pjssully Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 hi-- I have just recently posted about my twins, and i am now in the process of deciding what program to use for them. They took the Singapore placement test and one tested to start in 1B and the other tested 1A. If i do Singapore, i would start with 1B and give the "slow" student extra practice on math facts(that's where he missed most problems) I have also considered doing Saxon 2-which i think they could handle just fine. Both are very quick to catch on to math and it was their favorite subject last year (we used Horizons but want to change) I fear that Saxon would bore them, yet i don't want to miss the good foundation that they will need. My 9 year old daughter is doing saxon 3 but she is 9 and somewhat behind-eventually, i think my twins will catch up to her if we use saxon for the twins and that would be hard for her, i think. My 11 year old will be using Videotext Algebra so hopefully, she can do a lot of it independetly. I think Singapore would be easier to teach for me-faster but i do value the strong foundation of saxon. anyways, any input? pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I think Singapore would be easier to teach for me-faster but i do value the strong foundation of saxon. anyways, any input?pam I don't agree with the premise that Saxon gives a stronger foundation than Singapore... don't let 1A/1B fool you. With Singapore you might need to so some supplementation for automaticity of math facts (there isn't anything in the way of drill), but that's it. I'd recommend getting the Home Instructors Guide if you're not familiar with Asian math, and I highly recommend Challenging Word Problems, though there's no need for it in 1st grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I don't agree with the premise that Saxon gives a stronger foundation than Singapore... don't let 1A/1B fool you. With Singapore you might need to so some supplementation for automaticity of math facts (there isn't anything in the way of drill), but that's it. I'd recommend getting the Home Instructors Guide if you're not familiar with Asian math, and I highly recommend Challenging Word Problems, though there's no need for it in 1st grade. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lydia Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 We have used Singapore since 1A and are now beginning 6A. We have loved it. I took my twins out of public school halfway through first grade. They tested higher than 1A (I cannot remember the specifics) but I decided to just begin with 1A anyway, and move fairly quickly. I was so unhappy with the math program they had been doing in public school that I wanted to be sure they did not miss a critical building block by skipping the beginning of Singapore. What happened is that we were able to move fast and we easily finished 1A and 1B in the second half of 1st grade. I strongly agree that Singapore Math is a much stronger program if you do the supplemental books, specifically Challenging Word, Intensive Practice, and the tests. Those books take it to a whole different level, as the problems are much more challenging than the ones in the workbooks. I feel that by using those (which we did not do in level 1 but began using with 2A) my girls have a very, very good grasp of the concepts. Singapore, especially the Challenging Word, is very good about creating problems that demand that the child really understand the concept. It is not really possible to do those problems by just memorizing one method of doing a problem - because they are all different twists on things. I also agree with the comment about the teacher's manual. We actually do not use the Home Instructor Guide, but rather the Teacher's Guide, but either way these manuals offer invaluable explanations about what concepts you should be imparting in each lesson. It is not as scripted as I hear Saxon is (I have never actually seen Saxon, so I could be wrong), but it does give you a lesson plan and an explanation of what the concept is. I am sure that Saxon gives a strong foundation, but I absolutely think that Singapore does too, particularly if you use the additional books. I also think Singapore is excellent (in the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word especially) at doing a considerable amount of pre-algebra quite early. Best wishes, Lydia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommylawyer Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I use both. I just started. I'm a little frustrated with Singapore 1A (we're only on Exercise 6 or 7 - starting addition) because DD doesn't quite get it the way that it is explained. I definitely think I need to do more addition drilling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pata Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 We are currently using Singapore and I just ordered the Saxon workbooks to add. We have used Miquon off and on, too. I love the way Singapore presents the material, my dd just needs more reinforcement and confindence builiding. We'll see how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 If they're bored by a math curriculum, they won't get anything out of it anyway. So no matter how good Saxon is as a math curriculum, if it doesn't suit their learning style, then they won't get any sort of foundation from it. I definitely think that Singapore needs (at least) one of the supplemental workbooks - we use the Intensive Practice problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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