This is my favorite fractions curriculum but the series is not limited to fractions only.
Joely has long been fascinated with fractions. So now that she's doing Singapore Math 3, and she's got a good handle on multiplication and division, I've finally pulled out the big guns — in my opinion one of the best fractions curriculums on the market, Key To Fractions.
Jaden and Jerah have also used the Key to…Series for decimals, measurement, percents, and algebra, but the Key To Fractions series is definitely my favorite.
About the Key to…Series
With the Key to…Series, each topic is covered in about 3 or 4 self-teaching workbooks, except for Key to Geometry with 8 and Key to Algebra with 10. Each workbook is about 37 pages in length, and each page is printed simply in black and white, with very little extraneous decoration.
But the greatest strength of the Key to… Series is that it doesn't just explain the concept and then require the student to complete several related problems. Instead, the student discovers the concept as it's presented sequentially and concretely, one step at a time. There are no giant leaps in concepts. The child gains a solid understanding of each concept, not because he's memorized the rules, but because he's seen concretely what it means and how it works.
Joely started on the Key to Fractions series this last week. The first workbook covers fraction concepts, then workbooks 2 through 4 cover multiplying and dividing fractions, adding and subtracting fractions, and mixed numbers. In addition to the workbooks, we own the answer keys, but there are reproducible tests as well.
The Key to Fractions series is an excellent way to teach your child about fractions, or to review fractions concepts for an older student. Most math curriculums spread fractions concepts across several units, and often different grade levels, but Key to Fractions curriculum includes all the concepts in one easy-to-use, self-teaching curriculum, making it a great way to help your child see the whole picture about fractions.
Have you used the Key To…Series in your homeschool before? What's your experience?
Thank you for sharing this resource. We are also using Singapore Math – all boys. I'm just curious, are you using the Key to series as a supplement/extra practice?
@Katherine, We're still working with the Singapore curriculum, and just adding in the fractions workbooks. While I love Singapore, the Key To Fractions just goes into fractions much more in depth than Singapore, plus it does it all at once. And I think any child can benefit from being exposed to different approaches to a subject. Joely will be the Key To approach and the Singapore approach, so hopefully she'll have a good understanding of fractions by the time we're all done.
This curriculum looks awesome. I have never heard of it before, but I will have to put the link to this post in my bookmarks. My son is in Grade Two and just starting basic fractions. Thanks for the info!
As a math teacher, let me just take a second to agree with you on every aspect of that curriculum. Good choice for your daughter. I would say that the number one reason for students not being successful in Algebra is that they don't understand how fractions work, they don't get the major concepts, and therefor don't understand how the numbers and variables can work together. So Amen for a defined Fraction curriculum. Keep up the good work !