Singapore math workbooks

[cottonmama]

I'm planning to use Singapore math with my dd starting in 1st grade, but I'm not sure what to do about the workbooks. Are they an integral part of the program? (i.e. if I tried to supplement with worksheets I find online, would dd be missing out on some of the best of Singapore math?)

 

Also, are the workbooks consumable, or is it easy enough to copy problems and photocopy an occasional worksheet so the workbooks can be reused?

 

Thanks!

[Old Dominion Heather]

You need the workbooks. I also think the extras are well worth the money, particularly the Intensive Practice books.

 

Copying the books would violate copyright law. You could have her do some of the work on other paper, but it would be difficult and it just wouldn't work with some pages.

[CatMomof3]

:iagree:

[AudreyTN]

The workbooks (as well as the text books) are integral to the program. If you absolutely need to save the $$ instead of buying an extra workbook, you could use a clear sheet (like a page protector or report cover) and have your child use dry erase markers.

[mollies73]

I actually just bought the workbooks and not the textbooks. At this level, I felt comfortable teaching the concepts introduced.

[cottonmama]

Thanks, everyone. It's good to hear such a unanimous answer!

 

I was confused about the copyright comment since I had assumed it would fall under fair use since it's for educational purposes. A quick Google search confirmed that you were right (it does violate copyright):

 

http://www.eclectichomeschool.org/articles/article.asp?articleid=388&deptid=23&resourceid=209

 

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I agree, the workbooks are cheap. Might as well buy one per child. (Although using a clear sheet is a good idea!)

[cottonmama]

One more question -- are the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems also supposed to be consumable? I own a couple of those (grades 5-6) and it seems like it would be no problem just to write the answers on another page. Is it different in the workbooks, or in earlier grades?

[cimhog]

IMO, the textbooks are not a waste of money. They teach you the concepts the right way. For my kids, I used the 3rd Edition textbook, no workbook, but IP and CWP US edition. It worked out great since I got both metric system and American measurements covered.

[arcara]

One more question -- are the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems also supposed to be consumable? I own a couple of those (grades 5-6) and it seems like it would be no problem just to write the answers on another page. Is it different in the workbooks, or in earlier grades?

 

My dd did CWP 3 last year on separate paper, so I can use the book with all the children. It worked just fine. Also, the CWP books are going OOP, so we will all HAVE to use them non-consumably now! :)

[AngieW in Texas]

If you don't want to use up the workbooks, you could either have your dd do all her work on a separate piece of paper, or you could slide a page protector over the page and have her work it with a transparency pen.

[hsmom27]

We're on a really tight budget, so I have my DC write their answers out in a notebook. I do glance through ahead of time and, if there's a puzzle/picture, I go ahead and draw it out for the kids. It usually only takes a second.

 

We love the IP and CWP books. For us, they are definitely an integral part of the program.

[FO4UR]

If $ is an issue, MEP is a free online math curric that is wonderful! I think MEP is more challenging than Singapore, and definitely worth a look! Here is a link, and if you do a search on this forum for MEP you'll find lots of threads.

 

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm

 

As far as Singapore, we are nearing the end of 1A and I think both the Textbook and Workbook are a MUST! The 1A textbook is very colorful and my dc want to "read" it snuggled on the couch and cozy:) I LOVE the workbook b/c it is black&white and uncluttered yet kid-friendly....WELL worth the $8 I paid for it!;)

[abreakfromlife]

People keep saying this, but I don't understand why. I'm thinking I had a different edition or something. Honest, there was no explanation half the time in the lower levels. There were just samples of problems and how they were figured out.

 

LOL. I'm in the same boat.......I'm reading a bunch of Singapore posts trying to figure out my problem....I feel like a singapore failure :tongue_smilie:

[amsunshine]

I pretty much "winged it" without the textbooks for 1A and 1B, however, I used the Standards Edition of the Extra Practice book (instead of the regular workbooks) and then the IP and CWP. The Standards Edition of the Extra Practice book has introductory "notes" for each section that are helpful to teach the concepts for that section.

 

My elder dd is now almost done with 2A, but I've been using the Teacher's Manual, the textbook and the IP and CWP. I pre-read the TM before a new concept is introduced to make sure I'm covering each concept correctly and then dd and I work through the textbook problems together. Then, I let her loose, first with the IP, and then the CWP. If she has any questions, I'm always available for that. Otherwise, she does fine.

 

I don't think I missed anything by not having a textbook in level 1. However, I also think the workbooks I used were very helpful in fleshing out the Singapore methods. For 2A and up, I wouldn't go without either the textbooks or the TMs/HSMs. I don't rely on the TM very much, but it's helpful to get a broad overview myself of each concept before diving in. Having the answers to textbook problems is also a timesaver. I'm sure in more advanced levels, the TMs get increasingly helpful.

 

Hope all that rambling helped a little!:tongue_smilie:

[Jen in PA]

I have to agree about not really using the textbooks much. We are in 2B, and I usually find that we do fine with just the workbooks. I kept worrying that I would miss something integral to SM if I skipped the textbook for a few days, but so far that hasn't happened. I think it could be an issue if you were to teach a concept in just one way, since SM will introduce a few different approaches.

[katilac]

If you wish to use only one book, make it the text book, not the workbook! There are a good number of problems in the text; we would usually read the lesson, do a few for practice, and move on to the workbook. You could just as easily do all the practice problems in the text, rather than moving on to the workbook (either writing in the text or copying over).

 

Using the workbook instead of the text book makes little sense for Singapore math, because you will simply be solving all the problems the traditional way. The workbooks have no explanations, just problems (so you could just as easily use any workbook, or printed worksheets).

