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Frequently Asked Questions - Math Mammoth Light Blue Series

1. Do you have placement / diagnostic tests?

2. Is there a teacher's manual?

3a. Are there printed versions available?

3b. Can we buy the downloads and then take them to a Kinko's type place to have the book printed up and bound nicely?

4. Can I buy it on a CD?

5. What is a worktext?

6. What is the difference between the Blue Series and Light Blue series?

7. How does the complete curriculum (Light Blue books) compare with Singapore math,
    Math-U-See, or other popular homeschool math curricula?

8. Are earlier concepts reviewed in later levels?

9. Do the books have review problems that continue to review previous concepts?

10 Are tests included?

11. What about kindergarten math? At what age is it appropriate to start your 1st grade books?

12. Will you be writing more grade levels?

13. How far can I use the Light Blue series? Will it cover pre-algebra or algebra?

14. How do I pace the Light Blue curriculum? How many pages or worksheets per day should
    the child do?

15. How will I know when to review with computer games or worksheets rather than continuing? How will I know when to take a break and review an old concept so it will not be lost? Is this type of review incorporated in the program?

16. For drilling the addition and substraction tables should we just go over each lesson
    over and over until she memorizes her tables?

17. Is Math Mammoth aligned with any state standards?

18. Does Math Mammoth curriculum encourage the use of manipulatives?

19. What is the origin of this curriculum?

20. Does the author have any mathematics or education credentials?

1. Do you have placement / diagnostic tests?

Yes. Simply click here for placement tests for all the grade-levels.

2. Is there a teacher's manual?

No. This curriculum does not contain a separate teacher's manual nor scripted lessons. The student worktext contains in the text itself explanations of the concepts, and I've tried to create a text that is as self-explanatory as possible. Students will often be able to read and study through the lessons on their own. The parent can "get it" at the same time as the student, if they have not understood math concepts before.

Also, in the beginning of each chapter there are some general notes and helps for the teacher (Introduction).

If you have previously used a scripted curriculum and are worried about your ability to teach with Math Mammoth, I would encourage you to try it out by purchasing one of the Blue Series topical books.

3a. Are there printed versions available?

Yes. You can purchase printed versions at two places: at Lulu or at Winterpromise, who sells them with a CD. The links to buy the printed books are located in the right sidebar of each particular book's page.

3b. Can we buy the downloads and then take them to a Kinko's type place to have the book printed up and bound nicely?

Sure. Just remember the copyright notice: the person who owns the book(s) is allowed to make copies (whether by Kinko's printer or some other printer) to HIS / HER students, but not to other teacher's students.

4. Can I buy it on a CD?

Yes. Winterpromise sells grades 1-4 separately on a CD. Or, you can buy all 5 grade levels on one CD here.

5. What is a worktext?

Worktext means that the book contains both the "text" (= the explanations) and the "work" (= the problems). Simply put, the textbook and problems are in the same book. This is especially useful for homeschooling and for any kind of independent study.

6. What is the difference between the Blue Series and Light Blue series?

These two series have nearly the same lesson material. Comparing with the Light Blue grade levels 1-4, there are only a few minor differences: there are a few lessons here and there that are in one series but not in the other. However, Light Blue 5th grade has lots of material that currently (2009) is not in any of the Blue Series books (problem solving, graphing, large numbers, percent, and integers).

The MAIN difference is in how the material is organized. The Light Blue Series goes by grades, and being a complete curriculum also includes tests & cumulative reviews. The Blue Series just consists of worktexts for various topics, and the material in each book usually spans 2-3 grade levels.

So, which you would choose depends mostly on your goals: Do you wish to have a complete curriculum for a given grade level? Go Light Blue. Do you wish to review/reteach certain topics only? Go Blue. Do you want to cover all topics as in a full curriculum but without mentions of grade levels? Blue Series can work there as well.

7. How does the complete curriculum (Light Blue books) compare with Singapore math, Math-U-See, or other popular homeschool math curricula?

Please read comparisons of Math Mammoth with other homeschool math curricula here.

8. Are earlier concepts reviewed in later levels?

To some extent, yes, but not so much as in a typical spiral curricula. For example, I often introduce somewhat difficult topics in two grades. A few topics are "introductory" in one grade and "in focus" in the next. For example:

• Adding so that the result "goes over 10" is included in the last half of 1st grade and first half of 2nd; for example 6 + 8.
• Borrowing over zeros is included both in 2nd and 3rd.
• Multiplication concept is introduced in the very end of 2nd but studied in depth in 3rd.
• Multi-digit multiplication (the algorithm) is touched in 3rd grade but studied in length in the first part of 4th grade, and studied once more in 5th (5-A).
• Similarly, long division is studied both in 4th and 5th.
• The concept of decimal numbers is introduced briefly in the end of 3rd grade, and then studied quite a bit more on 4th. Decimals and their operations are studied in depth in 5th grade (5-A).
• Fractions are introduced a little in 2nd grade, and gradually studied some more in 3rd and 4th. In 5th grade, they are in "focus" — all the fraction operations are studied in-depth in the book 5-B.

