Curriculum for Math

Math is an area that I have spent all summer debating about.

My feelings about worksheets are mixed. It's true that you need to practice a concept. It's also true that sitting down and answering 30 math problems (or even just the odds or evens) if you have already mastered the concept can make math seem pretty boring.

Math was something in which I was labeled "average." When I became an adult and had an opportunity to teach Geometry at a private school, I discovered that math could actually be interesting! It's actually wonderfully logical and precise and always has an answer. (The regular maths do, anyway!)

L and I are convinced that being able to do arithmetic problems in your head is important. My dad also believed that and encouraged us not to use all the little written helps when we were adding or subtracting. If you can do math in your head, it would seem that you have a thorough understanding of the process. Mental math is also helpful when your pocket calculator dies and your pencil breaks on the shred of paper you dug out of the bottom of your purse in the store.

So, I searched through lots of curricula throughout the summer. Then, I hit upon something called The Verbal Math Lesson. (Click on the name to see the books.) Here is a quote from their introduction:

Written math makes simple arithmetic tedious for young children...Often, an insistence on worksheets that require more writing effort than math leads to a dislike for math in general. (The Verbal Math Lesson, Level 1, page 5)

After reading that and perusing the chapters, we felt that the books might provide what we were looking for. I'll give an evaluation after we've gone through a few lessons.