rowan25 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I was always under the impression that Singapore was mainly for very mathy kids: kids with innate math ability, kids with great interest in math, kids to whom math seems to come easily. I'm looking for a new math curriculum and am leaning to Math Mammoth, however I keep looking at Singapore. I have no one local that uses it, so I can't get a live look. Can someone please tell me if my impression is correct? Maybe if anyone could compare/contrast Singapore with MM? Background: My daughter will be 7 and has been using MUS, but it isn't going well, plus she's very bored with it. I think that she is capable of learning math easily, but says she doesn't like it. Personally I think because she has to work a bit harder at it than anything else! :tongue_smilie: TIA, rowan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Older ds is not "mathy." Singapore, though, is helping to become mathy ;) I have never used the other program you mentioned, but I can vouch for Singapore. I use it with both boys and they enjoy it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twacademy2010 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 My oldest is 8 and is not "mathy" either. She doesnt hate math, but she would much rather be reading. She is flying through the books and actually getting more excited about doing math. So, we really enjoy SM :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan25 Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Ok, you guys are really getting me to rethink this!! :lol: NOT what I needed!!!! :lol: Is it difficult to teach? Alien methods and such? Or is it more intuitive? Or spelled out, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 The hser teaching manual is great. They have step-by-step instructions for teaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Is it difficult to teach? ? Get the HIGs (home instructor's guide). That was my mistake. I dropped Singapore Math briefly because I felt like I wasn't teaching it correctly (this is 1b, we completed 1a just fine without the HIG). We tried another math program and my big girl shut down. So we are going to get back into 1b and this time I ORDERED THE HIG! I need it, some people don't need it. But if you are worried about teaching it, get the HIG! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I think SM can be for any kid. :iagree: We are in our third year of using it. Every now and then the girls hit a point where they need extra practice. Usually I make my own extra problems. Some places are easy enough they breeze ahead. During winter break, I bought MM multiplication as a supplement while older dd tries to get the hang of long division. There have been tears every. single. day. :confused: She wants to go back to Singapore right away, but I've chosen to push through with MM a bit longer. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I was always under the impression that Singapore was mainly for very mathy kids: kids with innate math ability, kids with great interest in math, kids to whom math seems to come easily. I'm looking for a new math curriculum and am leaning to Math Mammoth, however I keep looking at Singapore. I have no one local that uses it, so I can't get a live look. Can someone please tell me if my impression is correct? Maybe if anyone could compare/contrast Singapore with MM? Background: My daughter will be 7 and has been using MUS, but it isn't going well, plus she's very bored with it. I think that she is capable of learning math easily, but says she doesn't like it. Personally I think because she has to work a bit harder at it than anything else! :tongue_smilie: TIA, rowan My dd was doing MUS and we added Singapore Math as a second one. It wasn't long before SM became the main one. The hser teaching manual is great. They have step-by-step instructions for teaching. :iagree: plus with the one below. Get the HIGs (home instructor's guide). That was my mistake. I dropped Singapore Math briefly because I felt like I wasn't teaching it correctly (this is 1b, we completed 1a just fine without the HIG). We tried another math program and my big girl shut down. So we are going to get back into 1b and this time I ORDERED THE HIG! I need it, some people don't need it. But if you are worried about teaching it, get the HIG! While it's true that SM often works well for mathy dc, it also works for others. It's also true that there are mathy dc who don't do well with SM for one reaon or another. The math program that works well for all dc doesn't exist:D. I'm a avid fan of SM and think it's one of the best out there for various reasons, but you have to try it to see. Just looking at it isn't enough, IMO. Have your dc take a placement test first and go with the level they recommend. When you get to the appropriate level, master the bar diagram in case your dc needs it. My middle one didn't need it most of the time (she's the one that had MUS first), but when she was stuck in the later levels, a bar diagram was all it took for her to see what she needed to do. Ds needs them more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I was always under the impression that Singapore was mainly for very mathy kids: kids with innate math ability, kids with great interest in math, kids to whom math seems to come easily. I'm looking for a new math curriculum and am leaning to Math Mammoth, however I keep looking at Singapore. I have no one local that uses it, so I can't get a live look. Can someone please tell me if my impression is correct? Maybe if anyone could compare/contrast Singapore with MM? Background: My daughter will be 7 and has been using MUS, but it isn't going well, plus she's very bored with it. I think that she is capable of learning math easily, but says she doesn't like it. Personally I think because she has to work a bit harder at it than anything else! :tongue_smilie: TIA, rowan :lol::lol::lol: OMG, don't tell my DS1. I would condsider him a 'bright average' math kid. And don't tell his non-mathy mom who has to teach him! For years, my son was half a year 'behind' in singapore. So at the start of third grade, we started 2B. We did that because he just couldn't tolerate some of the longer lessons. He could do the front of one page in math a day ONLY or he just collapsed. Somehow, at the end of third and begining of fourth he totally caught up. So, here we are starting 5B, right on track. Give SM a shot. I like it. If she is 'behind' grade level, don't sweat it. I have seen that it all works out in the end. Just do it every day, 5 days a week, at the level that makes her feel sucesful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan25 Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Ok, I think you all have sold me!! :lol: Gee, didn't take much arm twisting, did it??!! Where do you find the placement test? I assume on their webpage? Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Is it difficult to teach? Alien methods and such? Or is it more intuitive? Or spelled out, etc? I have found that MM is significantly easier to teach than SM even with the HIG's. Also, SM tends to assume the child can make conceptual leaps while MM explains it step-by-step-by-step. SM tosses the child into the deep end of the pool so to speak, while MM takes him/her in gradually. I've kept SM as our "spine" because I love the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems but I supplement heavily in certain places with the single-topic "blue" MM worktexts. So far, those have been the chapters in 3A & 4A on multiplication and long division, and the chapters in 3B and 4A on fractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OregonNative Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 We switched from Singapore to CLE Math. Singapore jumped to quickly from concept to concept and left us all wondering what we missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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