Poll:Do you use more than one Math curriculum for the same child?

[BlessedMom]

If you use more than one how do you schedule them both?

 

If you have tried two & it didn't work well, can you please share your thoughts?

 

Thanks so much for your time.

[Beth in Central TX]

When I first started homeschooling I tried to use Saxon and Singapore, but 2 math programs did not work for us. I later found R&S Math which has worked very well as our main math program, and I don't feel the need to supplement at all.

[Targhee]

We did right start, and are using Singapore and Miquon over the summer. I haven't decided if we're going back to RS, or if we'll do all three, or some other combination... :confused: But currently we're using two.

[Carol in Cal.]

She would benefit from doing two math programs, but I would ruin her life if I insisted on it. However, she does use QuarterMile Math for math facts practice, instead of most of the practice sheets in Saxon.

[tammi]

When we used MUS we supplemented with money and measurements.

[sagira]

I'm going to do Modern Curriculum Press and Miquon. I'm planning on doing MCP Math 3 times a week and Miquon twice a week. Don't know if and how it will work out, but I'd like for my son to develop critical thinking skills and drill as well as discover math in an interesting/conceptual way.

[2cents]

ABeka, Life of Fred and Keys To Series are scheduled weekly. ABeka M-Th, LOF on Fri, Keys To daily M-F because they are fast and easy.

[mcconnellboys]

I use Singapore and MUS for drill work. I do one lesson or review page of Singapore per day, along with any workbook drills that go with it. When it's time to do a new lesson of MUS, we watch the tape together (less than 5 minutes) and he does a page of work. Other days he's just doing a page of work. Most days, both maths take 30 minutes or less.

[sweetbaby]

We use R&S math with manipulatives when needed. If I used another program it would truly confuse my bunch unless it was a workbook type of supplement for reinforcement.

[nmoira]

Not exactly. I schedule Singapore Primary Maths 4 days per week and Primary Challenge Math, Brain Math, or other puzzles or logic books on Fridays.

[fractalgal]

Hi,

I use two. Math formation is critical, and I wouldn't trust it to just one curriculum. I use one curriculum as the core, but I still use the other if I think the other has explained the topic in a clearer way or goes a bit deeper into a topic.

I do the same for science and reading. It is more work, but it is also more thorough.

Good luck!

:)

[ubermomto5]

i started out with developmental math and turned to saxon. but my youngest, 7, is struggling with it and i think i will have to choose something else for him. saxon is time consuming with 3 so i won't mind the change!

[Closeacademy]

For my youngest, I use Singapore and Rod and Staff. Basically, we work on a skill in Rod and Staff until she is ready to work in Singapore. When she hits a wall in Singapore we go back to Rod and Staff and work until she is ready for Singapore again.

 

It has actually been working very well. I also use Waldorf techniques (stories, pictures that we make together) and now lapbooking to help teach math.

:001_smile:

[Testimony]

My oldest used Singapore Math from second grade until now. I have not supplemented.

 

I do not supplement with my younger son either. I use only one curriculum.

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[chiguirre]

I'm using R&S and Singapore with ds. We did R&S 1 during the school year and I wanted to do something over the summer before starting R&S 2. I was looking at Singapore for dd and realized it would actually be a good fit for ds, so we're almost done with Singapore 1A and I think we'll do 1B before picking up R&S 2. For my personal sanity, I prefer to use one at a time, but alternate them. Singapore is a good summer program because the cartoons are fun and if you've already covered the material it is a fun and interesting review. We only do the textbook and workbook.

[JudoMom]

Saxon is our main program, but I supplement with Singapore Challenging Word Problems. I like the way Saxon presents concepts, but I like the way Singapore causes you to think outside of the box to solve problems. My boys just do anywhere from 1 problem to 1 page out of their Singapore book a couple of times a week.

[Heather in Neverland]

We use MUS as our main program supplementing with Singapore's CWP and Life of Fred.

 

It looks like this:

 

Monday- watch MUS DVD, do 3 MUS worksheets ( we don't always do ALL of the problems it depends on the lesson)

 

Tuesday- do 3 MUS review sheets (same thing)

 

Wednesday- do MUS test and about 6 CWP problems

 

Thursday- do one lesson in LOF

 

 

HTH!

[Homeschooling6]

I have always used two math programs but this year I'm going to only use one and supplement with Math-It. It just became too much trying to fit it all in. Almost every forum it seems everyone is using two so I thought maybe I should. Well after years of trying two we are going to use one per child.

 

Dd will use Singapore, ds R&S, and the rest I'm not sure about yet;)

 

I didn't know which one to vote for on the poll, because we have always used two but this school year we are going to use one,

 

Blessings,

[dragons in the flower bed]

For my DS8, I use Singapore on a daily basis, and we do Living Math projects one day a week.

[Homeschooling6]

I forgot to add that with my dd, we do combine the different Singapore books. For instance she will start 2A and also the Intensive 1B and Challenging Word Problems 2.

[kpupg]

If you use more than one how do you schedule them both?

 

We use Singapore and Key To -- when we come to, say, the fractions unit in Singapore 4, we drop Singapore and go to Key To Fractions. When that is complete, return to the unit in Singapore. Oh, and at the lower levels, we periodically used flash cards and free online printouts for arithmetic fact drills -- we would do a couple-three of those sheets as a day's lesson instead of the Singapore books.

