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Math reccommendations, please? (for strong math student)


Kipling
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My dd7 is very strong in math. She understands concepts easily and retains her facts well. We have been using Math-U-See, and we flew through Beta during the summer and first nine weeks of this school year. She will be finishing Gamma this year (She's 2nd grade). MUS has been a good fit for us, but I wonder if I shouldn't consider something more challenging?

What math programs would you suggest? Why?

 

ETA: OK, Singapore has been suggested a lot. Can someone tell me more about it? Does it use textbooks and/or workbooks? Does it use manipulatives? What does an average lesson look like as far as time and parent/student involvement? How are the lessons and concepts divided up? (for example, MUS has 30 lessons or topics, so we do one a week). Is this the same? If not, how is it different?

I have been to Singapore's website, but I find it much easier to hear from those of you who have used it.

Thank you so much!

Edited by KristenD
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Singapore or Math Mammoth would both be good choices for a student strong in math.

 

My son uses Math Mammoth (I looked at reviews of both, samples of both, and decided to go with MM since it's one workbook rather than a bunch of workbooks and textbook and teacher's manual... just easier for me this way, and my son likes it, so it's all good). He was using Saxon in school, and it went way too slow for him (he doesn't need the incremental instruction). MM has been a great fit. It explains concepts well for us so far, he can move through it quickly if he understands something and is ready to move on, and it gives him a sufficient challenge, even when doing things he's done before. It teaches mental math techniques that are very useful. There are plenty of good word problems as well.

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Singapore using the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems books. Also, look into Edward Zaccaro's Challenge Math series.

 

This is what we do. Ds8 will be finishing 4B by the end of the month and will finish out the year with Life of Fred Fractions (although between all the fraction work in Singapore 4 and converting decimals he's not happy about it. :tongue_smilie:)

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Thank you ladies. We will definitely check out your suggestions. I am really not very familiar with the different math programs.

For Singapore, can someone tell me more about it? Does it use textbooks and/or workbooks? Does it use manipulatives? What does an average lesson look like as far as time and parent/student involvement? How are the lessons and concepts divided up? (for example, MUS has 30 lessons or topics, so we do one a week). Is this the same? If not, how is it different?

I have been to Singapore's website, but I find it much easier to hear from those of you who have used it.

Thank you so much!

 

Singapore has a small textbook and a workbook (2 per level). It isn't manipulative heavy but the Home Instructor's Guide (HIG) provides instructions and activities on how to use manipulatives and games to teach and reinforce the lessons. I've found Cuisenaire Rods and Base Ten blocks to be very helpful in teaching it. It is a mastery program but not in the same sense as MUS. Each unit deals with a different concept and teaches it to mastery. The units for each book are listed in the TOCs on the website. There are reviews scattered in between the units to review the concepts learned. The HIG also provides mental math sheets for practice. Mental math is emphasized in Singapore.

 

There are several extra books that can go along with the main program: extra practice, intensive practice, and challenging word problems. Most strong math students won't need the EP. I know that many on this board use the IP which stretches the students to use the skills taught in more advanced ways. We use a lot of other math programs and supplements so I don't use it. I sternly recommend the challenging word problems, though. IME, they are a great addition to the program and nearly mandatory. They are challenging so I've found it better to do CWP when we finish the entire year's material. Ie, we did CWP 2 after finishing 2B and before staring 3A. Some also will use CWP a year behind and incorporate a few problems each day.

 

As a side note, Miquon goes really well with Singapore as a fun enrichment. It uses Cuisenaire Rods and is a low-intensity way for dc to explore math.

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Thank you ladies. We will definitely check out your suggestions. I am really not very familiar with the different math programs.

For Singapore, can someone tell me more about it? Does it use textbooks and/or workbooks? Does it use manipulatives? What does an average lesson look like as far as time and parent/student involvement? How are the lessons and concepts divided up? (for example, MUS has 30 lessons or topics, so we do one a week). Is this the same? If not, how is it different?

I have been to Singapore's website, but I find it much easier to hear from those of you who have used it.

Thank you so much!

 

You would need the textbook and the Home Instructor's Guide but you may or may not need the workbook if you're using the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems books with a bright student. The IP has a couple pages' worth of problems at the same level as in the textbook and then several pages' worth of more challenging problems. My DD calls the "take the challenge" section "fun math".

