Rod & Staff 1

[Jabeaugh]

Hi guys,

We are about to embark on part 2 of Rod & Staff 1 with SC2. My son has been doing very well so far! I was reluctant to start this math curriculum because I have tried so many others that seemed better, but I have to admit that the plain and simple nature of R&S does work well! After talking to Cheryl on the phone last week, I realized I wasn't actually *teaching* math - I was more just handing him the worksheets. Oops. We've fixed that and now I'm teaching the actual lesson and then handing him the practice sheets that correspond - however, this greatly lengthens the math lesson. He seems very overwhelmed by the "giant" math worksheets with the 64 facts on them - especially subtraction. Today, for example, I told him we were doing subtraction and then he immediately proceeded to have a total meltdown / tantrum over it. Clearly, he has issues with subtraction. Anyway, does anyone else run into this? Should I require him to do all the worksheets no matter what? Should I require half the worksheet and then he can do the other half orally? I don't know. He's retaining math facts better than ever now but all the writing is stressing him out. He is almost 8, by the way, and diagnoses include ADHD, probably OCD, some behavioral stuff...He seems to be able to do 20 minutes of math daily, but 30 minutes is a real stretch. I told him he could do half the worksheets in the morning and half in the afternoon, but he didn't want to do that either.

[howiecram]

Definitely pick and choose. I use the teacher's guide as a resource for order, but, no we don't assign to write all the answers. You can take a highlighter and highlight the sections you expect writing on and then do some orally, as you see fit. I would try and gradually work up to more written work, but easing back and ramping up might be more beneficial. For the sheets with 64 facts, same thing - draw a line with a highlighter and say "we are just doing the section highlighted today". If he finishes quickly say "wow, you did that quickly!" Then over the course of a few weeks add 1 line until he completes a page. On a side note, we did not have all these pages when my older daughter was doing SC2. However, when we got to R&S 3, there were 100 facts to do and for several months that was all we could do + teach a little of the lesson because it would take her 15-20 min. The goal was 5 min. She said she would "never" be able to do it. We kept on trucking and I asked her to just do her best and let her know that we would only do math for a total of 30 min. I think knowing that an end was in sight every day helped a little as well. For SC2, I would strive for a solid 20 min one on one and then "assign" a very small or "easy" worksheet.

[Enigma]

Adding: just how important are all those worksheets? Why does the new edition say kids should do all of them? I know I had them for G, but we didn’t use any of them. It was the previous edition, though. As I’m about to embark on R&S with M, I want to know what I’m in for. If we try to do them all, grades 1-3 are going to take for.ever..

[cherylswope]

The worksheets can be useful for extra practice but should not be causing undue distress. We schedule them for those who need them. Feel free to adapt (as howiecram wisely suggested above) or set aside if necessary. If you prefer to rely on the games, manipulatives, vertical writing on the board, or other practice suggestions in the Curriculum Manual as a substitute, please do! Our goal is mastery, not misery.

[Enigma]

Sometimes we need permission to drop or modify things. Thank you, Cheryl!

[Jabeaugh]

Definitely pick and choose. I use the teacher's guide as a resource for order, but, no we don't assign to write all the answers. You can take a highlighter and highlight the sections you expect writing on and then do some orally, as you see fit. I would try and gradually work up to more written work, but easing back and ramping up might be more beneficial. For the sheets with 64 facts, same thing - draw a line with a highlighter and say "we are just doing the section highlighted today". If he finishes quickly say "wow, you did that quickly!" Then over the course of a few weeks add 1 line until he completes a page. On a side note, we did not have all these pages when my older daughter was doing SC2. However, when we got to R&S 3, there were 100 facts to do and for several months that was all we could do + teach a little of the lesson because it would take her 15-20 min. The goal was 5 min. She said she would "never" be able to do it. We kept on trucking and I asked her to just do her best and let her know that we would only do math for a total of 30 min. I think knowing that an end was in sight every day helped a little as well. For SC2, I would strive for a solid 20 min one on one and then "assign" a very small or "easy" worksheet.

Thank you so much for this thoughtful advice! Im going to start doing the highlighter section on Monday - thanks for giving me permission! I’m already feeling scared, though, for the (gasp!) 100 practice problems apparently cooking in Rod and Staff 3!

[BlueShadow]

The amount of math I am able to assign seems to vary day by day. I realized that my 2nd grade student wasn't learning anything by doing lots of problems, she was just getting frustrated. So I began highlighting what she had to do, and that has greatly reduced frustration and increased her cooperation. She had been (most days) getting only about 75% correct, now she often gets 90% or more correct.

I assign as many as I think she will be able to do. We are working with some ADHD and dysgraphia, so multi-step problems are very difficult for her, so I try to limit those to just a few. I have to continually remind myself- if she can do a few, she could do many (if it didn't overwhelm her brain). Math facts are hard for her to memorize, so we try to alternate - some days she practices on the computer, some days she does written speed drills, and I assign about half of the problems in the workbook. She does great on problems that are conceptual and require little writing, so I usually just go ahead and assign all of those. She thinks they are easy and often will do all of them, no matter what I assign.

As for worksheets, I typically give worksheets only if I feel extra practice is needed on a topic. Sometimes the worksheets are great for extra practice or examples to help reinforce a concept.

As for teaching from the teacher's manual, that is another balancing act. If I ignore the teacher's manual, we don't learn as much as we need to. If I teach everything, that can be overwhelming too.