Possibly My New Favorite Full Math Program - Even in French

[sonya_post]

All of this math stuff lately caused me to send a request about math programs to a friend of mine, whose opinion I trust. The question was that if you were going to teach serious math to gifted toddlers what would you choose. He sent me to the following program.  I am still in love with the JG program for mastery of arithmetic and memory training. But it lacks application. I am still going to be using JG - haven't changed my mind, but we may be skipping MEP and starting Jump Math - http://jumpmath1.org/.

From what I can tell this program has all that I loved about Saxon in the early years including mastery of facts. It moves incrementally - they call it scaffolding - so it is perfect for early learners. Plus you get what I love about MEP and Singapore. And Nee will feel better about a child mastering math concepts. Though you may still have to get the word problems book from Singapore because they are that good. This weekend, I poured over the teachers material for 1st grade - there is no kindergarten or reception year. And briefly scanned grades 2 - 8. This can easily be used with our 2-3 year olds. I can see that if a child has good number sense, you could plow through the first few years quickly. I am  not sure you even need the workbooks for the 1st  2 years if you just follow the lesson plans and make sure your child understands the concepts. Aangles mentioned once that when Ella was finished with JG Matrix, she was not ready for Math 3 yet. I think we will be in that same position in a couple months. This is a good transition until we are ready to tackle JG Math 3 a year or so from now.

Jump Math is a non-profit so it is cheap, not in terms of MEP cheap but teacher's materials are free, downloadable on the internet.with a free registration; and workbooks, at 2 each year, are $11 each. This is a Canadian program but the American version is nearly complete. Because of all the French Canadians, you can get it in French.  Algebra concepts are started early - probably not to the depth we'd all like, but if you move through the progression quickly, certainly by the time most of our kids (that are 0-4 now) will enter kindergarten to 1st grade they will have a great grasp of Algebra and a wonderful foundation to start Calculus for Kids. This  program is going to get into the why and hows of math. More importantly, if you follow the lesson plans it will give you the ability to break down each task to the smallest possible increment and teach it. That is what our little ones need. It is not scripted, but it really does help you understand what needs to be taught. You can do this the first couple years for kids who can't write for free. From glancing at the older grades this will be wonderful preparation for AoPS or other gifted math program.

I have the entire 1st grade manual here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60668524/Jump%20MathTeacher.zip there are multiple files to look through. Each section has a blackline master file and then the teaching guide. Teaching Guides start with TG, Blackline Masters start with BLM. 1-1 means year one semester one. 1-2 is year one semester two.  You can order the teacher material printed - it is $80.

For those using Marshmallow Math or KTM this will help you teach the concepts in those books. I can't tell you how much I love these teacher's manuals. I may order the workbooks, not sure yet. Give me another week to look over the teacher's material and I'll let you know. I'm pretty sure that for kids who can't write, workbooks are unnecessary. 

[Korrale4kq]

I have been only checking out American math programs lately,  mostly limited to kindergarten. This does look appealing, it is presented differently. So in the least it will be a nice supplement. Just from the bits I have read, it also looks like the 1st grade is more aligned with the US kindergarten core standards.  So I don't think starting with this will be to anyones detriment.

Thank you Sonya, karma to you.

[sonya_post]

The first 40 pages the the workbooks are available for free - for each level - on the website. But if you read through the literature, the beauty of this program is in How it is taught. I think if you are going to do Singapore or MEP you really need to do the teacher's manual. According to it's creator, the Jump workbooks are the LEAST important part of the program. So, I was right when I assumed you could do this without getting the workbooks for younger kids. And it was designed to get all the students up to speed and functioning at a high level of math. So, for a child who is math gifted, you probably can move through this very quickly. When I say it is very incremental, I mean it, which I think is perfect for toddlers who are grappling with numbers and their meaning.

If you already have kumon books floating around you can probably use those with it, but I don't think you really need them initially.

