Getting Ready for 6Th Grade Math

Have you thought about getting him on of the V-Tech learning computers for kids? Or maybe Leap Frog? They have great tools out there to use now......and if you read up on them, most of them can be upgraded grade wise as they get older..............Some even are like games, like a DS but have great learning programs as well. Any time a child can learn and play a game as well, that's an awesome thing!!

I'm sure the tutor will help him as well....

And good for you Mom, seeing his issue and jumping right in to make it right.
Take care.

KUMON is a great learning center that breaks down math to a better logical method.

I can not believe you are spending that long each night on math. I feel sorry for your child. I too would hate math if I were forced to do it for that long non stop. And I was the kind of kid that asked my dad to write out complex problems for me to solve. I have a degree in elem ed with math on my teaching cert. (so I can teach it in jjr. high)

Make sure he has the basics - memorized addition, subtraction and multiplication facts, then stop the constant attention to math. if he can do those 3 things he is fine and it will work itself out. If he is missing those he will struggle. So, if you do practice stick to the basics that he doesn't know - otherwise back off and give the poor kid a break.

My daughter struggles with math. We borrow a text book from the school for the coming year and have her tutor (a former 6th grade math teacher) work from that to help prepare her. However, you can't work too far ahead as that gets confusing. But it does give her confidence for the beginning of the next school year. They also drill the basics a lot. And make sure your tutor is up to the task. Just because they are smart and good in math doesn't mean they are a good tutor.

Two hours a night is way too much for a 10/11 year old to spend on math.
It's might create an aversion to the subject after a while. If the teacher isn't being helpful, you need to go over her head and speak either to the principal or the department chair. Maybe many students are struggling and the school needs to evaluate the particular curriculum they are using or the teaching methodology they are using for the 5th grade math. Either way, you have to let the school know specifically and make the accountable.
Also, I highly recommend a program like Kumon. They will work with him to see if there are specific skills he has not mastered along the way and work with him to bring him up to speed.
Good luck Mom and stick with it and make the school work with him to. That's their job.

You may like to check out this new site www.tenmarks.com - they have dedicated summer math programs for grades 3-10. What I really liked was the kid of programs they were offering - we took the "Step Up Program for 7th Grade" for our daughter, the program covers what she learnt in 6th grade and prepares her for the next grade which in her case is 7th.

Hope this helps and yes Good Luck!

I have a 6th grader that I homeschool and she is very math phobic. We use ALEKS math as a supplement. You'll have to google it. It is an online math program and it is $20 a month but they have a placement test so he can see exactly what he needs to work on. THere is also a parent place where you get results and he can check his "pie" to see his own results.
My daughter has done well with it. You can sign up for a few free trials before you start.

Hi there! I am a 6th grade teacher so I might be able to help :) Check into what textbook they will be using. We just got new textbooks this past year and they have an online textbook with quizzes, games, and lessons. I recommended that for a student who struggled a little bit this year. I also liked a website I found, www.ixl.com. It has some free access but you can also become a member, not sure the price, and have reports printed out, etc. It goes by Illinois learning standards and grade level and it was pretty kid friendly. Otherwise, you can also spend some time online looking up the different topics they will be studying in 6th grade, they have tons of games, and actual presentations. One last thing, the local library should have a copy of the school's textbook, you can always take a look I am sure. Oh and one more thing, the school's website might have access to the 6th grade curriculum map which should show the topics/chapter covered in 6th grade :)
Be careful with the testing thing, schools don't like to automatically jump to that.. if we tested every kid when they suddenly struggled our psychologist would be pretty busy and we'd have lots of kids tested unnecessarily. There is a bell curve for a reason! Fact of the matter is some kids and people are just not good at math. BUT, you are correct in being an advocate for you son :) Plus schools are moving to a new gen ed initiative to provide interventions for struggling students and a new model to diagnose students with learning disabilities.

Hope that was helpful!

I purchased workbooks from Target and WalMart that were for 5th and 6th grade math (says right on the cover). We started with the 5th grade even though they knew most of the stuff. Built up that sense of accomplishment, first :) Then moved on to the 6th grade book. They both ended up getting alot better math grades that next year - even if they didn't learn a ton of new skills, they didn't regress over the summer.

Good luck!

You need to consider whether he might have a learning disability (dyscalcula). I have two kids with this and extra tutoring doesn't necessarily help, no matter how great the tutor is. If this is the case, there are different techniques for explaining math concepts to these kids and a Learning Disability specialist would be better. (Many colleges have students studying LDs and they often tutor to earn extra money.)
All schools should provide basic testing to find out whether there is a possibility, and then provide further diagnostic testing. If you can afford it, I would advise doing it privately if the School District drags its feet; however the cost can run into the thousands for the full battery of tests. I warn you that you might face opposition and you have to be prepared to really fight for your rights.
You should look into this as soon as you can because it will get worse and worse unless dealt with and the whole "math anxiety" could then kick in. Additonally, should your child be diagnosed, he will be allowed extra time in SATs and ACT tests, however the decision could ride on how long he has had the diagnosis and what sort of extra support the school provided him. (We have just been through all this with my Junior so I know.)

I am not an LD specialist, but a mum who has been dealing with it since 2000. Feel free to e-mail me at ____@____.com if you have any further questions.

Hi there!

It is important to know: is he struggling with the whole subject? or is he struggling with part of it? I say this because sometimes the kids have problems with the most basic operations or so, and this doesn't allow them to go forward. It sounds silly, but it happens! Make sure exactly what he is struggling with,many times is just one thing or a couple of things that are not allow him to do good math. Start from there and have him practice it 30 minutes a day (not 2 hours!!!!) and only after he had a break from school or a free play time. Check everything in Math what he is working with and you will see that probably is not the whole subject. Let him know that Math is JUST practice and practice, and he would not give up. Encourage him to play with some math sites mentioned H., that helps a lot.
Good luck!