How much Singapore in one sitting?

[happypamama]

So I am sitting here looking at the Singapore Math 2A textbook, workbook, and HIG, and I'm trying to figure out a general plan for my 7yo son.

 

It looks like it might work for me to do a hands-on activity from the HIG with him (or set him up to do it himself, depending on the activity), and then a section from the textbook (the "Learning Tasks"), and then have him do the practice problems from the workbook on his own. Does that sound like too much?

 

Alternately, is there a reason to have him write out the answers to the workbook as opposed to him answering them verbally?

 

How do you organize the Singapore items? We have a four-day school week, and I also want to incorporate Miquon pages in there too.

[Kathryn]

:bigear:

[Five More Minutes]

So I am sitting here looking at the Singapore Math 2A textbook, workbook, and HIG, and I'm trying to figure out a general plan for my 7yo son.

 

It looks like it might work for me to do a hands-on activity from the HIG with him (or set him up to do it himself, depending on the activity), and then a section from the textbook (the "Learning Tasks"), and then have him do the practice problems from the workbook on his own. Does that sound like too much?

 

Alternately, is there a reason to have him write out the answers to the workbook as opposed to him answering them verbally?

 

How do you organize the Singapore items? We have a four-day school week, and I also want to incorporate Miquon pages in there too.

We started 2A a couple of months ago, and this is how things are working for us so far. We do a 4-day school week as well, and are supplementing with Miquon. (I often fit in a math lab on Friday that is purely Miquon.)

 

A typical math day for my daughter looks like this:

Independent warm-up (10-15 min): She works independently in Intensive Practice (half-level behind) or CWP while I teach her younger sister. Or sometimes I assign MEP puzzles.

Lesson (5 - 15 min): I deliver a lesson based on the HIG. As much as possible, I try to precede this with a discovery of the topic using Miquon, OR I adapt the HIG with Miquon-style puzzles and learning. If she is struggling with the concept, I may work through a couple of her textbook problems with her as part of the lessons.

Text and/or Workbook (5 - 20 min): Depending on her level of understanding, and on the amount in the text, I assign some or all of the problems for her to do. Right now she does them orally with me. Occasionally I scribe for her, so that she can see what working in a notebook looks like. If she doesn't get to the workbook the first day, then the next day during the "lesson time" I very quickly review the concept or come at it another way and she moves to the workbook.

 

So sometimes it takes 1 day to get through a topic; other times it takes a couple of days.

 

HTH

[ondreeuh]

The HIG schedules what's in a lesson. I used US edition (which gets some flack here for not being well laid out, but whatever) and at the beginning of the book was a table that showed at-a-glance how everything fits. Each lesson included work with manipulatives as laid out in the HIG, pages in the textbook (clearly labeled), and pages in the workbook (also clearly labeled). At the bottom of the textbook and workbook pages are little flags that identify how they go together. If you are using Standards, I assume it is similar.

[Dinsfamily]

The HIG schedules what's in a lesson. I used US edition (which gets some flack here for not being well laid out, but whatever) and at the beginning of the book was a table that showed at-a-glance how everything fits. Each lesson included work with manipulatives as laid out in the HIG, pages in the textbook (clearly labeled), and pages in the workbook (also clearly labeled). At the bottom of the textbook and workbook pages are little flags that identify how they go together. If you are using Standards, I assume it is similar.

 

:iagree: It also schedules the mental math exercises. We go through SM at a quick pace but still use that schedule as a guide.

 

My dc write in the workbooks because it is independent work. We work through the text as needed together and they demonstrate their understanding in the workbook.

[happypamama]

Thanks, everyone. I hadn't looked closely enough at all of the books before I posted. ;) I think I've got a manageable plan now. It should take about 47 days to get through the Singapore 2A book, and I'm assuming about the same for the 2B book (which I don't have yet). So with some Miquon days mixed in there, the 2A book should work for the first half of the year. I honestly don't think he'll need the Practice sets, just the Workbook sets. (I'm not sure that 2A isn't too easy for him, actually, but I'm opting for "easier, better foundation, making sure all bases are covered" over "faster, more challenging.")

 

As for oral vs. written, I think I'll just have to see. It will take more of my time for oral answers, but a) he may want the hand-holding (with this particular child, maybe literally, LOL) and b) I would like to step up his writing vs. oral in other subjects, so I'd rather not overwhelm him.

[boscopup]

Here's what I do for my pencil phobic son (who started using Singapore at age 7):

 

1) Present lesson in HIG, usually at the white board, but sometimes not. Just depends on the lesson and my mood. He has his textbook open during this time, and we go over the textbook problems orally as they come up in the HIG lesson.

 

2) Send him off to do the workbook exercise independently. They are so short, that it's NO problem for him to write that amount on his own.

