Math Mammoth: Light Blue Series Third Grade Complete Curriculum {A Review}

Maria Miller from Math Mammoth sent us the pdf download for her Math Mammoth Grade 3 Complete Curriculum ($37.50) from the light blue series.

First Thoughts
We reviewed the Grade 4 Complete Curriculum with Ceesa last year. She is finishing it up now and has learned so much. She really disliked math before using Math Mammoth. I had tried lots of programs and never found the right fit. 

It seemed that everything that I came up with made her dislike math even more. At one point, I even tried writing a curriculum for her. Poppa tried to help her and they both would end up more frustrated then when they started.

When we began using Math Mammoth with her, I saw an improvement right away. The presentation of the strategy or concept really allowed her to understand how to complete the procedures and then apply that information to problem solving.

She actually just remarked the other day, "That's when I decided that I like math, when we got Mammoth Math (Math Mammoth). I really like fractions."

We've ordered the Grade 5 Complete Curriculum for her to continue on with next year. And we are thrilled for Jo-Jo to get the opportunity to start with Grade 3 Complete Curriculum for our review.

What you get with the Complete Download
~Two Student Work Texts (3-A and 3-B) with Answer Keys
~Chapter Tests with Answer Keys & Editable Versions (includes tests to edit and visuals to plug in)
~Cumulative Chapter Reviews with Answer Keys & Editable Versions (includes tests to edit and visuals to plug in)
~Worksheet Maker
~Additional Review pages
~Options for the money chapter: Australian, British, Canadian, Euro, European, and South African
~3-D Shape cut outs
~The Soft-Pak: includes both math and language arts 

• Math Maker - for printing out 1-35 copies of math activities/tests with optional answer keys.
• Math Master - for completing the math activities on screen, with printable session results for record keeping.
•  Math User - 900 on-screen math word problems with built-in calculator.
• True/False Math Challenger - motivational activities that test math fact mastery with true/false items.
• Language Arts Master - spelling/reading/usage/grammar - with printable activities and answer keys. 4000 words included.
• List Maker - to add Personal Word Lists for spelling/reading/pronunciation for use in L. A. Master.

Additional Materials Required
Additional materials required are minimal...pencils, measuring tapes, scales, measuring cups, analog clock, and rulers. You also need a computer with internet connection to access the curriculum, use the Soft-Pak, and connect to the suggested free internet resources.

Lay-out of the Chapters
Each chapter has an introduction to tell the parent what will be covered in the chapter, the lesson outline with page numbers and a list of helpful resources on the internet. Then come the practice pages, mixed review, and review. You can check out samples and the table of contents for 3-A and 3-B.

Concepts Included in the Third Grade set

• Addition and Subtraction
• Multiplication Concept
• Multiplication Tables
• Clock
• Money
• Place Value with Thousands
• Geometry
• Measuring
• Division
• Fractions

About Jo-Jo & Math
Jo-Jo finds math to be fun and looks at problems like they are puzzles. When Jo-Jo was a toddler, Ceesa and I would practice skip counting together. Jo-Jo would be sitting beside us playing. Whenever Ceesa got stuck, Jo would tell her what the number was. At first I thought it was just a lucky guess, but no. At two years old, she had already learned the 2's, 5's, and 10's math tables by listening to her sister, even faster than her sister was learning them.

What We've Been Doing with the Curriculum 
We have been reviewing the grade 3 curriculum for several weeks now and have worked our way through chapter 1, used some of the resources on the internet for fun (rather than review practice), and looked through the Soft-Pak.

Time Frame
I have found I need to provide very little support with this curriculum. Generally Jo-Jo takes her work pages and completes them on her own. Occasionally, she doesn't understand a concept and will come to me to ask how to do something, but that is rare. When she is finished, she brings her papers to me and we correct anything that needs correcting. 

She completes 2-3 pages a day in about 20 minutes.

What Jo-Jo has to say
"It is neat how it has the instructions at the top of the page, so I know how to do the math. And I like how it does rounding up."

What Jo-Jo has Learned
"I have learned how to round up, how to take three away from two by taking one from the ten (regrouping), and how to use those things (pointing to parenthesis) in a problem for doing it in the proper order."

What I Think
The amount of materials and extra stuff that goes along with each curriculum set is above and beyond my expectations. I would be content with just the work texts, but there is so much more. 

Maria has a way of making the mathematical concepts make sense and teaches in a tangible way before applying the operation. For example, with multiplication the student starts with arrays, then moves on to traditional problems.

Each concept is tried in many different ways: as traditional problems, as puzzles, with strategies, as mental math, with visuals, in games, with interactive links, and more.

Recommendation
Math Mammoth works for kids that like math and for kids that struggle with mathematical concepts. I would definitely tell anyone that is looking for a good math curriculum all about it. 

Interested? For the complete curriculum, the sample pages and free placement test are two helpful places to start. There are lots of options for specific topics and different series sets for First grade through High School. 

Wishing you homeschool blessings,


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