Friday 15 March 2013

A Touch Math Adventure {TouchMath Review}

TouchMath has been designed to use as a stand alone math program or as a supplement to what you are already doing. It's system reinforces maths principles and builds a solid foundation by helping your student firmly understand the concrete concept and transition via a hands on method progressing your student towards abstract maths. Sir N recently started using the Second Grade Homeschool Program.

Touch Math is designed to help children master math skills as they "see, say, hear and touch"


"TouchMath is the only program that uses the actual numeral as a manipulative by having TouchPoints (concrete level) and uses visual cues (pictorial/representative level) throughout the program to eventually remove visual cues and TouchPoints so the student can demonstrate a symbolic/abstract comprehension of the skill" - Research
 
Second Grade Homeschool
  • Four Units.
  • A comprehensive index (topics, module contents, all activities)
  • A full overview of vocabulary and resources
  • Page by page instructions and answer key
  • Content reviews and post test instructions
  • 6 Module instructions.
  • Progress Monitoring records 
  • A full implementation guide which provides a full program overview, tips and all the resources you need. 
  • 90 Student Activity Sheets
  • 6 Assessments
  • Answer Keys
  • Download Samples for each Unit
About the Worksheets
  • They are designed to take you from concrete to the abstract
  • From simple to complex processes
  • Build mathematical language (technical jargon)
  • Some worksheets are for individual practice and others are teacher guided. Each one is coded for you to see at a glance what your student is doing.
  • The activity sheets are uncluttered and clearly laid out.
  • Each sheet contains a footer bar with a description of the skill / topic covered on the page.
  • Pre and Post test modules to help you assess a students placement and their personal level of competence.
Record Keeping
  • A record sheet is provided to help provide overview of your students progress
  • Contains the topics for each module
  • Enough space to record multiple student information.
  • Each unit contains a full list of State Common Core standards worked on. This makes it easy to record your units.
Grade 2 Optional Extra's
Our Journey
With great excitement Sir N and I looked at samples of the Grade two year and decided yes we would like to try out some hands on Math learning. Sir N is a hands on learner who loves trying new things and this year I am trying to work more on allowing delight directed learning.

It was with great anticipation that we downloaded our PDF lessons. I felt a little overwhelmed when I opened Unit A and discovered it contained 239 pages! My curiosity got the better of me and I checked the other three: Unit B had 233 pages, Unit C had 235 pages and Unit D had 231 pages.  Wow I've never had a math program that came with the wealth of information supplied by TouchMath. No there are not  200+ pages per unit for your child to fill in.  Each unit contains 90 Student Activity Sheets the balance of each unit contains instructions for you the parent. It sounds like a lot of work but it is not.

Each unit contained a full implementation guide containing everything I needed to obtain the maximum benefit of the entire home school program. 

As we worked through the program I realized that it builds precept upon precept. I was surprised to learn that the program has been around since 1972 and as a result they have a lot of experience in teaching math. Since commencing my home school journey one of the things I have learned is that we push our children past the manipulative's learning stage too quickly much to the determent of their math learning.


Touch Math is unique in that it uses the physical number as the manipulative. This in turn means that you do not need to purchase any additional resources to teach maths. Having said this we have really enjoyed using the manipulatives supplied with the program. (Flip Cards, Student Number Cards, Second Grade Software, Touch Numerals with Base 10) It was like having Christmas when our math manipulative box arrived. I have not seen Sir N as excited about Math as when this 14 pound box arrived.

To make using the program easier I downloaded the pdf documents to my Galaxy Tab and had that close at hand to help me with each lesson.


 We spent the first part of Unit A learning the numeral touch points and becoming familiar with the program.  The software was especially helpful in this.

Each day we used the Flip Cards for math fact drill followed with a 15 minute lesson. There is no set number of lessons to do each day.  The pace of the lessons is set by the child and their individual grasp of the concept. The recommended time spent on a lesson is twice your students age. Sir N is seven which meant our lessons were 15 min a day.

Each set of flash cards correlates to the unit you are working through.  There are three boxes of flash cards per unit. The quality of the cards is excellent and they are big and easy to read. We did not use all the cards at each lesson we used up to 20 cards at a time depending on the skill level attained or the facts memorized.  We added in new facts as other facts were mastered. The back of each box has suggestions for usage. The spine of the box contains the name of the unit along with a description this makes for easy recognition if storing them standing up or in a box.

