Quick Singapore Math question

[displace]

We're doing Singapore Math 1B.  I noticed the recommended timeline when following the TM is about 50 or 60 days per level (A and B).  Which, even though we started late after pulling out of school, will have us finished by the end of the school year (only 100-120 days or so?).  It doesn't seem enough.  We need to school year round for learning disabilities and I was going to do some math.  Should I start level 2?  I thought they corresponded to grades but they don't seem to have enough and I'm wondering if we should just do supplemental questions or if we should have been doing those all along?  We generally do the workbook only, skip the textbook, and I teach until concept is understood, not belaboring it.  DS is gifted, FWIW, and we do supplemental dreambox on the computer and some card games.

 

Thanks! 

[Gil]

Well there are a lot of components to Primary Mathematics at each level so you can always get more material at the current level if you want to expand, practice, challenge, review, the material.

Textbook AB,

Workbook AB,

Extra Practice AB   --- almost identical to the workbook, I think.

Intensive Practice AB --at a higher level of challenge than the workbook.

Challenging Word Problems.

Plus, I think that there is more work in the HIG so there is that option as well.

[Five More Minutes]

As the PP said, there's a lot more to Singapore than textbook / workbook.

 

The HIG has some mental math work at the back that I adore.

 

After SM1B, I find the textbook offers slightly harder questions than the workbook. I tend to use the textbook a lot more from Levels 2 on up, and now in Level 4 I'm skipping the workbook entirely.

 

I use the CWP (although I would skip CWP 1) and IP books a bit behind for some constant review and deeper learning on concepts. Although with my one dd I'm using the IP on level instead of the workbook.

 

I tried Extra Practice once, but it's super-easy (easier than the workbook) and designed to give support to kids who are struggling with a topic. That doesn't sound like your student.

 

You can really make Singapore flex to meet your student. And of course, you can always move to the next level if he's ready for it.

[73349]

Sure, if he's got it, go on.

[displace]

So the curriculum if doing just the workbook would not last a full year at the recommended schedule. DS has very limited patience for extra work so that's why we skip the textbook. We do need to work on math facts for fluency too.

 

Ok good. I may look at the word problems and skim the textbook to see which problems are harder.

 

I'll have to see what HIG is. Sounds familiar but I'm not sure.

[FairProspects]

The workbook is the easiest component of Singapore. IMHO, you are really missing out on key concepts if you only teach with the workbook. If you were to pick only one component to teach, my pick would be the textbook for a better balance of problems or the IP. I suspect he will not be bored with the textbook as it is more challenging than the workbook, but if you are finishing early, the obvious answer to me is to add the textbook. If it is too easy, skip the workbook problems or use the IP instead of the workbook, but you miss a lot of direct instruction by eliminating the textbook.

[wendyroo]

Peter is currently working on Singapore 2A.  We use the textbook and the intensive practice book in place of the workbook.  

 

In between textbook units, I intersperse units from the Express Speed Maths Strategies book and the Process Skills in Problem Solving book.  These give him a lot of fact practice, mental math practice and explicit teaching of problem solving strategies.  (Those two books only have one level per grade, not an A book and a B book.)  

 

After we finish a full semester of work (2A textbook, 2A intensive practice book, half of Express Speed book, half of Process Skills book) then we take a break from everything else and work through the relevant topics in the Challenging Word Problems book which puts to use all the process skills he has learned and provides review of the entire semester's topics.

 

Wendy

[twoxcell]

I would recommend using at least the Textbook and the Workbook together. The TB contains the instruction part of SM and the WB is for extra practice after the topic is taught with the TB. Also the TBs contains Review and Practice sections.

[displace]

Ok, I'll recheck the Textbook problems.  When I looked earlier it seemed like the textbook problems were just so easy and limited.  I wonder if it's the edition I'm using?  I have the new common core edition.  The only difference I've found is a few word problems, which is sort of how I phrase my teaching, "If I have 12 ice cream cones and you give me 28 more...".

 

I teach by direct instruction without any book sources for DS to look at.  DS learns better with examples and manipulatives and I have a hard time using the textbook to "teach" the new concepts.  I use the teacher's manual to make sure I cover the different ideas and examples.  The workbook does have a review as well, which I had been using in some areas to skip chapters I knew that he knew but I just wanted to make sure, IYKWIM?  In my edition I felt there were actually more problems in the workbook than the textbook.  And DS does not have the ability to focus for that much, nor the patience to do the same concepts over and over just for practice on the concepts.  But I feel the computer games for fluency are giving that practice.

 

I'll get out the CWP.  They don't make intense practice for CC edition that I know of, just extra problems (which are exactly like the workbook and we haven't used them).  And I've looked through the CWP but a lot of them seem to be more logic word problems.  Not that that's bad, and I guess that helps with thinking skills but they seemed to be pretty peripheral to the concepts we're going over in the lesson.  Sort of like they're whole new lessons.

[Five More Minutes]

I should clarify that I noticed the difference between the textbook and workbook once we hit 2A and 2B. 1A and 1B didn't vary much from text to workbook. (We use Standards Edition here.)

 

They don't make IP for the Standards Edition, either -- I just use the US edition IP. It works just fine.

 

And I really think that CWP 1 is entirely skippable. It didn't add much value to our program at all. I do like using Process Skills in combination with CWP after Level 1. The Process Skills books give some great instruction in problem-solving strategies, and then CWP provides them with the opportunity to use those strategies.

 

If you think your ds has mastered the concepts in 1B, then you don't need to linger -- that's the beauty of homeschooling. It's fine to move on to 2A, but I would definitely consider using some of the other Singapore resources so that the program is a good fit for his ability. You may end up flying through a couple of levels in a year even with the add-ons -- and if he's being appropriately challenged and understands the material, then that's just great! 

[displace]

I should clarify that I noticed the difference between the textbook and workbook once we hit 2A and 2B. 1A and 1B didn't vary much from text to workbook. (We use Standards Edition here.)

 

They don't make IP for the Standards Edition, either -- I just use the US edition IP. It works just fine.

 

And I really think that CWP 1 is entirely skippable. It didn't add much value to our program at all. I do like using Process Skills in combination with CWP after Level 1. The Process Skills books give some great instruction in problem-solving strategies, and then CWP provides them with the opportunity to use those strategies.

 

If you think your ds has mastered the concepts in 1B, then you don't need to linger -- that's the beauty of homeschooling. It's fine to move on to 2A, but I would definitely consider using some of the other Singapore resources so that the program is a good fit for his ability. You may end up flying through a couple of levels in a year even with the add-ons -- and if he's being appropriately challenged and understands the material, then that's just great!

Thanks for the clarification. One reason I like Singapore for us is that it seems straightforward, not too repetitive, and introduces the concepts in different ways. I'll look into mix and match for the editions for level 2.