Right Start Math Level F

Complimentary product received from RightStart Mathematics!

This year has been a bit of a struggle with finding the right math curriculum. The Melanated Gold Review Squad was given the opportunity to review RightStart Mathematics Level F . I have always had my eye on RightStart Mathematics it comes highly recommended in the Montessori Homeschooler circles. With my son having a strong Montessori background I am still trying to figure out why we didn’t go this route from the start. I am glad I finally had the opportunity to review a RightStart Mathematics curriculum.

Our math frustration began this past Spring when we found out our previous curriculum hadn’t updated their 4th-grade math book like they had grades 1st-3rd. My son was having a really hard time with the realization that the curriculum that he loved wouldn’t be updated and he would have to use the older edition. I know for some this may not be a big deal but for him, this was a huge deal. You see my son thrives on consistency, he is a visual learner and he doesn’t do well when things are changed up abruptly. We have been using another curriculum but he has been so unhappy with it. I made some modifications to the curriculum and I thought we were okay until last month when the power struggle began again.

If you aren’t familiar with RightStart Mathematics let me give you a little insight. The curriculum is designed to use hands-on materials and visualizations to help children develop strategies for learning math. The program is centered around learning to use the double-sided AL Abacus to help students visualize and appeal to the kinesthetic learner. Through the use of games and hands-on materials, students develop these visual strategies to help them problem solve.

RightStart Mathematics Level F is suggested for grades 4-6th grade. Our level came with the Math games book and cards which is required for the lessons. We also received several hands-on materials to accompany the workbook and lessons. You can see a complete unboxing of all the materials of RightStart Mathematics Level F on our Little Learner and Mom Instagram.

So let’s dig into how the RightStart Mathematics Level F workbooks and lesson book are set up. The lesson books tell you everything you need for the lessons for that week and the objective. It is assumed you are doing 4-5 lessons a week and it’s recommended that you review the lessons, materials, and games before you are ready to present. Let me back all the way up before we jump into lessons….READ all the pages at the beginning of the book before the first 7 lessons are reviewed and teach students how to use the materials if they are new to RightStart Mathematics. I can’t stress enough that those pages are crucial to being successful in this program. I also recommend you become familiar with those pages and your lessons at least 2 weeks before starting to present to your student.

I also found it very helpful to highlight and page mark things you want to remember and make yourself aquatinted with the RighStart Mathematics Youtube channel you will find videos on how to prepare lessons for all the RightStart Mathematics levels. I also joined two groups on Facebook. In one of the groups, the creator has created videos to teach you how to play the games (a small monthly fee but worth it).

RightStart Mathematics Level F covers :

Numeration
Multiplication and Division (long and exponents)
Problem Solving
Decimal and Percentages
Fractions, Measurement, and Geometry
Probability and Combinations
Coordinates Systems

You can find a full objective list for RightStart Mathematics Level F here on their sample pages. One of the things I really liked about this program is that the first start of reviewing with the math games and abacus the first few lessons we spent just playing games. My son instantly fell in love with game corners and he just had to show his dad how to play. So now corners have become a Saturday evening after-dinner ritual. The thing with RightStart Mathematics is you have to play the games. The games are there to help your student learn to visualize strategies to do the lessons.

What I found with my son and flipping through the pages of the worksheets is that my son was more than capable of solving the multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction problems. Then I pondered behind the fact that he can solve them didn’t mean he could visually solve them. I hope that makes sense. I did find concepts in the RightStart Mathematics Level F that my son hasn’t been exposed to as of yet, so this will be good for him. Then came my other issue because the RightStart Mathematics Level F is sequential it’s assumed that the student has done the previous level and the first few lessons are merely reviews.

After looking through the RightStart Mathematics Level F upper lessons and some of the review lessons it hit me that even though he is a math whiz when he is loving math. I needed to take him down a level so he would have review lessons mastered. I got on the phone and called RightStart Mathematics and they connected me with a fabulous homeschool mom named Rhonda when I tell you this mom answered all my questions and concerns. She agreed with me that even though he is very advanced already in math and how RightStart Mathematics is set up that she would recommend I take him down to RightStart Mathematics Level E and he would be better prepared for RightStart Mathematics Level F in the Spring. You see RightStart Mathematics as she explained to me runs across more than one grade level and is advanced. So RightStart Mathematics Level E would run across grades 3-5 grade. She also told me the levels on brief review during the first few lessons of the previous level and then then jump right into the higher math. After we talked this made so much sense to me as I flipped through the worksheets and lesson plans of Level F.

So this mama ordered RightStart Mathematics Level E, I am waiting on it to arrive. My son is more than capable of working through RightStart Mathematics Level F but I want to make sure there are no holes in his learning.

RightStart Mathematics does require parent involvement and you will have to supplement for extra practice if your student needs it. I know what you’re thinking why do you have to supplement? Okay, homeschool parents at some point you may need to supplement to add more practice for your kids, there is a zillion of supplemental options. Please don’t get all bent out the shape on this. What I can tell you is that my son is a lot happier with math. I am starting to see his love for math come back and the twinkle in his eyes. He told me mom this math is fun can we do this every day now! In my final thoughts about RightStart Mathematics Level F, I think we have found our new math curriculum 😉.