I remember reading that, also. It is an error. There are more errors in the teacher's guide than I would have thought, but it is the first edition. ;) By definition, one cannot be a prime number, because a prime number is a natural number which has exactly two distinct natural number divisors: 1 and itself.

Russian Math 6, Singapore NEM 1, Dolciani Algebra It may be helpful to work a little bit ahead of your daughter if you choose one of these. Good Luck :)

In addition to what has already been mentioned, I suggest Suppes' and Hill's First Course In Mathematical Logic. I've been working through it making a solutions manuel for my daughter to use. It takes the student deeper into math and introduces rigorous mathematical logic. Students translate English sentences into logic and mathematical symbols. It came out in the 1960s - it's good stuff. ;)

My daughter and I discuss beforehand how I will grade. She understands that whatever grade she gets on her tests, I will record. I encourage her to check her work before she hands it in. This seems to cut down on errors. In math, for example, she does have to redo a problem that she misses if her mistake is substantial - like an error in understanding how to do the problem. If it is a simple mistake like addition/subtraction error, then we usually just discuss it. The grade she gets the first time is the grade I count. She understands that there are consequences for getting problems incorrect or accidentally skipping some. I would not feel comfortable giving her an inflated grade because it would not be accurate, nor would it reflect her level of understanding of the materiel.

This current flu seems a bit more dangerous to me based on my own experiences with it. I have one son who after having the flu for several days last week came down with pnuemonia. He has no underlying health conditions and has never had pneumonia before. Thankfully we caught it early and treated it. Another son has mild asthma and the doctor immediately put him on Tamiflu. We are still dealing with his sickness and it is quite frightening. Reading that Tamiflu may have caused the deaths of so many young people does not make me rest any easier. This has been a scary flu season for us so far.

Another idea is to combine Singapore with another program. For example 3 days of one and then two days of Singapore. This idea may work for you since you do really like Singapore. I used Saxon 2 with Singapore 1 with the schedule I described above - with success. If you use Saxon, though, be prepared to spend time on math. It is time consuming and teacher intensive. I like the elementary levels, and I think they do a good job explaining concepts. They also learn the math facts well and focus on patterns (sequences) a great deal. I do think Singapore gets better at level 2 and even better at level 3 and above. Good luck :)

I used grammar island with my daughter in 3rd grade. We both appreciated the way it showed the bigger picture of what was going on rather than focusing on the parts as many grammar programs do. My favorite part is the four-level analysis. First the student identifies the parts of speech. Below that they identify the parts of the sentence, then below that the phrases. At the very bottom they identify the clauses. It really gives the student a feel for the whole picture, and encourages them to look for these patterns in all the sentences they analyze. I used it as a supplement on Fridays when we wanted a break from our regular grammar program. Good luck :)

This is an good read: An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. http://www.newmanreader.org/works/development/index.html by Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman. He describes the growth and development of doctrine in the Catholic Church, from the time of the Apostles to his time. He was an Anglican convert to Catholicism.

There are multiple ways to solve this problem. I would first rewrite it: 2 + -7(4 + -x) = 9 Rewrite the subtraction as the addition of the opposite number. This makes it easier to distribute the -7 and will cause less confusion with the signs. One way: -7 (4 + -x) = 7 ( I subtracted 2 from both sides.) 1. Divide both sides by - 7 then you have (4 + -x) = -1 2. Add x to both sides: 4= x-1 3. Then you have x = 5. The second way: 2 + -28 + 7x = 9 Distribution of multiplication over addition -28 + 7x = 7 Subtract 2 from both sides. 7x = 35 Add 28 to both sides x = 5 I slightly prefer the second way, but both methods work equally well.

You know her the best, so I'd say trust your gut. ;) If you do enroll her in Algebra, I suggest you continue afterschooling her in Pre-Algebra topics and carefully watch how or what topics may cause her problems throughout the year in Algebra and focus on those after school. If you don't enroll her, then I would have her focus on Pre-Algebra topics along with CWP or IP from Singapore Math or something similar which goes into more depth than the regular math programs. If you are afterschooling her, you would be able to help her deal with a non-mathy teacher by filling the gaps. In high school, she could focus on more in-depth Algebra like Gelfands or some other book that you think would fill this that would require a bit more mastery of Algebra. Congratulations on her scoring 100% on her placement test. Good Luck :)

With Saxon 2, I'd use CWP 1. Good Luck :)

From http://www.mathematicallycorrect.com/k6books.pdf, I remember reading this awhile back. The findings for grade 2 were: Ranking: Sadlier 1st place, Saxon 2nd place, SRA 3d place Keep in mind, though, that most people who use Saxon use it one grade level ahead which would lead one to conclude that Saxon would come in first place surpassing the other two when Saxon 3 is what is normally used in 2nd grade. Also note that for fifth grade the results were: Ranking: Saxon 1st place, Sadlier 2nd place, SRA 3d place. "For fifth grade, in spite of our caveats, the chart below is consistent with our subjective evaluations of these programs. The Saxon math program is the strongest of the three, overall, and the strongest in terms of mathematical reasoning. The Sadlier program provides a solid foundation in grade-level content and we recommend it as well. By contrast, the SRA program has many weaknesses and we do not recommend it for classroom use."

