Singapore Users

[Momling]

I know this is a common question.... but what would you recommend if starting Singapore? Textbook? Workbook? IP? CWP? I've never held the books in my hands, so I don't know how much work is in each one.

 

Here's our situation:

 

My younger daughter likes math (more or less) and is very successful at it. I usually have her do 2 pages in MM. She placed into 1b, but I think she'll get through it pretty easily.

 

My older daughter hates math but is also pretty good at it. She struggles with word problems most of all. She catches on quickly and retains knowledge well. She despises repetitive problems, drill and busy work. I currently have her doing one lesson per day in TT, which she has recently decided is boring. I'm having her finish the year with it, but told her I would find something different at the end of the year. She (weirdly) placed into 5a, but I only gave her the 4a and b tests. I think she's missing the measurement from 3b, so we'll work on that this summer and re-evaluate.

 

I know this sounds strange, but I want structured math to be as minimal as possible. We're really not in any hurry. My younger daughter plays math games and my older daughter happily reads books like Murderous Maths... and I just want math to be a pleasant (yet brief) challenge, not a mind-numbing exercise in repetitiveness. So with this in mind, which components of the Singapore math program would you suggest? Could I get away with just using the Textbook? Or with just one supplementary book? If so, which one?

Edited April 22, 2011 by Momling

[charlestonmom03]

We recenty switched to Singapore too. I find the Home Instructors Guide to be very valuable and they suggest a lot of math games and mental math that my boys enjoy (often not realizing they are doing math because they are having fun). I use the textbook and the workbook, which cover the basics. The Extra Practice and Challenging Word Problems are well worth the price in my opinion and they take things a bit further. I bought the test book for the levels we are using but decided it would be overkill right now. I may pull them out for review in the summer, or might have them do the CWP book once a week in the summer to stay fresh.

 

My oldest tested into 3A, but we started with 2A and 2B because I wanted to make sure he was introduced to the number bar concept and to cover any gaps (he had done Math U See through level Delta). He flew through 2A, 2B and 3A and now is going nice and slow through 3B and really enjoying the challenge.

 

Good luck!

[The Governess]

You definitely want the Home Instructor's Guide, Textbook and Workbook. These are the core of the program.

 

The HIG has activities/games and tells you how to present each concept with manipulatives before attempting the problems in the textbook. It also has the answer keys and gives you ideas on how to teach each topic and presents alternative strategies if you need them. In the back are masters for printing out various flash cards, number charts, and mental math sheets.

 

The textbook introduces each new topic. It is full color and uses pictures to illustrate concepts. It contains worked examples plus a few practice problems. Some are meant to be read and discussed orally, the answers to some problems can be written into the textbook, and other problems are meant to be worked out on a separate sheet of paper (starting in 2a).

 

After they complete the problems in the textbook, they should be able to do the practice problems in the workbook independently.

 

There are not a lot of problems for each chapter, which is why the supplements are an important part of the program.

 

The Extra Practice workbook provides additional problems on the same level as those in the workbook for the child that needs more repetition to get a concept.

 

The Intensive Practice workbook provides additional problems starting at the same level as the workbook, and then ramps up in difficulty. These problems make the child think about the material in different ways and stretch the core knowledge he/she learned in the text/workbook.

 

The Challenging Word Problems workbooks contain word problems that use the Singapore method, and reinforce the topic the child is learning. There are also word problems in the text and workbook, but they aren't as challenging as the ones in this workbook. Starting with level 2, mental math practice is added in.

 

I use the Standards Edition HIG, Textbook, Workbook, Intensive Practice workbook, and Challenging Word Problems workbook. The only thing that has seemed repetitive is the Challenging Word Problems - Level 1 is a bit repetitive because there are only so many ways to do a word problem with first grade math concepts. :001_smile: But I'm sure it is good practice for when they become more difficult down the road, and dd is not scared of word problems like I was in school so I'm glad we took the time to do them.

 

I also do the tests. I probably don't need to, but it gives dd good practice with being careful and figuring out the problems without my help. They also provide extra review as some of the tests are cumulative.

 

Here's how I schedule: We complete a unit in the text and workbook, then do all of the Intensive Practice problems for that unit, and then the word problems. Then we take the test(s). By this time she knows the material backwards and forwards and rarely misses a problem.

 

There are reviews built into the workbook that you could skip if you are worried about repetition. And starting in 2a, there are practice sections in the textbook that you could skip part of as well. It's very easy to remove review from this program if necessary (there are few review problems mixed in with new material - review problems are usually in separate sections of their own).

