Long Division

[lisaann]

Today was my 4th grade ds's first day of long division.....














:reaction

[wife]

LOL..... we did a bit of it, now they are giving him a break.. I feel your pain...LOL

[MidnightCry]

Guys! You're freakin' me out here! We're about to start dd's ch 16 in MUS which begins long division. Let's just say she's awfully pretty but . . . math-challenged, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[lisaann]

Guys! You're freakin' me out here! We're about to start dd's ch 16 in MUS which begins long division. Let's just say she's awfully pretty but . . . math-challenged, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

:lol2:console

Just remember you can't do any worse than if she were in a classroom filled with 20 other kids. :hehee

We used MUS last year so I still have all the blocks that go with it. I did use them to help get the point across when he started division. :thumb Ds understands division ok but all the steps to long division sort of threw him for a loop today. He knew the answers to the problems and didn't know why I was making him go through all of those "stupid steps" to get to it when he already knew what it was. :hairout

[Sealed]

LisaAnne,
I feel your pain, too. However, my cute, math challenged child is finishing up MUS Gamma which is all multiplication. We're on to Division (Delta Book) in a few weeks, I hope.

MidnightCry and LisaAnne, Have you used MUS all along? Are you pleased with it? This is our first year to hoemschool, jsut wondering

[MidnightCry]

MidnightCry and LisaAnne, Have you used MUS all along? Are you pleased with it? This is our first year to hoemschool, jsut wondering

My oldest is in 4th grade and we started using MUS when she was five. Primer, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and now Delta. To answer your question, YES, I really like MUS because it teaches concepts, rather than a "just do it" approach. The kids and I enjoy watching Steve Demme on the instruction DVDs, and while my girls are not necessarily kinesthetic learners, I think the blocks add another dimension to the learning process. I will say, however, that I believe it goes too deep in each subject and I wish there were a little more review. This first struck me last year (in Gamma) when, after about 3/4 of the way through the book DD sort of "hit the wall" -- she just couldn't get any more in that cute little head of hers. She did fine understanding multiplying one digit times one digit and two digits times two digits (like 47 x 58). She even did okay with three-place digits. But when the numbers got so big and the problems so cumbersome (like 3,798 x 2,941), she sort of shut down (I guess her cup could only hold so much!). Keep in mind that, while she holds her own in math, it is not her best subject. MUS uses the mastery approach versus spiral approach. So, this year in division, when I start seeing her do this :hehee, I'll know to back off and stick with the smaller digit problems -- she'll get longer problems later on.

I wish I had learned math this way back in the day!

[lisaann]

I've used Saxon except for last year, when we tried MUS. I switched back to Saxon this year with dd just because it suited us better. Dd is doing very well with Saxon. I will say though that I learned some neat ways to approach multiplication last year using the blocks that I will use with her when the time comes.

Ds started Saxon 5/4 this year and, even though he is really quick with math, for some reason this years work just overwhelmed him. I switched to Modern Curriculum Press Math about a month and a half ago and he is doing much better again. I was talking to a good homeschooling friend about what a hard time ds was having with the Saxon this year and she said she had the Modern Curriculum Press books for his grade if I wanted to borrow them. :yay She has the next 3 years worth so I will probably continue to borrow them from her as long as he keeps doing well with it.

[lisaann]

BTW ds did the second half of his long division page today and got 100%! :thumb

[Sealed]

Thank you both for your inputs re: MUS! MidnightCry, MY brain would shut down with 4 digit multiplication.:hehee We haven't gotten that far in Gamma yet; we're on lesson 26. IT is going to be hard for us when we do get there. Double digits are hard b/c ds can't remember how to cross multiply. 12 x 40 (with the 12 on top)


He will multiply the 0 x 2 and then 0 times 4.
It doesn't matter how many times we go over it. I wonder if it is a visual/ spatial problem.??? Now he is working it backwards, and it works, it is just different...like 2 x 0 and 2 x 4, then 1 x 0 and 1 x 4. I can't see a problem with his method yet. :scratch Hopefully we won't run into any with it. ???
LisaAnne, Nice deal on the MCP! Congrats to you DS for the 100% That is so awesome! :thumb:thumb

[MidnightCry]

Thank you both for your inputs re: MUS! MidnightCry, MY brain would shut down with 4 digit multiplication.:hehee We haven't gotten that far in Gamma yet; we're on lesson 26. IT is going to be hard for us when we do get there. Double digits are hard b/c ds can't remember how to cross multiply. 12 x 40 (with the 12 on top)


He will multiply the 0 x 2 and then 0 times 4.
It doesn't matter how many times we go over it. I wonder if it is a visual/ spatial problem.??? Now he is working it backwards, and it works, it is just different...like 2 x 0 and 2 x 4, then 1 x 0 and 1 x 4. I can't see a problem with his method yet. :scratch Hopefully we won't run into any with it. ???
LisaAnne, Nice deal on the MCP! Congrats to you DS for the 100% That is so awesome! :thumb:thumb

I'm not sure I understand what he's doing exactly, but I used to practically chant, "Multiply everything on the top with everything on the bottom". If the problem is 12 x 40, first 2 x 0, then 1 x 0, then cross off the zero -- all done with that. Then 2 x 4 and 1 x 4. Now add it all up. I think the way he's doing it will get him into trouble at some point, so I would suggest keeping with the correct method and continuing to go over and over and over it. Maybe even take a break for a week and just do flash cards or something else. Maybe your husband would have a suggestion -- something that clicks with your son that you haven't thought of? That works for us sometimes. But, I would STRONGLY encourage you to not go forward until he is "mastering" (as much as seems reasonable) the double digits. You don't need to get through the whole book by June -- just make sure he is on a continual learning path by the end of the year. Good luck!:thumb