What Singapore books do you buy?

[amselby81]

I'm always turned off from Singapore b/c when I look at first grade and beyond, I see so many books! There are two textbooks, two workbooks, two intensive practice books, and two teacher guides for each grade. On CBD each teacher guide is $22 and each of the other books run about $10 each. We're talking about $100? Do you get all of these books?

[beth83]

:bigear:

 

Always wondered the same thing. I am really interested in the math approach, but get so lost in what exactly I would need to buy!

[Crimson Wife]

Sounds like what you want is Math Mammoth rather than Singapore. It's all-in-one and written to the student so there's no need for a separate teacher's guide. The "light blue" (graded) curriculum is $34/year but you can get the full grades 1-6 "blue" topical bundle at CurrClick for $95.

[justLisa]

Sounds like what you want is Math Mammoth rather than Singapore. It's all-in-one and written to the student so there's no need for a separate teacher's guide. The "light blue" (graded) curriculum is $34/year but you can get the full grades 1-6 "blue" topical bundle at CurrClick for $95.

 

I got the SM bug, bought all the books, then realized DS needs to accelerate quickly past the first few grades, so we kept with MM. Then, I bought it again, and still went back. DD will use SM 2 next year, because she just cannot focus with MM. She really needs all the cute pictures and such.

[Sevilla]

It's not that many books, and if you order instructor guide used then it's not so $$. Here is what we get:

 

Textbook

Workbook

Intensive Practice book (this adds extra challenging problems)

Home Instructor's Guide (the other guide is for classroom instruction)

 

It still works out less expensive than other math curriclums - I think I spent $40 for all four books for DS? Maybe it was $36.

[amselby81]

It's not that many books, and if you order instructor guide used then it's not so $$. Here is what we get:

 

Textbook

Workbook

Intensive Practice book (this adds extra challenging problems)

Home Instructor's Guide (the other guide is for classroom instruction)

 

It still works out less expensive than other math curriclums - I think I spent $40 for all four books for DS? Maybe it was $36.

 

If there are only 4 books to buy, that'd be a lot better. But what's the deal with the A and B for each grade? Do you only use one for the entire year? If you do both A and B then that's 8 books b/c there's an A and B for each.

[justLisa]

4 books together are NOT $40! Unless I guess you find them used?

 

The workbook/textbook A would be considered like semester 1, and B the second half of the year.

[SunnyDays]

No, that (sevila's post with 4 books) is only for one semester. The level A & B together make up a grade.

 

According to your first post, that is about what it would cost. If you want a mastery program that's cheaper, then yes, MM would be a good bet. But some people swear by Singapore. They do still have different teaching styles, and not all kids will like them equally. My son loves the Singapore books, but doesn't care for the MM format.

 

We're currently using CLE, and Singapore to supplement... I haven't fully decided yet if we're going to switch to all one or the other, but I just ordered the Singapore Standard edition 4A & 4B to look through them. (And if you go with Standards Edition instead of US, it's even a little higher, unfortunately.)

[Crimson Wife]

If there are only 4 books to buy, that'd be a lot better. But what's the deal with the A and B for each grade? Do you only use one for the entire year? If you do both A and B then that's 8 books b/c there's an A and B for each.

 

A is first semester and B is second semester. So yes, at the very minimum you will have 4 books for the year (textbook and workbook). A bright student may be able to substitute the IP book for the regular workbook, but that's still 4 books. At the higher levels, you will most likely need the HIG's as well.

 

Using RR's prices, the grade 1 standards edition textbook & workbook for the year will cost $53.00. If you get the HIG's, that's another $36.60. If you decide to get the IP's, that's another $19.60.

 

Buying them used will save you, but if you're really on a budget, I definitely think MM is a much better value (even factoring in the printing costs).

[boscopup]

I use textbook, workbook, IP, HIG, and CWP.

 

Here's the thing though... You're not using ALL the books at the same time! It's not 8 books everyday. ;) The HIG is what the teacher teaches from. The child has the textbook to look at while being taught. When done, you send the child off to do the workbook independently. Later, you throw in some IP or CWP as you feel like it. You only have one set out at a time (A or B). The other set can be in storage until you need it.

 

I used Math Mammoth to accelerate DS in the beginning (figuring out where he was, filling in holes along the way), and it was a good choice for that. It's an excellent program and very Singapore-like in method. We switched to Singapore because MM was a bit too incremental for DS, and he likes the presentation in Singapore MUCH better. He also likes only having a small amount of problems on the page. The MM pages were a bit overwhelming, though I usually crossed out half the problems.

