Math U See is a math program that is geared toward the hands on learner. With many manipulatives and some great ideas for learning tricky concepts, this math curriculum will take your homeschooled student all the way through high school.
Complete Math Program
You can certainly use MUS (Math U See) to compliment other math programs and enrich your child's learning, however this is a stand alone program that has been developed to make learning math easy and fun. The books are not sorted by grade level; rather they are categorized by letters of the Greek Alphabet. This allows the student to work at his own pace, without worrying if he is at the right level.
This innovative math curriculum is popular with homeschooling families. It consistently rates high in homeschooling reviews by parents. MUS has won several awards including:
- Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
- Practical Homeschooling Reader Award
- Old Schoolhouse EE Award
The program comes with teacher guides, manipulative blocks, and video helps for each concept. Each lesson provides plenty of opportunity to master a new ability as well as to practice things that have already been learned.
The in depth teaching DVDs are a great source of inspiration and ideas. They are geared toward the teacher, but as your child grows older he can use them on his own.
Math U See Student Texts
The student texts are consumable. At the end of each chapter are tests so that you can evaluate what your child has learned, and choose to go on or continue to work on concepts that he may be having difficulty with. The books are spiral bound and this makes them a bit more delicate than a hardback book.
These issues may be resolved in an April 2009 release of the updated program. The new books include tear out pages, hole punched pages, and other updates.
It should be noted that each book has a primary theme such as single digit addition but also includes key concepts such as time, measurement, etc.
- Primer - introduces math concepts in a fun way for the early learner
- Alpha - includes single digit addition and subtraction
- Beta - introduces multiple digit addition and subtraction and carrying
- Gamma - multiplication, both single and double digit
- Delta - single and multiple digit division
- Epsilon - fractions and other concepts.
- Zeta - decimals and other concepts.
- Pre-algebra
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Algebra Two
- Pre-calculus
- Stewardship
Using the Curriculum
The company suggests that you use four steps in teaching your child with this curriculum.
- Review the material yourself. Watch the DVDs and make sure that you understand the concept and how it should be presented. DVDs show you how to use the blocks for each lesson and point out common areas of confusion.
- Present the material to your child. Using the blocks, show your child how the problems are worked. Do a problem or two on paper with him, taking him through step by step.
- Help your child through the remaining problems. Be ready to demonstrate the concept again or to talk him through the equation.
- Move ahead to the next lesson. Each lesson has numerous worksheets. Not all the worksheets will be needed for each lesson. Once your child shows mastery of a concept you should move ahead to the next concept.
Special Education Students
Since this curriculum is so manipulative oriented, it is perfect for use with special education students. The colorful blocks hold a child's interest while helping him to visualize the concept being presented. It is easy to adapt the program to individual needs.
Consider Your Needs
Choosing the right curriculum for your unique needs is an important part of your homeschooling success.
Math U See is a user friendly program for busy homeschooling families. You can learn more about this curriculum and its author on the website. There are also printable worksheets, a FAQs page, and forums to help you with all aspects of implementing this curriculum into your homeschooling program.