Some elementary mathematics topics are covered over several years in a spiraling style, such as place value (with increasing digits), measuring units, geometry vocabulary (pentagon, octagon, parallel), reading clock, coins, and money problems.

The following topics are NOT reviewed in any great depth, but mastery is expected: single digit addition/ subtraction after 1st grade, double-digit addition/subtraction after 2nd, clock reading or coins after 3rd. Multiplication tables and basic division receive a quick review in 4th grade but not after that. I cannot list every single concept and its progression in this short space though.

9. I am concerned that there won't be enough review. Do your books have review problems that continue to review previous concepts?

The program includes cumulative reviews meant to be used after each chapter. These have various kinds of problems, including word problems. When you notice that your child needs additional review of any kind of calculation topic (such as after using the cumulative reviews), you can use the worksheet maker included in the downloadable curriculum, and generate additional worksheets with it.

This worksheet generator requires an Internet access. If you don't have Internet at home, you can use it in an Internet cafe or public library or a friend's house, and save the generated worksheets on a memory stick to print later.

Also, the major concepts, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, or fractions, actually get reviewed in a sense because they get used all the time. For example, a child who learns their multiplication tables will keep using them all the time in division and multidigit multiplication. Addition and subtraction strategies are used in word problems about money or measuring, or again when studying place value and large numbers. Division facts are used in long division.

I never make word problems to exactly match the lesson. By this I mean that a word problem found in a multiplication lesson might require both multiplication and addition to solve. Similarly, word problems in the other chapters will include multiplication. So, the word problems dealing with various topics (money, measuring, division, fractions) include the usage of all operations all the time (once the operation has been studied), and thus review these operations. The word problems in this curriculum constantly use important concepts that have been already learned.

10. Are tests included?

Yes. There is a chapter test after each chapter and an end-of-year test to be used after each grade level.

11. What about kindergarten math? At what age is it appropriate to start your 1st grade books?

There are no Math Mammoth books for kindergarten, but I've written a fairly comprehensive article about kindergarten math to use as a guideline. You can start 1st grade once the child can write and recognize numbers, count to 20 (preferably to 30 or beyond), has mastered basic concepts of equivalence, more, and less; and has a basic idea of addition.

12. Will you be writing more grade levels?

Yes. I will work on 6th grade during the winter 2010. I haven't decided anything beyond that.

13. How far can I use the Light Blue series? Will it cover pre-algebra or algebra?

Right now, my goal is to write 6th grade (finishing that in summer 2010) so that the series will be a complete curriculum for grades 1-6. I do not have any plans made for further grades. After completing 6th grade with Math Mammoth, most students should be able to continue with pre-algebra. I have some suggestions for pre-algebra books here.

In the Golden Series, you will find worksheet collections for 6th, 7th (pre-algebra), and 8th/9th (algebra 1). These are useful as supplements but unless a parent or teacher is supplying the instruction, they could not be used as a full curriculum.

14. How do I pace the Light Blue curriculum? How many pages or worksheets per day should the child do?

You can check how many pages there are to do (this is mentioned on the web page of the book, below the cover image), and how many days of school you have in mind... then to get a "pages/day" number, divide the number of pages by the number of days.

This is between 1 and 2 assuming you do school 5 days a week, about 40 weeks a year. If you do 4 days a week, 36 weeks a year, you will probably get closer to 2 or more pages a day. Please allow some time also for tests and cumulative reviews.

It might even be more useful to have a guideline as to how many pages a week you should to through.

Examples:

So 1-2 pages a day is sufficient. However, you need to pace it depending on how the lesson goes. Sometimes you might be able to go through several pages and sometimes you cannot do but one page. Also, in some topics you might be able to go through the pages quicker, for example in the clock chapters, because the clock pictures fill the page so that one page does not have many problems.

15. How will I know when to review with computer games or worksheets rather than continuing? How will I know when to take a break and review an old concept so it will not be lost? Is this type of review incorporated in the program?

A curriculum that "spells" out in exact detail what the teacher is to do is called a "scripted curriculum". I simply have not had time nor the energy to build Math Mammoth to be scripted. Instead, Math Mammoth gives the teacher various tools, such as the main wortext, links to games, additional worksheets, and cumulative reviews & tests, but I have not spelled out what exactly should be done, or when, or how.

Basically, this is how you can get started. Start out using the student worktext and over the course of 1-2 weeks observe how much your child can handle daily - it might be 1-2 pages, maybe 1 1/2, maybe just 1, depending on age, maturation level, etc. Then map out your school year, and see also the answer #14 in this faq.

As far as when to use additional resources, I would say that when you go on with the worktext and it seems to go too quickly, then that is one SIGN that you should use additional worksheets and games.

Another sign: let's say you finish some chapter and go on. Then in the next chapter there are WORD PROBLEMS that require knowledge or concepts that were taught in the previous chapter, say multiplication or perimeter. If your child has great difficulty with those kinds of word problems, then it might be time to review the particular concept or skill. I have always striven to make the word problems progressively so that they involve concepts and skills studied in earlier chapters.

