Kipling Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Can you answer a couple of questions? We are considering switching dd7 to Singapore next year. We have been using MUS, but I want to switch to a more challenging program. I had her take the 2A placement test, and she did fine on it. When I look over the 2B test, I know that she will be able to do most of it, but there are a few specific areas that she has not learned. My question is: how much remediation is provided in Singapore? If I start her in 3A, will the book review certain things that were taught in lower levels? For example, the 2B placement test has directions like "Use mental math to solve." I know that she can solve the problem, but not in her head. Will mental math strategies be addressed in level 3? I know Singapore continues to teach mental math through the levels, but I don't want to miss teaching the beginning. Then again, I don't want to buy 2B if we're only going to use a small portion of it and then skip ahead. What do you suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Is she finishing up Beta or Gamma? If she is finishing up Beta, I'd do 2B. If she is finishing up Gamma, I would put her into 2B unless she has all of her addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts down cold. There is some review--not really remediation in 3A, but not a lot. By page 50, they have jumped into division. By page 80, they are doing division with remainders (something not covered until mid-way in Delta). If you are really concerned about price, and still don't know what to do, you could just get the workbook for 2B. If she really has mastered the material, she could finish it off in a few weeks. You'd only be out $9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kipling Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 Is she finishing up Beta or Gamma? If she is finishing up Beta, I'd do 2B. If she is finishing up Gamma, I would put her into 2B unless she has all of her addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts down cold. She'll be done with Gamma by May and has addition & subtraction down cold. We're still working on memorizing times tables, but I expect her to have them down as well. There is some review--not really remediation in 3A, but not a lot. By page 50, they have jumped into division. By page 80, they are doing division with remainders (something not covered until mid-way in Delta). I introduced her to division, and she caught on really quickly to basic division, but we haven't done any "formal" work on it. If you are really concerned about price, and still don't know what to do, you could just get the workbook for 2B. If she really has mastered the material, she could finish it off in a few weeks. You'd only be out $9. Thank you for your answer. She's pretty bright when it comes to math and does a lot in her head already. I guess my concern is that she will miss some essential skill that she will need to be successful with Singapore if I skip an early level. Overall it's not really that expensive, and we could always work through 2B over the summer and then start 3A in the fall. If I just get the workbook, will that still teach the concepts, or do I need to get the HIG as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Mental math is covered at the beginning of 3B in the US Ed. (not sure about Sts. Ed.) If that's the only thing she missed, I'd start with 3A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I am switching ds over to Singapore from Horizons and have wondered this myself. He took the 2A test and did fine on the topics that Horizons has covered, but he doesn't know any division, little metric measurement, and has a never borrowed across 0's (like 703-245). If I start with 2b will these be addressed, or should I go back to 2A? (I can certainly catch him up on these areas before we start I suppose...) He is not happy about the switch so I really want him to feel competant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twogirlsmommy Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 We have used Singapore since Kindergarten and DD is now almost done with 4A. Two things. Singapore is a mastery based program. So once it is introduced and "mastered" it is expected to be known. When we hit review problems there is no explanation, it is just expected to be known. Second, there is not too much review with Singapore. I have added in review books for my DD when she feels it is moving too fast. So basically problems will be given but they are not "taught" and there is no instruction for teaching them in later teacher or homeschool manuals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I think you could get by with just doing the 2B workbook over the summer and getting those memorization facts memorized. :) 2B does a lot with measurement and things not covered in gamma. (It's why we do two math programs at once at our house.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfengel Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 (edited) My dd, who is actually in the 4th grade, just completed 2B and has just begun 3A. She is pretty bright, but she was a victim of the public school system and didn't get the challenge that she needed. I really struggled with putting her in such a 'low' level, but I didn't feel like she was ready for a higher level. I am VERY glad we took the time to go through 2B. Now that we have started on 3A, I do see the review, but I do feel like she would be lost if we had just jumped in to the middle of the mental math. 2B seems to spend a LOT of time with perfecting mental math; whereas, I don't see that right now with 3A. I think the HIG's are good, and I always buy them, but I honestly think I could do without them. Both the text and the workbook are necessary, though. I also really like the Extra Practice, Intensive Practice, and Challenging Word Problems books. During our school day, we generally work through the workbook exercise together, and then I assign something from the EP, IP or CWP for homework. Hope that helps a little! :) Edited February 17, 2011 by gfengel fixed grammar error Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I feel like I am using a different program! I don't feel that way about Singapore at all. To me it is plenty of review and they go over the same topics over and over again. They do the four operations and build on the difficulty and complexity from one level to the next, but it's pretty much the same concept over and over again. Are you using US edition or Standard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewel7123 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 