Professor B Math

Can you bee-leive that you could accomplish 3 years of math in 1?  Is it un-bee-leivable that you could eliminate expensive math tutoring? 

Alright, I will bee-have now.

But, that is what Professor B Math,  an on-line curriculum, offers.  Although it is not a typical  "accelerated" math program. 



We tried out a subscription to this on-line program with A-man and S-girl....even though it could have been used with all the kids (Preschool through 8th grade).  Since it is summer, A-man and S-girl were my most cooperative students!

I know this is sort of long.....but read this excerpt from their philosophy page.  In the statement, they start by talking about how the typical approach to teaching math was been very disconnected and fragmented and then goes on to say this.....

The prefix "anti" has such meanings as "against", "the opposite of", "preventing" or "counteracting". So in order to eliminate the confusion caused by giving the same name to something and its opposite, I hope the time has finally arrived to accurately rename that disconnected, fragmented content as "anti-math." Anti-math deactivates learners' natural gift for perceiving and receiving the structures within mathematics, the very academic area that studies structures (by placing large intervals of time between connected math concepts and skills). It is an absolute nuisance to mathematics education. So what was it that you "hated" or were not "good at"? It was not math; it was anti-math!

(I wonder if people will understand me when I tell them that I wasn't very good at "anti-math" from now on?!?)

If two people tell the same story, their words are different (and also different from the original version) but the events are the same and are recalled in the same sequence. Hence there is no intentional and laborious memorization of words, as in the learning of a poem. What children effortlessly (naturally) perceive, receive and retain from a story, therefore, is the structured connection and flow of its events: its internal contextual dynamics of relationships. If I say the words "woods", "wolf", "grandma", they are likely to immediately reactivate, after all these years, a structured dynamics of relationships entitled "Little Red Riding Hood". This is the genius in virtually all children for learning mathematics. Our methodology activates this universal genius for mastery learning of math by ensuring that children experience it the same way they experience stories: as connected and flowing.

If math were a story, I think I would be really good at it.

You should know by now, I am not totally in love with on-line schooling.  Partly because I don't like kids just sitting in front of a screen all day....but, also a big part of the reason is that when they do school at the computer, I am very removed from the process and don't really know what...or if....they are learning.

One of my problems is taken away with Professor B.  So, let's start with the basics. 

Professor B.....is a bee.



He "talks" through the little cartoon bubble thingies.  The program is designed for you to sit with your child and read aloud what Professor B has to say.  So, you see exactly what they are learning and if they are having trouble with anything. 

One  point of interest, is that there is no sound at all on their pages.  None.  No music.  No voices.  No catchy little songs that drive you crazy.  Some people may find it boring, but I found it soothing and it felt more "school-like".

Their website shows smiling parents with children perched on their laps working on their math together.



At our house, it was more like this....

....no smiles....hands and heads everywhere....me trying to peer over their heads and see what I am supposed to be saying for Professor B....


A-man is getting too big to sit on my lap, S-girl is wiggly and has a boney rear end....plus, we don't have a lot of room at our desk.....so, I couldn't really see the mouse....or the monitor easily.  Our desk is a little desk sort of shoved into a corner.  So, honestly, that part of using Professor B was uncomfortable.  

I liked that I was involved and knew what they were working on....it was just physically uncomfortable the way our area is set up.  It would probably work better with a laptop at the dining room table or something where you can spread out a little bit.  Then maybe I would be one of those smiling parents in the pictures.....

We started in Level 1.  Here is how the different levels breakdown.

Level I

Preschool - 2nd grade Introduction to Addition/Subtraction Facts – Counting to One Hundred – Lower Addition and Subtraction – Higher Addition and Subtraction – Place Value Fractional Parts & Order – Time – Money

LevelII

3rd grade - 5th grade                  Multiplication/Division Facts and Problem Solving – Introduction to Fractions –               Fractional Equivalence – Addition and Subtraction Fractions

Level  III

6th - 8th grades             Multiplication/Division of Fractions – Decimals – Percents

You could plug your student in at any level though....so if they are younger and more advanced, they can just keep on moving....or if they are having a little trouble, you can have them start at a lower level to gain some confidence before moving on.

Not sure which level to start in? There is a free placement test to help you out.

The lesson content really starts out super basic.  Let me emphasize that again.....super basic. 

How many fingers is this?.... kind of stuff.  But, it adds the slightly harder part for little hands to have them imitate what is on the screen.  Like, if you are working on the number 5 and identifying it.....they would have you hold up the various combinations of fingers you can hold up to get 5. 

This definitely slows down the lesson as you wait for the kids to make their fingers cooperate....but, I think it is an important step for them to get the physical reminder of all the different ways you can make numbers.

And......it is all part of the story....

This program really is a math curriculum and not just a drill program to shove the math facts into their tiny, little heads.....although I think that is important, too.

This has the on-line lesson component, but then it also has workbook pages, or as they call them, facility exercises, to help solidify the concepts.  This is where you can let your students work on stuff by themselves because they have the answers (for you to use) included at the end of the manual. 

I am looking forward to using Professor B to help get away from "anti-math" and into storybook math when we are officially back to school in a few weeks.  I will keep you posted.

You can try out Professor B On-Line E Learning for free for 30 days.


Or try some sample lessons.

Once you are sold on Professor B, you can get a pay as you go option for  $20 per month for access to one level....or a yearly subscription.  There is a discounted rate if you need to access more than one level for your different students. 


See what other the TOS Review Crew thought of Professor B.


Disclaimer:  I received a subscription to Professos B's online E learning for free in exchange for an honest review.

