tammyw Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Really challenging! Last year we did Singapore Level 2 but mostly just worked on the Textbook. After reading many reviews here, I decided to step it up for Level 3 - Textbook 3, workbook 3, HIG 3, Challenging Word Problems 3, Intensive Practice 3. But I decided to let her spend the rest of the summer going through Challenging Word Problems 2 before we started the Level 3 stuff. She is almost done with the book, and I have to say, THANK GOODNESS (although that means Level 3 CWP will be even worse, sigh). There are some real stumpers in that book. I have had a handful where I just couldn't figure them out and had to have my husband come home and work through them. Seriously, I know I've brought this up before, but does anyone else get stumped by these? Or am I the only idiot in the group?! It's been enough on some days to make me doubt my ability to homeschool. And I was good in math when I was going to school. Sheesh. FWIW, my husband is absolutely THRILLED that we are doing this program and including these CWP. He loves that they are so challenging and makes you really think, which I agree with, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Really challenging! Last year we did Singapore Level 2 but mostly just worked on the Textbook. After reading many reviews here, I decided to step it up for Level 3 - Textbook 3, workbook 3, HIG 3, Challenging Word Problems 3, Intensive Practice 3. But I decided to let her spend the rest of the summer going through Challenging Word Problems 2 before we started the Level 3 stuff. She is almost done with the book, and I have to say, THANK GOODNESS (although that means Level 3 CWP will be even worse, sigh). There are some real stumpers in that book. I have had a handful where I just couldn't figure them out and had to have my husband come home and work through them. Seriously, I know I've brought this up before, but does anyone else get stumped by these? Or am I the only idiot in the group?! It's been enough on some days to make me doubt my ability to homeschool. And I was good in math when I was going to school. Sheesh. FWIW, my husband is absolutely THRILLED that we are doing this program and including these CWP. He loves that they are so challenging and makes you really think, which I agree with, of course. After this post I don't know whether or not to be glad that those book are in the mail and one the way to my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 After this post I don't know whether or not to be glad that those book are in the mail and one the way to my house. :tongue_smilie: Sorry! Don't want to scare you. They are aptly named, that's for certain! DH just thinks it's fabulous prep work for the SATs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Just wait until your child can do one and you're totally thrown by it. Sigh.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 No, Tammy, you are not alone. :) Singapore makes me think. And MEP makes me think even more. I am so glad I didn't begin all this homeschool bit with 5th grade math. I would have felt like an idiot with no hope...:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 No, Tammy, you are not alone. :) Singapore makes me think. And MEP makes me think even more. I am so glad I didn't begin all this homeschool bit with 5th grade math. I would have felt like an idiot with no hope...:lol: Phew! Glad to hear I'm not alone. It's true that misery loves company. What is MEP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 The Intensive Practice challenging problems are even worse! I've been able to do all the CWP problems so far (grade 2), but there have been a couple IP problems I had to look up the answer in the back. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 The Intensive Practice challenging problems are even worse! I've been able to do all the CWP problems so far (grade 2), but there have been a couple IP problems I had to look up the answer in the back. :tongue_smilie: Oh great. This does not bode well for us about to start Level 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 They are hard. It doesn't help that the bar graph still muddles my brain. My dh is no help. Math is not his thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Omigosh, they are hard! My son is in 6th grade and good at math, but after hearing some warnings, we began in level 3. Well, at about chapter 2 I couldn't even believe how hard it was! I couldn't figure out a problem, and neither could my husband who got his degree in Electrical Engineering (he is very good at math). Finally I e-mailed a friend who mentioned she was state word problem champ in 6th grade or something. She casually e-mail back right away saying she didn't have much time to check and all, but was this the right answer? IT WAS. Before I responded, she asked her husband to see what he came up with. She said he filled an entire page working on it - and he did get the right answer, but was shocked when he saw the few little things she'd written down. Anyway, we went back to Book 2 so we could understand how to do the darn things. So far, so good. I hope so, he's in 6th grade and my husband and I have college degrees! Glad to know I'm not the only one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Yep, they are surprisingly challenging for these younger grades. I showed my husband and he was very impressed with what even year 1 was doing in the CWP/IP books. There was a few parts I just skipped because they were too over the head for my poor daughter who is no math genius. Even I have to think hard, and I was a math major in college (for one year, hehe). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I supplement with Singlapore workbooks, and I followed others' advice to use one grade lower than my kids' grade level for the Challenging Word Problems. One grade below is challenging enough IMO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 We have been trying to supplement with CWP problems, and at one grade level below. While I can get the right answer, I have a difficult time trying to explain to DD 9 how to use the bar method. Is it supposed to be used for every problem? Any resource out there to help us or do we need to back up even further to CWP level 2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 (edited) Phew! Glad to hear I'm not alone. It's true that misery loves company. What is MEP? MEP stands for Mathematics Enrichment Program, a free online math program from the UK. I use it as our spine; Singapore and Miquon are extra for us. I'd throw you a link, but I'm typing one handed while I nurse the littlest one. :) A search here on the boards will give you lots of pros/cons. I really like MEP, it has been brain stretching for me and mine. Edited September 17, 2011 by Zoo Keeper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Wait til you get to CWP4 :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 17, 2011 Author Share Posted September 17, 2011 Wait til you get to CWP4 :lol: I have to assume that by the time they go through Singapore, they're all little math geniuses?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Many people use CWP and IP a semester to a year "behind" the textbook/workbook. They *are* a lot harder and go into more depth -- but I also think CWP and IP are where Singapore really shines. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Wait til you get to CWP4 :lol: :iagree::iagree::iagree: There are problems in the 4th grade book that are similar to ones I remember being on the SAT. Now I know why so many Asian kids score insanely high on the SAT-M- they've been practicing those kinds of problems since they were 9 :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 :iagree::iagree::iagree:There are problems in the 4th grade book that are similar to ones I remember being on the SAT. Now I know why so many Asian kids score insanely high on the SAT-M- they've been practicing those kinds of problems since they were 9 :tongue_smilie: Rachna did a 5A cwp w/ Abi last week during their online lesson. I watched in amazement. Just a plug for Cybershala.com if anyone is interested in outsourcing cwp's to India. Literally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Hee hee. I paged through our CWP2 a few days ago to make sure they were the kind of questions that really make you think. Um, yeah! I got stuck for awhile on one about cutting a cake into 8 equal pieces with three cuts. I had to think outside the box for that one! In my defense, I don't think cutting it like that would work in the real world. :D I wonder if questions like that might be easier for kids since they don't have any preconceived notions to fight against. I haven't tried it yet so I don't know if the kids will "get" a question like that. We'll see! Maybe I'll check out the 1st grade one before we tackle the 2nd grade book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 I grew up with the system and I wholeheartedly agree that some of the problems are fiendish. After the national exams (PSLE - Grade 6) , parents usually discuss if it was a tough paper that year, and students recite the toughest questions they encountered, and compare answers. An example of such comparisons (past PSLE questions): http://prischoolmaths.blogspot.com/ However, a reminder too that we had a support system revolving around test preparation - parents, tutors, teachers giving extra classes and homework to help us prepare for the critical examinations. And by the time exams were over, we students were generally happy to 'give it back' and not think about it if we could. Now, as an adult coming back to work some of these problems, I have to sit and puzzle about it which is more satisfying. Some things stay.. I have an irresistible urge to start writing equations and assigning variables whenever I hear a word problem. Even if algebra isn't the best way to solve it... :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Hee hee. I paged through our CWP2 a few days ago to make sure they were the kind of questions that really make you think. Um, yeah! I got stuck for awhile on one about cutting a cake into 8 equal pieces with three cuts. I had to think outside the box for that one! In my defense, I don't think cutting it like that would work in the real world. :D Oh yes! I had to think outside the box on that one, and give DS a hint. He was trying to cut it like you normally cut a cake. I forget what hint I gave him. I try to give as little a hint as I can. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 I find the iExcel books helpful for teaching the bar model approach even more than CWP or IP. I think CWP and IP do a much better job of having tons of problems (and the first ones in 4 are particularly nasty). Looks like the iExcel books are being replaced, but the new series may also be worth checking out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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