Homeschool Math Blog

I have just finished writing a LONG article on homeschool algebra 1 recommendations and advice . It took me quite many hours to write and research. Questions about what to do for algebra 1 have become one of the "frequently asked questions", so I decided to write down something that I can refer people to, from now on. I realize you may have different opinions and even suggestions for algebra curriculum in homeschool, so if you let me know, I'm willing to look into other possibilities not mentioned in the article.

Common Core State Standards is a state-led initiative (not by the government) and designed by a diverse group of teachers, experts, parents, and school administrators. They hope these standards will be adopted by various states. We shall see! It would definitely help if the math standards didn't vary so much among the various states. In some states, there are SO many standards and objectives per grade that it seems impossible students could learn it all well. You can view the mathematics standards here . They also have language arts standards available.

Math Mammoth Percent book is here! Part of the "Math Mammoth Blue Series", this is a topical worktext, which contains both the instruction and the exercises in the same book. Download price: $3.50. I know that the concept of percent and related applications are often difficult for students. I wrote this text keeping this in mind, and I hope it can clear the confusion on percentages, percent of change, and such topics! From the description: Math Mammoth Percent teaches students the concept of percent, percentage of a number, discounts, sales tax, percent of change, circle graphs, and percent of comparison. It is suitable for 6th-8th grade (middle school). The concept of percent builds on a student's understanding of fractions and decimals. Specifically, students should already be very familiar with the idea of finding a fractional part of a whole (such as finding 3/4 of $240). Students who have used Math Mammoth have been practicing that concept since 4th grade, and ...

I recently updated and revised my page listing various online math curricula . I tried to put the current pricing there so people could compare them easier, and also list them by level (either elementary/middle or middle/high school). I feel using some online math program is an excellent choice for many parents, homeschooling or not. Sometimes they can be used as a supplement, and sometimes as a stand-alone program, especially with kids who like computer work because they get some extra motivation just because it's on computer. My own kids happen to like IXL for some additional math practice every now and then. Of course many of these offer videos, and watching math videos online is a definite advantage of today's computer age. Most of the curricula or programs are commercial but a few that I listed are actually free resources.

I just found this news article at EducationNews.org and some of you might find it interesting: U.S. Teachers Not Well Prepared to Teach Mathematics, Study Finds It explains the findings of a new international study of future math teachers in 16 countries.

Math Mammoth end of year sale is here! Get 20% off of all Math Mammoth downloadable books and CDs. Enter the coupon code MMSALE2010 on the shopping cart page at Kagi to receive 20% off. The sale is valid till June 1, 2010. At KAGI STORE ONLY. Order pages at Kagi: Blue series Golden and Green Series Light Blue complete curriculum products Packages (CDs or downloads) Make It Real Learning workbooks Libros Mamut Matemáticas Additionally, if you prefer printed versions, there is no percentage sale for those, BUT Lulu is having free summer shipping promotion where orders over $19.95 will receive free shipping (within the US). See a list of Math Mammoth books at Lulu . If your order is eligible, the coupon code FREESHIP is automatically applied.

Long division is a hurdle to many students. I have written a long article about it where I approach teaching long division in several small steps. It is all also explained in this video: The video and the article do not delve into the "why" long division works, but suggest a specific sequence of teaching long division. It should also make the process of finding the remainder within long division more transparent to students. Please read my article from this link: How to teach long division I've also created a page with lots of worksheets for long division plus a generator so you can even customize them to your liking. What about teaching why long division works? I feel the algorithm of long division AND why it works presents quite a complex thing for students to learn, so in this case I don't see a problem with first learning the algorithmic steps (the "how"), and later delving into the "why". Trying to do both simultaneously may pr...