We have used Singapore since Kindergarten and DD is now almost done with 4A. Two things. Singapore is a mastery based program. So once it is introduced and "mastered" it is expected to be known. When we hit review problems there is no explanation, it is just expected to be known. Second, there is not too much review with Singapore. I have added in review books for my DD when she feels it is moving too fast. So basically problems will be given but they are not "taught" and there is no instruction for teaching them in later teacher or homeschool manuals. Are you using the older US edition or the new Standards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susesmiles Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 We used Singapore for K. It didn't work well for my DS because it lacked review during the year. I think it is a good strong program, but come spring my DS did not remember some of what he'd learned in the fall. So we did Abeka Math this last year and loved it. It has the review necessary for him to retain the information. I think both are equally strong math programs and you need to choose the one that works best with your childs learning style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twogirlsmommy Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 We are using the US Edition. I have thought about switching, but we started with US (standards was not yet available) so we are just going to stick with it. I don't know much about the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 We are using the US Edition. I have thought about switching, but we started with US (standards was not yet available) so we are just going to stick with it. I don't know much about the difference. I have used both, and the Stds. edition has a LOT more review than the U.S. edition. Also, there seems to be more re-teaching of concepts covered in earlier levels. So if those are your complaints, I would definitely recommend switching to the Stds. edition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootsnwings Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Definitely start her in 2B. The workbooks are very small & manageable. If you did JUST Textbook & Workbook she would fly through them in about 10-12 weeks. She'd get good review of topics she's already covered in MUS and she'd also get the taste for Singapore's Mental Math. She could definitely be ready for 3A by fall and have the added benefit of better understanding 'the Singapore way' before she starts learning new material in 3A. My son finished MUS Gamma and went straight into 4A with no problem. We're using 4B now and use the HIG w/ Mental Math, Textbook, Workbook & Intensive Practice. We also use MEP online interactive worksheets for fun. :) HTH! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twogirlsmommy Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 I don't mind pulling in my own review, because some topics need to be reviewed and some do not. I have gone back through things, but just done it quickly. I think that starting a book back would be preferable to missing out on key concepts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kipling Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Definitely start her in 2B. The workbooks are very small & manageable. If you did JUST Textbook & Workbook she would fly through them in about 10-12 weeks. She'd get good review of topics she's already covered in MUS and she'd also get the taste for Singapore's Mental Math. She could definitely be ready for 3A by fall and have the added benefit of better understanding 'the Singapore way' before she starts learning new material in 3A. My son finished MUS Gamma and went straight into 4A with no problem. We're using 4B now and use the HIG w/ Mental Math, Textbook, Workbook & Intensive Practice. We also use MEP online interactive worksheets for fun. :) HTH! :D I'm confused. If your son went from MUS gamma to 4A w/ no problems, why do you suggest I start my daughter with 2B? She will be done with gamma when we begin Singapore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kipling Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 My dd, who is actually in the 4th grade, just completed 2B and has just begun 3A. She is pretty bright, but she was a victim of the public school system and didn't get the challenge that she needed. I really struggled with putting her in such a 'low' level, but I didn't feel like she was ready for a higher level. I am VERY glad we took the time to go through 2B. Now that we have started on 3A, I do see the review, but I do feel like she would be lost if we had just jumped in to the middle of the mental math. 2B seems to spend a LOT of time with perfecting mental math; whereas, I don't see that right now with 3A. Thank you. This is good to know. I think the HIG's are good, and I always buy them, but I honestly think I could do without them. Both the text and the workbook are necessary, though. I also really like the Extra Practice, Intensive Practice, and Challenging Word Problems books. During our school day, we generally work through the workbook exercise together, and then I assign something from the EP, IP or CWP for homework. Hope that helps a little! :) I have used both, and the Stds. edition has a LOT more review than the U.S. edition. Also, there seems to be more re-teaching of concepts covered in earlier levels. So if those are your complaints, I would definitely recommend switching to the Stds. edition. I definitely plan on using the stds. edition. I do think it makes a lot of sense to work through 2B over the summer to learn the "Singapore way" as well as to keep those math skills fresh. Thank you everyone for your responses. They have been very useful.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootsnwings Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) I'm confused. If your son went from MUS gamma to 4A w/ no problems, why do you suggest I start my daughter with 2B? She will be done with gamma when we begin Singapore. Oh I'm sorry, I ASSumed she was finishing up Beta if she was just finishing 2nd grade. SORRY!! :D We had only used Gamma for the end of third grade (he did the whole program in less than 10weeks) and he had already had some of the info that was on the placement test in 2nd & beginning of 3rd so he tested right into 4A when we took the placement tests. If she's testing into 2B on the placement test, that's where I would start her. (she needs long division before 4A) Edited February 18, 2011 by rootsnwings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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