Faith and Math

When I started homeschooling Faith at the beginning of her 3rd grade year, I discovered she was struggling with addition and especially subtraction. So, a majority of the emphasis in math was put on helping her comprehend these. Seeing as how they are the basics, and absolutely necessary for comprehending most everything else. We have worked on some other math topics, like even some multiplication, but have mostly concentrated on add. & sub. Along with using it in everyday life whenever the opportunity arose (helping me calculate totals while shopping, having her add a little while I balance the checkbook, adding & subtracting during cooking, etc, etc) I have also used different resources: Bob Jones 3rd grade math, lesson plans made by a teacher that were published on the site for "What Your nth grader needs to know" (these concentrated on being able to answer problems in a set amount of time), Math bingo, computer programs, and just plain practice. 

Well, about a week or so ago, I was looking through some different things that I have downloaded (pretty much everything I use for teaching now, is available free online!), and one thing led to another, and I downloaded a Math book published in about 1906 for school children. Knowing that the things taught at that time were a little more advanced then they are now, things were taught in a way that children actually grasped them, and that math hasn't changed a whole lot, I thought we would give this a shot. I also found a d/l for another version of math bingo (I have one I bought at Mardel's also), and printed it. So, we started working on this book last week (which is set up that Chapter 1 is for 1st & 2nd grade, Chapter 2 is 3rd, & chapter 3 is 4th; there is also a book I will more than likely print up that follows it for grades 5th -?). We began with chapter 1, so as to refresh, and make sure if there is anything she needs to learn (mainly add. & sub.) that we would cover it. If she knows it, then we'll move on. So, I tried a few of the methods used to teach addition in this book, then we finished up by playing addition bingo. At first during "drilling" (I guess you could call it, I would write a problem on a marker board, and have her answer), she seemed to struggle (though not nearly as much as in the past) and she said she had a hard time getting her brain to move to pay attention. But she tried. She was eager to play bingo, so after a bit of practice and reviewing, we did. Wow, did she ever blow me out of the water! Her skills in adding of course aren't as quick as mine (and I'm not very good at math either: 2x to get through Pre-Algebra, 2x to get through intermediate, in college), but they have significantly improved! She didn't struggle, and therefore did not take very long to get the answer! I was so excited, I almost couldn't stand it! She's not getting frustrated and stressed out about it anymore! And that makes me happy. 

Subtracting was the hardest for her, and even though she hasn't come as far as she has with addition, she's only baby steps away! We played subtraction bingo with my mom the other day (she was home due to the ice), and Faith did excellent! She told me today a way that she remembers a teacher at a school trying to teach her, and that was just awfully confusing, even for me! No wonder she couldn't get it! I guess it took over a year, year and a half, to get that way of thinking of subtracting out of her as a habit. She's catching on and using the tricks I've tried to teach her that make figuring a little easier (if it worked for me, a math failure, to be able to finally pass 3 levels of algebra.... lol, it was the only way I could remember math, was to figure out tricks), and now math is becoming easier for her! Now she is very happy, and is excited that we can finally move on, of course with the occasional reviewing and practice, so she doesn't lose her new found ability, lol. She actually went on, excitedly and eagerly, to working on finishing her addition, subtraction, and archaeology lapbooks. I actually had a hard time pulling her away from them, and she even worked right through lunch, of her own choice! Wow, now that's improvement! 

I know she would not have been able to take all this time to try and understand something that she was struggling in if she had of stayed in public school. I thank God for the opportunity to homeschool. I'm sure now that she has caught on, she will more than likely take off in all the rest of basic math! I'll keep ya updated!