for those using Singapore AND Miquon

[MandJsMama]

I use these both with my son and I think they are both great. We've been very relaxed with both programs. Now, he's officially starting "1st grade" and we're adding a bit more order to our schedule. I'm wondering what the best way is to combine these programs? He'll be starting with Singapore 1B and we have all of the Miquon books. Should I do a little of both programs each day or do Singapore 3x and Miquon 2x. Has anyone seen anything out there in the big virtual world that matches up the concepts/lessons/pages of Singapore and Miquon? How do you use both?

 

Thanks!

[Targhee]

Here is what we use

 

http://www.singmath.com/SM_Miquon.htm

 

I make up about 3-5 weeks of lesson plans at a time based on this correlative table. We do Singapore in order (linear) and Miquon out of order to match what we're covering in Singapore. I try to only work out of one book at a time for simplicity's sake. It is roughly 3 days Singapore 2 days Miquon, but not necessarily. Often while using the rods DD will start finding relationships, and I'll just let her "play" to discover. I am going to introduce Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems (Singapore) when we move on to the next book.

[MandJsMama]

Thanks! That is a very helpful link.

 

I'm pondering if correlating the lessons is the best way to go or if we should just work through each program separately? I see pros and cons to both. Correlating would allow him more practice and perhaps different approaches to solving the same problems. Separately would allow him to review concepts he has previously learned or allow him to put new found skills to work in unexpected ways. Hmmm... I'm interested to hear from those that have BTDT.

[Targhee]

Thanks! That is a very helpful link.

 

I'm pondering if correlating the lessons is the best way to go or if we should just work through each program separately? I see pros and cons to both. Correlating would allow him more practice and perhaps different approaches to solving the same problems. Separately would allow him to review concepts he has previously learned or allow him to put new found skills to work in unexpected ways. Hmmm... I'm interested to hear from those that have BTDT.

 

We haven't exactly BTDT - where only a couple of months into using these programs in tandem. But I did want to address your idea about working through each separately or correlating. At least with DD (who is using these programs), when she learns something it is nearly cemented into her mind, and a different approach usually isn't readily accepted. That's why we use them in tandem, so that she can see there is more than one approach from the beginning (Miquon is especially helpful for this), rather than try to reconstruct the rigid framework she would have built about the way to do things. If you read in the Lab Annotations for Miquon she even says that the workbooks weren't meant to used linearly. She has it organized the way she does so that you can move around to appropraite topics at appropriate times in your child's learning. Miquon is a very constructivist program (facilitates child building their own understanding, rather than being told how to do things). I believe changing topics/books is encouraged.

[gandpsmommy]

We find it best just to work in one for a while and then the other for awhile. We don't try to be super-structured in coordinating. But I do look in both and see what concepts might build on each other and work logically with each other. I find that dd needs a break from Singapore now and then, and Miqon provides some fun learning for her during those times that she truly enjoys. One thing that is helpful to remember is that in Miquon, you don't necessarily have to complete one whole book before working in the next levels. For instance, my dd completed all of the orange book in K. But worked in two or three of the other books in first because she was ready for some more challenging work in certain skill areas (e.g. addition), but not ready for some concepts at all (e.g. factoring). Good luck and have fun!

[obiandelismom]

We used the singmath link above to correlate the two, but then when I made his assignments I took one concept all the way through all of the books, and then moved on to the next concept. We considered Miquon to be the main text, and Singapore (2A & 2B) as a supplement, because ds (7yo) really clicked with Miquon. When he got to the Singapore pages for a particular topic (usually after completing the topic through the Purple book in Miquon), it worked as an assessment as well as a new way to approach the subject.

[Mommy22alyns]

We use the singmath link as well, with Singapore as the "base" and Miquon as the supplement. I do them on different days during the week. I also use the Singapore Intensive Practice book to reinforce concepts.

[StephanieZ]

This has worked great so far, for all 3 dc so far!

 

I aim for "2 exercises a day". This # works to get us through at least one grade level in each per year, and is really easy to manage especially since on some days Miquon gets so fun (and Singapore sometimes too!) that the child will do 10-20 pages in a day, building up plenty of flexibility for those times when we hit a harder section or spend a day just teaching and working together.

 

The child can choose to do one exercise in each program or two (or more!) in one, at their whim. When we start out (Gr 1), I simply teach each program (at different times of the day) each day, but as soon as there is a desire or need to skip one for a day or a week or whatever, that's exactly what we do. If the child gets "too far ahead" in one program, then I will just withhold handing over the next book in the series until they've caught up a bit in the lagging program.

 

In addition to the direct mathematical benefit of learning from these two great programs, I find that by teaching them this way, it also builds in a really positive element into our working relationship that the child can have an easy "out" whenever they are having any difficulty on one program. If a section is hard and they want a break, they can choose to just do the alternate program for a few days or weeks and, *invariably*, when they come back to the thing that had seemed hard, it is now easy! I don't know if it simply the "gelling" time by taking the break or the things they've learned meanwhile in the alternate program, but this has happened time and time again. After observing this so many times, I now "don't sweat it" when the child wants out of a program for a time. I encourage it! Of course, I might meanwhile take a few moments here and there to re-teach the tricky spot on the sly so that when we come back to it, I have confidence it'll go smoothly, which it always has!

