AimeeM Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Has anyone successfully used Singapore for a 5th or 6th grader coming from a more traditional textbook math program? We tried Singapore for a couple weeks last year and bombed. I love the way it was presented and the emphasis on understanding math -vs- simply *doing* math, but Autumn was coming from a brick and mortar school environment and found it tear inducting (frustrating). It almost killed her love of math (and she does naturally enjoy math). I want her to have that understanding and I'm not sure that she is getting it with CLE, but I'm not sure we can be successful with Singapore because we haven't used it from the beginning and just the way things are presented... makes me feel that without that background we will only end up frustrated. If you did use it successfully (standards edition), how did you implement the new way of thinking that Singapore requires, without having to completely regress? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycc Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Singapore Math 3a this summer. I am kicking myself for not starting it sooner. (Yes Bill... I Know) l Oh well. We used Teaching Textbooks 5 even though they were in 4th grade last year...UGH! They were bored to tears with it. I did make them finish it but I don;t think they got the hows and whys and definitely not enough word problems and well the word problems were rather one dimensional in TT. I am glad I started it at a lower level for them though because they would have been lost at a higher level. My other daughter is using Righstart B and they are hearing some of the mental math stuff. I recommend your daughters watch Education Unboxed under mental math to begin with cuisenaire rod. For some reason I see them very similar to the Singapore Bar methods. That has helped my daughters a lot. I will be having them watch the other videos too. Meanwhile to get them using grade level stuff (because of the Star testing -standardized testing in my state) I have them use Key To series-fractions, decimals, the measuring stuff and key to algebra. I wish I had gotten them using Singapore sooner too but they were also in public school up until 3rd grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 Unfortunately, because she is going back to brick and mortar Catholic next year, we do not have the luxury of working backwards in a main math curriculum. Guess I'll stick with the plan of Horizons math this year. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Unfortunately, because she is going back to brick and mortar Catholic next year, we do not have the luxury of working backwards in a main math curriculum.Guess I'll stick with the plan of Horizons math this year. Thanks! If she is heading back to her B&M school next year, then you probably shouldn't try to do one year of Singapore. I think Singapore is a long-range type of program because it's Scope & Sequence is somewhat varied from the typical US textbooks. You should probably keep things in line with the B&M school, so she has an easy transition back there. If I misunderstood you, though, I would absolutely give her the placement test and start her in the level she places, even if it is lower than her current grade level. It's worth the time to go back and cover missed concepts, especially in math, and especially if you are switching curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 If she is heading back to her B&M school next year, then you probably shouldn't try to do one year of Singapore. I think Singapore is a long-range type of program because it's Scope & Sequence is somewhat varied from the typical US textbooks. You should probably keep things in line with the B&M school, so she has an easy transition back there. If I misunderstood you, though, I would absolutely give her the placement test and start her in the level she places, even if it is lower than her current grade level. It's worth the time to go back and cover missed concepts, especially in math, and especially if you are switching curriculum. I think you're right. The school she is going to definitely uses a traditional math text, so we would be better off using Horizons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 You could easily add in Hands on Equations w/Horizons. (I do it. ;) ) HOE has SM style word problems but using the HOE way (similar but slightly different to bar diagrams.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 There is a program called Knowing Mathematics that is supposed to get kids up to speed on doing math the "Asian" way. I think it takes about 10 weeks, but it could take less time with a student who isn't struggling. It might be a good way to move into Singapore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Our friend started her 10 yr old in level 2b last year and now at age 11 is working on 5a, so I think it's fairly easy to accelerate if you need. I wouldn't worry about which math program she's going to be using next year, just give her the best education you can for this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 Our friend started her 10 yr old in level 2b last year and now at age 11 is working on 5a, so I think it's fairly easy to accelerate if you need. I wouldn't worry about which math program she's going to be using next year, just give her the best education you can for this year. She has to take a placement test for the school so, unfortunately, I do need to worry about keeping her on par with the other children this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 you could also add in Challenging Word Problems from a year or two behind. Heck, people who use SM sometimes use CWP a year or two behind for review/practice. If you got in two years behind it (like 3rd or 4th grade) it wouldn't be super challenging to do the math, but it would be instructive. If you have any interest in after-schooling it would be an easy way to continue to bolster her math. The CWP books aren't that long, they are meant to be used once a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 you could also add in Challenging Word Problems from a year or two behind. Heck, people who use SM sometimes use CWP a year or two behind for review/practice. If you got in two years behind it (like 3rd or 4th grade) it wouldn't be super challenging to do the math, but it would be instructive. If you have any interest in after-schooling it would be an easy way to continue to bolster her math. The CWP books aren't that long, they are meant to be used once a week. Do the CWP books offer instruction on every level as to the "singapore way" of doing things? That's my only concern with starting Singapore at this stage of the game; when we tried in fifth grade, it wasn't that the work was too difficult, it was that the way it was presented obviously referenced earlier books and it left us confused (having not used the earlier books). Would I run into that problem with the CWP books too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Do the CWP books offer instruction on every level as to the "singapore way" of doing things?That's my only concern with starting Singapore at this stage of the game; when we tried in fifth grade, it wasn't that the work was too difficult, it was that the way it was presented obviously referenced earlier books and it left us confused (having not used the earlier books). Would I run into that problem with the CWP books too? That is a really good question. I have CWP 3 in my hot little hands right here. Unit 1 is addition and subtraction. It opens with worked example 1, 2, and 3. That means on page one there is a word problem and it is worked out on the page with a visual of the bar method solving the problem. There is very little text on the page, except for page 2 where a little character warns about a common error. Those three worked examples are followed by 10 problems that would be solved following one of the methods in the 1-3 examples. I think it is up to the student to pick which method they like to use. That is how my son did it, anyway. Then there are 'challenging problems' in the addition and subtraction unit. There are two worked examples, both with visuals of the bar method for solving etc. That is followed by another 10 questions. Then there is the multiplication unit, which follows the same pattern. There are answers to all questions in the back. Some of the problems are worked out in the answer key and sometimes it is just an answer. And when I say that the answer is worked out, I mean the math is shown in steps. There isn't a scripted answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Do the CWP books offer instruction on every level as to the "singapore way" of doing things? The have example problems using the bar diagrams, which is the Singapore way of doing word problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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