 

The unit we just did (decimals in 4B), we usually did 2 lessons per day, because it was taking us so little time - he had a general understanding of the material. Some lessons would only be one lesson per day.

 

My DS2 will be doing 1A in a few weeks, and he'll just do one lesson per day. That will be plenty for him to write out.

 

I think if you just follow the HIG schedule, you should be fine. You'll finish in less than a semester if you're not doing the tests (I don't do them). We do one review (the one in the textbook, but we started with the one in the workbook until DS was ready to do that writing), and in the grade 4 book there is a Practice in each chapter, so we do that too. The grade 1 book doesn't have that. I don't know what grade it starts in.

[Annabel Lee]

The HIG schedules what's in a lesson. I used US edition (which gets some flack here for not being well laid out, but whatever) and at the beginning of the book was a table that showed at-a-glance how everything fits. Each lesson included work with manipulatives as laid out in the HIG, pages in the textbook (clearly labeled), and pages in the workbook (also clearly labeled). At the bottom of the textbook and workbook pages are little flags that identify how they go together. If you are using Standards, I assume it is similar.

 

Can anyone tell me if the Standards Ed. HIGs schedule things out like this, and do they also schedule the mental math exercises?

[kalanamak]

 

How do you organize the Singapore items?

 

FYI, math would not work 4 days a week for us. I have a wiggly boy who is sometimes distracted, sometimes hyper-"on" topic.

 

I do 30 minutes 6 days a week, plus a quick verbal drill and then games (e.g. Zeus on the Loose and Speed!)

 

I have my text tabbed, and I flip open to where we are and teach a topic. If he catches right on, we do the workbook (I cut the bottom outside corner off at an angle on the pages we have done, so I know right where to flip to.) If he didn't get through the text 95% smoothly, I do extra problems and start the workbook the next day.

 

Then I pop out a quick page of some sort of drill (we are doing quick, mental converting of improper fractions to mixed fractions right now.) I make my own sheets, or get them from mathworksheet.com or (currently) a Kumon book. Finally I do a page of math facts drill (e.g. any number from 6-20 minus 5) verbally.

 

After a few days of moving ahead (at least weekly) I double back over "mixed problems", like an area problems, or angles or adding pounds and ounces, possibly some story problems. I keep those tapped as well, with one color for geometry problems, another for word problems, etc. I use IP and EP for this. If I know I want to do an IP day, I leave that book on the top of the stack when I put away supplies the day before. Every couple of weeks we stop and do word problems only. Sometimes I make him read them silently and work them, other times, to make them faster, I go up the board and we work through them verbally. As long as he can set up the equation, we move ahead.

 

HTH. I think we do about 15 hours/month year round, with 12 or so sit down and the rest games, hands-on measuring, or even a little math history and speculation ("what situation might the first person have thought of the concept of negative numbers?) But our seat work limit is 45 on the best of days, and when we were in 2B, it was 30. Math is WORK.

 

P.s. I found the schedule in the HIG was for some other child, as mine tends to blow through a topic (anything geometrical), and then "forget" how to do something, like 2 minus 1/3, every time I close the book for 3 months straight. Then I just keep circling back and do a couple of problems of that nature on the board daily until he is so sick of it he memorizes the durned thing to get me to sit down and shut up.

Edited June 3, 2012 by kalanamak

[boscopup]

Can anyone tell me if the Standards Ed. HIGs schedule things out like this, and do they also schedule the mental math exercises?

 

Yes, though the mental math is mentioned in the lesson itself, NOT in the table at the front (that would be too easy for entering into HST+ :glare:).

[BinahYeteirah]

Can anyone tell me if the Standards Ed. HIGs schedule things out like this, and do they also schedule the mental math exercises?

 

Yes. The lesson is planned in the HIG using manipulatives and/or suggested problems. The textbook problems, workbook exercises, and mental math sets that go with each topic are listed. The corresponding Extra Practice and Tests pages are also listed as relevant, if you do those books. Usually there is also an "enrichment" section as well with suggested games or challenge problems to do.

 

I usually do everything as scheduled, unless I need to go faster or slower, in which case I double up the lessons or spread them over another day or two. We use the CWP about a half year behind, so that, along with the unit reviews, is enough review for us for right now.

[Spy Car]

As for oral vs. written, I think I'll just have to see. It will take more of my time for oral answers, but a) he may want the hand-holding (with this particular child, maybe literally, LOL) and b) I would like to step up his writing vs. oral in other subjects, so I'd rather not overwhelm him.

 

We do the Textbook orally with my son explaining/justifying his answers and me scribing the answers (while probing, questioning, teaching, etc.)

 

When the Textbook section is finished and I'm confident of clarity of understanding then he does the Workbooks to show independent mastery. He is free to ask questions (which are rare and few) but he does the work.

 

He also does the "Review" sections in the Textbooks as independent work.

 

The two books here serve very different purposes.

 

Bill