 

FYI, I find that the most common cause of a program becoming too hard is lack of math fact mastery. For this reason, I have learned to begin daily fact drill in Gr1 (about 3 min per day). I use triangular flashcards as my primary drill -- adding new cards to the pile as the corresponding facts are taught in Singapore. We also use wrap-its, internet drill sheets, etc as additional drill resources whenever needed for variety or extra drill.

 

Treating them separately also means virtually no pre-planning on my part and a very low key day to day approach to math.

 

I hope it works for you as well as it has for us if you try this.

[MandJsMama]

Thank you for this post. I have a follow-up question. Do you correlate the lesson plans for these or, as I think you are saying, do each one on it's own at different times duirng the day? Then, if a kid gets stuck in one of the programs, you drop it for a while and only do the one lesson/program a day? And, you ask them to do two exercises a day and they pick which ones, right? Where does the textbook from Singapore fit in with that?

 

Thanks very much!

 

Heather

 

This has worked great so far, for all 3 dc so far!

 

I aim for "2 exercises a day". This # works to get us through at least one grade level in each per year, and is really easy to manage especially since on some days Miquon gets so fun (and Singapore sometimes too!) that the child will do 10-20 pages in a day, building up plenty of flexibility for those times when we hit a harder section or spend a day just teaching and working together.

 

The child can choose to do one exercise in each program or two (or more!) in one, at their whim. When we start out (Gr 1), I simply teach each program (at different times of the day) each day, but as soon as there is a desire or need to skip one for a day or a week or whatever, that's exactly what we do. If the child gets "too far ahead" in one program, then I will just withhold handing over the next book in the series until they've caught up a bit in the lagging program.

 

In addition to the direct mathematical benefit of learning from these two great programs, I find that by teaching them this way, it also builds in a really positive element into our working relationship that the child can have an easy "out" whenever they are having any difficulty on one program. If a section is hard and they want a break, they can choose to just do the alternate program for a few days or weeks and, *invariably*, when they come back to the thing that had seemed hard, it is now easy! I don't know if it simply the "gelling" time by taking the break or the things they've learned meanwhile in the alternate program, but this has happened time and time again. After observing this so many times, I now "don't sweat it" when the child wants out of a program for a time. I encourage it! Of course, I might meanwhile take a few moments here and there to re-teach the tricky spot on the sly so that when we come back to it, I have confidence it'll go smoothly, which it always has!

 

FYI, I find that the most common cause of a program becoming too hard is lack of math fact mastery. For this reason, I have learned to begin daily fact drill in Gr1 (about 3 min per day). I use triangular flashcards as my primary drill -- adding new cards to the pile as the corresponding facts are taught in Singapore. We also use wrap-its, internet drill sheets, etc as additional drill resources whenever needed for variety or extra drill.

 

Treating them separately also means virtually no pre-planning on my part and a very low key day to day approach to math.

 

I hope it works for you as well as it has for us if you try this.

[angela in ohio]

I started out correlating them, using Singapore as the main text. We did that for about 2 Singapore books. Then I started using them separately and doing two different math sessions per day. That was so much better!! I used to focus too much on correlating everything, but repetition is the KEY to learning things well. So seeing a topic more than once from different sources is ideal. Once we started doing it this way, my dd took off. And I learned a valuable lesson to quit trying to micromanage the order everything was encountered in in al subjects, not just math.

 

And I agree with Stephanie - you absolutely need to add drill to this program combination.

[MandJsMama]

Angela - thank you for your post. I agree that I don't think my son will like it to be micromanaged and I think his interest and enthusiasm will remain high if I stay in the background.

 

How do you work through Miquon? Do you go in order of the book, skip from section to section or book to book, let him pick from the book you are working on, etc.

[angela in ohio]

Angela - thank you for your post. I agree that I don't think my son will like it to be micromanaged and I think his interest and enthusiasm will remain high if I stay in the background.

 

How do you work through Miquon? Do you go in order of the book, skip from section to section or book to book, let him pick from the book you are working on, etc.

 

Uh-oh. I wasn't very clear. I don't micromanage the correlation - making sure every topic lines up exactly. I am extrememly involved in their math work, though, teaching each lesson directly, especially when they were young enough to be in Miquon and Singapore.

 

After I changed methods, I worked through one Miquon book at a time, usually just going through the book in order. Sometimes we would need a break from something, so I would skip a few pages, move on to something new, and then come back to them later. There was variety, though, already because of the Singapore.

[MandJsMama]

Uh-oh. I wasn't very clear. I don't micromanage the correlation - making sure every topic lines up exactly. I am extrememly involved in their math work, though, teaching each lesson directly, especially when they were young enough to be in Miquon and Singapore.

 

Yes, that is what I understood from your first post. I was just commenting that my son doesn't like to be micromanaged and me correlating the workbooks would likely be felt as that from him. Of course, I work with him through the programs but I give him a lot of choice about when, how much, how long, etc.

 

Thanks for your explanation of how you use Miquon.

[angela in ohio]

Yes, that is what I understood from your first post. I was just commenting that my son doesn't like to be micromanaged and me correlating the workbooks would likely be felt as that from him. Of course, I work with him through the programs but I give him a lot of choice about when, how much, how long, etc.

 

Thanks for your explanation of how you use Miquon.

 

Oh, good!! :D I am a very vocal proponent of parents being involved in their dc's education, and I thought I had accidentally led someone to a differnt conclusion.

 

It might take a bit of juggling and effort to use Miquon and Singapore, but my dd who had that combination is a math wiz, so it is worth it!!