 

So yeah, if you want just one book, I'd look into Math Mammoth (technically it's two books - A and B ;) ). MM is certainly much cheaper also. Singapore is not the cheapest program, but it's not the most expensive either (Teaching Textbooks probably wins the award there for elementary math). I find the price to be reasonable, especially since the HIG and textbooks are reusable, and I'll probably even reuse the IP and CWP with future kidlets because we haven't done all the problems in those. :D

 

I was originally put off by the multiple books, but then I realized that I use multiple books for language arts (grammar, writing, spelling...), and that isn't a problem for me, so why should it be a problem for me when doing math? :)

[Sevilla]

4 books together are NOT $40! Unless I guess you find them used?

 

The workbook/textbook A would be considered like semester 1, and B the second half of the year.

Really? Where do you shop at? Rainbow Resources sounds hugely expensive.

 

I buy from these guys: http://www.songofsongsny.com/p-509-singapore-math-bundle-grade-2.aspx (they're also on ebay as ' jcrewnt', plus they give 20% off discount codes if you ask). You can get everything you need for A & B (except the HIG's) for $65. The HIG's are $17 each new or used are cheaper (right now 2A and 2B are $13-$15 apiece on amazon.com).

 

They offer a 20% off discount code if you email them (at least they gave me one when I asked about it through ebay). Let's say you decide to buy everything through their site - the $65 bundle plus $17.50 for each instructor guide is a total of $100 but after your discount it's $80 (free shipping :)).

 

For a whole year, two semesters, that means you get 10 books (A & B textbook, A & B workbooks, A & B intensive practice, challenging word problems, and extra practice - you can sell the extras to recoup some money or else do a LOT of math :lol:).

[lorisuewho]

Really? Where do you shop at? Rainbow Resources sounds hugely expensive.

 

I buy from these guys: http://www.songofsongsny.com/p-509-singapore-math-bundle-grade-2.aspx (they're also on ebay as ' jcrewnt', plus they give 20% off discount codes if you ask). You can get everything you need for A & B (except the HIG's) for $65. The HIG's are $17 each new or used are cheaper (right now 2A and 2B are $13-$15 apiece on amazon.com).

 

They offer a 20% off discount code if you email them (at least they gave me one when I asked about it through ebay). Let's say you decide to buy everything through their site - the $65 bundle plus $17.50 for each instructor guide is a total of $100 but after your discount it's $80 (free shipping :)).

 

For a whole year, two semesters, that means you get 10 books (A & B textbook, A & B workbooks, A & B intensive practice, challenging word problems, and extra practice - you can sell the extras to recoup some money or else do a LOT of math :lol:).

 

The U.S. editions are indeed cheaper than the Standards edition.

 

However, I understand that the standards HIG are meatier and that the program has more pages to it in general.

[Sevilla]

I should have mentioned that I do use the US editions. I have not found issues with it not being meaty enough so far, and I read extensively on these boards and elsewhere on the differences between US and Standards editions before choosing the US version.

[Kathleen.]

We use the textbook, workbook, IP and CWP. I didn't bother getting the HIGs though sometimes I feel like I want to. The other day I came across the 3A teacher's manual for the classroom and it was nothing more than a schedule, activities for each unit, and goals for students for each math concept in each unit. I'm glad I got it ( 95 cents) but it's nothing I couldn't have figured out on my own.

[amselby81]

It's not that many books, and if you order instructor guide used then it's not so $$. Here is what we get:

 

Textbook

Workbook

Intensive Practice book (this adds extra challenging problems)

Home Instructor's Guide (the other guide is for classroom instruction)

 

It still works out less expensive than other math curriclums - I think I spent $40 for all four books for DS? Maybe it was $36.

 

Really? Where do you shop at? Rainbow Resources sounds hugely expensive.

 

I buy from these guys: http://www.songofsongsny.com/p-509-singapore-math-bundle-grade-2.aspx (they're also on ebay as ' jcrewnt', plus they give 20% off discount codes if you ask). You can get everything you need for A & B (except the HIG's) for $65. The HIG's are $17 each new or used are cheaper (right now 2A and 2B are $13-$15 apiece on amazon.com).

 

They offer a 20% off discount code if you email them (at least they gave me one when I asked about it through ebay). Let's say you decide to buy everything through their site - the $65 bundle plus $17.50 for each instructor guide is a total of $100 but after your discount it's $80 (free shipping :)).

 

For a whole year, two semesters, that means you get 10 books (A & B textbook, A & B workbooks, A & B intensive practice, challenging word problems, and extra practice - you can sell the extras to recoup some money or else do a LOT of math :lol:).

 

It still comes up pretty expensive IMO. $65 plus $26 to $30 for the HIG's. If I was only using Singapore I guess I wouldn't fuss about the price, but I am looking for something to tie along with MUS.

 

Thank you to everyone who recommends MM. I've been looking into that one! It looks like it'd be nice to use with MUS.

[Caribbean Queen]

I get used textbooks for peanuts.

