For this review, we were given online access to one level of the math program for 1 full year. I signed up my daughter for the 4th grade level. GPA Learn is a fun online math program geared for children in Kindergarten through 5th grade. GPA Learn is a supplemental math program with over 150 lessons and over 10,000 practice problems!!
Each level has different animated learning coaches. There is a detective, a penguin, a girl, a robot, an owl, and super heroes. Something to appeal to all those little learners out there!
The program has an amazing reward system in place for the child. Parents can set up rewards for their children to earn. For every five lessons completed, the child will earn a reward picked by the parents. You can make up your own or pick from the wonderful list provided by GPA Learn. Just a few of the examples are picking what's for dinner, a parent does you chore, a trip to go get ice cream, earn a $1, a trip to the movies, get a special prize/gift, or earn $5 dollars. I like how parents can tailor the rewards to each child. Being able to be specific with the rewards allows parents to motivate all of their children in their own special way.
When the child logs into their account, they will see their dashboard.
The dashboard lets the child see their progress and if they have earned any rewards. From there, they can click onto the page that holds their lessons. The lessons are broken up between 3 colored paths. For 4th grade, the paths are green, purple, and blue. Each path will take the child down a different math function being taught for that grade level. My daughter path has hundredths place, thousandths place, and geometry.
The dashboard lets the child see their progress and if they have earned any rewards. From there, they can click onto the page that holds their lessons. The lessons are broken up between 3 colored paths. For 4th grade, the paths are green, purple, and blue. Each path will take the child down a different math function being taught for that grade level. My daughter path has hundredths place, thousandths place, and geometry.
The math lessons are broken up into 3 sections. Each lesson starts with an explanation of the math function being taught, then it is followed by a wonderful practice session. Finally, the third section is where the child can complete the quiz. The quiz is scored 4 ways.
Rockstar 14-15 Correct Level~Master
Excellent 12-13 Correct Level~ Master
Nice Job 10-11 Correct Level~ Apprentice
Keep Trying 9 or less Correct
There is also a page where the child can engage others that they become friends with. I briefly looked at this section, but we didn't friend anyone or link anyone to us. I don't really allow my kids to use the internet for that just yet. If you allow it, it may be another way to help encourage your child to achieve even more!
So how did it work for us?
After receiving my information for registration, I headed on over to the site to register my daughter. I picked the 4th grade math level for her, since she is in 4th grade. One complaint I do have is that there is no placement test. I think it would be extremely helpful for parents to be able to test their child first and then pick the appropriate level. Math programs and books vary greatly from what they cover year to year. Parents would benefit from an online placement test, so they could get the most out of this fun online math program.
For the 4th grade level, our learning guide was an owl named, Pemdas. She reminds me of a wizard owl from the stories about Merlin.....like Disney's Sword and the Stone.
The online math program is challenging. After the first few lessons, the 4th grade level seemed a little advance for her. My daughter is slightly behind in math and I was hoping this program would help her to catch up. Overall, she enjoys doing the online lessons. She has had a difficult time with some of them. She has had to repeat a few lessons multiple times before she can move on. This has caused some discouragement. It would be nice if there was a way to change levels online especially if your child is really having a difficult time with the lessons. It might be nice to automatically have access to the grades right below and above the grade level you picked for your child.
Pemdas is a wonderful instructor, but my daughter thinks the voice of the owl takes too long to start speaking. She ends up starting to read the math problem only to be interrupted by the owl. This has caused her to want to skip the instruction part and even the practice part. I have stressed to her that patience is a great virtue to learn.
Even with her difficulty with the level, she has asked to continue the program. Sadly, we haven't used the program as much as they recommend. My daughter has had a rough time this past month with being sick. The flu and a stomach bug has limited her ability to play. I will say that once she felt better, she immediately asks to do her online math work.
Want to learn more about GPA Learn? Check the following links!
Till next time,
~Monique
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