Link to New York Times article on the Jump Math http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/a-better-way-to-teach-math

And a site to order to the home school workbooks, which are 1 book and about $2 cheaper than getting the school version. And evidently with shorter teachers instructions. There is a google preview on book 5.

 http://www.houseofanansi.com/cw_ProductSeries.aspx?k=JUMP+at+Home+Math+Workbooks

[nee1]

I have the entire 1st grade manual here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60668524/Jump%20Math%20Teacher.zip there are multiple files to look through.

Sonya,

Clicking this link takes me to an empty folder. Is there a mistake? Thank you.

[sonya_post]

Try again. I just fixed it. You can click above or here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60668524/Jump%20MathTeacher.zip

[lzp11]

Sonya thanks so much for this link - karma to you!

I think I am now an official maths addict after all the maths threads that have been so interesting recently!  I hope this rubs off on my children 

I have taken a look at the jump math curriculum and it looks really interesting.  I have not really looked yet at the detail of MEP or Singapore.  I'm interested to hear how you feel they compare?  What is it about this curriculum that you like better (or worse)?  I am still learning so much about how to teach (and I'm likely to be afterschooling, as homeschooling is not an option for us).  I still have another year though before school, so I'm keen to cover as much ground as possible while I still have time!

[nee1]

Try again. I just fixed it. You can click above or here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60668524/Jump%20MathTeacher.zip

Wow! Thank you so much, Sonya. I've looked through the files and it appears very good. Thanks again. I'm very grateful.

And please, I am very much interested in your answers to lzp11's questions. And your general insights on various math curricula. Thank you.

[m_rogue23]

All of this math stuff lately caused me to send a request about math programs to a friend of mine, whose opinion I trust. The question was that if you were going to teach serious math to gifted toddlers what would you choose. He sent me to the following program.  I am still in love with the JG program for mastery of arithmetic and memory training. But it lacks application. I am still going to be using JG - haven't changed my mind, but we may be skipping MEP and starting Jump Math - http://jumpmath1.org/.

From what I can tell this program has all that I loved about Saxon in the early years including mastery of facts. It moves incrementally - they call it scaffolding - so it is perfect for early learners. Plus you get what I love about MEP and Singapore. And Nee will feel better about a child mastering math concepts. Though you may still have to get the word problems book from Singapore because they are that good. This weekend, I poured over the teachers material for 1st grade - there is no kindergarten or reception year. And briefly scanned grades 2 - 8. This can easily be used with our 2-3 year olds. I can see that if a child has good number sense, you could plow through the first few years quickly. I am  not sure you even need the workbooks for the 1st  2 years if you just follow the lesson plans and make sure your child understands the concepts. Aangles mentioned once that when Ella was finished with JG Matrix, she was not ready for Math 3 yet. I think we will be in that same position in a couple months. This is a good transition until we are ready to tackle JG Math 3 a year or so from now.

Jump Math is a non-profit so it is cheap, not in terms of MEP cheap but teacher's materials are free, downloadable on the internet.with a free registration; and workbooks, at 2 each year, are $11 each. This is a Canadian program but the American version is nearly complete. Because of all the French Canadians, you can get it in French.  Algebra concepts are started early - probably not to the depth we'd all like, but if you move through the progression quickly, certainly by the time most of our kids (that are 0-4 now) will enter kindergarten to 1st grade they will have a great grasp of Algebra and a wonderful foundation to start Calculus for Kids. This  program is going to get into the why and hows of math. More importantly, if you follow the lesson plans it will give you the ability to break down each task to the smallest possible increment and teach it. That is what our little ones need. It is not scripted, but it really does help you understand what needs to be taught. You can do this the first couple years for kids who can't write for free. From glancing at the older grades this will be wonderful preparation for AoPS or other gifted math program.

I have the entire 1st grade manual here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/60668524/Jump%20MathTeacher.zip there are multiple files to look through. Each section has a blackline master file and then the teaching guide. Teaching Guides start with TG, Blackline Masters start with BLM. 1-1 means year one semester one. 1-2 is year one semester two.  You can order the teacher material printed - it is $80.

