We only used one curriculum for math for kindergarten and first grade (RightStart Math A and B), but while planning our second grade line-up for Ozzy I read many accounts from parents who found that RS, while top-notch for K and first, lost a bit of its luster in second grade and had more serious issues later on. I decided to continue with RS, but to supplement with Singapore Math (we use the Standards edition), which, like RS, uses Asian-style math pedagogy, but otherwise seemed to be the inverse of RS: its K and first grades, while good, were not necessarily among the most highly regarded programs for those levels, but beginning with second grade it reached the front of the pack, and it uses a mastery approach instead of RS's spiral approach. I expected to use RS most heavily for second grade, supplementing with SM, and then reverse those positions in third. So I ordered both, and when they arrived I compared the two.
Upon a cursory inspection, I found that RS C and SM 2A/2B (both programs' second grade curricula) covered the same scope (though RS covered more geometry), just in a different sequence. I considered feeling as though I'd wasted my money, but decided that having SM's workbooks would give me the option to let Richard or Brandon facilitate a math lesson on occasion, and extra flexibility is always a good thing. That did work out nicely, and as we progressed through RS C I was very happy with our setup.
When we began RS C, we did the first three weeks' worth of lessons in three days, which I was relieved by because ordering curricula through our charter school had taken much longer than I'd anticipated and we were getting a late start. We then slowed down to two lessons at a time, and I expected to stop doing double lessons quite quickly. This week, however, I realized we were fully a third of the way through and hadn't slowed down any further, nor (after looking through the rest of the book) did I continue to expect to. Out of curiosity, I checked out the next few chapters of SM and found that while my initial assessment that RS and SM covered the same topics with similar methods was correct, SM was now assigning much more challenging problems and more review than RS. I briefly considered putting RS aside entirely, but when I compared the methods used to introduce topics, I found I still preferred RS.
Since we're moving at a doubled pace through RS, we have time to fully utilize SM as well. I ordered SM Challenging Word Problems some time ago but have yet to receive it; we'll use those probably once or twice a week, depending on time. We're also skipping RS's review lessons because we'll do SM's instead. Because RS and SM use different sequences and I've decided I prefer SM's, I've mapped out the rest of second grade according SM's scope, but using the RS lessons to introduce each topic. We're also using a computer game called Timez Attack, which uses quite respectable graphics and a very clever and engaging premise to teach and drill multiplication. I prefer it enormously over our previous game (Math Rider), though at the moment the game is only available for multiplication and division, with addition and subtraction allegedly becoming available this week (Oscar doesn't need those, but Sofie does). Oscar's already used it and made excellent progress, but since we're now following SM's scope we're spending some more time on subtraction before coming back to master multiplication.
The rest of our second grade math map now looks like this:
1) Subtraction: RS lessons 48-57, 86-94, 100, 110, and 113. SM 2A chapter 2.
2) Multiplication: For two weeks, all of math time will be devoted to Timez Attack, which will then drop to 10 ten minutes daily until mastery is achieved. After those two weeks, we'll do RS lessons 101, 103, 109, 119, 120, 122, 124, 131, and 142. SM combines multiplication and division, so we'll wait to cover those chapters until we've introduced division in RS.
3) Division: RS lesson 132, followed by SM 2A chapters 5, 6, and 2B chapter 8. We'll also begin the division part of the Timez Attack game.
4) Mental Math Strategies: SM 2B chapter 7.
5) Money: RS lessons 44 and 45, followed by SM 2B chapter 9.
6) Fractions: RS lessons 133, 135-139, 141, and 143. SM 2B chapter 10.
7) Time: We've already covered all of the RS lessons on time, so we'll breeze through SM SB chapter 11.
8) Capacity: This is the sole area not addressed by RS, so we'll just be doing SM 2B chapter 12.
9) Tables and Graphs: We covered these concepts at the end of RS B (first grade), so we'll have a quick review in SM 2B chapter 13.
10) Measurement: RS lessons 96, 126, and 127. SM 2A chapters 3 and 4.
11) Geometry: RS C covers much more geometry than does SM 2A/2B. We'll do the SM 2B chapter 14 first this time, followed by RS lessons 60-81, 97, 114-118, 121, and 129-130.
