NotAVampireLvr Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 (edited) What program would you think best supplements Singapore? We're doing 3A with my 7 y.o. Its a challenge and we're moving a bit more slowly through it, but its not painful or anything. He LOVES math and I'd love to supplement with something that will help reinforce computation skills too at maybe a 2nd grade level - so that I could just hand it to him and he could take the ball and run with it (mostly). He was in PS until Feb doing first grade work, and he's not used to being pushed harder so I need something that he can feel satisfaction about completing without too much trouble, but it can't be too easy either. Edited March 6, 2012 by NotAVampireLvr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hello from a fellow Red Sox fan! :) Can I ask why you are doing 3A if he was just doing first grade work last year? I don't mean this to sound snarky, I'm just wondering why you've essentially skipped a year of math? Maybe he tested into 3A on the Singapore placement test? I would probably go back and do at the least Singapore 2B if he's needing more reinforcement. I would definitely be using flashcards and 3 or 5 minute drill work daily as well to hone in on and sharpen his math facts since it will continue to become more intense, and the speed in which he can compute these will determine how quickly he can answer the harder problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVampireLvr Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 (edited) Hello from a fellow Red Sox fan! :) Can I ask why you are doing 3A if he was just doing first grade work last year? I don't mean this to sound snarky, I'm just wondering why you've essentially skipped a year of math? Maybe he tested into 3A on the Singapore placement test? I would probably go back and do at the least Singapore 2B if he's needing more reinforcement. I would definitely be using flashcards and 3 or 5 minute drill work daily as well to hone in on and sharpen his math facts since it will continue to become more intense, and the speed in which he can compute these will determine how quickly he can answer the harder problems. He tested into 3a. He's slightly gifted in math. We placed him in 2a initially (after passing the placement tests for both 3a & 3b) We flew through all the review sections in 2a. Skipped 2B because honestly I didn't think it was worth the time. He's actually already mastered a good portion of 3a concepts, but we still need to be working on place value, rounding, etc. When I say that we're going slower, I mean that we're only doing a lesson a day /vs/ being able to do 3-4 lessons at 2a. I would go back and go through 2b, but I want something with more drill in it. I had thought about placing this in the accelerated learning board, but thought it would get more exposure here. Edited March 6, 2012 by NotAVampireLvr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Therese Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 We alternated Singapore with Saxon to make sure we covered everything. For Singapore 3 year, we did Saxon 54; Singapore 4 year, Saxon 65 and so on. My children took the tests in Saxon. Whenever they didn't know how to do a problem, we looked at that concept in the text, did some related problems, and went on with the tests. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 He tested into 3a. He's gifted in math. We placed him in 2a initially (after passing the placement tests for both 3a & 3b) We flew through all the review sections in 2a. Skipped 2B because honestly I didn't think it was worth the time. He's actually already mastered a good portion of 3a concepts, but we still need to be working on place value, rounding, etc. When I say that we're going slower, I mean that we're only doing a lesson a day /vs/ being able to do 2-3 lessons at 2a. Ahh, okay. That makes sense. Imho, a lesson a day is perfect for 7yo who is working 2 grades ahead of schedule because 7 is still pretty young (again mho). 2B would definitely cement the concepts you are looking for though. Maybe just spending some time working with base 10 blocks for fun would help. Do you have the HIG's? If so, they offer many suggestions for cementing these skills using manipulatives, games, or drill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVampireLvr Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 Ahh, okay. That makes sense. Imho, a lesson a day is perfect for 7yo who is working 2 grades ahead of schedule because 7 is still pretty young (again mho). 