For those using Marshmallow Math or KTM this will help you teach the concepts in those books. I can't tell you how much I love these teacher's manuals. I may order the workbooks, not sure yet. Give me another week to look over the teacher's material and I'll let you know. I'm pretty sure that for kids who can't write, workbooks are unnecessary. 

Hi, how old was your child when you taught him/her math? and what program did you use? Mine is 8 months old now and I tried the Doman Flash Card Method but my baby does not seem interested. i also downloaded a trial version of little math and baby was not into it either. I hated math as a kid and I don't want my child growing up scared of dealing with numbers. Would really appreciate knowing how you taught your child. Thanks.

[sonya_post]

@ Nee and LPZ,

You are welcome for the links.

I've been scouring the net looking for reviews of Jump Math. Overall, it seems this is really good program. Downfalls seem to be that it doesn't introduce hard Algebra soon enough. But, after reading more about it, I think that is intentional. Since this is a Canadian program, it doesn't meet the current Algebra by 8th grade part of the USA core curriculum standards. I'm not impressed with the Core Curriculum standards so, that means nothing to me. Our kids will end up less educated, not more. if we follow those guidelines. One of the biggest complaints about this program is the repetition and review. From people who hate the program it is compared to Saxon and Kumon as referred to as "drill and kill". From those who like the program it is compared to Singapore with a "perhaps it's better but don't quote me" attached.  I liked how one reviewer put it in that unlike Saxon it doesn't just provide a mechanical ability to solve problems but math fluency. He went on to describe exactly what I've been trying to describe. This program will not just produce a child who can tell the time on a clock but a child that understands time. It is this fluency that I am after. Before Algebra children are not dealing with theory, they are figuring out how arithmetic works in different situations...measuring, telling time, fractions, decimals. This is all just arithmetic. 

I think MEP and Singapore are fine programs and for some teachers - notice here I did not say students - they will probably be the best fit. However, as a long time home-schooler with a very poor education but an expensive degree, I knew what was broken but couldn't fix it.. I think this program is the fix. MEP and Singapore will get you to the same destination, but from what other parents have told me, math instruction causes friction in their families. Unless the child is a mathematically gifted child - here think Ellla - all programs cause this to some degree. A couple years ago, after finding the Kitchen Table Math books, I realized the problem was me. Even after getting the books, I wasn't sure how to implement what I needed to do. I read through Marshmallow Math and took notes but didn't buy  it. It is much like the Kitchen Table Books - though not as deep,  Marshmallow Math really doesn't get you there either. They help a great deal and are probably all that is needed for a math intuitive child. But what if you don't have one? What if you had a horrible math education? Now what? What if you are trying to teach a toddler?

These books move in very small increments. It breaks math down - using Direct Instruction - into small steps. There are things I didn't even realize had 3 or 4 steps. Which is why my oldest son was having so much trouble when I taught him. There is nothing really new in this program, it is all Direct Instruction arithmetic. What it does is teach a parent/teacher how to teach it. Children don't move on till mastery of individual concepts. But the concepts are the smallest possible building block. Workbooks pages are designed to create success. It is not a spiraling program where all old material is reviewed often, but rather in two semesters, the material gets progressively harder. You are not to give children workbook pages until you are sure they can do the work. The purpose of the workbook is to prove to the child that he understands/can do the work.

Bonus questions are given by a parent/teacher not to introduce new concepts but to build on the existing ones - take the concept deeper or apply it in a different way. If your child is adding and subtracting quite easily you might give them this problem: You have a three gallon and a five gallon bucket. You wish to measure out exactly four gallons. How do you do this?  This questions doesn't require new  concepts, but rather logical thinking. The programs offers wonderful ways to add more thinking exercises and other bonus question material.

