mamapjama Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Think we need a change. I'm looking at the Teaching Textbooks series. Ds just took the level 7 plaement test and scored 12 out of 15 and then 10 out of 15. He hasn't done multipllication or division of fractions yet so he skipped those 4 problems. So aside from that it seems he is ready for Pre-Algebra maybe??? Or should I stay with level 7? Or would the Key to series be a better fit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Unless he is having problems with Singapore, I wouldn't make the jump just yet. I'd do 5A/B and then if he's ready, you could move to a solid prealgebra program. IMHO, TT and the Keys are not in the same league with Singapore (and I've used all three). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Unless he is having problems with Singapore, I wouldn't make the jump just yet. I'd do 5A/B and then if he's ready, you could move to a solid prealgebra program. :iagree: We'll be leaving Singapore after 5B, but we're definitely completing 5 before leaving Singapore. Then we'll be doing either work with AoPS or (more likely) staying with the Elements of Mathematics through IMACS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamapjama Posted November 30, 2012 Author Share Posted November 30, 2012 Why stay until the end of 5B? Just curious as to what is in that level that is better than the other programs? Did you use the HIGs? I haven't used them before but thinking I will for this level. I was a ps teacher so comfortable with the material, but think perhaps I should see what they offer at this level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Unless he is having problems with Singapore, I wouldn't make the jump just yet. I'd do 5A/B and then if he's ready, you could move to a solid prealgebra program. IMHO, TT and the Keys are not in the same league with Singapore (and I've used all three). :iagree: IMHO you'd be taking a pretty big step down, in terms of quality & rigor. Is your DS struggling with Singapore? Is there a specific reason you want to switch? I know a lot of people don't use the HIGs for Singapore, on the assumption that the math at the lower levels is easy and it's self-evident how to teach the concepts, but IMHO you lose a lot of the value of the program without them, and a lot of people who don't use them in, say, 1-3, find they really need them in 4-6. A lot of the "conceptual" part of the program is actually in the teaching, not the text or workbook, and the Asian way of teaching math is very different from the US way. (Have you read Liping Ma's book, Knowing & Teaching Elementary Mathemetics? Quite an eye opener!). If you really feel like you need to drop Singapore, I'd try Math Mammoth first, if you haven't already. It's similar in terms of depth & rigor, but easier to use. The Light Blue series is an all-in-one "worktext" format, essentially combining what would be in Singapore's HIGs, texts, and workbooks. The levels are similar, too, so you would probably start with MM 5A. Honestly, unless there is some reason why you really can't continue with Singapore (or, alternatively, MM), I would not switch to TT or Keys. If your DS has successfully completed Singapore 4B, then IMHO he should be capable of a higher level of math than he would get from either of those programs (both of which I have owned, used, and quickly abandoned, BTW). Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamapjama Posted November 30, 2012 Author Share Posted November 30, 2012 Thank you! Math doesn't come easy to him, but he does well on the reviews. Still working on having his multiplication facts completely memorized. He needs more work on his fractions and decimals, but I know that will come. Would life of fred fractions work with Singapore 5A and B? or will those have enough practice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 I've got my masters in arts and teaching degree, emphasis math. I've taught math at the cc for the last 15 years - lots of basic math (so I can give multiple approaches to why we work a problem in a certain way, which ways are allowed and why, which will cause trouble later). I buy and use the HiGs. :) 5A has work with fractions that isn't in earlier books. It's done well. The explanations with them are excellent. 5B has decimal multiplication and division that's essential. Also has the geometry. 6 does have some new material, but it's basically repetition with a lot more applications. I feel comfortable skipping 6 and moving on. I have found the bar model approaches to be very interesting. Definitely a different approach and really clever. It sets things up very nicely for the move to algebra. We do Standards edition: textbook, workbook, IP, CWP, iExcel. I got the tests so I'd have extra practice (the test books have significantly more practice than the Extra Practice books), but we haven't used them much at all this year. A Spectrum math workbook would also give extra practice on a topic if computation practice is all that's needed. I generally subscribe to the "overlearning" approach, especially after seeing how my students really don't have a good foundation at all. To get speed up with multiplication drills, we did flashcards and tracked his time moving through the flashcards - kept a line graph. If he got under 3 minutes for 3 weeks in a row, he got a reward. After he had that, we dropped it to 2 1/2 minutes. I'm very very pleased with the Singapore program. I still find ideas that I find useful in the HiGs too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamapjama Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 Thank you Dana, very helpful response! I appreciate your insights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Think we need a change. I'm looking at the Teaching Textbooks series. Ds just took the level 7 plaement test and scored 12 out of 15 and then 10 out of 15. He hasn't done multipllication or division of fractions yet so he skipped those 4 problems. So aside from that it seems he is ready for Pre-Algebra maybe??? Or should I stay with level 7? Or would the Key to series be a better fit? Even TT6 has multiplication and division of fractions. If you really want to try TT, maybe you could take a little time first and go through Key To Fractions and Key To Decimals (since you mentioned needing to work on decimals too). This is a problem I've encountered with TT is that there isn't enough review of those things....which are what my son struggles with. Thank you! Math doesn't come easy to him, but he does well on the reviews. Still working on having his multiplication facts completely memorized. He needs more work on his fractions and decimals, but I know that will come. Would life of fred fractions work with Singapore 5A and B? or will those have enough practice? IMHO, I just don't think there would be enough practice with fractions in Fred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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