lea1 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I'm wondering how critical Earlybird is to being prepared for SM Primary 1A. Has anyone here ever skipped it? If so, could you share your experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Hopefully someone corrects me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there is a K program in Singapore. They just start with 1A. My dd started with 1A and had no problem. She did struggle later but I don't think EB would have helped her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 My dd started with 1A and it went fine. I have bought EB for my second dd, because she really wanted to do school like her sister, but I'm not really satisfied with it. On the one hand it is too easy for her, on the other hand she can't handle the number writing, which frustrates her very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Singapore EB is very....standard. I am doing it with my kindy-dd. Writing the numbers. Counting. Which group has more? Which number is bigger? Introduction to measuring. etc.... There is nothing especially groundbreaking. They are all things that are good to know going into Singapore 1, but they are things that are easily covered in other ways. I do it with her because she likes it and she wants to do school like sister. I have also started doing basic math facts with her. 0's, 1's, doubles... She already understands the concept behind adding, so I started the flashcards/Calculadders. When I'm sure she understands subtraction, we'll start those. With her older sister, I found that the math facts snuck up on us in first grade with Singapore math. I'm taking it VERY slow-paced and low stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poetic license Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I don't think it's necessary or even worth the $$. It's not much different from any of those basic prek/K workbooks you get at any bookstore. Stuff like counting, greater/less, etc. After doing prek workbooks and having a good grip on counting, numbers, size, etc. my son started Math Mammoth gr. 1. You could probably get a similar foundation from MEP, and it would be free to boot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 From looking at the on-line samples, it appears that Earlybird A (Standards Edition) is pretty simple, more of a Pre-K level. I'm wondering though if we really need to do Earlybird B before we start Primary Math 1A. I think the Earlybird B is intended to be more for the K level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Earlybird is not necessary. However, I think that 1A/B is the weakest in the Primary Mathematics series. I highly recommend a year of RightStart B before switching to PM 2A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 From looking at the on-line samples, it appears that Earlybird A (Standards Edition) is pretty simple, more of a Pre-K level. I'm wondering though if we really need to do Earlybird B before we start Primary Math 1A. I think the Earlybird B is intended to be more for the K level. I would definitely agree with you about A being pre-K. Have you looked at Singapore's Essential Math? The B level is very appropriate for rigorous K. It is better laid out, more understandable, cheaper, designed for 1-1 instead of classroom, a much better option IMO. What age/grade is your dc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 I have heard a read many posts of people who like EM better so I am definitely going to look into that. I also like that the price is better. I have two sons who will be 5.75 in the fall, when they would officially start Kindergarten. We will likely start working through it earlier though. I'm thinking I should probably go ahead and order EM B to make sure I don't leave any gaps before starting Primary Math 1A. As for Rightstart, I have RS A and have started it with the boys a couple of times. It really just does not seem like a very good fit for my teaching style and I don't care for the way it jumps around so much. I am fairly mathy (or was anyway - had to take 4 semesters of Calculus in college for a Computer Science degree) so I am hoping that we can make due with Singapore + manipulatives + games. I had hoped maybe I could skip EB/EM but I'm concerned I might not cover everything they cover, in the way they cover it so I should probably just do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I don't think you need EB before starting 1a. I would definitely re-visit EM. We used EB but I would have used EM if I knew about it back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Hopefully someone corrects me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there is a K program in Singapore. They just start with 1A. My dd started with 1A and had no problem. She did struggle later but I don't think EB would have helped her. I haven't used the new, but the old EB was horrible! Had them reading numbers and ordinal numbers. Ugh! I skip it. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary in KS Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 It's not essential. If your child had zero exposure to things like counting, shapes, number symbols (1,2,3, etc) and the concepts behind addition and subtraction (adding is "putting together.", etc) then you should begin with EB for a 4 or 5 year old child. But in most homes children are already exposed to these things, and will be ready to move right into 1A with no trouble. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I skipped it with DS and he has had no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 That's good to know. Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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