Improving Math Skills with 200 Essential Math Skills for Second Grade {A Homeschool Review Crew Review}

Have you heard of Reading Eggs before? My younger children, Harold (my 7 year old) and Hannah (my 9 year old), have used the different sections of this great educational website in the past, and we have currently been given a four week free trial again in order to facilitate this review. The review itself is going to focus on one of the workbooks that is now available from Reading Eggs to supplement the site. However, these workbooks can also be used independent of the site. Harold has been working in 200 Essential Math Skills for Second Grade for the past several weeks, and he loves it!

This 259- page, softcover workbook begins with a look at the Contents.

There are 10 "maps" that a child will work through. These maps actually refer to the maps on the Mathseeds educational site. In the workbook, each of these is highlighted by a different color on the two Contents pages. 

The Year Planner which spans the next five pages goes into more detail to help guide you and your child through the year. 

The Year Planner section is divided by the different maps: 21 through 30. You will find the lesson numbers, the teaching focus for each lesson, plus the pages used in the workbook, skills learned, and the Driving Tests that cover the material. Again, these Driving Tests can be found at the Mathseeds site. These Driving Tests give a child extra practice with the material, so they are not required, but are quite helpful.

Before getting into the lessons, there are a few pages of hands-on Learning Activities which contain ideas for working with your child to reinforce the lessons being learned. 

The majority of the workbook is devoted to the actual lesson pages. Each map section has five lessons which supplement what is learned on the website, though, as I mentioned, they can be used independent of the site. I would, however, encourage you to make use of the free trial so you can see how well the workbook actually supplements the website. Here is what the map looks like on the site:

As they complete a lesson they are rewarded with a new animal and their avatar moves along the map. They then are advanced to the next map.

In the workbook, each lesson spans four pages. Once a student has completed five lessons in the workbook there is a quiz to take. . .

. . . and a certificate that you can fill out for your child. 

Before moving on to the next map there is a "Fun Spot" page with an activity for the child to complete which helps reinforce a skill that was previously learned. 

After every five maps there is a four page Review section which covers material learned in the previous 25 lessons. 

(We haven't gotten that far yet, but I wanted to show you what the review looks like.)

The book concludes with a completion certificate and a section of Cut-Out Pages with some images that a child will need to cut and glue into the correct spaces in the corresponding lessons. There are only 11 lessons that have cut outs. The majority of the lessons will be completed with pencil and colored pencil (or crayon). 

So, what topics does the 200 Essential Math Skills for Second Grade workbook from Mathseeds cover? 

Well, your child will be working with numbers up to 1000, counting and even comparing numbers. They will work on different operations, such as adding, subtracting, and multiplying, learning different strategies such as partitioning, grouping, and working backwards. They will also work with word problems. Additionally, your child will work on measurement (working with meters, area, volume, mass, learning about the calendar, time, and money), geometry (moving shapes, the rhombus, 3D objects, and quadrilaterals), fractions, and data.

Each map has children working on a variety of topics. 

For example, in map 21 Harold was working on:

 Counting to 500

Moving Shapes

Measuring with meters

and Partitioning Numbers.

He got to practice addition with the Fun Spot at the end of the section.

In addition to working on more counting, the next map (Map 22) had him working on data with a lesson on chance.

He also worked on odd and even numbers and then worked on measurement with the calendar.

He again worked on partitioning, but this time it was to help with subtraction.

Harold has been working through the workbook at a pace of about two lessons a week. Sometimes he will work on one page a day, other times he can get through 2, possibly 3. It really depends how much work is on each page. If he has to do a lot of writing on the page,  he is not interested in doing more than one at a time. 

We really haven't been using the Mathseeds site very often during this review period, because Harold technically passed the maps he's been working in when we had access previously. However, I wanted him to start at the beginning of the workbook to ensure he understood all the concepts, and I am glad I did, because he has had a couple of skills he was struggling with. He has spent some time working in Reading Eggspress, which we reviewed last year. Both he and Hannah have enjoyed being able to advance in that program. 

So, what do we think of the 200 Essential Math Skills for Second Grade workbook?

Personally, I think it is a great math workbook, and it appears Harold agrees. 

He told me he loves this workbook. When I asked what he has enjoyed the most about it, he stated he really likes the timelines where he has to jump back.

The quality of the workbook is wonderful. I love that there is color to help catch the eye, but it isn't too flashy. I think that it is great that each map offers variety, allowing a child to work on multiple skills as they advance through the program. It is definitely a wonderful resource, especially as it supplements the website, though it's awesome that it can be used by itself. I will say, having access to the online lessons really does help the child get as much out of the program as possible. I admit, there was one time when I was a bit unsure what was actually expected in the lesson. However, I believe this is because the animated, online lessons are where the actual instructions are given. So, as I have said before, I would definitely recommend at least checking out the site, and the free trial period. 

And do I have some great news for you! You can try out the multi-award winning Reading Eggs program for not two, but four weeks! 

Just in time for Back to School:  Sign up today and watch your child become a stronger reader this Back-to-School season! 

