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If math is a struggle in your home, or if there are tears from you or the kids, then consider a different approach with Master Books Math.
I think almost every homeschool parent can relate to the struggle of finding homeschool math curriculum that fits their child’s learning style, the family budget and time constraints.
Honestly, I think I’ve had the conversation about math with other moms hundreds over times over the past 18 years. As a mom of 9 kids, I’ve used a dozen math books or programs over the years.
One kid might use a curriculum and thrive and the next one might end up in tears. Or my needs as a parent would change. Sometimes we used curriculum that was more parent intensive and other times, we needed something really easy for mom. There can be so many factors that affect how we choose math curriculum including our kids learning styles, our budgets and our teaching preferences.
Now with four of my kids being adults, I can look back and see that even though the struggle to sort through math curriculum can be a challenge, finding the right one for my kids was really really important.
That is why I’m so excited about some of the cool things that Master Books has done with their math this year. I’ve used their math in the past, but this years revisions have made incredible changes. My daughter was so excited when she started using it. she kept saying, “I really like this….I really like this!!”
Table of Contents
How We Use 3rd Grade Master Books At Home
As we used Master Books Math Lessons for a Living Education, I found that lesson flow has improved quite a bit over previous years. Each day includes some variation of math practice which might include instruction, using manipulatives, doing exercises in the text book and optional extra practice if you choose to add the Practice Makes Perfect workbook.
My daughter tends to get really frustrated if she doesn’t understand a concept, so I appreciate that the lessons are short, colorful and less intense than some rigorous math. I also like that the lessons include instructions on using manipulatives. We keep a basket of math manipulatives near the kids work areas and they reach for them regularly.
If you aren’t sure how to use manipulatives to help your kids get unstuck, its really helpful that those instructions are included.
We tend to toggle back and forth between a few math resources and what I like about Master Books is that the lessons are not overwhelming. If she is still stressed out, I can sit with her and write the answers as we go through the lesson, but the lessons only take 20-30 minutes (normally less) so it doesn’t feel too time consuming for me to help her if I need to.
One thing I liked about the course was that it starts with a clearly marked section of 6 chapers/lessons of review. If you have a student who has struggled or hasn’t done math in awhile, this can be a great place to work through key concepts as an overview. The companion practice book gives extra practice here.
What’s Inside Master Books 3rd Grade Math
I absolutely love how Master Books has improved their math over the past few years. To me that is always the sign of a good company…one that is responsive and makes changes that make their product even better. So let me tell you about this curriculum.
One of the things that is really helpful about Master Books Math is that the teaching instructions are right there on the student pages. You DO NOT need an extra teacher book!! As a mom of many, I LOVE that I don’t end up with a teacher’s guide for every student book. This is huge!
The core text is Math Lessons For A Living Education.
- 36 weeks of Lessons – 5 Days of Exercises per Lesson
- 6 weeks of Review Lessons at the beginning and end of the text
- Manipulatives included and explanations for using other basic manipulatives.
- Colorful workbook format available in printed or PDF. I love that the pages are perforated too…it makes it easy to just give your child what they need and not a heavy book.
Optional Extras:
- Flash cards that show the countable numbers and equation
- Practice Makes Perfect Level 3 practice sheets & quizzes
- Laminator – there are manipulatives included in this text that should be laminated to make them reusable.
👉Get a FREE Master Books catalog Here!
This practice book is my FAVORITE new thing about Master Books Math. It’s an amazing addition. Each week now includes 4 extra colorful practice worksheets that give kids a little more practice on concepts before moving on! This is an optional extra but I highly recommend
Math Scheduling That Works For Your Needs
When you open the textbook, the first thing you will see inside is the Table of Contents and then a complete checklist of all the lessons inside the text. You can either leave this checklist in the book or pull it out and keep it in a teacher binder where you can check off the lessons as your kids complete them. In our house, I make a binder every year with all my kids class syllabi, so this is how I usually use the checklist….in the binder!
Weekly Format:
- Each weekly lesson starts with a story where they some new information or new math concepts.
- Next if manipulatives would be helpful, those are usually referenced.
- Then students complete the exercises for the week. Students will practice the core lesson topic until mastery is achieved.
- Additional practice can be found in the Practice book.
- The periodic reviews in the book can serve as more practice or you can use them as quizzes!
How We Modify Using The Textbook
Depending on how you use the books, you will schedule your week differently. We tend to do math about 3 days a week…so I will skip things that she already knows and then spend time in the areas that she doesn’t know.
If your child needs manipulatives…use them. If not…you can skip them.
Schooling During the Summer?
If you need school year round through the summer, you can choose to skip the first and/or last 6 lessons of the book as they are all review lessons that are mostly useful for refreshing after a break. The concepts are reviewed periodically in the book.
Who Is This Curriculum Perfect For?
One of my goals is always to identify who a curriculum would be a great fit for. I have used and tried a lot of curriculum and just because something is great for one person doesn’t always make it the right fit for another. Homeschooling can be so custom! And there is literally nothing more frustrating than buying a pile of curriculum and then finding it isn’t what you need!!
Thankfully Master Books is perfect for a lot of families!
If you need something that:
- Is open and go for all grade levels
- Makes life easier for a mom trying to teach math to multiple kids
- Helps a kid who needs hands on learning
- Is more gentle for kids who are easily frustrated
- Is both mastery based but regularly spirals to review previous concepts
- Is economical
- Can be used to “catch” up if your child didn’t get to much math during the school year
If you have a child that is super mathy and accelerated, you can still use this curriculum. However, in that case you may find that they will move at a much quicker pace and not need the review lessons or extra practice.
I’m not a fan of busy work and when my older mathy kids were homeschooled, they did the work they needed to do to learn and then moved on. We did not overly focus on them doing every single problem in a book or program. But Master Books Math really is designed in a way that you can easily accomodate any of your kids pretty easily.
👉Get a FREE Master Books catalog Here!
Math Workbooks That Makes Sense For Busy Moms
As a mom of many, I don’t hide the fact that I think the “right” curriculum is both something that works for my kids and for me. After all, we all only have 24 hours and if everything we use requires me to prepare and teach a full lesson, it probably isn’t going to get done. After many years of homeschooling, I finally accepted that I was often the limiting factor in us getting our school work done.
If I was required to help my kid, it was very possible that it might not happen! Trying to help other kids, make meals, work and keep the house running meant my attention was often divided.
We all know Math is important. And it’s a core subject that kids need every year.
Master Books makes it easy to provide a quality, engaging math education without feeling overwhelmed as a mom.
Sarah McCubbin and her husband and 9 kids live in Ohio. She loves talking about all kinds of education topics and is passionate about helping families find the best education options in each season! After being very socially awkward growing up, she now loves to help families teach life skills, social skills and leadership to their kids!
Connect With Sarah:
Schooling Year By Year Facebook Group
Facebook Page
Instagram @ten_minute_momentum
PallasCenter.com
More Reading:
- Master Books Math Level 1 Review – Charlotte Mason Math
- Master Books World Religion Curriculum: Faith based Apologetics Guide
- Master Books God’s Design for Life For Beginners Review
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