Could you walk me through a typical Sing. Math lesson?

[Sue G in PA]

Also, I have a few questions. :D

 

I just got my 2A/2B texts/workbooks. I see in the text that there are practice questions at the end of each unit that are NOT in the workbooks. Does your dc do those on a separate sheet of paper? Do you do it orally?

 

I also see that there isn't much review of previously learned material. Once you learn say subtraction w/ borrowing and move onto multiplication...you don't revisit subtraction w/ borrowing again. I'm not sure I like this. How do you fix this if at all? Do you every once in a while give some drills or use another program to "tie it all together". I'm considering using Saxon 5/4 w/ Singapore for my ds. Is that crazy? Do Singapore maybe 4x/wk and then use a lesson of Saxon 1x/wk? Crazy?

 

Okay, so please, if you could, walk me through a typical lesson at your house using Singapore math. Thanks!

[Miss Marple]

We would go over the lesson in the textbook, do the problem sets in the textbooks together and then I would assign the student the workbook lesson. If the student appeared to *get* the lesson easily we didn't do all the problem sets in the textbook - I would let them move on to the workbook.

 

As far as review goes, my memory is that there are Reviews and Revisions inserted at various points in the textbook and workbooks. These were sufficient review for my sons. We did use the Singapore version as opposed to the American version so there may be some difference there. We did a lot of speed drills, flash cards, and other math games in the early years (PM 1, 2, 3). We also used Rainbow Rock and to a lesser extent Wiggle Woods. By the time they got past Wiggle Woods, there was plenty of math work to keep them busy. If you haven't purchased it, I would highly recommend Rainbow Rock.

[kalanamak]

I have the HIG (I'm on 1A). I have a little spiral of 4x6 cards, and on each one I outline what I have available for one "week" (per the HIG...we are going slower because we are still in K). I note the intro games/manipulatives, the text pages, the workbook pages, the enrichment games, the correlating pages in Miquon, the materials I'll need, the pages in the Extra and Intensive books. As I go through them I put a light pencil slash through what I've done and feel DONE with. I underline in red anything I think worth re-addressing later on (either because it was a game we liked, or a skill he had a little trouble with, or because I think it would be good review).

When I'm done with that page I cut the lower right corner off, and therefore at a flip get to "where I am". I can glance back and see what I'd like to do again (the red-marked ones). If I "save" some of the extra or intensive stuff for later, I rewrite those pages on cards that are later down the line, so I won't forget.

It takes me about 20 minutes to jot down these pages, and I keep several weeks in advance.

This is going well. We like number fact go fish, BTW.

[KarenNC]

I just got my 2A/2B texts/workbooks. I see in the text that there are practice questions at the end of each unit that are NOT in the workbooks. Does your dc do those on a separate sheet of paper? Do you do it orally?

 

I use those as tests, having my daughter do them independently on a separate sheet of paper. I found that introducing this practice and talking about what grade she would have gotten in public school for her answers very quickly cut down on careless errors. It also helps me see where she may be making process errors

 

I also see that there isn't much review of previously learned material. Once you learn say subtraction w/ borrowing and move onto multiplication...you don't revisit subtraction w/ borrowing again. I'm not sure I like this. How do you fix this if at all?

 

We've switched to the standards version of Singapore for this year (3A/B) in part because there is a little extra review/practice/revisiting of concepts. My daughter is not terribly math-oriented and I think it will be beneficial.

 

Yes, they do have reviews at various points in the books that touch on the skills again, but there are other ways as well. Of course, you will also be using those skills when you get to working with larger numbers, doing things like figuring money and time, etc, so there is some natural revisitation of most skills.

 

You can pick up an Extra Practice book (if you are using the US Edition or standards edition, but make sure you get the correct edition to go with what you have) http://www.singaporemath.com/Extra_Practice_for_Pri_2_p/epfpmus2.htm. Instead of using the extra practice pages when you are working on the skill initially, you could pull them out later on to just do a spot check to be sure the child still remembers the skill.