Then there are matching cumulative reviews for each chapter that you could assign near the end of the chapter, or middle, or however you like. Those will also give you an indication if a child has forgotten something.

One other possibility is that whenever the exercise set has lots of problems, just assign 2/3 of them or 1/2 of them. Then a week (or few weeks) later assign some of the rest for review.

But in a nutshell, Math Mammoth does better suit parents and teachers who are able to follow the child's mathematical progress just from the way the child solves the various problems in the worktext. However, I truly feel that is the BETTER way to go about it, and that all teachers eventually, with experience, gravitate away from scripted curricula.

16. For drilling the addition and substraction tables should we just go over each lesson over and over until she memorizes her tables?

First of all, you should go through the books and check that she knows all the concepts related to addition and subtraction.

To learn the facts, go carefully over those lessons that present fact families and number rainbows. These provide the structure and a context for learning the facts so that they are not learned as separate, random things.

Then, once she thoroughly understands fact families and the pattern in the number rainbow, you can move on to other math topics such as place value, geometry, etc. but keep up the facts practice a few minutes a day with games, worksheets, and flash cards.

These basic facts are also used a lot even when studying place value and other topics, so that helps kids remember them too.

17. Is Math Mammoth aligned with any state standards?

It is not aligned exactly with any standards from any state, but it does probably cover a good amount of the standards or goals of any given state for grades 1-5.

In fact, it would be nearly impossible to make a math curriculum to be aligned to the standards of all states. That is why major textbook companies offer Texas editions, California editions, etc. because the standards in different states differ quite a bit.

Another reason why I have chosen not to follow exactly any standards is because typically, the mathematics standards of various states include a TREMENDOUS amount of goals and material to be covered in each grade. This has led to the "an inch deep and mile wide" type of curriculum. Some states are already turning away from this development - Florida changed their mathematics standards after the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics published their Curriculum Focal Points recommendations in 2006. The Focal Points document actually recommends concentrating on fewer topics per grade than what has been the norm in the 1990's and early 2000's, and I have followed the Focal Points to some extent when designing the Math Mammoth complete curriculum.

Now, I do not intend Math Mammoth to be "an inch deep and mile wide" curriculum, but instead concentrate on certain topics heavily in particular grades. For example, in 2nd grade, the focus is largely on addition and subtraction, both mentally and in columns. 3rd grade devotes a lot of time for basic multiplication, multiplication tables, and basic division (by single-digit numbers). 4th grade concentrates a lot on multi-digit multiplication and long division. 5th grade has a lot of material for mastering the arithmetic of fractions and decimals.

Of course, many other topics are also studied in each grade (e.g. measuring, geometry, place value, money), and focusing on fractions in 5th doesn't mean they are not covered in other grades. In fact, there is a little bit of fraction material in 3rd grade, quite a bit more in 4th, and then a LOT in 5th.

For a comparison, I've made charts that compare Math Mammoth complete curriculum grades 1, 2, 3, and 4 with corresponding California mathematics standards. In general, Math Mammoth matches Californian standards for addition, subtraction, and place value related goals. In some areas, California standards are about one grade-level ahead of Math Mammoth, such as in multiplication and division. For statistics and probability, California standards are much more advanced.
Comparison between Math Mammoth and California Standards, Grade 1
Comparison between Math Mammoth and California Standards, Grade 2
Comparison between Math Mammoth and California Standards, Grade 3
Comparison between Math Mammoth and California Standards, Grade 4

18. Does Math Mammoth curriculum encourage the use of manipulatives?

For the most part, the curriculum does not specifically emphasize manipulatives but visual models. The exercises with visual models COULD be done equally with manipulatives (beans/counters, base ten blocks, fraction manipulatives, etc.)

The exception is the 100-bead abacus, which I feel is needful for first grade. (The other option would be base ten blocks.) I feel that it's essential that kindergartners and first graders have the opportunity to learn tens and ones (place value) using some manipulative.

On each of these pages you will see a list of needed manipulatives for grades 1-3. You need to scroll down the page a bit.

grade 1
grade 2
grade 3

19. What is the origin of this curriculum?

Math Mammoth books had their start at around 2002, when I (Maria Miller) was tutoring homeschooling children, and noticed the difficulties their parents had in explaining mathematics.

I initially wrote books for certain topics, and later those books gave rise to the Blue Series books currently sold on this site.

I always designed the lessons in the books so that they would teach BOTH the parent and the child the processes and concepts of elementary math. Thus, the books contain very clear explanations, lots of visual exercises and pattern exercises that help children see the structure of mathematics and clearly understand the concepts of mathematics, instead of just memorizing rules.

Ample practice for computation is not forgotten either. Word problems abound.

The complete curriculum had its start in 2007, when I was asked to combine my books into material that could be sold by grade levels.

20. Does the author have any mathematics or education credentials?

Yes. I have a master's degree in mathematics (1997) after studying 5 years in in university of Joensuu, Finland, and one term in the University of Nottingham, UK. My degree includes minors in physics and statistics, and the educational studies required to become a teacher (as required in Finland).