What Math Would You Use-4th Grade?

[kaymom]

My son is coming out of PS for 4th grade. He has used Everyday Math and Think Math, which are both spiral math programs. He's pretty quick to catch onto math, but I feel like the PS is behind what is in most homeschool math material...especially with multiplication and division facts. He's still learning single digit multiplication and division at the end of 3rd grade. I am attracted to a Singapore style approach but am concerned that it might be too bold a move. I'm also concerned about a possible lack of review using that method. I was given Saxon 5/4, and although I don't like the looks of it, I think he'd probably do well learning in small chunks with lots of review. He score 95% as a Perfect Paula and is a visual learner with a very good memory. He generally does well in math (A's) but it isn't his best subject and I don't think he's been challenged. Ideas/suggestions?

[Ohmomjacquie]

We use bju math and love it. Moremastery style with lots of review built in. It teachers how and why behind the math as well. We tried saxon last year and it wasn't good fit for my dd. This year she likes math again! Bju has extra practice pages on the teacher cd too.

[Momling]

We've been happy with SM and use the review sections to keep previous lessons fresh. Besides Saxon, the other popular spiral is CLE. All of these are solid programs.

[serendipitous journey]

If you are attracted to Singapore, I would suggest trying it. It is an excellent program. You could try working through 3A/B over the summer, depending on his placement, maybe?

 

If his facts aren't ideal, I'd suggest a drilling program: either daily drill on your own, or the Wrap-Ups, or Calculadder (available as a download or as print through Rainbow Resources) or whatever, until he's quite comfortable with his facts. Definitely invest in the Singapore Home Instructor's Guide, which gives support for the mental math in the program -- this will probably be quite challenging for him, but if you approach it as something to be taught and not something he should have mastered, he will quickly catch up.

 

And I would definitely use the summer to at least master facts and the necessary operations, and maybe try out the first month or so of lessons from whatever program you use. Then, if the level is wrong or the program is a horrid fit, you have time to adjust before the fall.

 

Also, look carefully at the Singapore supplements and pick one, or at most 2, that seem to best suit his needs.

 

The one downside of Singapore at this grade is that there are no Home Instructor Guides past year 6, so most parents switch programs at algebra (Singapore's higher math is good, you just won't have your hand held at all for the higher math teaching). So you might prefer starting with Saxon b/c you could use it all the way through.

[mamaeast]

My son did Everyday Math when he was in the PS. We went with Singapore and it was a huge jump from what he had been doing. So, after a good deal of frustration, we switched and went with Saxon. He's very bright but far more verbal than mathy. I felt like he didn't learn anything new in Saxon until the last 20 lessons of the year, so I was still very frustrated. I personally don't like the spiral method at all. It doesn't allow to move at a different pace. And while there is a lot of review, I was really frustrated that we learned long division and then there were literally 2 long division practice problems that first day and every day that followed! So, after a very frustrating year of math, we are going back to Singapore, with other supplements. My biggest recommendation with whatever program you use, is to give your child a placement test and go with whatever it says, even if it means putting him further back. You'll have less frustration if you're at the right level.

[Chrysalis Academy]

We used Math Mammoth for Miss P who came out of ps after 2 months of 4th grade. It is a mastery-based conceptual math program along the lines of Singapore, but a little more user-friendly I think. It was bumpy to start with, because ps didn't encourage conceptual understanding or mental math, but MM has lots of support for catching up/filling in holes. We're now on track and loving MM!

[sagira]

We used Math Mammoth for Miss P who came out of ps after 2 months of 4th grade. It is a mastery-based conceptual math program along the lines of Singapore, but a little more user-friendly I think. It was bumpy to start with, because ps didn't encourage conceptual understanding or mental math, but MM has lots of support for catching up/filling in holes. We're now on track and loving MM!

 

We really dig MM here, and will be continuing to use this next year. Ds is in 3A, but will be starting 3B soon. In fourth (next fall) he'll be finishing off 3B to start 4A. It's conceptual, and at the same time allows him plenty of time to master the subject.

[boscopup]

While Singapore isn't spiral, it does have review, and it's pretty easy to add in more review. There are cumulative reviews after each chapter. Toward the end of the book, these reviews gets LONG, because they really are reviewing everything learned since the beginning! I use Standards Edition, so I don't know how US Edition differs, but there are the main lessons in the textbook and workbook, then some practice pages in the textbook to review and practice what was taught that chapter. Then there is the cumulative review both in the textbook and workbook - I usually just do one of those, but you could use one and then go back and later use the other mid-chapter. Then I also use IP and CWP a little bit behind our current topic, so that adds even more review. Oh, and the mental math can be used anytime after the HIG says to use it, so that could also serve as review.

 

For basic math fact drill, I like math-drills.com, where you can print out whatever you want. It's free, and you have a lot of choices. If your child likes computer practice, there are programs to do that too (we tried xtramath.com, but my son got frustrated by the need to be quick on the keyboard, so pencil/paper 5 minute drills worked better for him, and he liked them).

 

Also, Singapore is not completely "out there" as far as math goes. The biggest difference is their emphasis on mental math techniques, but some people figure out those same techniques on their own. They're not super strange like some of the stuff Everyday Math teaches. ;) And they DO teach the standard algorithms and give practice with them. They are very strong in word problems (especially the IP and CWP books). I had a normal public school education with normal public school textbooks, and Singapore doesn't seem horribly weird to me. Just use the HIG, so you know what you're teaching and how. ;)