Take Me Out To A Really Hot Ballgame

We just got back from another road trip.  This one was up to Indiana for Rainman's reunion and then all the way up to Minnesota for my niece, Kaitlin's wedding.  Before heading back home, we stopped in Chicago and caught a White Sox game. 

I am going to start at the end of our trip with my posts just because I saw this picture.....

We picked up Rainman's mom so she could come with us.  She has been a sport's fan her whole life.  She used to sit on her dad's lap while they listened to the baseball game on their little transistor radio.  He played cards and she would write down the game statistics.  She watches ESPN....even when her boy's aren't visiting.  Really.

We picked the perfect game to attend....well, except for the heat.

It was Polish Heritage Night.  Rainman's dad was Polish and only spoke Polish at home.  Rainman remembers going to Busha's house for Sunday dinner every week and having a few Polish phrases memorized so he could talk to her.  Rainman's mom is Slovak....but has been cooking Polish food for years.

There was Polish music....and Polish Dancers!

There were the usual nummy hotdogs and there was even Polish sausage...as L-girl is showing you in this picture!

I was there too....hot....miserable....but there....

I couldn't complain too much though because there was a lot of action.  The White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 19-2.

Thus.....

It was still about 95 degrees at 9:30.  Yuck!

But, to see my boys this happy....

....was worth it!

Lightning Lit and Composition - Review

These kinds of things are hard to review during the summer months.  The little darlings don't really want to "do" school...add in a little Vacation Bible School, plus traveling to go see family....and it gets even harder.  This summer we have gone to Indiana for a family reunion and Minnesota for my niece's wedding.  We drove from Georgia for both events.....with a little van trouble along the way just to make things interesting!

We got to try out the British Literature (Early to Mid 19th Century) guide, available through Hewitt Homeschool, which had the books, Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, Ivanhoe, and Pride and Prejudice....plus a few poems and magazine serial short stories.  It is recommended for grades 10-12.



How it works:

There are a total of 8 lessons divided into 4 units:

    - Introduction
    - Comprehension Questions (these can be used like quizzes and all the answers are found in 
       the Teacher's Guide)
    - Literary Lesson
    - Writing Exercises

The Teacher's Guide, like I said, has the answers to the comprehension questions included, but also has a lot of grading tips, checklists and templates that come in handy when you are trying to grade the writing exercises. 

If you don't want to grade the papers yourself, you can enroll with Hewitt and they will do the grading for you.

I liked some of the tips for grading.....I really would have liked them when I was writing papers.  Tips like, don't mark everything that is wrong and, make sure you include positive comments.  The hardest tip for me to follow will be.....don't rewrite it yourself....let the student do the work. 

For setting this up in your curriculum, they have included a semester schedule plan that assumes an 18 week semester.....but there is also another option of 36 weeks and stretching it out for a full year.  You can stick your own breaks and vacations in, as needed. 

The first week is a doozy.....but, I sort of like the fact that they warn you up front that the first week is going to be the hardest.  I figure if you can make it through the first week, the rest of the course will be easy going!

From the student's perspective, I think the book is easy to follow and they throw in a lot of information, but a few little funnies too.  Like, even the quote from Mark Twain, "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug."

I love the honesty of the author, Michael G. Gaunt.  He admits that even he hates being forced to read something, so he understands that students may not be super excited to start this course. 


He also lets the cat out of the bag that the bulk of writing is actually..... rewriting.  Gasp!

He also addresses the "Movies....Or Not?" question.  (FYI he says, "not" - because he has never found a movie version of a classic book that lived up to the original.  Me either!)

When this question is raised in our household, I will play the Harry Potter and Hunger Games card....not necessarily great, classic literature....but the movies really don't compare to the books, do they?

Each lesson gives a glimpse into the real lives of the authors; details about what the student will be reading; questions to keep in their minds while they read; then, after reading, they answer the comprehension questions; then there is a section on literary lessons (tone of the work, characterization, etc) and then finishing up with their own writing assignment.  

British Literature Early to Mid 19th-Century mainly covers:

1.  William Blake
2.  Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
3.  Sir Walter Scott - Ivanhoe
4.  Mary Shelley - Frankenstein
5.  Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre
6.  William Makepeace Thackeray (which is a short story that is a parody of Sir Walter Scott - which I will admit that I found pretty funny - that the very book that studies Sir Walter Scott's contribution to literature then turns right around and shows how people made fun of him!  See?  Honesty)

There are other short pieces included - mostly in the romantic poets section.....and these are included in the student text.

There are lots of other literature guides available through Hewitt Homeschooling like American Literature series and Shakespeare studies.  The Lightning Literature series starts in 7th grade  and moves all the way through 12th grade.  The tag line for our book says "Acquiring College-Level Composition Skills by Responding to Great Literature. 

If my kids can have anything at "college-level" by the time they go to college, I will be a happy mom.  I really liked this course for both its content and the way it is laid out for both D-man and myself and plan to continue using them and move onto both American Literature, and the other British Literature studies.

You can get the entire British Lit - Early to Mid 19th Century pack, that includes all the books you will need for $48.39.  Or, you can just get the student guide for $29.95 and the teacher guide for $2.95 and come up with the actual books that are needed on your own.

If you want to take a look at samples of what is included in these courses, take a look at www.hewitths.com.

Other members of the Review Crew got to try out different guides, so go take a look at what they thought. 



Disclaimer:  I received a copy of Lightning Lit & Comp - British Literature: Early - Mid 19th Century Student and Teacher Guide for free in exchange for an honest review.