 

You could also work through the Intensive Practice book (this is for US edition only, IIRC) the same way or once you have completed the text/workbook combos as a sort of review/reinforcement. These take the topics more in-depth than the Extra Practice. We also are doing the Challenging Word Problems for the level previous---right now, for instance, I am having her do the "challenging questions" portions of the CWP 2 along with her PM 3A. I had picked it up used, so I don't mind skipping the regular problems in it, though you could certainly use them if you felt them beneficial.

 

Something I did early on was to pick up a couple of the basic math workbooks from the dollar store that were Disney or Barbie themed and let my daughter do some of those as additional practice if she needed it. She thought they were more fun. If there's a topic that is particularly problematic (telling time for us, for instance), I will have her do more. I downloaded and printed the Math Mammoth section for time and have been working through that with her periodically.

 

http://www.bigbrainz.com has a good and fun high quality video game for practicing multiplication facts, called Timez Attack. We've added in occasional speed drills on addition and multiplication just to reinforce the math facts and get used to doing them quickly and automatically.

 

Typically we work through the material in the textbook together, then I set her to doing her workbook exercise independently, along with a couple of the CWP problems. Sometimes she will do it all independently, sometimes I may have to work through a few additional problems with her to help cement it. When we come to a practice page in the text, it's a test and I require her to do the whole thing without my assistance, then check it and go over with her anything she missed (on those days, no CWP). If there is a second one right after, we do the same thing again the next day. Reviews in the workbook, I will ask her to try on her own, but will answer questions as needed. I typically have her do these before the practice pages out of the textbook.

[kpupg]

Okay, so please, if you could, walk me through a typical lesson at your house using Singapore math. Thanks!

 

We started with level 3, since the kids were in school before that, so our kids were probably a little more independent than yours, but here's what we have done. We use the text, workbook, Intensive Practice, and Challenging Word Problems (1/2 to 1 level behind the others).

 

A daily lesson consists of:

 

Read the text section up to the little arrow with the exercise notation, then do that workbook exercise. If it's a really easy section, then maybe do two of these.

 

When we get to the practice pages, that's the day's lesson -- usually on a separate sheet of paper.

 

We do 2-3 pages of Challenging Word Problems per week, spread out as an extra task.

 

When we get to a review, 2-3 pages of that is the day's lesson.

 

At the end of a topic unit, we go to the Intensive Practice book and do 2-3 pages of the topic section per day as the day's lesson. I mix up the pages in order, since that book tends to have the really easy stuff in the first few pages, and the last few pages of each section are really hard word problems. So I preview it and assign specific pages on specific days to try to even it out. At the end of that section in IP, return to the text/workbook.

 

I did use free online worksheets to provide computation practice when I felt it was needed. A couple of those sheets might be a day's lesson.

 

We also supplemented with Key To books in levels 4 and 5, for the fractions, decimals, and percents topics. For those, we just put Singapore aside for a few weeks and worked through Key To in order. We did Key To just before the same topic in the Singapore sequence, then when done with Key To, went straight into the Singapore presentation of it, which was pretty easy at that point. Hope that makes sense.

 

You can see we try to keep lessons fairly short, but we do them 6 days a week, year-round. I think giving kids long breaks from math causes a lot of forgetting. Also, I require the kids to correct all their mistakes every day. They must understand what they did wrong and how to fix it, and show me.

 

Orally? Oh yes! On "those" days, sometimes allowing them to do it orally, or to have me do all the writing while they tell me what to write, saves the day :)

 

Hope this helps,

Karen

[magistramom]

We "did" Singapore as a supplement to Saxon. On our Singapore day we would plow through a whole unit. If I were to do Singapore on its own, this is what I would suggest for the student to complete each day:

 

 

1. 100 practice facts drill sheet from the internet (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and possibly a fraction reduction sheet)
    
   
2. Singapore textbook reviewed with parent
    
   
3. Problem sets done with parent
    
   
4. Workbook done on own
    
   
5. Additional word problems from a supplemental book 2-3 times per week
    
   
6. A geometry "fun" book for the age/grade level 2-3 times per week
   

 

[dkt320]

Does anyone on here have experience using Singapore with an ADD child? I am in the process of planning for next year and it is one that is on my list to look at.

