Lydia
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Posts posted by Lydia
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Have you been to Singapore's forums? There is a board specifically for asking how to solve problems. The moderator will answer, walking you throught the solution. You can also search for the problem in the forum, because it may have already been discussed.
http://www.singaporemaths.com/forums/
Singapore (esp 3-6) uses models to solve what are basically algebra story problems that I would normally solve with equations. I do not think I was taught in school how to use models that way, and it took me a little while to get used to it!
I assign CW and IP to my girls to do on their own, but there are always some problems that they do not get on their own and that we do together on the blackboard.
Best wishes,
Lydia
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The Teacher's Guide was written with a classroom in mind. The Home Instructor's Guide was written with a homeschooler in mind. In my opinion, the main way this is obvious is in the game suggestions (which are more of an issue in the early years like 1 and 2, where they suggest more games than in the higher grades). The games in the Teacher's Guide often need more students than most homeschoolers have. I think the Home Instructor games can be played with one or two students. When I began using Singapore 5 years ago, I am not sure there was a Home Instructor's Guide. In any case, I began with the Teacher's Guide, and I have stuck with it since I am used to it and it works well for me. The only problem I had was the games in the early years, and it was not too hard for me to work around that.
I really like the way the Teacher's Guides go through the concepts that you should be imparting in each unit and each lesson. I imagine the Home Instructor's Guides do that too, but I have never looked at one in detail to know.
The Teacher's Guide is set up so that at the beginning of a chapter it gives a summary of all the lessons for the unit, and how they relate to the pages in the text and workbook. It then has a written explanation of what you need to impart in the unit, and gives background on what you should have covered in previous years to lead up to this. It tells you what materials you will need, etc. Then, each lesson is outlined with steps for teaching it, when you discuss what pages in the text, etc, extra examples, and it tells you what to assign from the regular workbook for that lesson. (It does not tell you what to assign from Challenging Word or Intensive Practice, but those are pretty easy to figure out for yourself.) It sometimes has drills that you can photocopy, or figures (for geometry, for example) that you can copy and use during a lesson.
Best wishes,
Lydia
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how long does each book last?
-rebecca-
The books contain 3 topics (Chemistry, Physics, Biology). I have only used Level I so far, but I *think* Level II is the same three topics, just at a more advanced level. Real Science 4 Kids seems to assume that you will do one book in one year. That is not how we have done it. We have stretched each of the 3 topics to last a year, *but* we have used it with other resources, as I discussed in my post earlier in this thread. The Real Science probably at best was 1/3 of our material for the year. So how long the book lasts depends on how you use it.
Best wishes,
Lydia
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by same subject/topic i meant that I don't want to be studying one individual subject (eg. the solar system) for a whole year.
I don't mind studying biology for a whole year.
-rebecca-
Ah, then you might like Real Science 4 Kids. But again, I think you would need to supplement it if stretching each section to last a year.
-Lydia
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We have used Real Science 4 Kids. I am not sure if it would meet your requirements? If you did all three topics (Chemistry, Physics, Biology) in one year (since you say that you do not want the same topic for the whole year), then you would be done with the middle school Real Science program in one year.
We stuck with the WTM idea of doing one topic per year and cycling (life sciences, earth sciences/astronomy, chemistry, physics). So we took each section of Real Science 4 Kids and used it for the entire year, integrating it with other materials (since it would not have been enough on its own). For example, when doing the Biology year, we also did the two books How Nature Works and How the Human Body works as well as the Biology sections from Real Science. We did the experiments from Real Science (which are good for the Biology year - you do use a microscope quite a bit) and we did experiments from the How . . . books plus some other sources. In addition, the girls used outside reference books to write several reports each week. So by doing that the Biology part of Real Science 4 Kids lasted all year.
But again, unless I am misunderstanding you, if you wanted to do all 3 topics in one year, then you would not have anything from the Real Science book for years 2 and 3 of middle school unless you then went into the second level of Real Science - but again, that would I think then only give you one additional year.
Best wishes,
Lydia
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We have used Singapore since 1A and are now beginning 6A. We have loved it.
I took my twins out of public school halfway through first grade. They tested higher than 1A (I cannot remember the specifics) but I decided to just begin with 1A anyway, and move fairly quickly. I was so unhappy with the math program they had been doing in public school that I wanted to be sure they did not miss a critical building block by skipping the beginning of Singapore. What happened is that we were able to move fast and we easily finished 1A and 1B in the second half of 1st grade.
