help me decide between MUS and Singapore Math

[Guest CrunchySarah]

I am having a hard time deciding between these two programs for my 6 year old. She would be doing beta at MUS, not sure what level that is for SM (2a? 1b?). We can check out some manipulatives (base ten sets)from our HSAP. Not sure what is the right one to pick, so looking for opinions. I'd spending the least amount of money over the course of my homeschooling career is of course preferred - we have 2 little brothers who will some day use materials! :)

[Jen500]

I am having a hard time deciding between these two programs for my 6 year old. She would be doing beta at MUS, not sure what level that is for SM (2a? 1b?). We can check out some manipulatives (base ten sets)from our HSAP. Not sure what is the right one to pick, so looking for opinions. I'd spending the least amount of money over the course of my homeschooling career is of course preferred - we have 2 little brothers who will some day use materials! :)

 

Unless you have some compelling reason to use MUS, my first choice would be Singapore. Singapore has an excellent track record http://www.singaporemath.com/Media_s/13.htm, teaches the concepts, and covers word problems very well. It would also be easier to switch from SM to another program than MUS w/it's unconventional scope and sequence.

I would give your dd a placement test from the singapore website to decide which level to start with.

[masaki]

Ds used Singapore Math until 6A. SM is a great, versatile program. If dc picks up on concepts quickly and does not need lots of review, you can get by on just the textbooks (non-consumable) and the workbooks (consumable). If dc needs review, there are additional components to SM such as the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems workbooks. All the books are relatively inexpensive and you can buy them directly from SM's website. They also have placement tests on the website to help you figure out where to start. My ds did text/workbooks Mon-Thu, and CWP on Fridays. This worked out well. When comparing curriculum, I've learned it's just as important to study the teacher's guides, as it is to study the student materials. Do you like what the program is offering you? Will it be a real help when the going gets tough, or just an answer key?

 

Marilyn

[MyLittleBears]

These two programs are so vastly different, it's so hard to compare.

Just wanted to point out that Singapore uses levels rather than grades to number the books. Since it is advanced, a "typical" child would be fine going into 1A & 1B for second grade, so it would be ok to use MUS for first and Singapore for second. Of coarse, most people start these in 1st, but FWIW, you don't have to. Not sure it is the advice you're looking for, but I sure wish I had known this prior to homeschooling.

Edited September 10, 2011 by MyLittleBears

[Jen500]

These two programs are so vastly different, it's so hard to compare.

Just wanted to point out that Singapore uses levels rather than grades to number the books. Since it is advanced, a "typical" child would be fine going into 1A & 1B for second grade, so it would be ok to use MUS for first and Singapore for second. Of coarse, most people start these in 1st, but FWIW, you don't have to. Not sure it is the advice you're looking for, but I sure wish I had known this prior to homeschooling.

 

I would just put a child in to whatever level they NEED to be on (using a placement test--you can always back up a level and quickly go through specific topics)

I think it is a misconception to say that Singapore levels are ahead of U.S. grade levels. This is not the case in all school districts.

[kandty]

I have only used MUS, but I have a very visual learner and MUS is the only thing he can actually use as he needs to watch the DVD to learn. So, maybe think about your child's learning style when considering. Good luck in your decision!

[songsparrow]

Just a suggestion that the SM workbooks do not have to be consumable - you can make a plastic cover and do the work with dry erase crayons or wet erase markers on the plastic, leaving the workbook blank for siblings to use later. Just take a plastic page protector, and cut off the long side with the three holes, so it's open on the top and one side, then slip it over the workbook page.

 

I also highly recommend the SM Home Instructor's Manual to go along with the textbook and workbook.

[veggiegal]

Both are good programs, so I would say go with your gut and/or your "other reasons" (not just academic reputation). I have only used MUS, and it works well for us because:

 

- following a more traditional 'school system' schedule of things matters not at all to us; we do not need to follow our provincial 'program of studies', nor do we need to do mandatory testing.

 

- my older son is a whole-to-parts learner, and with every MUS DVD he watches the lessons all the way through before starting the workbook pages. This helps him see where the math is headed, and see how the small steps (that MUS is broken into) fit together. I do not know if Singapore would allow this, but my experience is that DVD-based learning is more accessible in this way. Watching a lesson, even if you are only understanding part of it, is much less intimidating than trying to read through the lesson.

 

- both my boys are able to work largely independently, by watching the lesson and then doing the workbook. This was particularly helpful to me when my younger boy was a toddler/preschooler, as my older only needed my occasional help. He did not require me to 'teach' him more actively. The DVD format is a big advantage for my boys; they are firmly part of the 'screen generation'.

