HappyGrace Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Ds-just turned 7 two wks ago-working through Singapore 1b, doing a little MEP and Miquon. I've just been going slow to make sure the foundation is there, even though it is all easy to him. Well, today he looked at an empty paper grid that we had lying on the table that was 21 blocks wide, 17 blocks long. He spouted out that it's 21 tens, so 210, plus 21 sevens. He needed help figuring out the 21 sevens, but once I told him that, he added the two three digit numbers (210 + 147) quicker than I could write the problem down to show him how to add three digit numbers-in probably 3 seconds. I was really amazed that he could figure out that he needed to multiply the (two-digit) numbers, separated the second number to make it easier to multiply, and then add the first and second number together. He has been taught none of the above. We haven't even gotten to single-digit multiplication yet, but he just seems to understand the concept. I always knew he was good at math, but this really surprised me and made me wonder if I am holding him back too much. Should I maybe just move forward more quickly in Singapore than I am? What have others here done with their math-adept dc? I am totally out of my element here as my older child is NOT good at math, and neither am I! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 You could try giving him the placement tests on the Singapore site and see if he's ready for another level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 But would that mess him up down the line that he may have missed some foundational things by just skipping him ahead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 My son sounds a bit like yours. I think you can do a bit higher... and have him do homework from the books before .... at the same time... as long as they're getting everything... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 If I were you, I'd just let your son move ahead in the SM at his own pace. FWIW, my dd7 is in 3A, and she's completed all the prior SM levels (text/wkbks only) in relatively little time per day. . . So, it is totally feasible to accelerate his progress w/o skipping anything. If the child "gets it" and knows his facts, then the exercises are generally not terribly time consuming, and many days a child might be able to do 3 - 4 (or more) exercises in 30 min if the exercises are coming along easily. So, anyway, I'd just let him move as rapidly as he can in SM, Miquon, and whatever other materials you use. Obviously what you are using is working very well for him, so I wouldn't change too much. . .just keep doing what's working well and allow him to progress at his own speed! HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 But would that mess him up down the line that he may have missed some foundational things by just skipping him ahead?Singapore spirals yearly, so won't miss much skipping ahead one year early on if he places in a higher level. You might also wish to consider the MathExpress Speed Maths Strategies books, to further hone his mental math abilities. These go far beyond the standard Primary Maths techniques. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 Thanks, I'm glad to know it would be feasible to have a young child in a higher level of Singapore w/out them missing much, so I think I will start telescoping the lessons some and see how that goes. I might even think about using the IP instead of the wkbk for extra challenge. And thanks for the tip on the Speed Maths book-hadn't seen that before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Thanks, I'm glad to know it would be feasible to have a young child in a higher level of Singapore w/out them missing much, so I think I will start telescoping the lessons some and see how that goes. I might even think about using the IP instead of the wkbk for extra challenge. And thanks for the tip on the Speed Maths book-hadn't seen that before! yes, I think the IP books are a great idea - - deeper instead of faster. unless he shows signs of irritation or boredom with your current setup, I'd just keep moving him along. as Stephanie said, it's very feasible to do multiple exercises a day in SM when the work is a bit easy for the student. it's not necessarily a bad thing for the work to be 'too easy' for a while; most children quite enjoy demonstrating speed and mastery. and the SM books are nice and cheap! my youngest is the one who always startled us with this type of observation and leaps in mathematical thinking at a young age. alas, she is also the one who now skates by with doing as little math as she can - - she's good enought at it, I think she could be great at it, but just doesn't have any interest or desire (4th grade, so I'm hoping for another change). her sis is more the plodder (6th grade), but she is the one who has continued w/multiple programs and moving ahead, etc, so you just never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LimitBreak Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 My son surprises me too because I will read out problems in CWP and IP with topics that we have not yet covered and he gets the right answer. I was also contemplating about skipping a level but decided against it because I'm too afraid that he'll miss something. Currently he is in 1a and we are using the textbook, IP and CWP. We aren't using the workbook because I could not a find a used one to buy. He is doing great with the IP problems so I decided not to pursue the workbook anymore. The SpeedMaths mentioned above sounds interesting. I may have to check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Woo Hoo! :party: This is why I love this Miquon-MEP-Singapore combo. It's not just that your son is "good at math", he is also using his noodle. He sees a problem, has concrete means to help solve it, employs mental strategies (including grouping) and through self-initiation and critical thinking arrive at a solution. Brilliant! Since Moira mentioned the Math Express books in a thread the other day, I've been looking at them thinking they are a "must add." The Intensive Practice (IP) books sound totally appropriate. They are a nice level of challenge up from the Workbooks, and change things up. Those who use the "Standards Edition" Textbooks/Workbooks will need to use the US Edition IPs (as SE versions are not available yet). Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 You might also wish to consider the MathExpress Speed Maths Strategies books, to further hone his mental math abilities. These go far beyond the standard Primary Maths techniques. Have you used these long? I followed a link you posted recently to these books and they look great. I scratch my head why there isn't more of this in PM, but uh, what-ever-it-takes. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Have you used these long?For about two years, doing bit here and there -- one new technique every two or three weeks -- and I incorporate a bit of practice in daily warm-up. I don't introduce every technique, just the ones that look most useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Thanks, I'm glad to know it would be feasible to have a young child in a higher level of Singapore w/out them missing much, so I think I will start telescoping the lessons some and see how that goes. I might even think about using the IP instead of the wkbk for extra challenge. And thanks for the tip on the Speed Maths book-hadn't seen that before! I think the idea of telescoping some of the lessons and adding in the IP sounds great. It has worked well for one of my sons, who also seem to get the "big things" easily. I also let him work topically through the Miquon, since he seem to enjoy the challenge of finding out new relationships between numbers. Just a warning, I do have to yank his chain every so often and make him do some extra review of stuff he thinks he already knows. He gets so excited about his big picture abstact stuff that the details can get sloppy. Those MEP pages are great too for giving him more challenge when he craves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 I think the idea of telescoping some of the lessons and adding in the IP sounds great. :iagree: I would also add in Edward Zaccaro's Primary Grade Challenge Math workbook. It touches upon some relatively advanced topics but the explanations are really easy to follow. I allow my DD to use a calculator in certain places in PGCM where the only thing holding her back is not yet knowing how to solve a particular equation on paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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