We're finished with RightStart A, and I don't want to start B yet...

[KIN]

I thought I would supplement the rest of this year with Singapore math. However, I can't figure out if I want their Earlybird Kindergarten 2B or Primary 1A? Can you help me figure it out? I don't really want to teach him more, just kind of keep practicing what he knows.

 

I don't think I want to go ahead in B, b/c I think it might be hard to jump back in after our summer break. We do take the summer off! I thought starting B, from the beginning in the fall, would make more sense. So, all you helpful people, what should I do? Earlybird 2B or Primary 1A?

 

Kathy

[jeri]

We just finished RS A aned just kept moving into B. The first 25 chapters are review anyway. We don't do school in the smmer either. I had looked at SM 1, but we are at the point where they start subtraction and I wanted to just keep plugging on addition. Also, I find SM to be too reading intensive for a child who does not yet read and a mom who would rather focus on RS style math for right now. Bottom line is that I would encourage you to just keep plugging on RS.

 

jeri

[HappyGrace]

to get the RS Math Games and do some of them over the summer to keep it fresh. I've done RS A, B, and am in C with dd8. There is a HUGE cognitive leap in the middle of RS B. She is advanced academically, but she hit a wall there, and it's common to do so in the middle of B. We actually had to stop B in the middle of her 1st grade year and do games (plus we had a slight foray into Saxon 2 due to me having a grass-is-greener moment.) I was SO glad we did this because we finished up B over this past fall-into-winter and everything clicked so well and quickly. By the end of B they are doing four-digit addition with carrying, so it gets pretty advanced for first grade.

 

I will be in the same boat as you with ds5. He'll do RS A over this next year, but not be ready for the concepts that I know B gets into in the middle of the next year, so I'll have to stall for awhile too. I like for them to see the concepts first in RS, so that makes it hard to use any other math curricula along with it. (Although dd uses CLE math a half-level behind RS for some spiral review.) I do think Singapore might be a nice complement though since they are similar in presentation. I have Primary 1A and B here and quite some time back I compared RS (forgot what level) to it and it was pretty close, with Singapore hitting multiplication much sooner. I might consider that, along with RS games, for ds between RS A and B.

 

Oh, yes, I meant to mention too that I have Singapore EB 2B here, and ds has done all of the EB series BEFORE even going into RS A, so I don't think you want to do that. (Although my ds can manipulate numbers up to 20 pretty well so it was easy for him.) Another thing is that it has quite a bit of writing in it, if you're dc isn't ready for that yet. We did a lot of it orally.

 

Can I make another suggestion? You might want to try a workbook called Mind Building Math by Critical Thinking Co. It's for level K-1. It's a little pricey, but it is an amazing book. It's math, but it incorporates critical thinking into it. Ds is LOVING this book. It is really stretching his numerical thinking. I think it would work well after RS A.

 

Another thing you could do is add in some critical thinking books with your child. I have done MUCH more of this with ds than I did with dd, and I really see how it's helping his mathematical skills.

 

HTH!

[nmoira]

I second the recommendation to play games until you're ready to start Level B. You'd be best to avoid the Singapore EB books as they emphasize using counting as a technique for adding and subtracting, which is a big "no" if using RightStart. I haven't seen Singapore 1A, but I suspect it also starts with using counting to add.

[Mom0012]

I just completed RS A with my daughter a couple of weeks ago and I didn't really want to start B until September. I thought about using Singapore 1A with her until then, but it really goes beyond what RS A teaches. It includes subtraction as well as addition beyond partitioning 10. I guess the Earlybird books could be an option.

 

I have decided to just continue on with RS B and do only a couple of lessons a week. We will hit the middle of RS B quickly otherwise because I am also skipping many of the review lessons at the beginning of B. Someone gave me a list made by Dr. Cotter and told me if I go directly to B, I should just do lessons 9, 15, 16 and then 24 and on.

 

If my daughter doesn't have trouble when we hit the middle of B, I think the benefit of moving on now is that we can just do a couple of math lessons a week and finish B at the end of this year without ever doing more. This will also give us more time to complete level C at a slower pace as well and level C has many more lessons than A or B. I use a lot of teacher-intensive programs, so I love the idea of just being able to do math with her a couple of times a week.

 

I'm definitely going to check into that Mind Building Math book someone recommended above, though.

 

Lisa

[PeterPan]

Well my two cents is to continue with level B. If he's gone that quickly through level A, he's clearly ready, and many people do level B in K5 with advanced dc. There are some sections in level B, especially when you get to 4 digit addition starting in lesson 40, that can take MUCH longer than you anticipate. I actually spent WEEKS on one lesson at that stage, slowing down, doing just a couple problems a day.

 

I would continue to play the games. Get the Games book and go ahead in to start looking for more sophisticated ones to keep him challenged. He can start playing games with the skip counting for multiplication, something you'll introduce in level B. We introduce it in level B, play games, and keep doing that gently over time, excepting them to be mastered later. I would get the book Primary Challenge Math by Zaccaro to add some spice to your time. If he gets into B and hits a wall or you just plain want to stop for a while at some point, that's when I'd do Zaccaro and some of the more sophisticated RS card games. A lot of the solitaire variations are very fun when played together. :)

 

The main reason to keep going is because a break from March to September is way too long. SM is fine, but it has a different sequence it teaches things in and will seem redundant on some things, too much on others. I just wouldn't bother. I'd keep going with RS right on into level B. The other thing I'd do is start thinking seriously about drill and whether you're going to do the RS drill sheets, computer drill (Quarter Mile Math, whatever), worksheets you print out, Math Shark, whatever, and get a routine of doing that daily. It's actually more important to get that habit than to proceed forward quickly. Once he's done enough of the skip counting games, you can go ahead and add multiplication to your drill time also.