CrunchyMand Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 My dd is nearly 8 and I have never used a maths curriculum, but I really want to get one to lessen my own planning time!! I am looking for one that helps a child learn how to think about maths, not just drill. Preferably one that I can adapt to use manipulative's with, or one that suggests manipulatives. I am not sure, but think I would prefer a spiral program for her. It would have to be one that I could get in/sent to the UK. I am torn between Horizons grade 2 or Singapore Primary Math 1b/2a. How do I know which one to go for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Horizons is spiral and Singapore is not. A not as quick answer...When I was deciding which math program to use, I found the descriptions in the Sonlight catalog really helped me understand the different programs and determine which would fit me. If you don't have their catalog, it looks like they have this information on their website--www.sonlight.com. Try going to the products section, then choose by subject, math, and on the right you will see the different programs. They sell both Horizons and Singapore and you should be able to find the descriptions at the bottom of the pages. They tell you the strengths and weaknesses of each program and you can decide if they fit you. It helped me figure out that spiral would drive me nuts. I ended up with Singapore. This year I have been supplementing with the Horizons workbook too. (There's another option...buy both!) I guess an advantage to Sonlight is you could easily get both workbooks and just have one package to ship. The books for both programs are fairly inexpensive. And isn't the exchange rate greatly in your favor?:) Here's the page I was on for Horizon...let's see if this turns into a link: http://www.sonlight.com/horizons-math.html Go to the bottom of the page for the description of Horizons. Hey the link worked! Editing to add the Singapore page too: http://www.sonlight.com/singapore.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 I like Singapore, and if you get the instructor's guide, it gives you a ton of hands-on and other activities to do to enlarge on what's in the books. Regena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorna Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 You can get Singapore Maths books from Peter at Half Moon Books in Ireland (he has used them with his children and is exceptionally helpful. http://www.halfmoon-educational.eu/ Singapore does not use many manipulatives but is taught using a concrete (pictorial) to absract approach. I found I could use unit cubes to explain almost everything. I got these from the learning resources catalogue. Regards, Lorna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 They're both supposed to be modeled after Montessori math, which is excellent for teaching the concepts. Plus you can adapt them to make up for Montessori's short comings - consistancy and drill. (In a Montessori school the children don't need to do math daily or even every other day. this was a major problem for my ds) I've also discovered that Singapore combined with a Montessori style math is a great combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandpsmommy Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 I agree with the advice to check out Sonlight's descriptions of math programs. That is exactly how I chose dd's math curriculum. Have you looked into Miquon at all? It is great for helping children learn how to think about math and discover math principles without being just explicitly told the rule and expected to apply it through drill. It relies heavily on the use of cuissenaire rods. My dd loves the Miquon workbooks. We use them to supplement Singapore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrunchyMand Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 Thanks for all the replies :) I did not realise that Singapore is mastery! It is the one I lean towards as it covers understanding of maths, but dd would prefer the lovely colourful pages of Horizons! I will get out my Sonlight catalogue and have a look at the comparisons. It is a tough choice to make though, I have spent so much over the years and hardly use any of it: I want to make the right decision this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karensk Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I recently placed an order w/Half Moon Books for some of the Singapore math books that are no longer available in the U.S. We've been using SM for over 5 years and have really enjoyed it. Singapore is more of the mastery approach. You might spend 2 weeks on one topic (e.g., multiplication), then move on to the next topic. Some topics take a few days, others take 2 to 3 weeks. It seems that the number of class days per topic increases as you go higher in grade level. I incorporate review of previous topics by the way I assign homework problems to my kids. The Singapore supplements are helpful for this. I just pull out problems in the areas that they need to review. But I think Horizons probably has its review of previous topics more methodically built-in. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie in VA Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 My dd loves the Miquon workbooks. We use them to supplement Singapore. We do the same, and I highly recommend Singapore! My DD would go crazy if she had all of the repetition in some of the other programs. Once she "gets it" she gets it and does not want to continue on and on with drill. Now...I make sure that she really does get by also using Miquon. We do a unit in SM, then the corresponding pages in Miquon. Works well for us, but others use SM and Miquon in different ways. I hope you find what works best for your DD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 It is both spiral and mastery...lots of manipulatives, not too many problems...but certainly enough...word problems in every lesson. I am very pleased with it. Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.