I strongly agree that Singapore Math is a much stronger program if you do the supplemental books, specifically Challenging Word, Intensive Practice, and the tests. Those books take it to a whole different level, as the problems are much more challenging than the ones in the workbooks. I feel that by using those (which we did not do in level 1 but began using with 2A) my girls have a very, very good grasp of the concepts. Singapore, especially the Challenging Word, is very good about creating problems that demand that the child really understand the concept. It is not really possible to do those problems by just memorizing one method of doing a problem - because they are all different twists on things.
I also agree with the comment about the teacher's manual. We actually do not use the Home Instructor Guide, but rather the Teacher's Guide, but either way these manuals offer invaluable explanations about what concepts you should be imparting in each lesson. It is not as scripted as I hear Saxon is (I have never actually seen Saxon, so I could be wrong), but it does give you a lesson plan and an explanation of what the concept is.
I am sure that Saxon gives a strong foundation, but I absolutely think that Singapore does too, particularly if you use the additional books. I also think Singapore is excellent (in the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word especially) at doing a considerable amount of pre-algebra quite early.
Best wishes,
Lydia
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For a dictionary we have been using Cassell's Latin Dictionary.
For derivatives, we use two things. First, we use something called the Latin-English Derivative Dictionary by Rudolph F. Schaeffer, PhD, edited by W.L. Carr. We purchased this for about $7 from the American Classical League:
http://www.aclclassics.org/tmrc/catalog.asp?parent=44&category=1&c=
This pamphlet is not perfect, but is a nice resouce. Sometimes it puts a huge number of derivatives after a word (eg, capio) when some might be more specifically placed under other words. But it is a good starting point.
Secondly, we check derivatives (and see if something is one) in the American Heritage Dictionary, which seems to do a pretty good job of that.
By the way, if you have not checked out the American Classical League site and listing of materials, you might enjoy doing so. They have a very wide selection of titles in Latin, and other supplementary materials that I think would be great once you get to the JH/HS level.
Best wishes,
Lydia
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Two things I forgot to mention a minute ago:
1) As you may know, Singapore Math has a forum too. You can post with pretty specific questions about teaching particular concepts and in the past the moderator has been very nice about giving ideas.
http://www.singaporemaths.com/forums/
2) If you do want a program that has review questions built into each day's exercises, then you may not want Singapore. Because although I do think concepts build well on each other in this program, daily review of previous chapters is not done of this program. I *think* Saxon has review as part of each day's exercises.
Best wishes,
Lydia
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We have been using Singapore Math all along (so beginning with 1A) and are now about to begin 6A. We have loved it. I do think that to get the full benefit of Singapore Math you should consider doing not only the regular text and workbook, but also the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word books for each year. They take it to a whole different level as they contain significantly more difficult problems than the workbook and really require the student to fully understand the concepts, not just memorize a way of doing a problem (particularly with the word problems).
Do you have the Teacher's Manual? There are two versions, the Teacher's manual (which is what we use) and a homeschool version of the teacher's manual. Those, or at least the TM, give lesson plans. So for each chapter it details what should be covered in each lesson. It goes into quite a bit of detail about the concepts that you should be teaching, and I think it would be very difficult (for me anyway) to teach Singapore Math to its full potential without the TM and its explanations.
We generally did one lesson (meaning one lesson from the TM) per day, although sometimes we were able to do two lessons in a day. We usually had to add a few days at the end of each chapter to allow us to finish the Intensive Practice and the Challenging Word sections for that chapter. And we added some days to prepare for the tests.
I actually think that as you advance through this program you will find concepts revisited. I also think that as you advance you will find, for example, that word problems (particularly in the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word books) begin to require not only things being studied in that chapter but also things from previous chapters. I really liked that.
There will also be some revisiting of concepts each year, especially in the early years.
Best wishes,
Lydia
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I would definitely check into the laws in your state. In my state (WI), it states on the application for home-based private educational program that the instruction can be provided by a parent or guardian, or by someone designated by the parent or guardian, but that the program cannot provide instruction to more than one family unit. I think this means that in WI you cannot teach children from your family plus another family. But perhaps in such a case you could register as a private school rather than a home-school. And I am sure it varies state to state, so it may not be an issue in your state.
Best wishes,
Lydia
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Thank you, everyone - this is very helpful.
-Lydia
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Thank you, Jeannine!
-Lydia
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Is this book consumable, or just a text? (I am trying to figure out if I would need a copy for each child.) Are there exercises to be assigned in it, or just ones for classroom discussion?
Also, did people like it as a follow-up to Mind Benders but before formal logic?
Thanks!
Lydia
Middle school science options?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
I am confused. We have the Real Science 4 Kids Level I, and as far as I know there is not a single reference to God in it. What specifically are you referring to?
-Lydia