everyday math-long

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Home : 2002 : December : 17

everyday math-long
By Debbie

There's the ups and the downs as far as I see it. This is my second year using it and still don't care for it much. It's a very language based math program and I feel it's quite abstract for primary grades. A lot of 'out
of the box' thinking. I think it's good for advanced math kids, but awfully difficult for average and below average kids. I find I supplement a lot of the traditional math I use to do whenever I can. The easy thing from a teacher's stand point is that it tells you exactly what to do. There is nightly homework that goes with it. There are many games incorporated into the program also.

One complaint teacher's in our district have is that it has so many activites in each section that you have to really pick and choose what to do or else you would never get through the book (which many teachers don't). And since each grade level builds upon what the previous grade did, it's really important to cover as much as possible. It is also a spiral curriculum. You introduce something for a day or two and then move on, coming back to it later down the road. This can be frustrating for many children because they haven't really understood a concept and it's time to move on to something new and when the curriculum comes back to it, something new is added and the kids are even more confused.
I personally dislike it for my first graders. But, I know other teachers who love it. I'm just thankful my own kids school doesn't teach with it.
Sorry so long, I just had to get my two cents in on this one.
Debbie