I have a love-hate relationship with our math program, Rightstart.
I hate it because I have to wrap my mind around it before I can present it to my son. I hate it because it’s VERY DIFFERENT than how I learned to do math.
I love it because it’s VERY DIFFERENT than how I learned to do math.
I love it because it is mapping my son’s mind for math.
Here’s the skinny- we (I’m assuming you were also in an American school) were taught math based on counting. Righstart teaches kids math based on visualization. The abacus is one of many manipulatives used in the program; it is made special so that the student can transfer it to his mind and manipulate it there, as well.
Rightsart is big on patterns and understanding. We haven’t memorized ANYTHING. Everything has been discovered! And it is really working! The patterns are just popping out at Elijah.
"Mom, if I have three sixes, I have 18, right?"
"Mom, if I have four quarters I have one dollar. So if I have 8 quarters, I have two dollars…and if I have 12 quarters, I have three dollars"…he then figured out that 200 quarters = $50. He wanted to know how many quarters for $100. I told him he could do it. He thought for a second, and said, "OH! fifty and fifty (or five-ten and five-ten) is one hundred, SO 200 and 200 is…I need 400 quarters."
Here is a little activity from a Rightstart printable that I put in his workbox today.
He had to take three rectangles and use them to make one large rectangle. They are all numbered based on size. It’s so fun what happens each time. Do you see the pattern?
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