Need help with Singapore scheduling (& eventually adding Miquon) (x-post)

[Happy2BaMom]

My ds, 7, has just finished MUS Beta. He has been asking to switch to Singapore (one of our friends' son's uses it), and I have finally succumbed. We are starting Singapore 2A, with Multiplication/Division. I have the TB, WB, CP (Challenging Problems), HIG (very useful) and Extra Practice book (which I can tell already we won't use, at least with him).

 

I have also ordered Miquon since I've been reading so much about it lately.

 

So here is my issue. I am looking through the suggested weekly schedule in the HIG. I see everything they list and when, and it is helpful, but I still feel somewhat lost as to how to combine everything (MUS was much easier in this respect). My specific questions are:

 

*How often do you do Mental Math?

*How often (and when) do you use the CP?

*Do you do every TB problem and then all the suggested WB exercises? My son is gifted and gets math very quickly, but I know SWB says the basic TB doesn't do enough, so I worry about not doing more.

 

:confused:

 

I was thinking...well, maybe I should do 5-10 mental math probs a day, 2 CP a day, and then follow the basic schedule in the HIG, but that seems somewhat rigid. However, I do best with a schedule, otherwise things get left in the dust, so I want to have some approach to start with.

 

What do other SM users do?

 

And, re: Miquon, I have the SM/Miquon chart that someone posted a few days ago, which is very helpful, but that raises the additional issue of how to add Miquon in on top of all this.

 

Do you alternate SM with Miquon? Just add it on top and do math 2 hours a day (kidding, a little)?

 

It's just a little much for me to wrap my head around, even with the HIG.

 

Any help would be appreciated. :bigear:

 

I x-posted on the Accelerated Learner Board to maximize the input.

 

Janet

[Guest]

I recently was struggling with guidance with Singapore. I don't have any great advice to you, but I will share what I did in hopes that it bumps you and gets you some more answers!

 

I made a schedule! I went through all of the materials I had and made a paper schedule. I printed this out and taped it into the front cover of my HIG. Lo and behold, math is getting done now!

 

I'll be curious to hear what others are doing as far as all the materials, but just starting out here's what I do -

TB - introduce each new concept. I try and understand the HIG so that I don't stick exactly to each and every problem in the TB, I try and teach what the new concept is, using the TB for some examples.

WB - do a page or whatever my little pencil at the bottom of the page says to do.

Mental Math - we haven't started using Singapore's MM, but we do use Flashmaster 2 times a week. (This will probably increase as we increase in our math.)

CWP - We haven't bought this yet. I was kind of thinking of using them as a break between levels, but interested to hear what others do.

Miquon - I love that schedule and I think that is going to streamline our Miquon experience. I plan on going through the corresponding Miquon pages after we've covered the topic in Singapore.

 

Between the WB, TB, Miquon, flashmaster, games...goodness, I hope we cover everything we're supposed to!

[Sara in WA]

We use Singapore and have done so for a few years now. I find it easiest to set a time limit each day. I have 3 kids doing math now, so if a child is waiting for me to teach her, then they can go ahead and do mental math or extra practice or math fact sheets.

 

You do have a lot on your plate for math options and this might be your planning problem. I'm finding it best so simplify in everything! I would just do a certain amount each day. Maybe make it easiest by doing 20-30 minutes of math. One new addition of mine is the Intensive Practice books. I have the one for the level just finished, so while my dd is in 3B she has the Intensive Practice 3A and can plow ahead and do some great math work on her own.

 

Trying to plan out every detail might just do you in! I have gone from spending massive time planning out every little bit of our work to now where we just move ahead and make sure that the kids are working hard and not wasting time.

 

Usually we do 3-4 days of book work and then a day of math games or activities.

[Dana]

I wouldn't recommend skipping any of the textbook or workbook.

 

The HiG gives recommendation for when to do the mental math and I followed that relatively closely. I'd give ds the page and have him work the mental math sheet. Some went faster than others :)

 

After he works the text and workbook, I have him do work from IP. I find those generally go better after completing the section. I have him do CWP at the same time as we move through the chapter - generally a page a day when we're on a topic that has a corresponding section in CWP.

 

We also go by time for math rather than a certain amount of exercises.

I toss in the Miquon as it fits in. For instance, the work with other bases dovetailed nicely with place value in 2A. I skip around through the books and don't use them in any sort of order - just a page as needed.

 

The Extra Practice book did come in handy with the addition/subtraction drill. I used it through 2A and 2B and generally had my son do the problems in the EP book as a review once we finished up the chapter in the text/WB.

[Shelly in the Country]

I have been combining Singapore and Miquon for my kids. It takes some time to make the initial schedule, but I make a paper schedule of each and every day of math for a 180 day school year. I then enter that schedule in HST+. I am now reaping the benefit of all that work with my second child...