Finally, we'll cover a few bits and bobs RS throws in in lessons 84-85, and 144-150. We'll be covering all lessons in RS except the review ones, and all chapters of SM. I also plan to complete SM's Challenging Word Problems, but until it arrives I won't know for certain what our pace will be like.
Upon a cursory inspection, I found that RS C and SM 2A/2B (both programs' second grade curricula) covered the same scope (though RS covered more geometry), just in a different sequence. I considered feeling as though I'd wasted my money, but decided that having SM's workbooks would give me the option to let Richard or Brandon facilitate a math lesson on occasion, and extra flexibility is always a good thing. That did work out nicely, and as we progressed through RS C I was very happy with our setup.
When we began RS C, we did the first three weeks' worth of lessons in three days, which I was relieved by because ordering curricula through our charter school had taken much longer than I'd anticipated and we were getting a late start. We then slowed down to two lessons at a time, and I expected to stop doing double lessons quite quickly. This week, however, I realized we were fully a third of the way through and hadn't slowed down any further, nor (after looking through the rest of the book) did I continue to expect to. Out of curiosity, I checked out the next few chapters of SM and found that while my initial assessment that RS and SM covered the same topics with similar methods was correct, SM was now assigning much more challenging problems and more review than RS. I briefly considered putting RS aside entirely, but when I compared the methods used to introduce topics, I found I still preferred RS.
Since we're moving at a doubled pace through RS, we have time to fully utilize SM as well. I ordered SM Challenging Word Problems some time ago but have yet to receive it; we'll use those probably once or twice a week, depending on time. We're also skipping RS's review lessons because we'll do SM's instead. Because RS and SM use different sequences and I've decided I prefer SM's, I've mapped out the rest of second grade according SM's scope, but using the RS lessons to introduce each topic. We're also using a computer game called Timez Attack, which uses quite respectable graphics and a very clever and engaging premise to teach and drill multiplication. I prefer it enormously over our previous game (Math Rider), though at the moment the game is only available for multiplication and division, with addition and subtraction allegedly becoming available this week (Oscar doesn't need those, but Sofie does). Oscar's already used it and made excellent progress, but since we're now following SM's scope we're spending some more time on subtraction before coming back to master multiplication.
The rest of our second grade math map now looks like this:
1) Subtraction: RS lessons 48-57, 86-94, 100, 110, and 113. SM 2A chapter 2.
2) Multiplication: For two weeks, all of math time will be devoted to Timez Attack, which will then drop to 10 ten minutes daily until mastery is achieved. After those two weeks, we'll do RS lessons 101, 103, 109, 119, 120, 122, 124, 131, and 142. SM combines multiplication and division, so we'll wait to cover those chapters until we've introduced division in RS.
3) Division: RS lesson 132, followed by SM 2A chapters 5, 6, and 2B chapter 8. We'll also begin the division part of the Timez Attack game.
4) Mental Math Strategies: SM 2B chapter 7.
5) Money: RS lessons 44 and 45, followed by SM 2B chapter 9.
6) Fractions: RS lessons 133, 135-139, 141, and 143. SM 2B chapter 10.
7) Time: We've already covered all of the RS lessons on time, so we'll breeze through SM SB chapter 11.
8) Capacity: This is the sole area not addressed by RS, so we'll just be doing SM 2B chapter 12.
9) Tables and Graphs: We covered these concepts at the end of RS B (first grade), so we'll have a quick review in SM 2B chapter 13.
10) Measurement: RS lessons 96, 126, and 127. SM 2A chapters 3 and 4.
11) Geometry: RS C covers much more geometry than does SM 2A/2B. We'll do the SM 2B chapter 14 first this time, followed by RS lessons 60-81, 97, 114-118, 121, and 129-130.
Finally, we'll cover a few bits and bobs RS throws in in lessons 84-85, and 144-150. We'll be covering all lessons in RS except the review ones, and all chapters of SM. I also plan to complete SM's Challenging Word Problems, but until it arrives I won't know for certain what our pace will be like.
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