 

Sorry for the long-winded explanation, I know it's hard to understand how all the books work together when you can't see them in person, and the samples on the Singapore Math site don't really give you a big picture. Hope this helped a little!

[Staceyshoe]

We are using the workbook, textbook, IP, CWP, and HIG including Mental Math & math games. One of the beautiful things about SM is that there is as much or as little available as your dc need. I would start with workbook and textbook for each level (absolute bare bones) and then buy one HIG so you know what it's like. Then I would just add on anything you think they need. If they need more review, add EP. If they need word problems, add CWP. If they are doing great, add nothing.

[KrissiK]

We use it all and I think that's a good thing. The HIG, textbook and workbook are essential. I think the extra-practice book and the tests are good, too. It just reinforces things for DS instead of moving along at too quickly a pace.

[mamachanse]

If your kids like the "games,". I would start with just the HIG and workbook. We really don't need the text right now (I posted about this earlier today). My ds hates over-repitition too, and feel the textbook with the practice exercises is overkill after playing the games with manipulatives from the HIG. You would probably do better adding the CWP instead of the textbook for your older dd. Although if she works independently she might like the workbook. :confused: Okay....I'll shut up now.

[jennynd]

i think your older will like Singapore. I will put her in 5a text book and supplement CWP either 3 or 4.

 

I know this is a common question.... but what would you recommend if starting Singapore? Textbook? Workbook? IP? CWP? I've never held the books in my hands, so I don't know how much work is in each one.

 

Here's our situation:

 

My younger daughter likes math (more or less) and is very successful at it. I usually have her do 2 pages in MM. She placed into 1b, but I think she'll get through it pretty easily.

 

My older daughter hates math but is also pretty good at it. She struggles with word problems most of all. She catches on quickly and retains knowledge well. She despises repetitive problems, drill and busy work. I currently have her doing one lesson per day in TT, which she has recently decided is boring. I'm having her finish the year with it, but told her I would find something different at the end of the year. She (weirdly) placed into 5a, but I only gave her the 4a and b tests. I think she's missing the measurement from 3b, so we'll work on that this summer and re-evaluate.

 

I know this sounds strange, but I want structured math to be as minimal as possible. We're really not in any hurry. My younger daughter plays math games and my older daughter happily reads books like Murderous Maths... and I just want math to be a pleasant (yet brief) challenge, not a mind-numbing exercise in repetitiveness. So with this in mind, which components of the Singapore math program would you suggest? Could I get away with just using the Textbook? Or with just one supplementary book? If so, which one?

Edited April 23, 2011 by jennynd

[Satori]

We also use it all (except the tests but plan to get them next level) and will continue to do so. I just posted in Mamachanse's thread that the textbook is the book we spend our least amount of time with. However, we're only in our first few months using Singapore and kinda breezing through the first level, so I'm thinking we'll use it more in the future. This was the one book my daughter was most excited about for our switch to Singapore, she wanted some color in her math. :) It definitely has its benefits.

 

I'd say get the HIG, Text, Workbook, as your main parts, and Intensive Practice and CWP for the added challenge once they master the content. We also get the Extra Practice books, which we plan to use as review a few months after that content is covered.

[kalanamak]

You definitely want the Home Instructor's Guide, Textbook and Workbook. These are the core of the program.

 

 

Sorry for the long-winded explanation, I know it's hard to understand how all the books work together when you can't see them in person, and the samples on the Singapore Math site don't really give you a big picture. Hope this helped a little!

 

Any newbie will appreciate the time you took!

 

However, I don't like the HIGs. I found they hindered me getting my "seat" in how to do this. The games were boring, the set up of "what this lesson is about" was nearly insulting it was so basic, etc.

I found it more productive to look at what is coming up, practice some problems myself and THINK about how they are done, how you could take a "long cut, what other way you could look at it, what words you can use to build on what you've told your kid already.

 

Other posters have said that the HIGs weren't necessary, but I'll go a step further and say, for me, they hindered.

[texasmama]

However, I don't like the HIGs. I found they hindered me getting my "seat" in how to do this. The games were boring, the set up of "what this lesson is about" was nearly insulting it was so basic, etc.

I found it more productive to look at what is coming up, practice some problems myself and THINK about how they are done, how you could take a "long cut, what other way you could look at it, what words you can use to build on what you've told your kid already.

 

Other posters have said that the HIGs weren't necessary, but I'll go a step further and say, for me, they hindered.

