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Which math after SM 5


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I'm sure I have seen posts about this exact topic before, but I am just not finding them today!

 

DD (6th grade) is finishing up SM 5.  She is math-capable, but not confident.  She doesn't particularly enjoy math.  I would like to move into something a bit more relaxed and, perhaps, fun before attempting algebra.  Would you experienced moms choose SM 6 or something else?  If we do SM 6, what would you do next?

 

ETA: She has used US edition since grade 1.

Edited by emmaluv+2more
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My student found SM6 to be a lot of review, or at least not a lot of hard new material, so it might be a good fit for a kid who needs more math confidence. We moved to AoQS pre-algebra after that, but if I had it to do over I'm not sure that I'd make the same decision. I might supplement with some of the interesting problems, but I might choose a curriculum that is less time-intensive. I found that my student is willing to do math, but not interested in putting in a lot of time. This year we got through about 1/2 of AoPS algebra, but the amount of time it took was making my kid not like math. I decided to spread out the challenge problems and also do work from the Jousting Armadillos series (right now, Chuckles the Rocket Dog) a couple of days a week to reinforce concepts and also give us a shorter lesson on busy days. The new series has been a hit - my kid works on math with no complaints and likes the puzzles scattered through the book. It will make algebra take 3 semesters, but my student is young, so I'm not worried about fitting it all in.

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My advanced DS did a compacted year of SM 5 and 6, and then did Jousting Armadillos before moving on to AOPS. My DD is going to do the same - she switched from BA to SM this year and we will do SM 6 and JA for sixth grade. After that, not sure!

 

JA is gentle but conceptual and good for kids who need a little narrative with their math.

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We went from SM 5/MM to AOPS Prealgebra. I read enough threads a few years ago about SM6 that I felt comfortable just skipping it and going straight to prealgebra. DD is good in math but doesn't have that passion that some kids have with math, yet has stuck with AOPS from prealgebra to her current level, geometry. It's familiar to us, and it's actually more fun than its appearance. I wouldn't describe it as relaxing math; it's going to frustrate the best of students. But some kids like those aha moments even if their passion is not math.

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We did SM6A/6B, and it took less than a school year, so we just started in on (Dolciani) pre-algebra. Both my students appreciated the review and the slightly-harder application of topics, and a side bonus was that both of them assumed (because 6A / 6B *is* a lot of review) that they were capable of self-teaching math! That confidence has come in VERY handy in pre-a and algebra in our particular situation.

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We went to Saxon with ds#2. He needed a more spiral math since with Singapore he was forgetting whole concepts. He mostly has taught himself with Dive videos. An unexpected bonus with that method is that he is now taking college level math and so far had one lousy professor. He was able to get a good grade by self teaching himself the material.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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After SM 5, we went to SM 6. I didn't realize that SM 6 is mostly review until after the fact. At first I was upset at wasting money on needless material. But in the end I'm glad and would do the same again. By Ds's request, he went through the books mostly at double pace, slowing down for the material that wasn't review. He finished both A and B in one semester. We then moved on to Dimensions Math since I was happy with Singapore and it was one of the few programs I looked at that presented algebra concepts at a lower grade level. While DM is manageable, it is definitely a huge step up as far as being a very demanding program. He spends WAY more time on his assignments each day. So I'm glad I didn't start it earlier. I definitely recommend SM 6 to reinforce and solidify concepts before moving on.

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We used Standards, but my DD completed 6A/B and is now working through NEM in 7th grade. 6A/B Standards didn't have many new topics, but it covered previous topics in more depth. My daughter does well with math, but made a lot of careless errors, so I thought it best for her to work through 6. It was valuable for her and I really see the benefit as she works through NEM.

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