 

- another friend of mine uses MUS and loves it, though for very different reasons. She herself is math phobic, and feels she did not get a solid understanding of math when she was in school. It was very much a "if it's this kind of question, do it via this method" exercise in memorization. She watches the DVD with her son (also grade 4, like my oldest), and has found the lessons very helpful to her, and hence makes her more comfortable homeschooling her son in math. In her words, "I wish math had been explained to me like this years ago."

 

FWIW, both our kids wrote standardized exams at the end of grade 3. (Her child's was required as he is in a different homeschool stream than mine; ours was by choice; I won't bore you with the details of how HSing works here in Alberta.) Her son received a perfect score on the math portion of the test; mine scored grade 5 level on 'computation and estimation skills', and grade 8 level on 'math concepts and understanding'. This despite the non-traditional sequence MUS follows.

 

The main deficiencies I see with MUS are the non-traditional scope and sequence (though for our family this has been an asset); the dull black-and-white workbook (again, if you have a child who finds it hard to focus when there is tons going on on a page, with colour and cutesy cartoons and such, this too is an asset); and Mr. Demme's insistence that the student not go on until the previous lesson (in early days, basic math facts) has been mastered. We've adjusted how we use the program (we move on!), and what we now do suits my children very well and they ask for MUS if we haven't done it for a few days. Note that we also supplement with lots of living math readers, puzzles, and some materials from the Critical Thinking Company--but I'd do that no matter what math program we used.

 

Hope that gives you a sense of why we like MUS. I hope someone will or has done similar for you for Singapore. I do find much of homeschooling is simply taking on the experiment of trying things out, and changing / adapting the materials as your family needs. There are many solid math programs out there; my two cents is worry less about finding the 'perfect' program. Just get started somewhere and learn from the feedback your kids (and you!) give about the product. Some things can only be learned by doing. Good luck!

[EKS]

I have used both programs (Singapore EB-6 and MUS Alpha-Zeta)

 

Unless your daughter has difficulty understanding math, I would go with Singapore as I believe it is a superior program.

[chepyl]

We are doing well with Singapore, but do the placement tests. We started first grade in 2a. The text book has colorful illustrations and demonstrations of concepts, the workbook is black and white, which leaves little distraction for working alone.

[kandty]

- my older son is a whole-to-parts learner, and with every MUS DVD he watches the lessons all the way through before starting the workbook pages. This helps him see where the math is headed, and see how the small steps (that MUS is broken into) fit together. I do not know if Singapore would allow this, but my experience is that DVD-based learning is more accessible in this way. Watching a lesson, even if you are only understanding part of it, is much less intimidating than trying to read through the lesson.

 

Off topic from the OP question, but you just explained to me why other math programs have not worked for my ds (and me). I could not explain it, but that is it! :lol: Going parts to whole doesn't work, we have to see the end product first then give us the parts. Thanks!

[CanaryMelody]

MUS worked very very well for my oldest daughter for many of the reasons Veggiegal outlined in her post. Her learning style makes MUS a great fit! She is ADD and NEEDS the white space, no-graphics style of worksheets. She needs the visual that Mr. Demme's DVDs provide. There are no tears when it comes to math.

 

And by watching the DVDs with my DD, it really gave me a huge boost in understanding math for the first time. I completed up to Calculus in high school but never really understood math. MUS's strength lies in putting the concepts out there in an understandable fashion.

 

That said, I do intend on using Singapore Math with my next child (6yo DD). Her learning style is the complete opposite of my oldest. She doesn't need as much visual learning, and she grasps things faster than her older sister did at her age. Because MUS has laid a foundation for me as the teacher, I feel I can implement Singapore with greater success.

 

When I get to my DSs, I'll re-evaluate their learning styles and make my choice between the 2 programs accordingly. :)

[Crimson Wife]

I don't care for the "mastery" approach of MUS and much prefer a "soft spiral" program where topics are repeated & built onto from year to year.

 

FWIW, I have to match up the topics DD completes in Singapore each month with something on the CA state math standards for our virtual charter. For virtually all of the major topics, Singapore runs ahead of the CA state standards by the mid-elementary grades.

[WishboneDawn]

Another thing to consider is how you do with organization. I found MUS hard (Granted I was using an older edition). There were the videos, the blocks, etc. I imagine I'd have the same issue with a program like Rightstart.

 

Singapore was much better for me because it was pretty much open and go.

 

We did love the MUS blocks though and years later my son still pulls them out to play with.

[Crimson Wife]

Out of curiosity, how far ahead?

 

Mostly the grade ahead, but a few things are 2 grades up. I'm too lazy to look through all my monthly logs to find exactly which topics.