 

I don't care for the HIGs. I like the way school teacher's manuals are set up; They have bullet points that are quick reads. You can know how to teach very quickly and easily. The HIGs are not set up like normal teacher's manuals. They have so much fine print that I imagine I would need to spend half an hour every night reading them through a magnifying glass!

I make up my own math lessons which teach the math facts and teach whatever the workbook page/s for the day cover. It's easy for me. If I was not able to do that, I would use another math program with more user-friendly teacher's manuals.

 

The CWP and IP are too challenging and intensive for us. My children learn so much in daily life that I don't want them to have a long school day or lots of seat work. The textbooks and workbooks are enough for us. I have used 3 grade levels of Singapore Math and never once been tempted to switch. I love it. (My kids think it's okay. :D)

[PhotoGal]

I buy the HIG, textbook, workbook, IP, CWP and tests. My kids requested the test books - I wouldn't have ordered them on my own - but I actually really like them. They are a step harder than the workbooks and a good double-check on what they know. I also use them to allow ds to "test out" of the workbook if he already knows the concept. It also gives dd a little extra practice without her feeling like she is doing extra practice.

 

It is over $100 for the year. I think that is great for such a thorough math program. We pay about that for one month of gymnastics for one child. And math is definitely a higher priority, so I don't worry too much about the cost.

[birchbark]

We use the textbooks and workbooks and that's all. :)

[Crimson Wife]

The other day I came across the 3A teacher's manual for the classroom and it was nothing more than a schedule, activities for each unit, and goals for students for each math concept in each unit. I'm glad I got it ( 95 cents) but it's nothing I couldn't have figured out on my own.

 

I agree that the TM's are horribly useless and the U.S. ed. HIG's are similar. But the Stds. ed. HIG's are quite a bit better as they offer a LOT more "handholding" for the parent.

 

Having used both, I wouldn't say the Stds. ed. is "meatier" (the challenge level is similar) but it does contain additional topics and the HIG is a zillion times better.

[pitterpatter]

I just bought SM 1A material. I paid $58 shipped for the textbook, workbook, HIG, IP and CWP. All are new. I'll be able to re-sell the textbook and HIG, though.

 

It will be a little bit of a trick figuring them all out, as I am used to one textbook and one teacher's guide with SM Earlybird. Once I get into the groove, I'll sure it will be fine. I'm pretty organized. It's really not that much different than using multiple books for other subjects.

[Tara Bara]

We use the std. ed. HIG, textbook, and workbook on a regular basis. Then, I also add in the intensive practice books here and there. We are almost done with 2B and I have just begun the Challenging Word Problems book. I'm not completely sold on this book since I am using the intensive practice books. It really seems like there is plenty of challenge/word problems in the IP books.

 

I know it costs more than some of the other math programs, but I absolutely love it!!!!! The HIGs are invaluable. I did Horizons when my son was in K and the teacher's manual basically just gave you a summary of what you would see on the workbook page. I didn't feel that it told you how to teach anything. The Singapore HIG definitely tells you how to teach each lesson!

[Chelli]

Another thought is to just buy the CWP and the IP books to supplement MUS. We use MIF (which is Singapre style), but I supplement with the CWP one grade behind and the IP a semester behind.

 

This approach really works for us.

[besroma]

I agree with everything boscopup said.

 

We also buy from jcrwent on ebay....very helpful, good prices, combines shipping. Excellent communication and fast shipping. We also buy used on the sale boards here.

 

We like SM math so much that in addition to the books others listed (text, HIG, workbooks, IP and CWP), we also use Brain Maths and Visible Thinking in Mathematics, which I also purchased from jcrwent.

 

It is worth the cost for us.

[swainsonshawk]

We use the textbooks and workbooks and that's all. :)

 

Us, too. I'm ho-hum about intensive math instruction for the younger grades. Good foundation, yes. But intensive, no. I find some of the word problems in the workbook to be over my kids' heads and I have no interest in pushing them to do harder problems in the "challenging word problems" book. I find doing the workbook, all the reviews in the textbook, plus studying math facts to be enough.

 

I don't use the HIG, either. I found it to be annoyingly wordy and I don't have the time to read a bunch of text before I teach math. I teach from the textbook, pull out manipulatives from my closet when I see the need to and that's it.

[chepyl]

I bought the hig, wkbk, text. IP, and CWP for a full year on ebay for $60. All brand new.

[Sevilla]

Why is everyone able to resell the textbook? Ours for 1B is consumable, not a regular textbook.

[boscopup]

Why is everyone able to resell the textbook? Ours for 1B is consumable, not a regular textbook.

 

We do textbook problems on the white board or orally.

 

It's not a hardback textbook, but most people don't write in it, even though it often had the bubbles to write in.