Singapore 1A question about number bonds

[Izzy]

I am doing SM 1A with my 1st grader and I'm having trouble moving on to subtraction. I pulled him out of PS in November and he already understands subtraction and addition but doesn't have all of his number bonds up to 10 memorized. He knows some and has fun using manipulatives to figure out the ones he doesn't know. The HIG says he should have number bonds up to 10 memorized before moving on to subtraction so should I wait? He does well at the Mental Math worksheets and gets them all right but has to count on his fingers sometimes. I also wonder if this is where the Extra Practice book comes in? I never bought that but should have. What would you do?

 

 

[blondeviolin]

I would make sure he is SOLID on his facts that make ten and allow the use of manipulatives for the rest.

[Dana]

I got the extra practice books a couple of times and didn't feel like they really had as much extra practice as I'd have liked. This year I bought the tests. I don't use them as tests but just use them when I want extra practice on a topic.

 

I've also used Spectum workbooks for extra drill.

[FairProspects]

Well, I sort of disagree with that part of Sing. 1A, but that is probably because neither one of my boys are very good with language and memorizing. Personally, we keep moving forward conceptually and practice facts at a separate time. Younger ds has picked up most of the facts just from using them frequently (although he still needs to work more on the teen answers - 7+7 on up) but older ds has had to work very hard on his facts, and if I kept him reviewing until he memorized them, we would never progress and it would just frustrate him.

[*Jen*]

I would make sure he is SOLID on his facts that make ten and allow the use of manipulatives for the rest.

 

This is what I did with my boy when he was in 1A. Once he knew the facts that made 10 we moved on. He learned the rest with repeated use. We also played lots of games. Games like sum swamp (with the dice and sometime switching the dice out for triangle flash cards) chutes and ladders, trouble etc. Any games that we could switch out the dice or spinner with triangle flash cards was fair play!

 

He would have been bored to tears if I had made him wait until he had every fact memorized.

[Arboreal TJ]

There isn't that many. I have my guys make 9 and 10 as review every day, it takes less than a minute. I do this with a deck of cards while they hang upside down. I pull up a card and tell them to make 10, then we go through again and make 9. I'm such a meanie if they get a 10 card while making 9 I have them say minus 1.

 

Having those bonds down will decrease the frustration level with new material. If a child gets the 9 bonds down too it will make the chapter on money easier when they learn to make change.

 

There are only 5 bonds to remember to make 10.

 

1+9

2+8

3+7

4+6

5+5

 

I would keep moving forward but review everyday. He should have a good handle making 10 after a week or so.

[Izzy]

There isn't that many. I have my guys make 9 and 10 as review every day, it takes less than a minute. I do this with a deck of cards while they hang upside down. I pull up a card and tell them to make 10, then we go through again and make 9. I'm such a meanie if they get a 10 card while making 9 I have them say minus 1.

 

Having those bonds down will decrease the frustration level with new material. If a child gets the 9 bonds down too it will make the chapter on money easier when they learn to make change.

 

There are only 5 bonds to remember to make 10.

 

1+9

2+8

3+7

4+6

5+5

 

I would keep moving forward but review everyday. He should have a good handle making 10 after a week or so.

 

Does the HIG just mean the 10 number bonds only? I thought it meant all number bonds up to 10. 7, 8, and 9 are hardest for him to remember.

 

I'll give him a little more time to work on them. He has fun with the manipulatives so that won't be hard. He also loves the games.

 

I think SM has been a tough transition from PS math for him. He gets the addition and subtraction but struggles with the SM method. He still can't come up with his own number story. He can if I help him but using words and math together confuse him.

[Izzy]

I got the extra practice books a couple of times and didn't feel like they really had as much extra practice as I'd have liked. This year I bought the tests. I don't use them as tests but just use them when I want extra practice on a topic.

 

I've also used Spectum workbooks for extra drill.

 

 

Thanks! I've seen Spectrum books at our Barnes & Noble. I'll pick some up.

[boscopup]

I let my son use C-rods as long as he needed them. By the end of subtraction, he knew the bonds well and had no problem with the mental math in unit 6.

 

I did not use the EP book. We did mental math some, and I occasionally used some Ray's Arithmetic (free Google book) to practice. In fact, I slowed it down and did TB/WB 3 times per week, and fact practice the other 2 times. I have a K'er though, so I'm not concerned about keeping on schedule or anything. We only slowed for a little while, and now he is doing 2 lessons a day in the shapes chapter because he likes it and wants to keep going. So there are places to speed up again.

[Snow]

I just bought Singapore and cant wait until it arrive since mm is not starting off as conceptual as I want it to be so I really appreciate this thread. There's been great advice so far. Thank you.

[Izzy]

I just bought Singapore and cant wait until it arrive since mm is not starting off as conceptual as I want it to be so I really appreciate this thread. There's been great advice so far. Thank you.

 

We have MM too but I definitely like Singapore better. It's a transition but I've read that you get used to the method after the first year. I see my 1st grader making connections all over the place that he wouldn't have made in a traditional math. When I first taught number bonds to him he looked at me like I had 2 heads. lol. Now he loves it but is taking a little while to grasp fully. He'll get there though.