[karensk]

Also, I have a few questions. :D

 

I just got my 2A/2B texts/workbooks. I see in the text that there are practice questions at the end of each unit that are NOT in the workbooks. Does your dc do those on a separate sheet of paper? Do you do it orally?

 

I also see that there isn't much review of previously learned material. Once you learn say subtraction w/ borrowing and move onto multiplication...you don't revisit subtraction w/ borrowing again. I'm not sure I like this. How do you fix this if at all? Do you every once in a while give some drills or use another program to "tie it all together". I'm considering using Saxon 5/4 w/ Singapore for my ds. Is that crazy? Do Singapore maybe 4x/wk and then use a lesson of Saxon 1x/wk? Crazy?

 

Okay, so please, if you could, walk me through a typical lesson at your house using Singapore math. Thanks!

 

We use a lot of SM supplements in order to have enough material for review and testing. I described how we work through a unit of SM using the Textbook, Workbook and other SM materials here. I assign all or nearly all of those Practice 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, Review A, B, C type of exercises that are in the Textbook. My kids do them on a separate sheet of paper. But I don't necessarily assign them when we get to that page of the Textbook. Many times I save the Practice exercise for later either to use as review or to assign at the end of the unit/topic.

 

There is a bit of built-in review in the Textbook with the Review A, B, C, etc. It's just not as frequent as some other math programs. I loosely follow the SM pace for review and have found that to be sufficient; too much daily review doesn't work for us, as it tends to get in the way of the new material being learned.

 

At this level, I try to do a total of about 30-45 min. of math work per day, consisting of any combination of one-on-one lessons (talking through the lesson), hands-on activities (like games or demonstrations), and independent work. By the end of 2B, dd8 was doing about 30-40 min. of independent work per day on most days. The one-on-one lessons took anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes most of the time, and we probably did about 3-4 of these per week on average, not daily. The amount of hand-on activities really depends on whether the student needs it; I may have done about one activity per week on average with dd8, or less.

 

HTH!

[Closeacademy]

I just got my 2A/2B texts/workbooks. I see in the text that there are practice questions at the end of each unit that are NOT in the workbooks. Does your dc do those on a separate sheet of paper? Do you do it orally?

 

First, I look at the concept we are learning. I show the workbook to my dd, if she says it looks easy, I hand over the workbook and once she has finished that section we move on.

 

If she looks at the workbook like it is an alien, I begin with the text. I show my dd how to do the problems and gradually let her do more and more of the work then we move onto the workbook and do the material in there.

 

The only time I use the practice questions at the end of each unit is when my dc is having a hard time with a concept and then we will use these as daily warm-ups as we move onto other material.

 

I really try to make sure that my child has the concept down and owns it before moving on.

 

I also see that there isn't much review of previously learned material. Once you learn say subtraction w/ borrowing and move onto multiplication...you don't revisit subtraction w/ borrowing again.

 

The material will be revisited but it will take place at a higher level. For instance in 3a subtraction w/borrowing is reviewed and you use these skills extensively in much of level 3 as you work with measurement.

 

Good luck!:001_smile:

[DarcyM]

If you're going to use Singapore on its own, I think it's a mistake to plow through it.

 

And I'm sure I sound like a broken record on every Singapore thread, but I can't say enough about Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems. In my opinion (just an opinion), if you're going to do Singapore without anything else, these are a must have. I don't buy the extra practice problems, because I think the IP books are richer.

 

My oldest also really enjoys Zaccaro's Primary Grade Challenge math. This is very supplementary, and fun. Really. Fun math. I'm not mathy, either.

