Mt. Pleasant Classical Academy

On the 9th I posted about how I felt like I was pushing a rope trying to teach Mark to add and subtract negative numbers and that it was a Sore Subject.

Today Mark went through his math problems, adding and subtracting negative and positive numbers and got them all correct!   He even admitted that once he started thinking about the negative sign as him owing money it made so much more sense, (and he said he was saying that as he was doing the problem) .  We’ve continuously worked on this concept and finally it has come together.  Mark ran into this math concept in Key To Algebra, I switched him over to Mary Dolciani’s Pre-Algebra book hoping that this concept might be presented differently in there and he would understand it then.  Not quite what happened.  I also went through the New Elementary Mathematics 1 book (Singapore math program for 7th - 10th grade) I had on the shelf.   In the end what we did was use worksheets that I wrote out and worked through them.  Sometimes we used number lines, sometimes I had him face to the left when he saw a negative sign and then pretend to be walking on the number line, or face right when he saw a positive sign, and we used the word ‘owe money’ for negative signs.  Mark understands money and this is what finally did the trick for him.

My next question though is what to have Mark use for math now.  He finished book 2 of Key to Algebra and I don’t want him moving into book 3 for a little while.  The question is whether to have him continue with Mary Dolciani Pre-Algebra book or switch over into NEM 1.   Mark says either is fine for him.  I’m leaning toward the Pre-Algebra book simple cause Mark is not a math wiz and has a really tough time understanding math concepts quickly.  NEM tends to throw allot at the kids quickly, and I can see him being overwhelmed by it all.  But I love NEM and its challenging word problems.  ugh, what to do?  what to do?   Debates are not very fun when you are having them with just me, myself, and I, so if you’d like to chim in and give your 2-cents worth please do!