A multi-award winning online learning program for children ages 2-13, Reading Eggs supports the essential foundations of reading with its highly engaging lessons, games, and e-books!

Don't miss this offer. It does expire on October 4th 2019.

You can find Reading Eggs on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.

Don't forget to click the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about these wonderful workbooks from Reading Eggs. There are actually nine different workbooks available.

240 Essential Reading Skills for Kindergarten

240 Essential Reading Skills for First Grade

200 Essential Reading Skills for Second Grade

200 Essential Reading Skills for Third Grade

200 Essential Reading Skills for Fourth Grade

200 Essential Reading Skills for Fifth Grade

200 Essential Math Skills for Kindergarten

200 Essential Math Skills for First Grade

200 Essential Math Skills for Second Grade 

Online Math Lessons with CTC Math {A TOS Review}

I love trying out different math curriculum and finding new ways to teach math to the children. Math was my favorite subject in elementary school, but I do find it a challenge to try to explain some concepts in a way the girls will understand. With CTC Math we have a world-renowned teacher in our home, explaining lessons to the children in simple, understandable ways. Thanks to the Schoolhouse Review Crew we were given a chance to try out CTC Math's online 12 Month Family Plan which initially gives access for 5 family members. If needed you can request an increase in membership slots.  They do have other plans, but this is by far the best value for the Family Plans.  All you need is a computer with high-speed internet access for best usability.  Once you have a membership to CTC Math each child has access to all the topics in every grade level from Kindergarten through 12th grade. This includes the lower levels: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade and 6th Grade. Then there is Basic Math & Pre-Algebra, Elementary Measurement, Elementary Geometry and Algebra I. The upper levels are Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Algebra II, Geometry and Trigonometry. Obviously the girls are not going to be studying the upper levels any time soon, but I think it is great that they can work at the level that they need to be working at and can go back to review if they need to.  So, how did we use CTC Math in our home?  The older girls each had there own time on CTC Math. Sometimes they watched each other, other times I would work individually with one of them on other subjects while one worked on their math. I did try to let Hannah have some time but I don't think she is quite ready yet. She enjoys doing the lessons. She even earned a high enough grade to receive 2 bronze certificates, but she just isn't grasping the concepts yet, and I am in no rush as she is only 4.   When we first gained access to CTC Math it did seem a bit intimidating. When we logged in we saw the Course information. Courses:

Each Course had its own Stream.

Kindergarten Stream:

1st Grade Stream:

And each Stream had a number of Topics.

Kindergarten Topics:

1st Grade Topics:

I was wondering where in the world we should start!

 I poked around some more and discovered that each topic has a number of lessons. Each topic also has a Standard and a Comprehensive Diagnostic Test. Okay, less intimidating. I realized it was quite easy to plot a course of learning for the girls.

I started out by having the girls take some Comprehensive tests to see what we would need to work on, figuring they could skip the lessons they already had a decent amount of knowledge in. However, I was curious about the "Awards" that are mentioned (you can see it at the bottom of page in the screen shots) and the fact that we didn't seem to be working toward any. When I found out that the children had to actually go through the lessons to get the awards I decided we would go through all the lessons from the beginning of their respective grades. Yes, the idea of using awards as incentive was great, but another benefit of this strategy was knowing they weren't missing anything of importance. Sometimes they work on a couple of lessons in one day, other times they work until they receive their certificate. 

With CTC Math, a child can earn 1 of 4 levels of award: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. They earn the award after finishing all the lessons in a specific Topic. As they are working through the lessons a little note will be in the bar below the lessons, letting them know what award they are working toward. In order to increase their level they can rework lessons until they get a higher average. The program only averages in the 3 best attempts, so a child can continue to work until they (and/or the parent) are happy with their grade. Even after they achieve their award, they can go on to improve their grade. 

Before they answer their questions they sit through the tutorial. The instructor, Pat Murray, narrates the animated step-by-step lessons while they appear on the screen. I have to say, I really enjoy listening to his Australian accent and there have been no problems with the children understanding what he is saying. He explains the concepts in a way the children can understand, adding in computerized manipulatives and showing the correct way to find the answers.

They children then get a chance to answer approximately 10 questions for each lesson. The child does need to be able to read the questions or have help from a parent or older sibling as their is no narration in the question section. They just need to click or type their answer. I am always reminding the girls to check their answers before hitting submit, because they have been caught in simple mistakes that could have been fixed if they had caught them. If the answer is correct, a green check mark will appear. If the answer is wrong, a red X will appear along with the correct answer.

After answering all the questions the student will see the following results page, showing all the questions, their answers and whether they were right or wrong, along with the correct answer.

On the student account, there is accessibility to their Awards and Reports, showing which awards they received and for what subject, plus any Diagnostic Test results. 

You will also find a Summary Report, which shows the topics, plus how many lessons are available, how many lessons have been completed, the student's progress and average grade.

Additionally, you will find the Detailed Report, showing each lesson, and the grades received. It shows the average of the best 3 attempts, first attempt, high attempt, attempts made, attempts needed to pass and the date passed. As a parent you can set the grade you require as a passing grade, though that does not change the way that the program awards the certificate levels.