If you are a better teacher than I am, Singapore or MEP  are great programs. Picking between the two really has to do with parental taste. Do you want to print out all the material for MEP and organize yourself? It has more depth than Singapore, but not enough that I'd say it's a deal breaker. Sometimes, in MEP, the instructions are not clear. I don't think you find this with Singapore. So it's a trade off. Singapore has it all ready for you, and as I've mentioned before, I'll be ordering the word problems books. Singapore and MEP and not drilling programs. So you have to make sure your child knows the basic math facts or you are using an abacus or something to really nail mental math. There are right brain ways of doing this as well. For math fact mastery there is also JG and Rocket Math. Rocket Math is really a system for learning math facts - you don't have to buy it as the information is on their site. You just need good basic flashcards.

@ m_rogue
Doman stuff really didn't work for us, but I think we gave up on it too soon. My son was not interested, he is 25 months now. His passion is music and reading. He will spend hours on both. Math he can take or leave - but mostly leave. We started at about a year counting to 10 forward and backward and then moving to 20. By 18 months he could count to 20 forward and back and recognized all the numbers. We have been working on counting for what seems like forever. He is just starting to figure out 1 - 1 correspondence. He knows all the basic shapes and a bunch of others like cylinder, cube, rhombus, things like that. I am in the process of making LR files for math that fit with how we are teaching basic math facts. There are others on here who have done much much more - read the threads in the Teaching Math Section of the forum. My son really isn't as interested in math as other things, so his attention span is quite short.

If you hated math, get the teachers manuals to Jump Math and begin reading them. They are free. They will give you the tools to teach math and they will help you understand it yourself. There is no need to be afraid, but I sympathize completely. It is something to be concerned about if you don't have the right tools. My quest for a good math program comes from having nearly ruined a perfectly good math student (my oldest son) and damaging our relationship over it simply because I didn't know what i was doing. I did what everyone else recommended. Really, read the math threads, you will get so much information from there. However, try to refrain from spending more money for a little while. This stuff can cause you to go broke.

[sonya_post]

@ Nee,

I found something on the net yesterday while researching Jump math that I will probably never be able to find a second time. But someone was floating the idea that it only takes 30 hours of instruction to teach all of k-12 math. The deal is that you must have a willing participant. They suggested letting the child decide when s/he is ready and you avoid a lot of wasted time. I don't buy into that part, but I found the idea that it only takes 30 hours intriguing. It doesn't take a gift child - but rather a willing child as young as 9 can get it all in 2 hours a week for 15 weeks. Interesting......

[nee1]

Mmm, 30 hours to complete k-12 math curriculum?
I've been pondering this statement since you posted it. That means if a child devotes 3 hours per day to it, it could be done in 10 days. Mmm, I don't know what to think. Is such a thing possible, even for the most motivated child? Maybe. But I don't know.

It could be possible if the child had built up previous knowledge. But if the person is referring to the case where there is no previous knowleldge of k-12 math at all, and the child masters everything in 30 hours, well, I don't know. Could you paste the link? I'm always interested in such statements.

[sonya_post]

Here is the link and since I was doing this in the middle of the night, my details were a bit off. It is 20 hours and k-6 material, This isn't really surprising if you consider the Imafidon children. This basically takes you up to Algebra, I think for a motivted child it probably would work obviously they know about numbers and can count and group things, so there is prior math knowledge, just not formal instruction.

[sonya_post]

Oh yeah, the link: http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/math_david_albert.html   

[Korrale4kq]

I need to read link still but I could imagine 30 or 20 hours of direct instruction doable. But these 20 hours would not include all the practice that is so important in math.

[Mae_Jakob_Ka]

Oh my! I am now at Chapters and browsing for something Math for my almost four year old. I found the Jump workbook and open it up. It's fantastic! I love  how it's different yet doable. I was browsing the web to read the reviews before I buy it and big thank to you ,Sonya for such a throurough review and description of Jump.
My son enjoys Mashmallow and I am pretty sure he would like Jump too!

Is it because he is a Canadian boy?

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