Math Mammoth-Re-visited

Math Mammoth specializes in custom fit math programs for elementary aged students. Founded by Maria Miller, MA in mathematics with minors in physics and statistics and educational studies, Math Mammoth offers four different types of curriculum to meet the unique needs of homeschools. Customers may choose:

• the BLUE series- worktexts organized by topic

• the LIGHT BLUE series- complete comprehensive curriculum for each grade level
• the GOLDEN series - worksheet practice for grades 3-Algebra 1 level
• the GREEN series -worksheets by topic (designed for grades 3-7)

"I always designed the lessons in the books so that they would teach BOTH the parent and the child the processes and concepts of elementary math", states Miller in her User Guide for the curriculum. "Thus, the books contain very clear explanations, lots of visual exercises and pattern exercises that help children see the structure of mathematics and clearly understand the concepts of mathematics, instead of just memorizing rules", she said.


Math Mammoth products are relatively inexpensive, but do require a bit of publishing on the part of the consumer. Customers choose between ordering a CD for their computer or downloading files immediately upon payment. I am not a fan of printable homeschool materials, simply because of the extra effort required to print, hole punch, and organize the materials once they are loaded to the computer. However, an entire 2nd grade level curriculum complete with instruction, 2 semesters of work-texts, cumulative reviews, tests, answer keys, worksheet generators, links to free on-line games to support each topic studied and a final comprehensive diagnostic test costs only $29.70. In addition, Math Mammoth allows unlimited use of products purchased within the family's homeschool, saving curriculum costs for future children studying the same level.

My 2nd grade daughter, Sierra used Math Mammoth Level 2A over the past few weeks. Miller sent us a link to download the zip file free of charge in exchange for this review. Math Mammoth, Level 2 Light Blue series consists of 249 pages; more than enough for an entire school year. According to the Math Mammoth text, students in grades 1 and 2 will need to spend 25-40 mins. each day to complete the curriculum over a span of 200 days.

After a rocky start with the curriculum, I learned it is very important to open ALL the PDF files that come with the instant download. I thought, initially, we had not received an answer key or teacher's guide. I was wrong. Another mistake I made was to NOT have Sierra take the optional placement test offered by the company. Many of the review topics presented in the first section of Level 2A were taught in a different format than Sierra's previous mathematics experiences. This created a mountain of frustration for her and I as we tried to work through the beginning work-text lessons.

I remedied our frustration by locating the User Guide filled with helpful advice regarding curriculum use, testing, cumulative reviews, using the worksheet maker and contact information for Miller for further questions. After reading the User Guide I had Sierra take the Level 1 comprehensive final test to check her mastery of topics required for Level 2. Students must receive a score of 80% on the test to be ready for the next level. Sierra was not ready as I had suspected. I readily agree with Miller's recommendation to use the placement tests, available on the website, to avoid purchasing the wrong product or frustrating the student.

Although students in the early grades can complete Math Mammoth without manipulatives, Miller encourages use of a 100 bead abacus or base ten blocks for 1st grade. "For the most part, the curriculum does not specifically emphasize manipulatives, but visual models", says Miller in the User Guide. "However the exercises that use visual models CAN be done equally well with manipulatives (beans/counters, base ten blocks fraction manipulatives, etc.)", she said.

Work-text pages of Math Mammoth are colored to aid visual learners and keep interest high. The beginning of each lesson provides brief instruction with a few sample problems surrounded by a blue box. Sierra struggled a bit with certain math topics and I found the instructions often were not detailed enough to meet her needs.

Miller offers suggestions in the User Manual to mix up instruction a bit or reach a struggling student. She advises teachers to make use of the Worksheet Maker, choose word problems from subsequent chapters relating to the topic or to simply incorporate one of the many on-line games listed at the beginning of each chapter for extra practice. The goal of Math Mammoth is mastery and Miller has created a host of opportunity for students to reach that level.

An optional test follows the conclusion of each chapter of Math Mammoth. Miller recommends using the tests only for diagnostic purposes or record keeping. The optional comprehensive final test is provided for each level of the Light Blue series as well. This is the same test on the website used for placement.

Cumulative review chapters are sprinkled throughout the curriculum. These chapters are available in PDF, doc, or htm file formats to allow teachers to customize problem sets for their student's specific needs. Miller recommends using the cumulative review chapters only as needed.

Although our experience with Math Mammoth was less than desirable due to (cough) user error, Sierra had only positive memories to share about her experience. "I like the directions and the colors on the pages," she said. "Math Mammoth colors things in so it's not confusing. The lessons seem pretty long, but I think I learned a lot", she added.

For more information about Math Mammoth visit their website at www.mathmammoth.com. Samples of the curriculum are available as well as the option of purchasing smaller portions of the curriculum before committing to a full package. Level 2A or Level 2B of the Light Blue Series retail for $15.50 each and is only available as an instant download. In addition, Miller offers a free 7 day virtual math educators e-mail course or tour of Math Mammoth filled with benefits on the site.

A rainbow of choices and seeming endless supply of customer service and support guarantees Math Mammoth is certain to fit the needs of most homeschool families in search of quality math curriculum for the elementary years.