2B would definitely cement the concepts you are looking for though. Maybe just spending some time working with base 10 blocks for fun would help. Do you have the HIG's? If so, they offer many suggestions for cementing these skills using manipulatives, games, or drill. I'm still waiting for the HIG to arrive. We only just switched him to 3a. I have the 2a & 2b HIGS though so maybe I'll go back and take a peek. We're in a tough spot at the moment because although he knows how to work with really big numbers, he still hasn't quite mastered the "why's & values" of place value. He just knows what he's supposed to do and does it. Base 10 might help with that. My MIL is loaning me her set when I see her this weekend. I'll take a peek at Saxon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imaginator Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 If you're in Australia like us (wanting metric) ... my son (7) loves the Targeting Maths cd roms (from Pascal Press) which reinforce computation and maths vocab through fun games ... we use Lab 3 to supplement Singapore 2A and 2B (thinking he'll start 3A and 3B in about June). I'd suggest Lab 3 and 4 for you. Costs about $19.95 plus postage from Pascal Press, for each level for a home use version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Are you using the IP and CWP books with Singapore? They are great. I like to use Miquon to supplement Singapore, the 3rd grade books (as high as the series go) is the Yellow and Purple books. http://www.keypress.com/x6252.xml Another suggestion would be MEP - it's free! This is a very good program. http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm#year3 I also like to extend Maths by using living books, ie. lovely story books that include maths. We spend about 3 weeks on a book (1 lesson a week) and generally to a nice project. http://livingmath.net/ Or you could check out Beast Academy which some of us a still waiting on tender hooks for!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Are you using the IP and CWP books with Singapore? They are great. I like to use Miquon to supplement Singapore, the 3rd grade books (as high as the series go) is the Yellow and Purple books. http://www.keypress.com/x6252.xml Another suggestion would be MEP - it's free! This is a very good program. http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm#year3 :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 We are also using Zaccaro Primary Grade Challenge Math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVampireLvr Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 If you're in Australia like us (wanting metric) ... my son (7) loves the Targeting Maths cd roms (from Pascal Press) which reinforce computation and maths vocab through fun games ... we use Lab 3 to supplement Singapore 2A and 2B (thinking he'll start 3A and 3B in about June). I'd suggest Lab 3 and 4 for you. Costs about $19.95 plus postage from Pascal Press, for each level for a home use version. Not in Australia - but I love looking at curriculum so will take a look. Are you using the IP and CWP books with Singapore? They are great. I like to use Miquon to supplement Singapore, the 3rd grade books (as high as the series go) is the Yellow and Purple books. http://www.keypress.com/x6252.xml Another suggestion would be MEP - it's free! This is a very good program. http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm#year3 I also like to extend Maths by using living books, ie. lovely story books that include maths. We spend about 3 weeks on a book (1 lesson a week) and generally to a nice project. http://livingmath.net/ Or you could check out Beast Academy which some of us a still waiting on tender hooks for!!! :D I do have the Intensive Practice Book - The level 3 IP gives us a headache - I forgot to level down on that one. I don't have the Word Problem books or the EP though so maybe I'll give those a look. I thought we could do without the EP, but the challenge is just enough that a review might help. I have the whole Miquon series, but I was under the impression that it would be hard to start it up at this level... I'm saving it for my 4 y.o. at the moment. I'll definitely check out the living math site. My MIL has a bunch of math story books - I should really just go pick through her shelves (former teacher) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 MEP is free and has some excellent puzzle problems. Also, as a spiral program it would provide a good complement to Singapore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVampireLvr Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 (edited) I've never looked at MEP - this is actually looking really nice. I think I might even do level 2 instead of 3... on the fence. Of course 3 has the option of being paperless... and he could definitely handle it. I think that I really want him to get some extra drill practice with smaller numbers though... Edited March 6, 2012 by NotAVampireLvr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Not in Australia - but I love looking at curriculum so will take a look. I do have the Intensive Practice Book - The level 3 IP gives us a headache - I forgot to level down on that one. I don't have the Word Problem books or the EP though so maybe I'll give those a look. I thought we could do without the EP, but the challenge is just enough that a review might help. I have the whole Miquon series, but I was under the impression that it would be hard to start it up at this level... I'm saving it for my 4 y.o. at the moment. I'll definitely check out the living math site. My MIL has a bunch of math story books - I should really just go pick through her shelves (former teacher) I use the IP on level, but a topic behind for review. for example we're doing money in the wb, but backed up a topic to multiplication in the IP. I don't think it's too hard to jump in with Miquon, especially if you've been using Singapore, especially if you already have all the books! I'd