) to get this concept. So with the second and third child I knew to take my time I would do about three problems, then we would do some review questions, then end with a game…all within a 30 min math session. Yes it took more days, but the stress was so much less than that of my poor first born who had to go through the learning curve with me. We would do the lesson for 50-min to 1 ½ hour.
So are there any tips to a lesson like this?

Yes,
Take your time. In the math session and for how long you each lesson takes.
Make sure you are using all of her manipulatives, if she needs to correct herself using the abacus let her do it.
Before each session reminder her of the process of trading. She really needs to understand the ten. She should be regularly playing game like Go to the Dump, Old Main, and Corners.

If she is not visualizing she needs to be playing the games that utilize the cards that have the beads, the fingers, and the tally sticks, she should be able to see them and know what they are very quickly.

So to clarify, you are correct keep plugging away, because you are also correct when you say this program works, but it has some snags. And really all programs have snags that is what teachers are for to help alleviate those snags, so you are feeling the pressure of a good teacher. The difference is that you have a good program overall, that will help her in the long run of her higher mathematical skills.

It can be hard but you have impressed me with your desire to make sure that she is learning math, so keep up your hard work because it does pay off.

Finally, I would like to supply you with some tips on teaching this program.
I have three kids that I teach this program to.
I have learned three main points:

1) Keep your time limited in each session, I recommend 30min per child per day. I stop once we hit that time. I find it is usually their limit of concentration after that time they don’t hear what you say, and you are only adding frustration. I also find that because I keep to that time limit that I can be consistent, and they are not fearful to do math, because they know that there is an end to the lesson in 30min. Those who leave math an open time limit, may create a fear of math in their children.

2) Be consistent. Don’t do math every now and then. Do it regularly. I personally have found that if I do school 15 days out of each of the 12 months it works for our family. It totals 180 school days and yet keeps us consistent in our schooling. We don’t get burnt out of school, because we always have at least one week off each month; and we don’t get out of the habit of school, because we are always poised to start again, it is a part of our whole lives. School is not consigned to some months and not others, it is part of life.

3) Play the games, I mean PLAY THE GAMES! :) I cannot over emphasize the importance of the games. Even on days when you are not told to play the games fit it into your school day.

Most kids who learn math only understand the theory of math, but can not apply it in real life. I liken it to learning how to drive. You get a booklet from the state and you memorize it then you take a test. Let’s say you get 100% on the test did it make you a good driver? No, it just means you memorized the “theory” of driving. In order to become a good driver, you have to get in the car and “apply” the theory. Only with practice of driving do you start to internalize the driving rules and become a better driver. The same is true with math. The books and worksheets provide the “theory” of math, while our Math Card Games provides the “application” of math. As they use both they understand math as a whole. This will help them in the long run in higher mathematics and everyday math. So make sure she can do both and she will do just fine in the higher math.

Also, the games help store the information into the correct places in the brain for better retrieval. Whereas rote memorization stores the information in the short-term part of the brain--where the information has no context of other information (like a telephone number, we dial in the numbers but they don’t mean anything mathematically). The math learned in the games gets stored in the strategy/logic part of the brain because there was context and meaning to the numbers-they have to perform certain calculations to win the game. Plus, it is done in a friendly environment where the time spent will be remembered as good time learning math, thus will be more likely to produce good feeling towards math—even if it is not their favorite subject, it will not be their hated subject.


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