Math-U-See

by Rita
(Kansas City)

Product: Math U See
Levels Used: Gamma
Dates Used: current

Likes: We started math using an old PS textbook. My then 8 yr old daughter was struggling and a friend recommended MUS. We borrowed a level (and the blocks) from her. Included in this level was telling time. My daughter had struggled with this since I had started trying to teach her a couple years before. No matter what I tried, it wouldn't sink in. After one lesson of building the clock in MUS with the blocks, she understood!

She also struggles with borrowing in subtraction. We did not learn this with MUS, but when she had problems the last time, I had her get out her blocks and build the problem. She built two problems and was able to continue on without the blocks and quickly finish her work.

We both like the short lessons. No books with 50-100 problems. Instead multiple pages are provided so that if it is clear from errors on the first worksheet that more work is needed, the student can complete additional pages. There are 6 pages for each lesson, the first 3 are solely related to the new material for the lesson, the next three are review of previous lessons and material covered in previous books. For each day, we usually do a review page and one "new" page. I like that when a concept is reviewed in the current book that was taught some time before in another level, there is a short 2 or 3 sentence reminder of what is going on.

The author is great. He sometimes offers alternative ways of thinking of things. Since my daughter is a right brain learner and I'm a left brained learner, this is helpful to me. We learn differently and many of the things he suggests I wouldn't have thought of.

Dislikes: I wish there were more word problems available online. You can print off additional worksheets of problems from the website if additional work is needed (or even do more drill online), but not word problems.