SEGway
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Posts posted by SEGway
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My last two were home water births. One with a midwife present and one before she got here. :)
Hey, me, too! :)
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I just wanted to say "Thank you!" to all who have spoken so eloquently to Hunter's thought-provoking question. We are just starting out, and you have given me much food for thought. (Especially with the self-education and top-down bridge-building ideas.)
I look forward to reading more.
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Thanks for all the responses!
I feel terribly unobservant having not noticed the printing quandry that seems to have frustrated several. I suppose I'll fiddle with that aspect when we get to pages that really need the bigger image. So far, oblivious has worked for both me and DD.
I guess I'll just add that we tried a bit of Math Mammoth 1A (sloooooow speed) and Miquon Orange (a bit more consistently than MM) last year for Kindy. DD seems to have grasped and retained some things, mainly the idea of number bonds/addition/subtraction for numbers <10 fairly well. The C rods have been a perfect manipulative with which to start (thanks for the glowing recommendations, Spycar!)
However, even after reading through the teacher materials for Miquon and "getting" what they seemed to be after, I did a poor job of presenting the material, I think. The things I should have stepped back to let her discover were getting frustrating for her, so I explained more than was actually helpful. The things I should have clarified, I went the other way and let her get the right answers without knowing that she understood why. So, the things that already made sense to DD were more enjoyable in the Miquon style, and the things that she actually needed to learn didn't click well.
I think backing up a bit to the beginning of MEP Y1 will be beneficial because I've created lots of gaps. Explaining and practicing with patterns and using different words to explain counting/less than-more than/even-odd, reviewing left/right and other relational/positional words have already been "lightbulb" moments for her.
The lesson plans make sense to me (so far), and the things I worried would be too babyish for her are some of the elements she most enjoys (e.g. making up stories about the posters and clap counting the animals in the pictures...go figure.)
All that to say, with as impressed as I am by the program, I haven't gone through Singapore at all in person. With what seemed like so many people appreciating MEP and then ultimately choosing Singapore, I wondered if there were additional components that made it superior, or if it was mostly a style preference.
Your replies have been really helpful. Many thanks!
Feel free to chime in with more. :001_smile:
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While doing research, I looked back for threads on MEP, and it seems as though you both liked/used MEP for a while and then both ended up with Singapore as your primary math.
What does SM have that MEP lacks? What made you switch? Do you still have a good opinion of the program having dabbled in more options since then?
TIA, you guys seem to really know your stuff.
Sarah
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Thanks for the review! I've been drooling over Apples too and am trying to decide if I want to purchase it.
Where did everyone order it from? From the LOF website, RR?
Fwiw, we ordered from ztwistbooks.com (the direct link from Polka Dot Press's website). The price of all their books includes media mail shipping.
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I should maybe explain that we have no intention of making this our elementary age math program.
DD6 responds exceptionally well to story teaching. We read the samples on PDP's site earlier in the month, and she really enjoyed those. I decided we should get at least one and give it a try.
Apples has 18 chapters of about 6 pages each. At the end of each chapter there's a "Your turn to play" section, but no bridges (or quizzes/tests).
The main concepts presented are very basic (commutative property of addition, identifying common geometric shapes, and telling time with an analog clock seem to be the most oft repeated themes). Sprinkled in among those three are random important-to-know-but-rarely-connected-together-by-normal-people factoids and blurbs from history/science/etc.
I have only ever looked through Fractions prior to Apples, so this may be an irrelevant observation. It seems like the point of early Fred books is not so much to stand in for a math class as it is to get kids excited about the need to learn math by giving examples of someone using math in real life (even if his real life is not even close to real). They give at least some reasons for the eternally asked "why?" The storyline is pretty goofy, but Dr. Schmidt is a good student of what a 6 yo will find humorous. DD laughed a lot through the first two chapters. (Corny jokes, but it has to be obvious in early elementary...)
We look forward to using this book (and most likely the rest of the elementary series when the budget allows) as a fun extra. Maybe as reading practice? I'm afraid they're not going to be long enough for her to make them last a decent amount of time, even with rationing. But DD6 already asked if she'll be allowed to read them on her own when we get through with it the first time. So, I think we'll probably get our money's worth from this volume.
The book's physical construction seems quite solid to me. (I expected this due to the Fractions volume we already had.) It looks built to last for a while. That's a good sign.
I'm not sorry we bought it. :001_smile:
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Arrived today. Very exciting. Just had to share. :001_smile:
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Holy Cow! I thought the hive took up a lot of my time. I had never even heard of Pinterest before. What a cool site! Thanks for all the links. (I think. :) )
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Thanks!
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The Home Instructor's Guide helps with understanding how to teach the "Singapore way". In order to get the most out of the program, this is important. Another way to learn how to do this is to read the book Elementary Mathematics for Teachers. I actually prefer this to the HIG because it gives you a bigger picture (all the way from grades 1-6) rather than just focusing on a particular lesson or level. What you don't want to do is hand the child the workbook and wing it with the teaching if you want the benefits of SM.
Hoping not to derail, but who wrote this? I was interested and found several different books with this title. Thanks.
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These look like so much fun! Eagerly awaiting the review with the rest of the pack. :)
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My experience is limited since we're just starting, but I've purchased the first two Artistic Pursuits books, and so far, we've really enjoyed both the approach and the projects.