 

The HIG will tell you how to show concepts using manipulatives but I personally prefer using the Right Start manipulatives (abacus, place value cards, etc.) to the ones recommended in the HIG.

 

Gotta run now, sorry!

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The main text includes textbooks and workbooks, two each per level (A&B). You can purchase the optional home instructor's guide which often includes how to teach the lesson using manipulatives, but you don't have to (we hardly ever use them). There is one Challenging Word Problems book (which my son loves), it is very easy to schedule as it follows the two books topics. We use the Standards edition of Singapore and the US edition of Intensive Practice and it works fine, we have found only a few things didn't line up but it was stuff we had covered. There are two books per level like the main texts (A & B) and again, very easy to schedule. In a typical week my son get through 1/2- a whole chapter including extras. We do about 1 hour of math a day. I teach from the text book and HIG (20 minutes or so) and then he does the work for about 40 minutes. How I schedule the extras varies, depends on the workload of the day.

 

Thank you ladies. We will definitely check out your suggestions. I am really not very familiar with the different math programs.

For Singapore, can someone tell me more about it? Does it use textbooks and/or workbooks? Does it use manipulatives? What does an average lesson look like as far as time and parent/student involvement? How are the lessons and concepts divided up? (for example, MUS has 30 lessons or topics, so we do one a week). Is this the same? If not, how is it different?

I have been to Singapore's website, but I find it much easier to hear from those of you who have used it.

Thank you so much!

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Singapore has a small textbook and a workbook (2 per level). It isn't manipulative heavy but the Home Instructor's Guide (HIG) provides instructions and activities on how to use manipulatives and games to teach and reinforce the lessons. I've found Cuisenaire Rods and Base Ten blocks to be very helpful in teaching it. It is a mastery program but not in the same sense as MUS. Each unit deals with a different concept and teaches it to mastery. The units for each book are listed in the TOCs on the website. There are reviews scattered in between the units to review the concepts learned. The HIG also provides mental math sheets for practice. Mental math is emphasized in Singapore.

 

There are several extra books that can go along with the main program: extra practice, intensive practice, and challenging word problems. Most strong math students won't need the EP. I know that many on this board use the IP which stretches the students to use the skills taught in more advanced ways. We use a lot of other math programs and supplements so I don't use it. I sternly recommend the challenging word problems, though. IME, they are a great addition to the program and nearly mandatory. They are challenging so I've found it better to do CWP when we finish the entire year's material. Ie, we did CWP 2 after finishing 2B and before staring 3A. Some also will use CWP a year behind and incorporate a few problems each day.

 

As a side note, Miquon goes really well with Singapore as a fun enrichment. It uses Cuisenaire Rods and is a low-intensity way for dc to explore math.

 

:iagree:

 

I could not have said it better myself.

 

I would add one note for the OP since she is unfamiliar with the series that if she chooses the "Standards Edition" version of Primary Mathematics (which I would suggest) she would need to order the Intensive Practice books from the US Edition series (as there are no SE versions yet). The IP books are not on the same subsection as the other books in the SE series, so people get confused and sometimes order the "Extra Practice" books (which are more problems on a "basic level") rather than the more challenging "Intensive Practice" books for the US Edition. Clear as mud?

 

Bill

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Singapore or Math Mammoth would both be good choices for a student strong in math.

 

My son uses Math Mammoth (I looked at reviews of both, samples of both, and decided to go with MM since it's one workbook rather than a bunch of workbooks and textbook and teacher's manual... just easier for me this way, and my son likes it, so it's all good). He was using Saxon in school, and it went way too slow for him (he doesn't need the incremental instruction). MM has been a great fit. It explains concepts well for us so far, he can move through it quickly if he understands something and is ready to move on, and it gives him a sufficient challenge, even when doing things he's done before. It teaches mental math techniques that are very useful. There are plenty of good word problems as well.

 

 

I vote Math Mammoth as well. Teaches same methods as Sinagpore but in a single worktest, clearn and concise explinations, great price, and easy to use manipulatives if you so choose. The pictorial lessons and great. The mental math is excellent.

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