In addition to the lessons there are also Speed Skills. There are 4 levels.

Level 1 focuses on Addition and Subtraction.

Level 2 adds multiplication.

Level 3 adds division.

Level 4 adds order of operations. 

As of yet, I have not seen the need of having the girls try the Speed Skills. At their age I am not expecting the ability to supply an instantaneous answer for math problems. They are still working on the concept stage of addition and subtraction. Additionally, I believe they would be very frustrated in trying to type the answer quick enough. As they get older I can see the benefits in them however.

The children have really enjoyed using CTC Math and working toward earning certificates. Originally, Tabitha said she was not interested in using the program, but I insisted (quite firmly) that she needed to give it a try. While there are days she has been struggling and getting frustrated, overall she is doing well and having fun. She gets very upset when she misses one question because that drops her from Platinum level to Gold level. We have explained to her that Gold is quite acceptable as we know she understands the concepts. I can definitely see there can be pros and cons to having the certificates as incentives. It is nice to have something to work towards, but it is also easy to get too prideful and competitive, especially when there are siblings around.  There are times Tabitha is spending too much time trying to improve her grade just for the sake of the certificate. While we don't want them to just settle for the lower certificate level, there are times that it is a simple miscount that causes the error. 

They really do love their awards!

CTC Math is a great math program. It definitely has the ability of being a full curriculum for the younger grades. In our homeschool, we do tend to be hands-on though, so it will be more of a fun supplement for us, to review old concepts, as a tutorial to help explain new concepts when mommy is having trouble and as a guide to make sure we haven't skipped any important topics. I think it is wonderful that they can work at their own pace, reviewing as needed and zinging through lessons that come easy to them. I love receiving Weekly Progress Reports in my email so I know what each child has been working on. As I tend to be working with one of the other girls on other subjects while they take their turns on CTC Math, I am not always sure how many lessons they are completing at each sitting. The progress reports keep me informed.

There are a few concerns I have with CTC Math.

Though it is great that they can review the lessons they are having trouble with, there is the concern that if they are not understanding the concept the way it is being taught they will still be struggling after watching it multiple times. That of course is where mom and dad come in, which could be a good or bad thing as I have been known to confuse Tabitha more. 

Another issue came up when the lesson results appeared after a second attempt at one of Tabitha's lessons. In the box under the graph and before the review of the answers it states, "2 questions are not displayed because they were answered in a previous session. The results for these questions have been counted toward the final score."  I found this a little odd because I would like to see all the questions so I would know where any difficulties may lie. 

I know there were times when Amelia was frustrated because she was working on a lesson that had less than 10 questions and she would get only 1 wrong and suddenly be working at a Silver level. While I completely understand that Platinum level requires 100% on each lesson, having suddenly dropped to Silver level because of a smaller amount of questions seems a little weird to me. Obviously I don't want the focus to be on the certificates, but they are important to the girls and when they lose their Gold level due to one mistake I can understand their frustration. So there have been a couple of instances where I have allowed them to be satisfied with a Silver certificate.

All in all, we are enjoying our time with CTC Math. While I had plans of taking some upper level math to refresh my memory I just haven't had enough time in the day to get on my account. If you would like to see what other mom's thought of CTC Math and to get a glimpse of the upper levels, don't forget to check out the other Crew Reviews.

You can get CTC Math for the current sale price of $118.80 for a 12 months family membership (2 or more students) for homeschoolers.

You can find CTC Math on Facebook. In addition they have an Australian Maths Online Facebook page.

F is for Fraction Fun

I have discussed how I love to teach math in the kitchen. Fractions are one of the topics that are great to learn as they are a hard concept to understand, but in the kitchen you can get a lot of hands on learning. Whether it is cutting a sandwich into half or quarters, or having the children compare measurements when following recipes, fractions become real to the children. 

A while back I saw this really cool book called The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar Fractions Book.

I had taken it out of the library and we used part of the book a while back. Since then if we have a Hershey bar in the house, the girls will get it out of the drawer after lunch and ask to do fractions. 

I do not remember exactly how the book taught the fractions, but this is one way we learn about fractions.

First we write down that we have 1 bar.

This time I broke it into quarters to start with (I've been known to start with halves).

I explain to the girls that each piece is one out of the whole and there are four pieces. So they put 1 (piece) over 4 (total) underneath each piece.

Then we slide two of the quarters together on the right and the other two together on the left. 

I explain to the girls that we have 2 (pieces) out of 4 (total). Then we look and see that it is 1/2 of the whole bar. 

Then we slide all the pieces together and see that we have 4 (pieces) out of 4 (total). We add: 1/4 plus 1/4 plus 1/4 plus 1/4 which equals 4/4 or 1 whole bar.

 One whole bar that they really really want to eat. So...

they each get 1/4 of the bar. And mommy and daddy have to share the last quarter. Unless the girls are nice enough to share their quarter, which they usually are.

Of course now, Harold also wants some.

Here is our finished fraction paper.

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