| Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp |
| Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp. All rights reserved. |
| about the book |
| The Homeschool Diner's Guide to Homeschooling by Subject Math for Homeschoolers Options for Students Who Are Gifted in Math by Julie Shepherd knapp, copyright 2006 Resources designed with gifted students in mind, such as logic, problem-solving, critical thinking, and advanced topics... Having a child who is gifted in math can seem to be both a blessing and a burden. On one hand, it is amazing to see a young child "absorb" new math concepts and refreshing to see them gleefully speed thru his or her math workbooks. On the other hand, it increases your responsiblility as a parent and home educator -- you need to "keep up with them" and be sure they are being challenged and learning new things. You'll need to get to know your child from a math perspective. Take the time to figure out his or her current level of math knowledge. Find out whether your child learns better with workbooks, manipulatives, computer resources, alternative approaches, or a combination of these. You'll need to find the right balance of new material and repetition for your particular child -- giving them enough practice to master a topic, but not so much practice that they lose their desire to do math at all. You'll want to find additional (extra-curricular) resources that spark their interests and intrigue them -- ways to keep their joy in math alive and kicking. You will probably also want to learn more about how to properly teach math concepts and how to explain new concepts so that your child will have a better understanding of the material. If you are not a "math person" yourself you will probably be wondering if you are going to be able to do this... but please, Don't Panic -- I have gathered resources just for you here -- Help Me Teach Math! You can do this :-) Resources Prufrock Press -- (k - 12) a large selection of math enrichment materials Challenge Math by Edward Zaccaro -- (1 - 8) fun kid-friendly books use cartoons and illustrations to explain concepts needed to solve math enrichment activities and discover the connections between math and science -- "Primary Grade Challenge Math" (grades 1-4) and "Challenge Math for the Elementary and High School Student" (grades 4-8) The Number Devil and The Number Devil Software -- a boy dreams of interesting math patterns and problems Math History and Mathematicians Pages -- learn about the history of math, math in art, etc. from these free online Living Math lesson plans Calculus by and for Young People by Don Cohen -- a book, videos, and other resources for teaching calculus to kids 6 and up Jacobs Homework Assignments and relevant Living Math Reading List to accompany and enrich a course in Harold Jacobs Algebra, free online from Living math Math Literature and Extra-Curriculuar Topics for Algebra and Upper Level Math -- annotated bibliography of enrichment from Living Math High School to Adult Math Literature and Extra-Curricular Topics -- from Living Math Gelfand Corespondence Program (grades 8-12) Offered thru Rutgers University, text book based correspondence courses, recommended as supplementary program for serious (high-achieving) math students Institute for Mathematics and Computer Software (eiMacs) (grades 6-12) -- interactive online math courses and enrichment courses in logic, critical thinking and problem-solving APEX Learning -- (grades 6-12): standards-aligned online math courses, AP math courses, and AP Exam Review, other subjects available The Art of Problem Solving (grades 6-12) -- designed for strong math students who want to develop advanced problem-solving skills, uses virtual classrooms AwesomeMath -- (grades 8 - 11) provides student math enrichment during the school year through a series of correspondence lectures and problem sets. Also offers a math summer camp. Explore the Distance Learning Options for Gifted Students section of the Diner to find information on Talent Searches and University-sponsored programs for gifted youth, such as EPGY, CTY, Tip, and CTD Learning Links Let your Child Explore Extra-Curricular Math Topics in the Diner's Online Enrichment Ideas - Math section Explore Math Curriculum options and find links to the most popular programs and Alternative Math Resources. For Parents The Calculus Trap by Richard Rusczyk from The Art of Problem Solving Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics: Teachers' Understanding of Fundamental Mathematics in China and the United States (STUDIES IN MATHEMATICAL THINKING & LEARNING) by Liping Ma -- with this book you will be able to really answer your child's questions about borrowing/regrouping in subtraction, why we invert and multiply to divide... and many other important basic concepts in arithmetic. You won't have to say , "That's just how it is done, so memorize it!", like your teacher probably said to you. Especially helpful for students who must know the big picture of *why* to understand (whole-to-part and visual-spatial learners). Essential for children who show a lot of interest or ability in math (math gifted) to give them a firm foundation of understanding. From a review --"...Adding more `higher math' to our training really would not help us teach arithmetic. We lack deep knowledge of "fundamental mathematics".... what we need to do is to dig deeper ... to discover that there is much more to understand about such fundamental concepts." |
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