Reviews
"I Love Math!"
The Murphy family has been satisfied users of Math-U-See for nine years. Over those years, the program has changed in many ways, but the fundamental elements remain the same. Math-U-See (MUS) is a deceptively simple math curriculum that has been the catalyst for all our school-aged children to say, “I love math.”
A Description
Math-U-See contains eleven basic levels. Rather than the traditional grade-level placement, letters of the Greek alphabet represent the increasingly difficult topics. Thus, Alpha teaches single-digit addition and subtraction and roughly corresponds with first-grade work. Beta builds on Alpha and introduces multiple-digit addition and subtraction including regrouping (or “carrying” and “borrowing,” as you may have learned). You might use Gamma in third grade, and it helps the child master single- and multi-place multiplication. Delta progresses to division. Epsilon focuses on fractions. Zeta covers decimals and percents. From there, the course names and content are more traditional: Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and PreCalculus with Trigonometry. An excellent course titled “Stewardship” provides instruction on personal finance and consumer math. For the youngest child (and eager new homeschool mom), a Primer introduces the earliest lessons of the Alpha level at a slower pace. Each level has two main components. The Teacher Pack includes a DVD and teacher’s manual. The Student Kit includes the child’s workbook and test booklet. Special colorful Math-U-See blocks are necessary manipulatives for each level.
Math-U-See is a concept-based rather than a fact-based (or memorization-based) program. Many math programs use a spiral method—covering a series of math concepts each year with increasing depth. This can lead children to believe that math randomly switches topics from addition, to fractions, to the names of shapes, to measurement with the turn of the textbook page. In contrast, creator Steve Demme shows that math is a logical, linear pursuit with each concept building carefully on the concept before. This confirms that math reflects God’s orderliness. Demme incorporates less-critical topics such as measurement and telling time into this logical sequence. For example, once the child understands skip counting by fives, Demme introduces telling minutes on a clock.
The newest version of MUS includes hardcover teacher’s manuals (great for families who use these books repeatedly) and perfect-bound student books three-hole punched and perforated for those who like to remove the pages. (We leave the sheets in the book.) For those who purchased the comb-bound version of the previous revision, the student problems/answer keys remain the same.
The MUS website, www.mathusee.com, is full of information, samples, online drill helps, a worksheet generator, and additional articles and is a great resource for parents.
Using MUS
The Murphys begin each lesson by watching the DVD. Master teacher Steve Demme teaches the lesson. I use the teacher’s manual to reteach the lesson as needed, being sure to have the child use the blocks. Once I am confident the child has mastered the concept (he can teach it back to me), we move on to the lesson’s worksheets. The first three sheets (labeled A, B, and C) contain only the new information in the lesson. Once the child completes a page perfectly and easily, he is ready to move on to the final three sheets (D, E, and F). If he displays mastery with sheet A, I allow him to skip B and C. He may need to complete B or C before he masters the concept. Should the child not show that he has mastered the concept by the third page (which is very rare), we print additional practice sheets from the website. We require our children to complete sheets D and F but only require E to be completed if we feel he needs additional review on those particular concepts. Tests accompany each student workbook, and you may use them at the conclusion of each lesson. We only use these for additional review.
Each lesson takes approximately one week to complete, although in reality a child may take two days or two weeks to demonstrate mastery depending on his readiness. The earlier levels have thirty lessons, making it easy to complete a level in a thirty-six-week school year.
Affordable
MUS is very affordable when compared to other programs, especially for the family with several children. The manipulative blocks are purchased once, used creatively throughout all levels of the program, and can be shared among siblings. The initial investment for these is much less than for many other manipulative-based programs as well. The teacher’s manual and DVD are one-time purchases. You must purchase only a new student kit for each child at each level.
User-Friendly
For many homeschooling parents, math is a scary subject to teach. New homeschoolers often ask, “How can I teach algebra? I didn’t understand it myself.” MUS solves this riddle. A master teacher teaches parent and child. Then the parent can teach his child. You do not need lesson preparation or outside materials, yet you and your student can easily apply what you learn to daily life.
Great for Large Families
Unlike many math programs that assume the teacher will spend twenty to thirty minutes each day teaching a lesson, MUS users can teach the lesson using the DVD and blocks approximately once each week. The student can work more independently and master the concept with the student workbook. As a mother of many, I can work intensely with a different child each day, only spending a few minutes checking the completed work of the other children. Although the later levels are not specifically designed for independent use, we use them this way, as do many others. One word of caution at the lower levels: MUS presents math concepts very differently from the way most of us learned math. Although my children always watch the instructional DVD with me, it is very important that parents actually watch the DVD in order to help a struggling child with a concept. Do not send your child to watch the DVD alone, or you will not understand the way MUS presents the concepts. This is not a tremendous burden as most lesson explanations last fewer than ten minutes.
Good for Struggling Learners
Children (and parents) who find math difficult will appreciate MUS. The mastery-based learning and hands-on methods greatly facilitate understanding. Commonly, parents find themselves comprehending math concepts they never understood previously. Also, the student pages are clean and have large print. Since the curriculum is not reading dependent for the child, late readers can still work independently.
In the past, users criticized MUS for not providing enough review throughout the program. Newer versions correct this by incorporating review sheets into each lesson. These have always been available, but MUS owners have not always used them. Additionally, you can print practice worksheets from the MUS website for children who need even more practice.
MUS is also a good choice for remediation. When one of our children needed extra attention in another academic area, he gradually lost ground until he was behind our expectations for him in math. By spending extra time each day, he soon completed the necessary levels of MUS (doing as much as a lesson each day) to return to his expected level of proficiency. Most programs build in too much busywork to be able to do this. It becomes difficult to discern what is vital or superfluous. MUS’s no-nonsense approach makes acceleration possible without the fear of “missing” something important.
Good for Fast Learners
The work-at-your-own-pace aspect of MUS works in two directions. Struggling learners receive the benefit of extra time while those talented at math are able to accelerate their learning. One of our children particularly gifted in mathematics has completed several levels of MUS in a year.
I would never imply that one math program is best for all children. However, we have seen MUS work for many children with a variety of learning styles. While providing the structure many parents need to incorporate math day-to-day, the strength of MUS is its ability to individualize instruction for your child. The program’s flexibility and simplicity make it an excellent choice for most homeschooled children.
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