 

The weekly schedule in the front of the Singapore HIG is my guide. They generally only schedule in 17 weeks of work per semester, with that last week being nothing but Review Exercises. With 18 weeks in a semester that gives me another week to "play" with. Also, for each week of work, sometimes there are only 4 assignments. I have my kids do all the Workbook assignments, all of the Textbook assignments, most of IP and CWP. I use Miquon for enrichment and fun, so we don't complete the Miquon books. I try to schedule in the Miquon pages that use a different approach than Singapore or that cover a different topic entirely. We skip pages that cover topics that have already been covered well in Singapore. If the Workbook assignment in Singapore is fairly light one day, I'll try to schedule in a few Miquon pages or something from IP or CWP. If there are only 4 Singapore assignments for one week, I'll schedule a couple of pages out of IP or CWP to finish up the week. I make sure I keep the topics in IP and CWP in line with what they have already covered in their textbook. I don't want them to run into any new concepts in IP for the first time, as an example. I skip the Mental Math in the HIG. My kids are pretty good at mental math already so it looked like busy work to me. I also follow the guidelines in the HIG to schedule computer time with the Singapore Math game CDs. My kids play these for fun sometimes, too.

 

When I make out these schedules it IS an event. I'm sitting at the table with a stack of math books and blank paper scheduling sheets and NO ONE can bother me :lol:. So, in a nutshell, the workbooks and textbooks are non-negotiables here. Everything else is cherry-picked to suit our needs.

[Spy Car]

*How often do you do Mental Math?

 

My answer you will either love or hate :D

 

We do it when there is an opportunity that might otherwise be wasted. A drive in the car, doing some grocery shopping. My guy is in school, so I have to catch those mental math times when I can. While it is purely a practical solution in terms of time, I also think it suits my son to physically move while learning (at least some of the time).

 

People do (often) get a kick out of our discussions while food shopping, but (I find) the produce aisle is a great place to do mental math. Great manipulatives! How many more apples do we have than asian-pears? :D

 

*How often (and when) do you use the CP?

 

Partially for the reasons mentioned above, and because he is still in kindergarten, instead of formally going thought the book, I tend to do similar word problems orally. It is better for him at this age, and I do my best to make it fun.

 

I do read them. And I have the whole set of the old series (thanks to Moira's warnings). They will add extra work-load as the years go by.

 

*Do you do every TB problem and then all the suggested WB exercises? My son is gifted and gets math very quickly, but I know SWB says the basic TB doesn't do enough, so I worry about not doing more.

 

:confused:

 

 

We also do the IP book for his level from the US Edition (we use SE otherwise). I would suggest you do the same, as he will need the mental challenge of these books to keep the math interesting. Also consider adding MEP. And now we have a mathematically quick mind that gets to/has to think to problem solve, and things get good.

 

 

And, re: Miquon, I have the SM/Miquon chart that someone posted a few days ago, which is very helpful, but that raises the additional issue of how to add Miquon in on top of all this.

 

Forget the chart. Before you start topic in Singapore go over the topic in Miquon first. Read all the general Lab Annotation pages on, say, Multiplication before starting and then go to the lab-sheets for the processor materials for the section. It's all clearly organized.

 

And it is so valuable. And efficient. A Red Rod and a Yellow Rod together are the same value as a Yellow Rod and a Red Rod. The sum of 2 and 5 is the same as the sum of 5 and 2. That's the Commutative Law of Addition. So we prove it works for Multiplication too.

 

Two 5s is the same as Five 2s. I can prove it to you with little pieces of colored plastic (or wood).

 

Now we are working on the Distributive Law of Multiplication.

 

So 7 rows of Five is the same as 5 rows of Five plus 2 rows of Five. Again, we proved it with concrete means via Miquon (the explanation is better represented in the Lab Annotations book). Then we can apply it.

 

Say you want to multiply 83 by 3. Hard if you are going to "carry in your head", but 8 Tens times 3 is 24 Tens, or 240, and 3 times three is 9. So 249. Not so hard.

 

The demonstration of math axioms in Miquon are delicious in their elegant simplicity. And are so easy to understand.

 

Do you alternate SM with Miquon? Just add it on top and do math 2 hours a day (kidding, a little)?

 

We pop in and out of Miquon, using Singapore as our "spine" but re-charging ourselves (me especially) with the teaching insights from Miquon.

 

It's just a little much for me to wrap my head around, even with the HIG.

 

Don't over think it. Miquon can replace much of the teaching suggestions in the HIG, and ideas I do use I adapt to C Rods rather than using Linking Cubes.

 

I do think using Miquon as the concrete (first) stage of learning a concept is a good idea, and then following with Singapore is the logical sequence of learning. All the topics are coded by letters so it is easy to correlate topics.

 

I hope that helps a little.

 

Bill

Edited May 19, 2010 by Spy Car

[Happy2BaMom]

...it really does help. A lot. Just 'listening' to how other people schedule and combine gives me some place to start, and then I can go from there. Just knowing that other people have done it increases my willpower!

 

Bill, thanks for your many specificities (is that a word?). I've enjoyed many of your SM/Miquon posts. But I can't handle adding MEP. My head would explode.

 

I'm struggling now more with hsing than I did when we first began in January. I think (hope?) that it is because I'm now trying to veer out of the box/workbook only mode. It is so much more rewarding, but more challenging pedagogically (another big 'word'....can you see the smoke coming out of my ears?) :D

 

Hopefully, we'll reap the results next year.