I really enjoyed using the base ten system with Sir N.  It reinforced the number 10 concept with him and helped him grasp borrowing in subtraction.

I was impressed with how math strategies are taught with each lesson. I also enjoyed the natural introduction of the technical jargon for maths. Each term is simply explained and with appropriate repetition the student becomes familiar with the math concept with ease. 

Sir N can become distracted with graphics so the clean uncluttered presentation of each page benefited his pace of learning.


**Cost {TouchMath Second Grade Homeshool}
  • Unit A $ 59.95
  • Unit B $ 59.95
  • Unit C $ 59.95
  • Unit D $ 59.95
  • Purchase all four units for $ 199.95 and save $39-85
  • The manipulatives are optional extra's. I would highly recommend you investing in these as they make for a much richer sensory program. There is a list of suggested resources at the bottom of the Unit purchase page.
** All prices quoted are correct at time of posting.  It is the responsibility of the purchaser to check the cost before purchasing. Prices are subject to change without notice. All prices are in US $.

Social Media
Touch Math uses social media to bring you their latest offers and free downloads as well as teacher support by providing a platform to ask your questions and have them answered quickly.
What others are saying Online
Overall we are enjoying this program. It does not contain busy work. Each page has a purpose and keeps the student engaged and moving forward. The manipulatives add a positive dimension to the daily math experience.

Blessings
Chareen

Photobucket

This post is part of and linking with the Schoolhouse Review so don't forget to pop on over and read what others are saying about Touch Math.

This post contains NO affiliate links.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.
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Day 5 - Hands on Projects


When ever I consider hands on projects these days I always seem to think twice as it feels like so much work to do for one child.  I find it a challenge homeschooling an only as it was never really an issue when homeschooling my first two. One of the biggest influences in this area is my own personal learning style. I am a textbook read it kind of person.  I don't need to do in order to learn I get just as much satisfaction watching someone else do a science experiment than doing it myself. Sir N on the other hand loves to do. Monday's topic of Delight Directed education has inspired me to look at doing more Hands-on learning with Sir N in our homeschooling.

Things to consider
  • The activity needs to be appealing to your student
  • Engage the mind
  • Consider your students learning style.
  • Base the activity on an idea that will encourage the student to ask questions and grow from the experience.
  • Needs to enlarge the students understanding
Chinese Proverb
Benefits of hands on learning
  • The student is able to be an active participant in their learning.
  • Hands-on learning does not look like or feel like school so it encourages reluctant learners to participate in learning.
  • Encourages creativity
  • Produces a sense of accomplishment in your student.
  • Helps to reinforce a concept.

Ideas for Hands-on Learning
  • Explore Pinterest
  • Participate in field trips. Amy has some great ideas over at Bow of Bronze about this.
  • Use Lapbooking & Notebooking 
  • Play games, create games, puzzles
  • YouTube
  • Incorporate your kitchen in learning
  • Craft activity
  • Mapping activity
  • Re-enact (Dress Ups), Puppet shows, make a YouTube clip
  • Language Arts - Poetry, essay,
  • Explore the local Museums, Science Museums, Public Library, Farms etc
Source:

On the www
Some of our Hands on Learning projects

What are your favourite hands on learning projects ?

Blessings
Chareen

5 Days of Teaching Creatively

Day 5
  1. Delight Directed Instruction
  2. Schooling in the Kitchen
  3. Toy's, Games & Puzzles
  4. Homeschooling in a Crisis
  5. Hands on Projects
Don't forget to enter the Teaching Creatively Giveaway.  Pop on over to Ben and Me to enter in order to win one of three prize packs. (1st prize $525 value, 2nd prize $225 value and 3rd prize $190 value)

Hands on Learning graphic courtesy of David Castilo Dominici

To read about more ideas on Hands on Projects have a look at what these ladies are saying.

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Thursday 14 March 2013

Day 4 - Homeschooling in a Crisis


A crisis can take on many forms. The hardest part is knowing what to do when you are confronted with an unexpected turn of events. The biggest question home schooler's face is whether or not to continue on their home educating journey in the midst of a crisis.

