Math-U-See Review

I don’t know about you, but math wasn’t my strongest subject in school. Because of this, and because of the world today, I really want to make sure my kids understand math, enjoy math, and have great confidence regarding math.  And I’m always looking for curriculum that will achieve these goals – so I was super excited when I was given the opportunity to use and work on a Math-U-See review.

I was even more excited to work on the Math-U-See review when I realized that –

• Math-U-See is a complete K-12 curriculum (so if you like the curriculum one year, you can continue with it the next)
• Math-U-See is skill-based (SO important – more on this later)
• Math-U-See uses a “Build, Write, Say, Teach” technique which is absolutely brilliant
• Math-U-See uses a 4 step systematic and cumulative approach to teaching (see below). The system is structured with step-by-step procedures for introducing, reviewing, and practicing concepts
• Math-U-See students spend as much or as little time as needed on any given concept until it is mastered.  Since the program is student-paced  kids can spend extra time on a concept as needed
• Math-U-See is a multi-sensory math curriculum – a curriculum that works well for all learning styles (again, SO important – especially if you have a variety of learners in your home)
• Math-U-See works well in both a family and a co-op setting
• Math-U-See works well with all types of homeschooling styles

The 4 step teaching approach is highlighted in the graphics below.  I’ve included comments below each step. We hope you enjoy this Math-U-See Review!

Step 1  – Prepare.

This for you, the parent – although I have my children watch the videos as well.  I do watch them first though.

Step 2 – Teach.

My kids LOVE the manipulatives!

We all like the “Build, Write, Say” focus of the lessons.

And all learning styles are incorporated in a lesson, which makes this program a complete gem for any homeschooling family.

Step 3 – Practice.

Yes, practice makes perfect! 

And having my kids teach the concept back is genius!  Then I know they totally understand.

At first my kids were a bit reticent to “teach” – but later they really got into it. 

 Now, the “teach” aspect really bolsters their self-esteem. As time goes on, they get more and more excited about this step.

Step 4 – More review and time for a test.

I LOVE the review aspect! 

The company uses the Greek alphabet rather than a child’s school year to denote a curriculum. So, when purchasing, your options include:

This might seem confusing at first, especially to new homeschoolers, but you just need to look at the product descriptions here, and Math-U-See offers Placements Tests to help ensure you choose the proper level for your child(ren).

So far, we’ve been using Math-U See for five weeks and these are the things we particularly like about the program:

• It’s a complete K-12 curriculum that uses manipulatives to illustrate and teach math concepts.
• Because it’s K-12, the curriculum can grow with my children.
• And really, if the first five weeks are a good indicator, we might use it for years, as the program is really working for us.
• The manipulatives add to the multi-sensory aspect of the program – they really make math understandable.
• And Math-U-See provides a balanced approach to mathematical instruction – emphasizing computation skills and conceptual understanding.
• Math-U-See is a skills-based program – it focuses on student mastery of a concept. Each level builds on previously learned skills to prepare a solid foundation. This means my kids don’t progress to the next concept, until the current concept is totally understood. So different from public school, right?
• The “Build, Write, Say, Teach” technique is absolutely brilliant.
• Regarding the instruction materials – the lesson-by-lesson instructions are very thorough.  I appreciate the many examples, as well as the step-by-step solutions. The videos are wonderful – and as mentioned, my kids watch the videos too.  They find them to be beneficial to their learning and they enjoy them. And of course, we love manipulatives!  They just make understanding SO MUCH EASIER!
• Regarding the student workbooks – the workbooks focus on practice and systematic review of concepts; the workbooks are clean, with uncluttered layouts; I appreciate that there are numerous worksheets that go along with every lesson – the practice helps guarantee that my kids “get” a concept; and I really like that the worksheets combine new and previous material. I’m usually not a big proponent of testing – but I am when it comes to science and math – having one test per lesson is really good, as it means I don’t move on before my kids are truly ready.
• My kids like the program – I want my kids to like math – to LOVE math!
• Along with their math abilities, their math self-esteem is growing. Yah!
• The lessons are short and to the point.
• It’s self-paced. As homeschoolers we may take this for granted – it’s certainly important.
• It works for all learning styles. Again, I really like this as my kids do have different learning styles – I bet your kids do too.
• It works with all types of homeschooling methods. I use an eclectic method – very relaxed with lots of unit studies.  For Math – I do like a more structured curriculum with workbooks and lots of opportunity for practice.
• The company offers online co-op classes for more advanced classes. We’re definitely going to take advantage of this!
• The site has a ton of parent resources (see below). I’m a fan of  parent resources, aren’t you?
• Math-U-See is a division of Demme Learning – a family run/homeschool oriented company.  Whenver possible, I like to support smaller, homeschool companies vs. big publishing houses.

I am including some photos of some of the curriculum below. I know it always helps me better understand a product when I can see it before I buy!

If you’d like more info on Math-U-See, you can watch videos here – https://www.mathusee.com/parents/why-math-u-see/demonstration-video/ .

PS. You might want to consider getting two sets of manipulatives. Two sets of manipulatives give you ten pieces of each number. This is helpful in the Primer through Beta levels – and it’s helpful to have the extra pieces when building larger problems in the Beta, Gamma and Delta levels. Plus, if you have multiple students working at the same time, it’s helpful to have extra manipulatives.

PPS. We really loved sharing this Math-U-See review with you. We absolutely LOVE this program and not only enjoyed it for our family but have heard amazing things about the curriculum from SO MANY other homeschooling families. This is the go-to homeschool math curriculum for many homeschooling parents.

Did you enjoy this Math-U-See review? If so, you can view our other reviews here: https://howtohomeschool.com/curriculum-reviews