RightStart Math (elementary)

Overview

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Moving Beyond the Page recommends RightStart Math as a math curriculum that will enable your child to conceptualize mathematical concepts and learn to apply them in his world. RightStart not only comes with high recommendations from many current Moving Beyond the Page families, but was the math program we chose to use in our own as well.

RightStart Math provides a unique approach to learning mathematics. Some basic premises incorporated into the RightStart Mathematics curriculum include:

Designed for the child to discover math.
The two-sided AL abacus, grouped in fives and tens, for visualizing quantities.
Minimum counting, not used to find the facts.
The "math way" of counting (for example, 2-ten 3 for 23) used for a limited time.
Work in the hundreds (Level A) and thousands (Level B) to help understand place value.
Part-whole circles used for problem solving.
Two-digit addition and subtraction done mentally.
Four-digit subtraction and multiplication in Level C.
Fractions introduced early with the linear model.
Understanding and problem solving stressed throughout.
Daily lesson plans for the teacher and consumable workbooks for the child.
Worksheets all include the new Game Log to help you track card games played.
Geometry introduced early and continued with drawing boards in Levels C and beyond.

Structure

The RightStart Mathematics program is structured with levels instead of grades to give you the flexibility to meet your child's unique needs.

Level A
The beginning level math lessons are best started at age 5, or even sooner, before the child develops a reliance on counting strategies. An early start also helps your child understand quantities based around 5s and 10s. Level A includes place value to the hundreds, addition facts to 10, and some basic geometry.

Level B
In this level, your child learns the addition facts and adds numbers in the thousands. He learns the addition facts with strategies and learns to add 4-digit numbers. Subtraction is delayed until addition is thoroughly understood. Geometry, money, unit fractions, and other math related topics are also introduced. Level B can be implemented without Level A.

Level C
Your child reviews addition math strategies through making an addition table. She learns 4-digit subtraction, the subtraction facts with 10s-based strategies, skip counting, and basic multiplication. She also works with a small drawing board, T-square, and triangles to make equilateral triangles, stars, and tangram designs.

Level D
Multiplication, simple division, and fractions are the primary focus of RightStart Level D. Your child works with numbers to one million. He also works with linear and square units in both the U.S. Customary and the metric systems. Using a drawing board and tools, he explores symmetry, angles, and various geometric shapes.

Level E
Your child works with percents and decimals as well as fractions. She learns short division for dividing by single digits, followed by long division. Some algebraic concepts are introduced, including coordinate systems. In geometry, she studies classification of triangles and polygons, rotational symmetry, angle measurement, and 3-dimensional figures.

The Starter Packs that we offer include everything you need for each level of RighStart Math.

Choosing the Right Level

RightStart Mathematics is structured with levels, rather than grades. A common question heard is "What level should we start with?" Here is a questionnaire that will help identify your child's entry level:

Starting Level Questionnaire

Recommendations For Using With Moving Beyond the Page

Moving Beyond the Page covers the state and national standards for math in the Age 5-7 and 6-8 levels. We chose not to include Math in Age 7-9 or higher because children that are gifted in Math will have vastly different needs by this point.

Even so, we chose to offer RightStart Math at every age level because we heard from many parents that wanted a more structured approach to math. RightStart Math will provide your child with structured mathematical activities on a daily basis and provide an engaging method of repetition to ensure learning. It will enable you to move forward with children gifted in math, while not missing out on the science, social studies, and language arts that are also so important to your child's education.

Moving Beyond the Page and RightStart Math together are a powerful tool to help your child learn to apply math in the real world.

To learn more about RightStart Mathematics, you can visit their website: www.alabacus.com.

Curriculum Samples

RightStart Math

RightStart Math - Level A

Sample Curriculum