 

:iagree:If you were sitting here, I would kiss you on the mouth for saying this. (Okay, not really, but I would stand up and shout "YES!":D) I have long felt like the odd man out that not only did I not find the HIG's helpful, but I actually found them to complicate rather than simplify the math lessons. I bought and resold several HIG's before throwing in the towel. Thank you for assisting me in coming out of the closet about this issue.:D

[catz]

:iagree:If you were sitting here, I would kiss you on the mouth for saying this. (Okay, not really, but I would stand up and shout "YES!":D) I have long felt like the odd man out that not only did I not find the HIG's helpful, but I actually found them to complicate rather than simplify the math lessons. I bought and resold several HIG's before throwing in the towel. Thank you for assisting me in coming out of the closet about this issue.:D

 

I only bought one HIG and never used it either. I have a math degree, my kids are mathy and it definitely seemed like overkill for us. My oldest has completed 6B.

 

But you never know until you try! I'd order 1 HIG, 1 text, 1 workbook and play with that for a while. Even if you only do the core text and workbook, I think you are getting much deeper exposure than most math curriculum would provide. If you're moving too fast or you want deeper coverage, try some of the extras.

[Holly]

We use the HIG, text, and workbook. I think those are the minimum. I plan on adding CWP next year....and maybe the IP.

[Momling]

Thank you so much! I think we'll just start with the textbook and workbook and add on when/if necessary.

[marbelinchen]

We are just wrapping up 1B, and have used everything except the EP books of the US edition. Since I have a master degree in math and tutored math since I was 12, the HIG was of little use for me, the only part we use on a regular basis are the mental math worksheets in the back, and yes, they actually do start in 1A of the US edition.

 

Some comments speak of the test book - this is only available for the Standard edition. The US edition is the original Singapore edition adjusted to customary measurements and American money. The Standard Edition is adjusted to California Standards. The two versions are NOT interchangeable, so you need to decide in advance, among other things, whether you do or do not want to test.

 

TB and WB can be done in 20 minutes or so (I know a friend has the same experience with level 3). They absolutely do not offer enough practice and drill. Our routine therefore is to start with TB and WB until we've finished one unit. Then we tackle the same unit in IP, followed by the old (2006) edition of CWP, and finally the 2010 CWP edition. If I see that my son need more practice or drill, we use different resources like the Rainbow Math CDRom (does not work with Windows 7!), Math-U-See drills, Rocket Math on my ipod touch, the mental math sheets, Muggins Math games,... Be aware that the mental math work sheets are in the back of the HIG, so don't just throw out this book!

 

Obviously I use the TB to teach a concept, then assist my son with the problems in WB (if he needs assistance), then require him to work out the problems more and more independently until the word problems serve as kind of a test. Also, every now and then there is a review in the each book. They are great as mid-term tests (or simply reviews, whichever way you want to call it). By the way, the solutions are usually in the same book as the problem with the only exception of WB problems, those solutions are in the HIG. Make sure your student doesn't cheat by looking up the solution in an unsupervised moment.

 

I feel very blessed that Rainbow Resource Center had warned customers in advance that the 2006 edition of CWP was about to be taken off the market, I managed to get all books for levels 1-6 and like them more than the new edition. For example, the new edition might suddenly have word problems with "unnecessary information", without prior warning or teaching. This can easily confuse a 1st grader who believes every word must be of utter importance. I also feel that occasionally the new books require a level of logical reasoning that is beyond the level of my 1st grader, even though he has a rather mathematical/logical mind.

 

That said, I believe the word problems are absolutely necessary, and I love that Singapore Math starts right away. Just think about it, when was the last time you encountered a real life problem of simply solving an equation? Each and every math problem in real life starts with a problem described with words which then have to be translated into an equation (or inequation, system or the like) that has to be solved. This can be as simple as "donuts are $2.99, coffee is $1.09, do I have enough money on me " to "how much fuel do we need to send rocket A into space so that it will eventually release a probe that will land smoothly at spot B on Mars". Therefore starting the students on word problems right away is one of the best things you can do. I would never skip any word problems that comes my way and would throw out any curriculum that does not offer word problems from day 1 on.

 

The one thing we have not used too much during the course of the year is the ME (Math Express) that teaches "speed" math techniques. We will spend maybe a week or two on this after finishing the other books in the 1B series. Together with the emphasis on mental math, this another one of the assets of Singapore Math.

 

Perhaps the only books that you might not need are the HIG (but remember the mental math sheets are in the back) and the EP if your child grabs a concept quickly. Despite using all books and doing math not on absolutely each and every day, we are finishing level 1 in way under a year. We don't find the curriculum stressful at all.

 

Hope this helps. :)

[StephanieZ]

Just the Text & the Workbook.