In the first book, there aren't tons of instructions about how to do the projects, mostly just which materials to start with. For the true beginner (most 1st graders qualify as such :) ), it seems like a very gentle introduction to both fine art and the idea of what art is without requiring perfection of the student or setting them up for frustration by giving them instructions they are not equipped to follow.
I would definitely recommend it.
HTH. :)
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Thanks, again! It's very kind of you to search the other board, too. I completely forgot that it might be helpful to ask over there. :)
From those descriptions, it does sound like DITHOR is a much expanded version of what I liked in the emerging reader and storytime sections.
Also, I may be able to come up with my own emerging reader comprehension questions based on the Bloom's links you posted earlier.
THANKS!
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Thank you, mom24boys! That was an extremely helpful intro to the taxonomy.
Would anyone care to comment specifically on the relationship between HOD (either the manuals/storytime or DITHOR) and Bloom?
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As possibly pertinent background let me just say, I am largely unfamiliar with Bloom's Taxonomy (we've just been recently introduced). I purchased a used copy of Beyond for my rising 1st grader, but both of us really prefer to start into the world history cycle starting with ancients instead of American history. So, back to SOTW for us. :001_smile:
Looking through the questions for emergent readers, though, in HOD and researching a bit on the boards, I found that the manual provides more than just "what happened in that story" narration starter questions. It also introduced genres and looking for motivation in the storytime boxes dealing with longer/more complex read alouds. So, I wondered, is this what is meant by Bloom's Taxonomy? Is it necessary for younger elementary students? Is is possible to get something similar without keeping the entire HOD manual for the few pages in the back and trying to flip through to find the questions for read-alouds? Is this essentially what DITHOR does specifically for older kids? Should I try for that instead when she's a year or two older and just encourage reading for basic comprehension/ability to narrate now?
Does anyone follow what my actual question(s) are? (I'm not entirely sure I do....:tongue_smilie:)
Input would be appreciated. Thanks!
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We use Scott Foresman Art. The textbooks can be found for @ $5 on Amazon. The books are colorful, introduce lots of artists, and different types of mediums. The activities are easy to do, and I really do have most of the materials at home.
FTR we used Artistic Pursuits our 1st year hsing. My dc (and me!) much prefer Scott Foresman.
eta: I have grades 1-5 in my closet, so if you have questions, I can try to answer.
Does this include both art history and instruction in a similar way to Artistic Pursuits? Is it pretty open and go? (I really like the Amazon price!) What makes you prefer it to AP?
ETA: Is it worth the extra $ for the teacher's editions? What do they add to the program? Thanks!
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I had never heard of this site before. Thanks!
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Has anyone used this for 1st grade science? How did it go? Would you recommend it?
(It's free...and, you usually get what you pay for.)
Any reviews would be appreciated.
TIA!
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Thank you!
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Voskamp's website included the first three chapters of A Child's Geography. That helped me figure out that it was more earth-science-y (I know, that's not a real word) than cultural geography. And, I liked what I saw enough to scour the boards for a used copy. :)
I think, especially if the recommended age ranges for a certain material are fairly wide, it's helpful to see a bigger sample to see if your kids fall into the target audience.
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Thank you!
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I keep leaning toward VP for the history cycles. (Not necessarily their specific lesson plans, but starting in 2nd with ancients and going slow...then two 3 yr. cycles in jr. high and high school.)
So, I'm looking for something cohesive to tie first grade together, and I think geography would be much better than a year of strictly American history with geography tacked on (which is what seems to be preferred).
I just got HOD's Beyond (second-hand from the sale board, yeah!), and I'm expecting FIAR vol. 1 any day now. Either of those may work. But, I would love to hear about any preplanned stuff for 1st grade that centers on geography instead of Am. history. (Oh, and I've looked at WP HIH and that's not exactly my cup of tea....sorry to get picky. :tongue_smilie:)
I know we would be fine with just reading/handwriting/spelling/math, but we're expecting a new baby in Sept., and I think an actual program for this one year will be beneficial. Someone else's daily plans to keep me on track would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have!
Sarah
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Well, before starting kindy this year, I was most excited about content subjects and thought of the skill areas as something to be endured till we could get to the fun stuff. I wanted to dive right in with TOG with my newly-turned-5yo. (I still kind of want to do that!)
It's more "fun" to sit down and read a kid's history book or science book together than to work on phonics or adding, but I'm thoroughly convinced of the need to concentrate on those areas in the beginning. And, it's not quite as tedious as I'd feared. (Well, close....but not quite:001_smile:)
I know that I need something to get me doing the skill subjects, though. And, HOD is looking more and more like it might fit that description.
Possibly, Bigger (American Hist.) for DD1's 1st grade (I just can't stomach the CLP texts that comprise most of the two years before...but that's a personal hangup). Then, maybe MFW's Geography year for 2nd. Back to HOD's Preparing (world history in one year with CHOW) for 3rd. Then, DD2 will be in 2nd and we could do an accelerated VP cycle. That would only be one year of exclusively Am. hist.
However, by then, DD3 will be Kindergarten age....
And, the fourth will be three-ish. It's hard to imagine the toddlerhood of someone not yet born.
Also, I overanalyze a lot.
I really appreciate a place where this sort of stream-of-consciousness internal debating can be verbalized and get intelligent responses. Thankyou!
Sharing my SOTW Vol 1: Ancient Times/ Timeline Cards
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Thank you!