I need something less teacher intensive than Rightstart - maybe Singapore?

[JRmommy]

For the most part, I like the way Rightstart teaches the concepts to my almost 6 year old, but I don't like teaching it. We are almost halfway through level B, and I am happy with progress that my son is making. We started with Miquon, but my son didn't care for using the rods. He loves the abacus used with RS. I think I need something a bit less teacher intensive. Would Singapore fit the bill? My plan was to always switch to Singapore after Rightstart B. Also, I am expecting #2 any day now. Because I don't like teaching Rightstart, I don't want it to fall by the wayside especially as we transition to life with a newborn.

 

Any suggestions? What level of Singapore would I begin if we were to make the switch? 1B? 2A? We would continue to use RS games as my son enjoys those.

[JRmommy]

Bump

[librarymama]

I'm doing 1A right now, and while I love how involved it is, I am actually wishing I had something less teacher intensive. I spend a lot of time one on one with my son. We use the teacher's guide and play with manipulatives a lot, so if I had a more workbook style I could see him doing it more on his own.

[librarymama]

Wiggly baby in my lap and I don't feel like I did a good job of explaining myself, but basically I love that singapore is so hands on for my son where he plays with manipulatives as we follow along in the text and the workbooks, but I do feel like I need to prepare and spend a lot of one on one time with him going through it.

[blondeviolin]

At 5 and 6, anything is teacher intensive. Nothing will be independent. Singapore did take less time and less planning, though.

[tabrizia]

What about Math Mammoth? I think it is less teacher intensive then Singapore. I find that I do need to be there consistently for DS with Singapore and can't just leave him to do it.

[Hunter]

Have you seen the purple Rightstart book? Someday I'm hoping to buy the worksheets for it and use that to supplement something open-and-go.

[boscopup]

At 5-6, I agree that anything is going to be teacher intensive. That said, I switched from RS A to Singapore Essential Math K last year, and it was waaaaaay better for my teaching style. EM K didn't take as much time to teach, and there was a workbook to do (my son needs a workbook). We're doing Singapore 1A now, and it only takes 10-20 minutes to do. It is NOT independent mainly because my son can't read yet, though if there is a page of simple addition or subtraction problems, he can do those on his own. I still have to sit with him, but I can be paying attention to something else at the same time. If it's word problems, I have to read them to him, so that part isn't independent yet.

 

My older son just finished Singapore 4B. I teach him for about 10 minutes, then I send him off to do independent work. It ends up being more independent than Math Mammoth (which we used 1A-4B) because I don't have to sit on him to keep him working. The presentation of Singapore is so much better for him, and there are less problems on the page, so it doesn't overwhelm him. He loves Singapore. He said just a couple weeks ago, "Math is really fun right now!" :D

 

ETA: Placement tests for Singapore are here.

[JRmommy]

At 5-6, I agree that anything is going to be teacher intensive. That said, I switched from RS A to Singapore Essential Math K last year, and it was waaaaaay better for my teaching style.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head! At this age, I definitely expect to do the teaching, but I just don't think RS fits my teaching style. It actually drives me bonkers! :)

[swainsonshawk]

I think a Right Start background is a great thing to bring to Singapore Math! I've done RS A and B and I way prefer the teaching of Singapore. I supplement with rightstart manipulatives and games all the time, but I really disliked the scriptedness of Rightstart.

 

Becky

[happycc]

ages 8yrs, and 10yrs twins.

 

Now I am using Singapore Math below grade level as a review or supplement to the 8yrs old who just finished RightstartB

 

and for my older ones, I wish I did Rightstart with them from the get go and may order Rightstart stuff for them now so they can get a real feel for the singapore books. They are really struggling with fractions/decimals.

[katemac]

I did a break with RightStart when DD was done with C, we detour to Singapore Maths. I was exhausted with RS I guess, and need a break. No doubt SM is less teacher intensive. It did not take us long to realize that something is missing in SM. The sparks and enthusiasm in Maths or whatever you call it seems to diminish as we get each lesson done. Finally, we are all very relieved to return to RS D ... What I'm very impressed with SM is the pace and curriculum structure, very no-nonsense, and straight to the point. One can advance very fast with SM. Just a little dry to us.

[truebluexf]

SM drove me nuts, too many books to figure out and deal with. MM is much easier and less teacher intensive to teach. I love RS, but it became too difficult for me to get done with what was going on in our lives. I will probably go back to it with my youngest though! :) You can't go wrong with either of the three programs. MM is more streamlined and a much cheaper investment to try out and see if it's a good fit.

[srs]

We did most of RS A, but this year we are using Math Mammoth 1. Toddler and baby are along for the ride, and although I sit with my DD5 and we talk through it rather than have her write answers independently it feels like way less work for me than RS was. Fewer pieces, anyway, and with a toddler trying to dump the little squares all the time that is a big plus. I do use the RS abacus and clock sometimes. I really like RS but not for our stage of life right now.

[katemac]

I think even when we are using another Maths program, the experience we have had with RightStart has proved indispensable. I find it almost second in nature to adopt the technique to explain a concept. And when we return to RightStart, we do not see a gap during the transition, as if we need to step back to familiarize again with the abacus etc. I remember teaching RS A with DD and DS was just a toddler. It was very challenging.

[Aoife]

At 5 and 6, anything is teacher intensive. Nothing will be independent. Singapore did take less time and less planning, though.

 

:iagree:

 

Rightstart is a fantastic program and IMHO if it is working well with your kiddo and they are enjoying it then I would try and stick it out until the end of B then make the switch. I have HS'ed with a newbie before while doing RS and it really wasn't bad I mean newborns sleep a whole lot so it is not like they are climbing the walls raising creating bedlam like a toddler :lol:

 

If you hate teaching though how about supplementing with SM? I am not saying do both in one day but rather do a few days of RS a week and a few days of SM a week to allow yourself to get in some breaks but also allow your DC to keep going with the method that is already working for him. Also supplementing with SM will let him see things from another angle and help make the transition next year into SM more easy for him.

 

just my 2 cents.

[alisoncooks]

I wouldn't call Singapore independent but I don't feel overwhelmed with planning/coordinating lessons. It's very well laid-out. Most lessons have several ways to introduce a point through hands-on/manipulatives, but I don't chose them all. Sometimes we do more, sometimes less. DD really likes the workbooks, too. As she told me today: "I didn't know math could be so fun!"

 

Haha, well... I wouldn't go THAT far :D, but it's certainly painless for us with SM. Yes, there are 3 books to juggle (HIG, textbook & workbook). I did have the bindings removed and then spiral-bound for ease of use, which has been awesome!