Types of Crisis
  • Depression
  • Financial 
  • Death of a loved one
  • Terminal illness
  • Major injury
  • Physical disability
  • Long term health challenges
  • Natural Disasters (floods, earth quakes, fires)
  • Terrorist attacks
  • Divorce
  • Moving
  • Immigration
  • Chronic pain
  • Premature birth of your newest baby
Our Journey
Homeschooling in a crisis for us meant that school was one less thing to worry about. I did not need to fit in taking children to school or fetching them, preparing school lunches, talk to teachers about what was happening or do homework at the end of our day.

Our family has been through several crisis situations in the last 15 years (two immigrations and two spinal surgeries). The first major crisis was when my husband fell on our roof and ruptured a disk in his lower back.  Unfortunately the extent of his injury remained unknown or correctly treated for over a month during which time we were in survival mode at home.

Homeschooling was a saving grace during this crisis as we were able to be home and help him.  It allowed our two children at the time to work through the process of Daddy is not well and walk along with us in his journey to being well again.
It allowed us the flexibility we needed once he was admitted to hospital and on an emergency surgery list and this in turn allowed us to drop what we were doing at a moments notice to go and be with him.

Once he had surgery being home with us helped us all realize he is on the road to recovery and the major benefit to him being on bed rest meant that Daddy did all the read alouds for six months.  It was the highlight of our day! Actually it was three or four hours a day that Daddy read to the family.  We built family bonds we would not have had otherwise.

This experience helped us cope when my eldest son had an accident at work and needed the same surgery that Paul had had five years before and it was not as scary a thing as it could have been had he not walked this journey with us before.

I do confess I had a major panic about two months into our situation when I realized we had done no formal schooling.  At this point Paul still was not well enough for us to do full days of school so upon evaluation we settled on the three R's as a daily minimum.

A month later Paul was on the road to recovery and took over reading out loud to the children so that I could catch up on life at home. Washing, ironing, groceries etc.

A few weeks later I took up the books and we slowly built up to full school days and I was surprised to see that the children had not fallen behind. It was easy picking up our full routine at this point because it's how we had always done things so they new what to do.

Advantages
  • Take time off official school to cope with / work through worry, fear and anxiety
  • Flexibility with time. I was able to go to the hospital as often or when ever we needed.
  • Character growth. Our children learned many character things over this period such as putting the needs of Dad ahead of their own.
  • Walking through the crisis together can strengthen family bonds.
  • When moving you don't need to look for a new school. 
Supporting a family in crisis
  • Pray for the family who are in crisis mode
  • If it's within your power to do good,do it!
  • Offer to be available to baby sit at a moments notice.
  • Buy milk and bread and some fruit and take it over.
  • Take over some baking and have a cup of tea
  • Drop them an sms to let the family know they are in your thoughts.
  • Take over a ready cooked meal
  • Offer to do a couple of errands.
  • Do NOT suggest putting the children into school . . .
On the web
The thing that I have come to realize retrospectively is that I should have claimed some short periods of time in my day during the crisis to look after me. That would have helped me stay energised and would have prevented the crash and burn that happened after wards.

As a home school mom if you are walking through a crisis right now give yourself permission to take some time off school, work through the crisis then come back to school and move forward.  During your crisis claim 15 min of time twice a day to have some time out and recharge especially if the crisis will not be a short term thing.

If you have home educated through a crisis I would love to read more about what you did.

Blessings
Chareen

This post is part of a week of blog hopping hosted by The Schoolhouse Review Crew: 5 Days of Teaching Creatively Day Four

5 Days of Teaching Creatively
Day 4
  1. Delight Directed Instruction
  2. Schooling in the Kitchen
  3. Toy's, Games & Puzzles
  4. Homeschooling in a Crisis
  5. Hands on Projects

Don't forget to enter the Teaching Creatively Giveaway.  Pop on over to Ben and Me to enter in order to win one of three prize packs. (1st prize $525 value, 2nd prize $225 value and 3rd prize $190 value)


Crisis image courtesy of Free Digital Photo's -  Stuart Miles



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