 

I also recommend skip counting, speed drills or games - we use Timez Attack but I wouldn't recommend it to just any child. The troll really freaks out some kids. If you get the full-paid version, it's actually less scary and more creatures (robots, etc.) the free version works perfectly, and some love beating the scary troll. View it before you show your kids.

 

Schoolhouse Technologies has a free worksheet maker that we use for drills. I make a 12x12 blank times table for my 6 yo every week that he fills in. I still do it about 1x a month for my 8 yo.

 

How it works in our house:

Text with mom. A few practice problems together. Manipulatives for the youngers, sometimes with the older.

 

Independent workbook, and 1 page of CWP (1 book behind level).

 

next day, matching IP pages, 1 page of CWP.

 

start all over. It takes 2-3 days for each chunk of the text book. They don't always do all the PM workbook. If the IP workbook is better (often is!), we'll do only the IP and CWP.

 

Somedays, I'll just turn him loose with the IP and let him do as much as he feels like, some Suduko and we'll do Zaccaro together as a family.

[DarcyM]

Does anyone on here have experience using Singapore with an ADD child? I am in the process of planning for next year and it is one that is on my list to look at.

 

I'll be eager to see the response you get for this. I have a special needs learner - I'm actually learning toward using Horizons with him. I love love love Singapore math. But it's intense, and is mastery rather that spiral. I think a spiral program will serve my hard-to-keep-focused child. It gives him several chances with the material, repetitive, over time. I feel like he would be more successful with all the repetition.

 

Again, it's only theory at this point. He doesn't even know his numbers and is no where near being ready for math books.

[Sue G in PA]

I'm seeing a trend yere. Is Singapore NOT a stand-alone program? Many of you supplement or at least use the IP or CWP books alongside the regular workbooks. At first glance, the 2A/2B books did not look very "meaty". My ds8 took the placement test and really did not do well on the 2A test so I placed him in 2A. Well, the 2A book looks so easy for him! He could breeze through half of it in a week! So, now I'm wondering if Singapore is really "all that"? Saxon seemed much "meatier" and comprehensive, but perhaps I'm just not getting the full picture. I'm at a crossroads, though. Stick w/ Saxon (ds8 would be in 5/4) or go w/ Singapore and go through it quickly until reaching a "sticking" point. What do you all think? And, does anybody use Singapore w/out the IP or CWP or w/out supplementing at all (I'm not talking about drills...I'm considering that part of it)? Thanks.

[DarcyM]

back again to clarify -

 

The way Singapore is meant to be used - by those who created the program - is that CWP and IP aren't a supplement but part of the program. Here in the US, many buy only part of the program (just PM) and that's it.

 

But if you read about the Singapore methodology - you'll see that not only is it thorough, but it's producing kids who really get math.

 

"Doing Singapore" really means:

PM text, PM workbook, IP, CWP and drill.

 

it's very thorough.

 

I argue that if you only do part of the program, you'll only see part of the results.

[Sue G in PA]

back again to clarify -

 

The way Singapore is meant to be used - by those who created the program - is that CWP and IP aren't a supplement but part of the program. Here in the US, many buy only part of the program (just PM) and that's it.

 

But if you read about the Singapore methodology - you'll see that not only is it thorough, but it's producing kids who really get math.

 

"Doing Singapore" really means:

PM text, PM workbook, IP, CWP and drill.

 

it's very thorough.

 

I argue that if you only do part of the program, you'll only see part of the results.

 

That makes total sense. You are right that many only use "part" of the program. Many argue that part of the program is all that is needed. MFW uses Singapore math as their recommended math but only sell the PM text and workbook and don't say anything about the IP or CWP. I'm off to look into the the IP. I already have the CWP books b/c we used those to supplement Saxon and MUS.

[DarcyM]

And check out Zaccaro, too! Abbeyej recommended these books awhile ago saying they were fun. I adore her advice, but I'm not mathy, so I didn't really believe her (sorry Abbey - I believe you now!). My son is mathy, so I got it.

