Singapore word problems....

[stephanie]

I've recently started MUS with my ds12 and have read that many of you supplement with Singapores word probs. So I've been doing that, but what are your schedules like? How often do you do them and how many at a time. Also, I bought the Level 4 for my ds12/6th and he cannot do them on his own. I need to say he is ADHD/SPD and has great difficulty with comprehension. So I let him try to work it and then I sit with him and go through them with him. Is this sufficient for him? I know I can't expect him to do what he can't do, but should I try an even lower grade level instead, or keep him where he's at and work with him. Thanks for any help!

[Pegasus]

Yes, many advise starting with the level 3 Challenging Word Problems as this is where they really start emphasizing the use of the bar diagrams to solve the problems. These problems are challenging so by all means, sit and help your son work through them.

 

We do MUS 4 days per week and CWP 1 day per week. One page of problems if they are tough (usually 2 or 3 problems) and 2 pages if they are easier.

 

Good luck!

Pegasus

[Country Girl]

I wanted to ask another question about supplementing with the Challenge Word problem books. If you don't use Singapore as your main program, how do you know how to teach and solve using the Singapore concepts (like the bar diagrams)? Is there teaching in the Word problem books? Or is there a teacher's manual that will explain the concepts?

 

Thanks!

[Sunshine State Sue]

We started CWP 4 the summer after MUS Delta. I forget how many we did per day, but that's when ds declared that they were evil :eek: Now, we do MUS 3x per week and 3 CWP the same days. I think I figured out that that would allow us to finish approximately the same time as MUS. It works better a little at a time, imo.

 

I imagine that the bar diagrams are taught more in the regular books, but I don't really know. We just worked through the examples and muddled through the problems. Eventually, we both got better at them. Now I have to make sure to work the problems before he does so that I can help if necessary (it happens regularly). Sometimes, I have to go out to the Singapore website and ask for help (that happens regularly, too). The forums there are nice, helpful, and set up similarly to this one.

[Country Girl]

Thanks for your reply on how you have used the Challening Word Problem books to supplement. I"m still trying to figure out if I want to make a complete switch to Singapore or just try supplementing with some of the extra books. It sounds like either would work.

 

Thanks!

[Myrtle]

I wanted to ask another question about supplementing with the Challenge Word problem books. If you don't use Singapore as your main program, how do you know how to teach and solve using the Singapore concepts (like the bar diagrams)? Is there teaching in the Word problem books? Or is there a teacher's manual that will explain the concepts?

 

Thanks!

 

Well, technically speaking, bar diagrams are not concepts. They are heuristic devices that illustrates arithmetic concepts. More precisely, bar diagrams are simply graphic organizers.

 

The actual "concepts" involved are order of operations, the associative law, etc.

 

Singapore works kids up to working through multistep bar diagrams in the following manner

 

Single step problems via bar diagram

Two step word problems with prompts, no bar diagram

Two step word problems with prompts and bar diagram

Two step word problems without prompt but with bar diagram

 

 

More steps are added in later grades. If you haven't mastered bar diagrams with only one step, it is very difficult to see what to do starting in the middle with two steps.

 

With my ADHD son I did 4 or 5 multistep problems in one sitting. My non-ADHD child can do twice as many. Since every topic in the textbook includes word problems I would work the Challenging Word problems before giving the midyear and year final test. We'd just sit down and do them day after day until they got done, and I'd have the kid work on whatever topic he needed the most help with.

[Country Girl]

Myrtle,

Thanks for more information on this!

 

Thanks!