Mathletics

If you need to re-energize your child's interest in mathematics you might try Mathletics. Toted on their site, www.mathletics.com, as "America's no. 1 Math website", subscription based Mathletics promises to challenge K-8 math students through the spirit of competition while they learn. As a member of TOS Review Crew I received a free 45 day subscription to Mathletics to use with my 7th grade daughter in exchange for this review.

We began our experience with Mathletics by registering Micah on the site. She created a personalized avatar complete with skin tone, eyes, mouth, hair, clothes, hat and accessories to represent her while on-line. Micah signed up to be a part of Team USA represented with a little US flag icon to the left of her avatar. Mathletics is used by millions of students worldwide.

We discovered Mathletics 7th grade curriculum covered the topics of:

* Decimals

* Number Theory

* Integers

* Addition and Subtraction Facts

* Multiply and Divide Fractions

* Pre-Algebra

* Geometry

* Measurement

* Ratio, Proportion and Percent

* Data, Probability, and Statistics

Micah used Mathletics independently during our testing period. She began each session by choosing a topic to study, then completing 10 practice problems designed to test her skill and ability to solve problems related to the topic. If she completed all ten correctly she was rewarded with a cute little cartoon of a young girl in a pink convertible racing to the center of the screen raising her arms in victory plus a coveted gold bar. Sound effects of cheering accompanied the scene providing a fun way to end a study session.

To enhance the serious aspect of Micah's results, she only needed to scroll down the last screen to view a copy of all practice problems attempted complete with answers. If she happened to miss a problem or two they were marked with an X instead of a check mark. Clicking on the "support" button in the upper right hand corner of each box containing a problem, linked to a new web page with a cartoon character standing in front of a blackboard ready to explain on the board how to solve the problem. At this screen Micah could chose to view additional examples of varying difficulty levels for each of the missed concepts. Incorporating a cartoon visual with concept review kept the program light-hearted, interesting and fun for her.

When Micah answered all 10 of her practice problems correctly requiring no review she clicked back to the menu. The menu page allowed her to view all topics for the 7th grade curriculum and her progress in studying each of them. Since she had just completed one of the sections of Geometry as she showed me how to use Mathletics, it displayed a gold bar with the word "perfect" written across to show all practice problems had been answered correctly. On the menu page I noted some of her previous attempts at other topics were marked with a red bar that said, "great work" instead of the desired gold bar. The red bar designated her need for more practice with the topic before she could answer all 10 questions correctly and earn the "perfect" gold bar.

Micah completed all sections of the Geometry section and chose to take the final test. The test consisted of 16 problems and once completed awarded her the same cheers and cartoon character hurrah. Clicking back to the main menu we noted it then displayed she had completed the entire geometry section and earned another gold bar for her efforts. I liked the fact Mathletics was not concerned with speed as much as accuracy. The curriculum taught to excellence and rewarded Micah accordingly with points, gold bar rewards and certificates.

Mathletics awards certificates for points earned for answering problems correctly. This incentive keeps students working towards a goal even when the math topic proves to be a bit challenging. Once Micah earned 1,000 points she received a bronze certificate. If she earned 5 bronze certificates in a week she would also earn a silver certificate. Four silver certificates within the week awarded her a gold certificate. Micah's two bronze certificates earned during the last week of our review period could be viewed on a specially designed web page called the "Bronze Cafe" and were easily printed for record keeping and encouragement.

When asked her opinion of Mathletics Micah said, "It's fun and easy to get used to. The program was really self-explanatory. I liked that the no. 1 player of the week is ranked and you can be listed on the web page for it. They rank top 100 students and top 50 schools from all over the world; that is also very cool".

Micah took advantage of an additional problem solving section for 7th grade students on the Mathletics website. Problem solving consisted of games for the math minded providing a break from regular curriculum study and competition. Micah played "Mind Twister" similar to a memory matching game with four levels of difficulty. The game challenged players to use logical reasoning to solve puzzles. She earned another gold bar for completing all four levels of Mind Twister; placing her one step closer to the 92 bars needed to complete grade 7 requirements.

Mathletics has a comprehensive Parent Centre accessible only through a parent log in with user name and password. The Parent Centre offers complete student and parent books in PDF format which can be printed one page at a time or in their entirety. Parent books include answers to the student workbooks, assessments and an outcomes or standards section. The workbooks are encouraged by Mathletics to "support on-line content to help children reach that light bulb moment".

A one year subscription to www.mathletics.com can be purchased for $59.00 on the site. Subscriptions are for one child for the year and cannot be shared. When you consider the quality and content of the site, plus additional workbooks for further study included I believe Mathletics is a good investment especially for students lacking motivation for math. Mathletics offers a 10 day money back guarantee if customers are not completely satisfied.

Mathletics is great for homeschoolers since it encourages independent study while teaching to mastery. Students set their own pace and of course the site is accessible 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week wherever internet access can be found. Mathletics' fresh approach and techie appeal guarantee kids will want to keep pace with their math studies.