mazakaal Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I'm going to switch from Singapore next year. I had thought it was a great program, was totally sold out to it. When my oldest got to 5th grade he started to really struggle and I thought it was because he wasn't concentrating, paying attention, etc. After much frustration I switched him to TT in the middle of 6th. Now my second ds is finishing 5th and it seems like he can't remember anything he's learned this past year. My dd has also had a really hard time with Singapore 1 this year. So I'm throwing my hands up and giving up on Singapore. The question is, where do I place my dc for MEP? My oldest is finishing TT 7 right now. He does well with it, but unless our situation changes drastically, I won't be able to afford TT pre-algebra. So which level of MEP should he go into? My second ds is finishing Singapore 5B right now. I do have TT 6 and 7, so I could have him go into TT 6 next year, or I could have him do MEP. If I were going to go with MEP, which level should he place into? And my dd is half-way through Singapore 1B. So where should she start MEP? My youngest is 5yo so I'll just start him in MEP 1. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanda7 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I think the easiest thing to do is to give them the end-of-year test and see where they test at. You can also look over the work of the adjacent levels to see if they have covered the material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irizarry4 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Hi, there! Let's start with the little ones. I would start both 5yo and dd6yo in Y1. You can teach them together. it will be more challenging for 5yo. Some of it will be review for 6yo, but she'll benefit from adjusting to "the MEP way". If you find she gets bored, try Y1-B. I'm finishing MEP Y1, with my 7yo, soon to be 2nd grader. For 11yo and 13yo, I would actually try the MEP years 7-9 materials on for size. Years 7 to 9 were designed for students who did NOT go through MEP Primary 1-6. So it reviews/revisits many of those concepts and then adds pre-algebra. You can find more info about this at the MEP Homeschoolers Yahoo Group. Here is a very helpful intro to MEP blogpost: http://ohpeacefulday.blogspot.com/2009/06/mep-101.html Here is some help placing 'upper level' students from one of the yahoo group files: "Placement for Upper Levels MEP upper levels Y7-9 and GCSE cover the following US mathematics courses: Pre-Algebra = MEP 7, MEP 8 Algebra 1 = MEP 8, MEP 9 Geometry = MEP 9, GCSE 10 Algebra 2 = MEP, 9, GCSE 10, GCSE 11 Trigonometry = MEP, 9, GCSE 10, GCSE 11 Statistics = MEP, 9, GCSE 10, GCSE 11 Calculus* = AS (12th grade - optional) * optional; math or science/engineering majors There is some overlap between courses so to ensure proper coverage, students should begin in Y7 unless they have already taken Algebra 1 or Geometry. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irizarry4 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 More from the Yahoo Group help files: "MEP Placement Suggestions MEP follows United Kingdom's grade placement. To determine where to place your child, it is recommended that you look through the Years closest to your child's current grade in school. For example, if they are in 3rd grade, consider reviewing Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 to see the concept components and determine the best place to begin. MEP presents traditional math concepts but in a slightly different order and arrangement from traditional US math programs. A suggestion would be to consider a year where your child would be challenged but not overwhelmed. A good rule would be to find a level with 50% new material and 50% review. If you are unsure, you can always start your child one level below their current grade and then adjust up once you gain confidence using this curriculum. Clare posted the following information to help with placement: "..in the UK 4-5 yr olds start in Reception, then its 5-6 yrs in year 1, 6-7 year olds in year 2 and so on up to year6 (10-11 year olds) which is the end of the Primary school years, they then start Secondary school in year7 (or first form) aged 11. The child starts school in the September when they are 4 years old. Children with an August birthday will be the youngest in their class, those born in September will be the oldest. Year 1 in MEP would be for 5-6 year olds." According to this description and the MEP website, placement would be as follows: Primary (ages 5-11) Reception (4-5) = US K Year 1 (5-6) = US 1 Year 2 (6-7) = US 2 Year 3 (7-8) = US 3 Year 4 (8-9) = US 4 Year 5 (9-10) = US 5 Year 6 (10-11) = US 6 Secondary (ages 11-14) Year 7 (11-12) Year 8 (12-13) Year 9 (13-14) GCSE (ages 14-16) Year 10 (14-15) Year 11 (15-16) AS (ages 16-17) Year 12 (16-17) Some US MEP users feel that this program is one or more years ahead of traditional home school curriculum and therefore suggest that the child be placed one year below their actual grade level. Year 1 (6-7) = US 2 Year 2 (7-8) = US 3 Year 3 (8-9) = US 4 Year 4 (9-10) = US 5 Year 5 (10-11) = US 6 Year 6 (11-12) = US 7 As with any curriculum, children will need to be placed based on their previous math experience and their current skills. There is no right or wrong placement and it really is best to choose a level that provides sufficient mental challenge without causing undue stress (not too easy and not too hard)." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeekingSimplicity Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Are the materials for the "reception" level available on MEP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irizarry4 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I do not think their "reception" materials are available online. You could ask at the Yahoo Group. But in general, I think the best preparation for MEP Y1 is learning to count to 100. Counting with actual things. Learning to classify said things by shape, size, color. Learning the names of the main mathematical functions, and their respective signs (+,-, x, division not on my keyboard, >, <, = and ‡). Learning left and right, up and down, first, second, third... horizontal and vertical. The proper names of basic 2d geometric shapes. Gently introduce addition of things, not necessarily digits. So for example, 3 pebbles plus 2 pebbles makes 5 pebbles; and NOT 3+2=5. Similarly, subtraction. Very gently introduce multiplication (grouping 12 cheerios in groups of 3) and division (sharing 9 cookies among mom, dad and child). Lots of elementary puzzles. Simple mazes, bunnies hopping on "number lines" that don't actually have any numbers on them, but it will get them used to hopping on the line. First 3 hops, then 4 hops, how many times did Bunny hop? That kind of thing. If you join the Yahoo group there are worksheets and other things for Kinder posted by members. It is also interesting to watch the video of where they got this idea. It is about how they teach math in Hungary. Link: http://www.teachers.tv/video/17878 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazakaal Posted July 9, 2009 Author Share Posted July 9, 2009 Thanks for all the replies. I tried to post back to you guys last night, but the server was busy. Anyway, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 More from the Yahoo Group help files: The child starts school in the September when they are 4 years old. Children with an August birthday will be the youngest in their class, those born in September will be the oldest. Year 1 in MEP would be for 5-6 year olds." Reception (4-5) = US K Year 1 (5-6) = US 1 Year 2 (6-7) = US 2 Just wanted to point out that according to these age cut-offs (by age/grade alone), Reception would be equivalent to pre-school, and Year 1 equivalent to K, not grade 1. Children start Grade 1 here the September they're 6 - that would be equivalent to Year 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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