tlittlef Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Hi, I am new here and found the well-trained mind by accident. I was looking for ways to enrich my dd's education. The good news is I love her school, principal and teacher's and so does she. So onto the question :) I am trying to get my act together for Summer. She is enrolled in a variety of activities for fun (arts/soccer/swimming) but I wanted to work on academics. My plan was to work on reading and math for academics. For reading, I was planning on participating in the summer reading at the library and studying phonics using phonics pathways and some workbooks. For Math, I am a little lost. Next year, they are using a combination of Scott Foresman with a little of Everyday Mathematics. I want to get ahead of the game so I really want to find a curriculum that I could use at least through first grade. Also, she did need some extra help with money and patterns. I would appreciate any suggestions for curriculums and/or additional activities. Thanks, Tiffany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 We love Singapore Math. Not to scare you, but I have heard horror stories about Everyday Mathematics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlittlef Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 I have too.. The bulk of the curriculum is supposed to be Scott Foresman with a little of Everyday Math... not sure what that means. However, I think all the schools around here are using Everyday math :( I am hoping to try and find a Math program that she likes that will keep me ahead of Everyday Math :) Does Singapore use manipulatives? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 How old is she? We don't use manipulatives. More experienced parents could probably help you more. With my son (6 year old) we basically did first grade practice books and intensive practice workbook. Challenging world problems workbook is really good (will tackle in the summer). I think most people on these boards suggest buying their textbooks (we didn't rely a lot of them), workbooks, intensive practice, home instructional guides and challenging word problems. Again, we love this program, but I haven't used anything else either, so I can't compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlittlef Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 @Roadrunner - She is a few weeks away from 6 and just finishing up Kindergarten. @fairytalemama - That's what I am hoping to do find a curriculum she enjoys so we will be ahead of the everyday math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Age shouldn't be an issue. We started Singapore 1A as my son entered K (at 5.5 years old). He has been loving it so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlittlef Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 Thanks for you replies.. Is Singapore more conducive to afterschooling than say Saxon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persephone Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 You might also consider Math Mammoth. There are lots of sample pages to look at and print out to see whether you like it. And it is very reasonably priced. I use a mixture of Math Mammoth and Singapore Math for afterschooling, but I'm not sure how I got into this position!:001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I love Singapore Math for afterschooling. I just slip the books in their backpacks, and when they are done with their school math, they pull out their Singapore books at school. I have never had a teacher say anything but good things about this idea, and I have been sending extra books for 11 years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Another big fan of Primary Mathematics (Singapore) for after-schooling. We did 1A/1B last year for Kindergarten and are finishing up 2A/2B for First Grade. The lessons in Singapore are very time efficient and build powerful skills. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 Next year, they are using a combination of Scott Foresman with a little of Everyday Mathematics. That calls for a vaccination with Singapore Math. :D I actually really like some bits of Everyday Math but it takes its philosophy to an unhealthy extreme. Singapore will go a long way to restoring the balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlittlef Posted May 14, 2011 Author Share Posted May 14, 2011 Alright .. I think I am convinced :) Singapore Math it is... Now my second question for everyone what level should she be at if she has completed K? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 I would start with 1A of the Standards Edition. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlittlef Posted May 14, 2011 Author Share Posted May 14, 2011 Do you need the teachers manual or are the textbook and the workbooks enough? Thanks for the patience with my millions of questions :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 (edited) Do you need the teachers manual or are the textbook and the workbooks enough? Thanks for the patience with my millions of questions :) There is a book called the Home Instructors Guide (HIG in WTM-speak) designed for home educators. I recommend you get these books, others "wing it" without them. You need the Textbook and Workbooks. Then there are supplementary books. The Intensive Practice books (from the US Edition only, for now) add extra challenge (and are more "interesting" that the problems in the core books. Optional but nice to have if you have a bright child. Then there are the Challenging Word Problem books. These teach the famous bar-diagram method of problem solving word problems. You could do this as a trail sweep after 1B. Sounds overwhelming I bet, but it isn't. The minimum "core" is the Textbook/Workbook combo. The rest is a la carte. I like doing it "all", but any is better than none. Bill Edited May 14, 2011 by Spy Car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlittlef Posted May 14, 2011 Author Share Posted May 14, 2011 Thanks so much ... everything is ordered and on it's way ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redriver55 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I hope your summer goes well. I wish we would have done some traditional math last summer. My child is finishing first grade, and I hate the Ev. Math program. It jumps around so much, topics don't necessarily correlate. One day it's money, the next it's polygons, and now we are on fractions. We have covered a lot of concepts. I don't think I am against spiral math, but I don't like this program. We are going to work over the summer. I heard Math U See is good, and Singapore. My child also does math drills, like Mad Minute, which is 30 problems and they get 1 to 1 1/2 minutes to complete. It has taken the whole year for him to finally get it. And I don't think math is his worst subject. If I could go back to last summer, I would have taught the traditional math algorithm, along with an introduction to place values, and gotten other ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBre Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I have too.. The bulk of the curriculum is supposed to be Scott Foresman with a little of Everyday Math... not sure what that means. However, I think all the schools around here are using Everyday math :( I am hoping to try and find a Math program that she likes that will keep me ahead of Everyday Math :) Does Singapore use manipulatives? It's good you're on top of what the school is using. Ours uses TERC Investigations (much like EM) with a little Scott-Foresman. Your arrangement sounds better! We've pretty successfully kept one step ahead of the fuzzy math by using Saxon a year ahead of grade level. With the exception of geometric concepts in grade 4, there's pretty much nothing the school teaches them that they haven't already learned from me at home. Dc are both at the tops of their classes (ds8 is also at the top of the next class). I wouldn't have it any other way if they MUST be taught the fuzzy math. Saxon K-3 is pretty well-rounded with adequate use of manipulatives, drill, and repeated practice. We really enjoyed it and it gave us a great foundation. Far better than the poor kids in my dc's classes who I try to help every week. :( Breaks my heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlittlef Posted May 19, 2011 Author Share Posted May 19, 2011 I am really hoping to keep ahead of the curve. Now, I need to figure out what else we need to add in and how to schedule it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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