 

For Algebra and Geometry, we use Singapore NEM combined with Life of Fred -- Fred is the spine,and the NEM chapters are spliced into the Fred sequence. I don't remember whether we approach a topic first with Fred or NEM, but I do remember trying to be consistent about that when I made up the schedules.

 

Karen

[Handmaiden]

I swore I would never have more than one math curriculum but God has a way of changing my plans. :)

 

My kids have different strengths, weaknesses and learning styles, so here is what we ended up with:

 

ds, 5th gr: Teaching Textbooks

dd, 3rd gr: RightStart

ds, 2nd gr: Math U See

 

Scheduling:

TT for my oldest is independent work.

MUS is not designed to be totally independent, but my youngest is math-inclined so it turns out that way.

Rightstart is one on one teacher intensive, but this is what my dd needs right now. The plan is to do 30min with her while my other two do their math independently.

[JaneGrey]

I guess you could say that I use different math curricula.

 

I have Saxon (teacher's manual only), Singapore (some textbooks only), and MUS (teacher's manual, DVD and manipulatives). I mix these up with some other things to do math.

 

I've used the Table of Contents for Saxon (1-3) as a checklist for skills to learn. My son loves watching the MUS DVDs, so I turn them on once in a while. I've referred to the MUS teacher's manuals for ideas. (I really like MUS.) I've pulled out some problems from Singapore for practice and for thinking about problems in a different way. The other things I do for math are not from any curriculum.

 

Considering what I do with the curricula, you might say that I don't really use them. My primary goal in the early years is to get my kids playing with numbers and feeling comfortable with them. I also want them to be prepared for or exposed to concepts they'll deal with later (calculus, algebra, geometry, etc.). I guess I'd rather talk and think about math right now than to do a whole lot of it. To have the time for this, I've avoided daily drills for now.

[classicHSmom]

Saxon is our main program, but I supplement with Singapore Challenging Word Problems. I like the way Saxon presents concepts, but I like the way Singapore causes you to think outside of the box to solve problems. My boys just do anywhere from 1 problem to 1 page out of their Singapore book a couple of times a week.

 

I am interested in hearing what others have to say. I am using Saxon and looking at adding Singapore. There have been a few areas in math that have been hard for DD, so I'm hoping that teaching them a different way will allow her to learn the concepts.

 

JudoMom (or anyone else with experience) how are the Singapore Challenging Word Problems different from their every day assignments? Would you need to teach the concept the "Singapore way" before have DC attempt these problems? Do you just pick and choose the assignments since things are not necessarily taught in the same order as other curricula? Is this approach sufficient enough to teach math two different ways (facts/mental) as suggested in TWTM?

[siloam]

If you use more than one how do you schedule them both?

 

If you have tried two & it didn't work well, can you please share your thoughts?

 

Thanks so much for your time.

 

We use Right Start and Singapore Math.

 

While Singapore math is meant to be taught, with RS as a base I rarely have to. They just do a lesson a day. With Right Start I do have to teach it, so I do the lesson with them, then later they do any worksheets and play games together.

 

I tried Miquon and Singapore. I would do a Miquon book then Sigapore, but the older two girls hated Miquon for some reason they couldn't define, so we switched to Right Start. Lots of people use them together without problems.

 

Heather

 

[Jenny in Atl]

Depends, some years I use just one, while others I feel the need to try a different approach. I mainly use Singapore till 7th, but I don't care for how they teach fractions in year 4, so I bring in Key to's to add depth. I have also used Life of Fred as review in 5th and 6th for fractions and percents. I tend to do the same thing with most all subjects we cover. I always want to see the other way or compare ways.

[Debbie in OR]

We use Rightstart as our spine and Ray's Primary/Singapore on Fridays just because I see the value in learning things in more than one way.

 

Also, when I can see the kids' eyes glazing over, I close the spine and pull out Mathematicians are People, Too and Zaccaro's Primary Challenge Math. When the glazed look disappears, we go back to the spine (this may take hours, days, weeks...)

[Susan Wise Bauer]

Chalkdust and Life of Phred simultaneously for eleventh grade ds, Singapore and Life of Phred for fifth grade ds. I like the two very different approaches...increases the chance that the circuit will complete and the light will go on.

 

SWB

[Mom2GirlsTX]

We are using Singapore and Life of Fred Fractions. I have got to say we are really enjoying Life of Fred, it is refreshing for a change and challenging too!:thumbup:

[chaik76]

I voted two math curricula but in reality we use three.

For the past few years I've used Singapore, Saxon, and MCP. Singapore was our base, I used Saxon and MCP to re-explain concepts that weren't understood or to cover things that weren't in Singapore.

Currently I'm using Singapore and Developmental Math. I. takes the diagnostic for the Dev. math level he's on...we only work on the areas he doesn't get 100%. We skip anything he knows very well in Singapore too.

Because we use T4L for Language Arts he'll often spend time doing Math on there too...he just likes math.

It's worked very well for us...I follow the basic scope and sequence of Singapore, adding in what I want from other sources, and remembering that I don't need to cover every page of each curriculum!:D

[BlessedMom]

Thank you all for responding to my poll.