And no, that's not just me being peevish, folks. That's what the weather channel actually says! Wowsa! The kids are outside doing a nature scavenger hunt. I've got water boiling for hot chocolate (THANK YOU, AUNT B - the box arrived yesterday afternoon!!), and the oven is heating up for chocolate chip cookies. I think we need a little refresher before we head to the library. (It helps if your hands aren't frozen stiff when you're trying to pick up your books.)
The new math routine is working really well with the whole Major Tom thing James has been experiencing. After breakfast, he drills just one or two review facts at the Math-U-See site. When he gets one under 40 seconds, he moves on to the next. If he doesn't get under 40 seconds, that's okay, too. He just starts with that one the next day. No more than five minutes per day. Short. And. Simple. Some are so simple, he flies through them. Some take a little warming up, but that's the point. This is our warm up exercise.
Then, he moves on to another lesson - usually reading or Latin - something to take his mind off the math. (I know it seems counter-intuitive to get warmed up and then move on to something else, but I'll get to that in a minute.) When he's done with that, we take two problems (only two - we're going with the *one arrow*, Zen-type approach to this - focus, make it count, make it work) of the sort that keep tripping him up. In his case, it's multiple digit multiplication, but this might work with any sticking point. We work them together on the white board. Actually, he works them. I stand there and try to spot errors in his vulnerable spots (for him, it's the housekeeping). Two problems. Quick and simple.
He then moves on to whichever lesson is next (Reading or Latin - whichever he didn't do before), and winds up before lunch with the day's actual math lesson. It's like a whole new brain! Well, not really. That last portion still takes an inordinately long amount of time. But (a) it's long division, which takes a while, anyway, and (b) he's still nine and still easily distractable. But, I'm okay with this, as he has no problem with division. That comes flowing from his mind as easily as questions I can't answer, and funny jokes.
The trouble comes from a combination of housekeeping and distractability. Plus, once he's gotten bogged down, he panics and just. can't. think. The whole system shuts down at that point. That's why I split the math lesson into three distinct segments, separated by Something Completely Different. He gets a taste of success, then moves on while he's feeling capable. He comes to the next segment still feeling pretty good, and ready to take on the next thing. He doesn't get overwhelmed. He doesn't have to sit and wait and stare at something that's troubling him while I have to stop and work with another child (as he sits there, staring at it, the tension builds, the panic rises, and by the time I come back, he's in full-on shut-down mode). As he internalizes the ability to take each step as it comes, he'll be able to wait without hovering over an Insurmountable Problem. For now, though, the first step isn't internalized, so this works quite well.
I'm so thankful we can individualize the approaches we take to tackle the hurdles. This one-two-punch of short-short lessons and an eagle eye on housekeeping seems to be workin' the magic. Our school days are a little longer this way, but they don't feel nearly as long - for him, or for me. That's worth it. There is nothing better I could be doing with my time than helping him learn how to learn!
What helps you help your little ones over the hurdles?
Kiss those babies!
~Dy
6 comments:
For us, the computer is a major carrot. Even if they are doing a quiz on the computer, they love computer time. So, if we can get through something that is tedious, like handwriting, then the possibility of getting to place the states on the map again is always out there.
mere
Last year, D would take like 2 hours to do a math lesson because he couldn't stay focused, so we had to ditch the paper and do all of D's math on the white board. That made it more fun for him. Also, I had to check his work every 5 problems or so, so if he got something wrong, I caught it right away. This year, thankfully, we are back with paper and he is doing soooo much better.
Oh, and does this help you feel warmer? Our weather this morning was -2, feels like -16. Yeah. It's the kind of cold that when you breath you think your lungs just froze.
Well, I think 25 is Awfully Cold! Which is why I haven't stepped outdoors in a Week. (Well, maybe once or twice, but not often, and not particularly willingly.)
Your method sounds good! I have recently found that Travis will miss all or most of his multi-digit multiplication/ addition/ subtraction problems if he has 7 or 8 of them (this is in Horizons), but he is likely to get them all right if he only has 3. Weird, but I can work with that (less grading!). We also break up math, though it is through dawdling. After an hour, math is up and everything left is homework. Your way, being intentional, is even better.
Travis wrote his narration on his SOTW chapter today on the computer. It still wasn't great, but it was better than it Would have been written by hand, and there was no protesting.
We did Latin on the white board today, and the change of scenery Did make it fun.
I ahven't figured out what quite helps Nathan not dawdle, but not understanding things doesn't really bother him to much. Luke, my perfectionist, is another story, and whenever I find mistakes, I have to be very casual about them and point out a number of times how they are absolutely no big deal, he's doing just fine, etc., etc. He actually is also having a bit of trouble with multiple digit multiplication as well, so we're working through that now (very casually, LOL). He wouldn't want to break it apart though. I think that would drive him crazy. But that might work for Nathan though. Hmmmm.
Whoa, you are brilliant, Dy! I'm starting this with my little one on Monday. She gets herself so worked up over her math, thinking it will take *forever*. And so it does. Thanks!
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