Math question / singapore math

[alexfam]

I tested my ds6 b4 I started ordering books for this school year using the placement test for Singapore math. He made a 80% on level 1B so I went ahead and ordered 2A. He has done very well but it all has seemed easy for him. Yesterday I combined 2 lessons into one and he ended up adding wtih carrying 2 digits that where both in the hundreds and then also had to add 3 digits that were all in the hundreds. Well, I wanted to see what he could really do and to challenge him. So, I gave him 2 numbers that where both in the millions and with carrying. Well, he correctly did it. So, even through I've only taught him to add digits into the hundreds he now can add digits to the millions and beyond. I guess i'm wondering now if Singapore math is really going to be the right math for him if he just gets math this fast and can take what I teach him and apply it to what I haven't taught him. I don't know if I should start looking at other math programs or continue with singapore. Any help or guidance would be appreciated. Also, this is our first year homeschooling. Technically he would be starting 1st grade in a few weeks but is beyound that.

 

Kathy - Tx

www.AbundantCrosses.com

[nmoira]

So, even through I've only taught him to add digits into the hundreds he now can add digits to the millions and beyond.

That's not a big jump for a child who understands the underlying process.

 

I guess i'm wondering now if Singapore math is really going to be the right math for him if he just gets math this fast and can take what I teach him and apply it to what I haven't taught him.

I'd stick with Singapore but add in Intensive Practice and CWP books if you haven't already. DD uses IP in lieu of the workbook. We also supplement with Primary Grade Challenge Math.

[abbeyej]

I agree with Moira. Many kids who "get" two-digit addition don't really need additional instruction to understand addition of larger numbers. So it's great that he did it, but it's not really shocking.

 

One thing though, is feel *free* to move *faster* with Singapore. One of the good things about it is that the lessons are so super-short, so you can do many in a day without overwhelming a child with the *number* of problems. So if you think it's too easy, feel free to go faster until it isn't so easy any more!

 

The supplements Moira mentions are very useful too.

[LisaKinVA]

Have to agree with the above posters regarding your experience with these concepts in particular. Singapore is very easy to move quickly through the curriculum when needed. My dd is the same way (and age as yours), doing the same thing -- although we're using a different curriculum (only my oldest went through Singapore to 3B).

 

Enjoy!

[KAR120C]

It really is one of the easiest to accelerate, and it sounds like you might need that in whatever math program you have! The major benefit to Singapore for accelerated kids is that they group the lessons by topic, so you know, if you skip something, exactly what it is you're skipping. What you'll want to avoid like the plague is any curriculum that mixes problem types in every lesson -- it's so much work to pick out what really needs to be done and what can be skipped, and it's easy to miss a topic that was kind of slipped in there with everything else! I like that Singapore does mixed problem reviews, because I do think it's important to be able to take on a variety of problems together, but since it's only a periodic thing it doesn't complicate your daily assignments so much.

 

The way we did Singapore Primary was to take the textbook and workbook at whatever speed DS needed, generally doing only the exercises from one or the other (not both). Then we added in the Challenging Word Problems about a semester or two behind, which gave him some review without being overly complicated about it. If I had heard of the Intensive Practice before we were nearly done with the series anyway I might have skipped the workbook in favor of that, as nmoira does. I've never looked into it myself, but I know that's a popular option.

 

I generally aimed for about 80% correct on everything. More than that and he was underchallenged, and less than that he wasn't really getting it. There were a few topics where he actually had to stop and work at it for a while, but only a few. And I found that if he was doing about 80% in his daily work, that by the time the topic showed up again (in the CWP for instance) he was absolutely solid on it. I think 80% leaves it at a point where he's still thinking about it on his own, and it's that "digesting time" that really makes it stick. We were fully into algebra before he really needed to slow down... but it's a balance between knowing that he's absolutely solid on his arithmetic manipulations and knowing that he's not completely tuning out.

 

Hope this helps!! :)

[Storm Bay]

I'd stick with it and work at whichever speed is comfortable. I've found that some concepts come almost instantly, whereas others take each level. Regrouping numbers, once understood, can easily be applied to larger numbers. However, there are enough other things covered in Singapore, particularly as you move up each level, that I find it helpful not to skip.

 

I agree with the suggestion to get CWP, and wish I'd been using them from the start.

[BusyMum]

I agree with the suggestion to get CWP, and wish I'd been using them from the start.

What is CWP? Mr6 loves Singapore Maths. I pulled him out of school a couple of months back and he was almost a year behind in areas with his maths. I started him with 1a and we have zoomed through both workbooks and have just finished the first 1b workbook. So far he has struggled a wee bit with learning the methods instead of relying on his memory but once he gets the conccepts he zooms through and gets everything right.

[Guest HomeEducatorbyAppointment]

Since home ed is new for you, I would stick with what you're doing and keep it fun. WTM recommends staying with what works in math so you don't have gaps. My first boy is going to college and I am so glad that I had lots of time with him and that he had lots of free time to read, explore, and experiment.

[KAR120C]

What is CWP?

It's a thin workbook of just word problems, following the same topics as the regular text and workbook. I like to run it at least half a level behind, and preferably a whole level, because when we did it that way it served as a little review and also allowed DS to think about the process and setup without having to also keep track of something new.

 

They are very challenging, too... there are some in book 4 and up that perfectly well-educated, mathy grownups (coughcough) stumble on. ;)

[Storm Bay]

It's a thin workbook of just word problems, following the same topics as the regular text and workbook. I like to run it at least half a level behind, and preferably a whole level, because when we did it that way it served as a little review and also allowed DS to think about the process and setup without having to also keep track of something new.

 

They are very challenging, too... there are some in book 4 and up that perfectly well-educated, mathy grownups (coughcough) stumble on. ;)

 

There's a great companion book I really like called The Essential Parents' Guide to Primary Maths: Strategies for solving challenging Maths Programs by Dr. Fong Ho Khong. You don't need the stuff after the colon to find it. One of the things I liked about it is that I wasn't wrong to use deductive thinking for some math problems. This was covered in one of the chapters in the section "The Heuristic Approach;" The second section is "The Model Approach," and the third, "Challenging Examination Problems."