I think it would be helpful for them to learn multiple ways to approach math and may help them in making connections between the different approaches. Also, you spending time with them teaching them math will show them that it is important to you. :)

I really grow tired of comments like this. Most people use drills to help learn the math facts, and you do have to think before you write the answer. It trains you to think quickly so the math facts are automatic. We have used K-3 Saxon and it has not hurt my children in the least. They know their facts automatically which will help them when they get to the upper levels. I am curious how long you have used Saxon to make these comments that you make?

Misty, If you would like me to go into more detail or list it out step by step let me know. :)

The LCM of a set of numbers is the product of all the prime factors necessary to form any number in the set. To form 32 you need the minimum or five 2's. We have that 32 = 2^5 = 2X2X2X2X2. So the LCM of 32 and 24 is the product of five 2's and one 3. You only need to multiply 2^5 by one 3 rather than by the entire 24=3X2X2X2 to get the LCM since the other 2X2X2 is already accounted for in the 2X2X2X2X2 product. (2/2) x (2/2) = 1. It looks to me like they are showing it to you with prime factors 2x2 rather than using the composite number 4, so ((2/2) x(2/2)) = (4/4)=1. Either way you are multiplying by one to rewrite your fraction in terms of 96 parts rather than the original 24 parts so that you can easily combine the numerator.

Singapore Level 1 jumps around a lot. It's my least favorite level. (Although I do like the IP Level 1 workbooks!) I recommend using Saxon 2 or another program with Singapore 1. I've used Saxon with Singapore for two children now. My 6yo 1st grader last year did Saxon 2 for 3 days, and Singapore 1 on Thursday and Friday. It kept us from getting burned out with either by varying them. For Saxon 2, I would plan out 4 days of lessons to be covered in 3 days by combining the two easiest lessons of the four on one day and doing the remaining lessons as scheduled in the book. We then had two days per week for Singapore. We also do math through the summer so we focused exclusively on Singapore then. We were able to cover it all without much frustration. Good luck :)

I tend toward an LCC approach, but with more emphasis on math than most would. I think we as parents and educators gravitate towards what we enjoy, and my background is in mathematics so I've always put more emphasis on it. At the K-6 level, I think it more important to focus on Language Arts and math, and I go in smaller doses on history, science, art, etc. Science and History are important to me, but if the base is strong in math (logic) and language arts, these subjects can be picked up in more depth quickly and firmly at the upper levels.

I own the level 5 teacher's standard edition since there was no HIG available for this level. The teacher's edition seems to be designed to help teachers understand the course material and see how it fits in with the curriculum as a whole. There are notes that refer teacher's to concepts and content taught earlier and provide bridging activities. After each lesson there are directions for which workbook exercise, extra practice section and/or test go with the lesson. I like it better and think it goes into more depth than simply using the text alone. One would probably not need to do all the practice problems, but I like that there are more choices and more background depth and descriptions than what is in the textbook to pick and choose from. Good Luck :)

I am using the Teacher's Guide for level 5 this year with my daughter. I think it is very useful. It gives background information about the topics and goes into more depth than the text. There are days when we don't even use the textbook, instead using only examples from the TG and then straight to the workbook. The one problem I have seen, and this is likely due to the fact that this is a first edition of the Teacher's Guide, is that there are some mistakes in the solutions. My daughter has been right on several occasions where the answer key has been wrong. Keep this in mind when you are correcting. Also note that the standards edition level 5 is more dense than the previous levels. There will be a great deal more information coming in each lesson. Good luck! :)

I'm using Singapore level 5 Standards Edition this year with my daughter. I'm using the Teacher's Edition, not a HIG, and I think I prefer the TE to the Level 5 textbook. It gives more examples and background information than the text. Some days we don't even do the text. If you are able to, I suggest getting both the text and the Teacher Guide (or HIG). Good Luck. :)

:iagree:

For multiplication, if he understands the place value concept it will be easier to pick up. Something like this will take longer at first. When my 9yo daughter first learned this I made her check her work and it did take about 5 minutes per problem. Now she does them more quickly. I'd be patient with him, and make sure he gets what is going on before I'd be concerned about speed. Good Luck :)

Melissa's is very similar to what I am doing with my second child. :) K-Saxon 1, Singapore 1A, IP 1A (Summer) 1-Saxon 2, Singapore 1B, IP1B, 2A, IP 2A (Summer) 2-Saxon 3, Singapore 2B, IP 2B, CWP 2(Summer) 3-Singapore 3A, 3B, IP 3A, IP 3B CWP 3(Summer) 4-Singapore 4A, IP 4A, 4B, IP 4B, CWP 4 (Summer) 5-Singapore 5A, IP 5A, 5B, IP 5B CWP 5 (Summer) 6-Singapore 6A, 6B, Russian Math 6, CWP 6(Summer) He also does various times/addition/subtraction/division tables daily for K-6. I want the math facts automatic. 7-10-Dolciani Algebra and above, also supplement with Gelfand's Algebra and Suppes Intro to Math Logic 11- Dolciani's Modern Introductory Analysis 12th - Calculus I and II - Swokowski - I'll likely be teaching this. My daughter's schedule is similar except that she is doing EPGY with Singapore and is a year ahead of grade level in Singapore. For science, my children attend outside science classes taught by a paid science teacher where they work in groups with others and have science equipment. We have also done Kolbe's Harcourt Science textbooks in the past and enjoyed those.