 

That's all you need.

 

Really.

 

(2 SM grads and a 3rd heading that way. . . We've done some IP here and there, but I truly believe that the Text & WkBk is all that is needed.)

[Crimson Wife]

However, I don't like the HIGs. I found they hindered me getting my "seat" in how to do this. The games were boring, the set up of "what this lesson is about" was nearly insulting it was so basic, etc.

 

I found it more productive to look at what is coming up, practice some problems myself and THINK about how they are done, how you could take a "long cut, what other way you could look at it, what words you can use to build on what you've told your kid already.

 

Other posters have said that the HIGs weren't necessary, but I'll go a step further and say, for me, they hindered.

 

YMMV. I, for one, find the HIG's absolutely necessary and sometimes they don't even go far enough and I need to use the single-topic Math Mammoth "blue" worktexts in addition.

 

I think it really depends on how "mathy" the mom is and whether she can figure out how to teach the Singapore way without the help of the HIG's. I grew up with very traditional math and my grasp of the underlying concepts is weak. I got A's in math through calculus because I'm good at memorizing but teaching Asian math is forcing me to go back and learn *WHY* the algorithms work.

 

The HIG's were written to help moms like me, and what seems overly basic to "mathy" moms is really necessary to "non-mathy" ones. :)

[kalanamak]

YMMV. I, for one, find the HIG's absolutely necessary and sometimes they don't even go far enough and I need to use the single-topic Math Mammoth "blue" worktexts in addition.

 

I think it really depends on how "mathy" the mom is and whether she can figure out how to teach the Singapore way without the help of the HIG's. I grew up with very traditional math and my grasp of the underlying concepts is weak. I got A's in math through calculus because I'm good at memorizing but teaching Asian math is forcing me to go back and learn *WHY* the algorithms work.

 

The HIG's were written to help moms like me, and what seems overly basic to "mathy" moms is really necessary to "non-mathy" ones. :)

 

Well, I never had math past 8th grade math, until, somewhere in my 20s I realized I needed a little something to do chem with. I hated math, I loathed math, I feared math. Math made me sick. It was always my lowest score. I forced myself through JuCo algebra with the help of a tutor, and had to hire a tutor to get me through the math of physics.

 

I am not mathy. What "math" was good at at all was geometry, which was just logic and spatial reasoning. I didn't even know what a cosign was until I was 26 (and taking that durned physics course).

 

However. When I decided to homeschool, I got out a kids book and started walking my way through it. I played with manipulatives. I THOUGHT about place value. A friend gave me the book "The Math Curse" because I started looking at everything I could in a mathematical sense. I recall walking across a field and seeing a tree with every leaf gone, in a beautiful, perfect circle under it. I thought: I could measure a part of the arc and count every leaf in that "pie slice" and multiply to get the number of leaves. That kind of thing.

 

I tried to use the HIG, but I spent my time reading it, laying out books, writing up cards to play games with, and I was bored and it wasn't sinking in. Then I thought: I've become passionate about math (not "good" at it, not smart about it, but enthused). Why am I spending time reading someone elses really rather repetitive approach to "my" new love? It has been much better for us.

[texasmama]

=I tried to use the HIG, but I spent my time reading it, laying out books, writing up cards to play games with, and I was bored and it wasn't sinking in. Then I thought: I've become passionate about math (not "good" at it, not smart about it, but enthused). Why am I spending time reading someone elses really rather repetitive approach to "my" new love? It has been much better for us.

 

Once again, this wa my experience. I was not a "mathy" person and strugged through the pre calculus, chemistry and statistics classes which were required in my undergrad and grad degree programs. I actually made A's in chemistry and stats but only because I was good at memorizing and the class was allowed to take in a notecard with formulas written on it. I never truly "understood" the math concepts.

 

Fast forward to teaching my own kids. The most revolutionary act of my math reeducation was reading Liping Ma's book. I understood why I wasn't "mathy" and realized that I very well may have been if I had been taught conceptually rather than in a "memorize the algorithm" manner. Math was always my nemesis. Not any more.:001_smile:

 

Everyone's experience is obviously different, but I needed to experience a paradigm shift by reading the Liping Ma book and then experience a personal reeducation (which is ongoing) in order to present the concepts to my kids. They both have a natural conceptual understanding of math, so this was not difficult.

 

Maybe at some point in the future, I will purchase another HIG and try again because my oldest SM student is finishing up 4B so we have a way to go in the program. (Sorry about the slight tangent...this has been a bee in my bonnet for awhile now.:tongue_smilie:)

Edited April 23, 2011 by texasmama