 

Singapore math usually shows multiple ways to solve a problem, and the lower levels are slowly introducing ways of thinking that will be used extensively in the upper levels. Skip the workbook if you must (problems only), but not the text (explanations, visual representation, and problems).

[Testimony]

I think if you want to save money use both the textbook and workbook. I cannot see using one without the other. This is my opinion and experience. I have been using Primary Mathematics (Singapore Math) since 1A. I do not understand how you can use the workbook without the textbook if you are teaching the child the Singapore method of mathematics. I have seen people say they do all the textbook and then come back and do the workbook. The program is set up to complete the workbook exercise after the textbook concept is taught. I think that the concepts taught in books 1A-2B help to prepare the child for the lesson they start to learn in 3A and 3B. I heard it said that the children with the bubbles is how the child should work through the problems. The workbooks don't have that. The idea is to help the child grasp the way Singapore is teaching the lessons.

 

My oldest son is in 6A now. We have done every problem in the textbook and the workbook. I never skipped any steps with this program. I think that when it comes to math I would be doing a disservice to my child if I did. I remember in 1A, my son had to tell a math story based upon a picture in the textbook. I thought that was great because it is already teaching my child how to develop a word problem. If you only had the workbook, the child would never get that.

 

This is just my opinion.

 

Blessing in your homeschooling journey!

 

Sincerely,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[cottonmama]

Wow, I've been without Internet for the last couple weeks, and what a conversation I missed! Thanks for all your thoughts.

 

DH and I looked through the textbooks we have and were pretty happy with the number of exercises we saw. We know we will do Textbook + IP + CWP, it's just a question of whether we will add the regular workbook. I don't want to overwhelm our children, but it seems like if they need some basic practice we could get it for free or make problems up ourselves, whereas the IP and CWP are worth spending a little extra money on.

 

My main concern with leaving the workbooks out would be if they give problems in a particular progression, where each part talks the student through the series of steps needed to complete the problem, helping them see the logic behind solving it. If the workbooks are just fun coloring worksheets or basic problems, I'm confident we can wing it for the easy problems and give IP and CWP after we see mastery with those.

 

Then again, there's something appealing about not spending evenings making up problems for the next day...

[Julie in MN]

Using the workbook instead of the text book makes little sense for Singapore math, because you will simply be solving all the problems the traditional way. The workbooks have no explanations, just problems (so you could just as easily use any workbook, or printed worksheets).

 

:iagree:

 

I think those of you who are skipping the textbook or not getting any "explanations" out of the textbook just aren't getting what Singapore is doing.

 

In the early levels, Singapore is presenting kids with different ways to solve problems. The textbook is your "chalkboard" where you are demonstrating these ways.

 

Then in the workbook, kids may use any way they like to solve the problems.

 

It won't be until later levels that they really "need" to use new methods to solve problems. In some cases, the problems will be un-solvable without bar diagrams, for instance. In other cases, solving the problem will be bulky with traditional methods and only take seconds using Singapore methods. But the foundation for solving problems in different ways will have been laid in the earlier levels IF you have taught them!

[tedearly]

Howdy,

Ditto on using the textbooks. Number bonds is critical to mental math. I never would think to add 9+6 as 10+5 but Singapore does. Same with the capacity problems with x leaving one container and filling another, what is the difference between the two. Same with distance problems. Don't skip the textbooks. DD is on level 3.

[JudyJudyJudy]

Howdy,

Ditto on using the textbooks. Number bonds is critical to mental math. I never would think to add 9+6 as 10+5 but Singapore does. Same with the capacity problems with x leaving one container and filling another, what is the difference between the two. Same with distance problems. Don't skip the textbooks. DD is on level 3.

I rarely looked at the texts in the early years, but I was apparently already doing math the "Singapore way." Math always came naturally for me, though, and my son naturally does things the Singapore way as well. (I also taught and tutored math for a number of years.)

 

However, if I had another child to teach (I only have one), I would change one thing that Singapore does. I would get my child to memorize multiplication facts first and then show why they work instead of teaching the "why" first. Teaching it the Singapore way (which is the way most schools also teach) encourages kids to count multiplication facts out instead of simply knowing them off the tops of their heads; that really slows kids down later when they're working problems. Doing that was a hard habit for me to break with my son.

[Julie in MN]

I would change one thing that Singapore does. I would get my child to memorize multiplication facts first and then show why they work instead of teaching the "why" first. Teaching it the Singapore way (which is the way most schools also teach) encourages kids to count multiplication facts out instead of simply knowing them off the tops of their heads; that really slows kids down later when they're working problems. Doing that was a hard habit for me to break with my son.

 

I'm not sure that's correct. Most kids in Singapore and other Asian countries start learning their multiplication facts long before they start school. Most teachers in the US teach multiplication facts separately from their math program -- my kids' teachers always sent stuff home for *me* to teach. I'm not sure memorization of math facts has anything to do with what program you use for math concepts. (I know some math programs "look like" they're teaching math facts, but no teacher I ever knew relied on a math book to know when their students had mastered math facts.)

 

Julie

[JudyJudyJudy]

You're probably right, Julie. To me, it appeared that the "why" should be taught first because of the way the Singapore books were laid out, but that may not be the case. I just wish that I had required complete memorization of the tables before teaching the why behind it.

[tedearly]

I too have an extensive math background. I see math facts drill as separate from the math curriculum used. That is why I download drill sheets regardless of topics engaged.

[Julie in MN]

I just wish that I had required complete memorization of the tables before teaching the why behind it.

 

Good experience to share with others!