forgotten that MEP goes interactive for grade 3!!! Like I need another math program :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVampireLvr Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 I use the IP on level, but a topic behind for review. for example we're doing money in the wb, but backed up a topic to multiplication in the IP. I don't think it's too hard to jump in with Miquon, especially if you've been using Singapore, especially if you already have all the books! I'd forgotten that MEP goes interactive for grade 3!!! Like I need another math program :lol: Good tip about using IP for a review... I think it will work for that for us eventually, but place value tripped us up for a few days... he had a mental block when it introduced thousands - DH presented it to him though in a different way, and from what I'm getting he was more intimidated then anything else. We did some review worksheets from SuperTeacherWorksheets and he was fine today and we're okay to move on to rounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in STL Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 We alternated Singapore with Saxon to make sure we covered everything. For Singapore 3 year, we did Saxon 54; Singapore 4 year, Saxon 65 and so on. My children took the tests in Saxon. Whenever they didn't know how to do a problem, we looked at that concept in the text, did some related problems, and went on with the tests. HTH! :iagree:This is very similar to what we have done. My oldest started with Saxon, so I was familiar with their tests and drill and wanted to continue those. I just buy the drill/test book. We do drill 3xs per week. I only assign certain problems from the tests, ones that are different from what they see in Singapore. If they aren't sure how to do them, then I do a quick explaination. I don't use any of the Saxon as part of their grades just practice. We do standardized testing, and I think this helps to make sure they are prepared for everything that will be on the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upward Journey Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 We alternated Singapore with Saxon to make sure we covered everything. For Singapore 3 year, we did Saxon 54; Singapore 4 year, Saxon 65 and so on. My children took the tests in Saxon. Whenever they didn't know how to do a problem, we looked at that concept in the text, did some related problems, and went on with the tests. HTH! This is what I did with my oldest as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 We're using Singapore for our 8yo & Miqon for our 6yo - they sometimes "play math lab" together (which I consider review / supplementing for the 8yo). We also enjoy supplementing "serious" math (Singapore 3B right now) with "fun and tricky" math - stuff like The Math Book for Girls and Other Beings Who Count and Origami Math and Math Wizardry for Kids - they learn fun things like how to make a "mathematical palindrome" out of any 2- or 3-digit number. (Last week's trick, LOL.) Also, their music theory class has done WONDERS for their concept of fractions (today we had a long and interesting discussion about the mathematical differences between eighth note triplets and eighth notes, for example). Mine are not math-gifted, but the fun math is more of a motivator than Singapore, kwim? But Singapore keeps us grounded and on track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nansk Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I would suggest MEP, Math Mammoth or the Scholastic $1 practice books for review. MM is currently on sale at the Homeschool Buyers' Co-op and although the Scholastic $1 sale just ended, there will be another sale in a few months' time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I would suggest MEP, Math Mammoth or the Scholastic $1 practice books for review. MM is currently on sale at the Homeschool Buyers' Co-op and although the Scholastic $1 sale just ended, there will be another sale in a few months' time. I avoided MEP for the longest time, but having taken another look recently, it's what I give to DD when we need a break from MM/Singapore. She loves it! It doesn't feel like a workbook. Each problem seems different from the others on the same page. I also bought a few Scholastic pdfs last week. I'm also incorporating more living math books, and for some odd reason, I'm usually hearing giggles from DD when she reads them to herself, which makes me tempted to just order all the LOF elementary books. We need breaks like that to play with math and rebuild confidence. I thought people have been saying that Beast 3A seems more difficult than SM3A, so I don't know whether that is what you would want for now. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVampireLvr Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 I haven't even looked at Beast yet! I'm wanting to use it as a supplement when its ready, but I think I might wait until he moves into 3B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 We use CWP, "Key to" books, MEP (just the puzzles) and will start with Beast Academy (most likely - pending cost) when it comes out!! We are in 3a right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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