 

Turns out it's been a really fun supplement, and way to break up our math studies. It's very application-based, practical and fun to do all together. Even my 6 yo can get the first 1 or 2 levels of each subject, but no one can get the Einstein levels, so I feel like we'll get a few year's mileage out of the program!

 

Good luck! :)

[jg_puppy]

That makes total sense. You are right that many only use "part" of the program. Many argue that part of the program is all that is needed. MFW uses Singapore math as their recommended math but only sell the PM text and workbook and don't say anything about the IP or CWP. I'm off to look into the the IP. I already have the CWP books b/c we used those to supplement Saxon and MUS.

 

I think it really depends on the student. I know that I tried using just the textbook and workbook for a little while and I felt like my dd was breezing through the pages, but not fully getting it. I added the CWP and the IP book. I learned after a time that the IP book for her don't work well doing them with the lessons. They were just too hard because I really want her to at least try all of the problems. She does better using them at least a semester and maybe even a year lower that the textbook, workbook. One advantage of this is that it gives us some built in review. I really wish that my dd could follow a similar schedule like the ones posted earlier in this thread that use the IP, CWP, etc. all on the same level, but for now that is just not what my dd needs and I am adjusting what we do to what she needs. That is one nice thing about all of the books being separate.

 

Jan

[dragons in the flower bed]

I just got my 2A/2B texts/workbooks. I see in the text that there are practice questions at the end of each unit that are NOT in the workbooks. Does your dc do those on a separate sheet of paper? Do you do it orally?

 

Yes. I solve a couple, explaining aloud, while he watches. Then he solves a couple with me guiding and correcting him along the way. Then he goes on to the workbook and does that independently. I check his answers afterwards and mark for correction any he messed up, but doing the problems in the text together really helps to make sure that he understands how to do it.

 

I also see that there isn't much review of previously learned material. Once you learn say subtraction w/ borrowing and move onto multiplication...you don't revisit subtraction w/ borrowing again.

 

There are reviews at the end of each book. This is honestly part of what attracts me to Singapore. My son needs to know what he's concentrating on in order to learn something. Review confuses him. (Me, too.) He does get a little bit of review by doing Challenging Word Problems a year behind (ie, CWP 2 with PM 3).

[cbollin]

is it just enough with Primary Text, Primary Workbook and drills????

 

I know my oldest only used from 4B-6B and we both thought there was a lot of review, practice and challenging word problems in just the text and workbooks. Especially in 6B -- a lot of the book was self classified as challenging word problems and the length of the day was enough.

 

My middle child --- we just added drill and would improvise extra problems based on the textbook. But I still like only using the text and workbook and not an extra full IP and no real need for CWP at her level.

 

I guess some kids might benefit from more. My oldest tested in Saxon Alg I at the end of Singapore 6B without doing the IP or CWP.

 

 

my experience with the review?

Just agreeing with Karen in NC:

Yes, they do have reviews at various points in the books that touch on the skills again, but there are other ways as well. Of course, you will also be using those skills when you get to working with larger numbers, doing things like figuring money and time, etc, so there is some natural revisitation of most skills.

 

-crystal

[cbollin]

MFW uses Singapore math as their recommended math but only sell the PM text and workbook and don't say anything about the IP or CWP.

 

tiny nit picky over clarifying moment.... MFW recommends PM text and workbook and also says you should do drill work with Singapore. So they seem to think that just the 2 books is all that's needed -- they recognize the need for drill work with out it *having* to be more workbooks. :001_smile:

 

-crystal

[Mandamom]

Singapore Math as a standalone and will use it again if and when I get a chance to homeschool again. i will also use the Intensive Practice and/or Challenging Problems this time, also.

 

One thing I did that others didn't mention was to use the placement test as the final exam for that level before we moved up to the next level.

[AngieW in Texas]

Evan-Moor Daily Math Practice seems to provide just enough review for my youngest. My other two didn't need any more review than was already provided in Singapore.