Beast Academy 3 and SM _____?

[Five More Minutes]

Singapore has been a great fit for dd7, currently in 2B. She has just recently started playing around with Beast Academy, and is begging for BA to be her main math program next year. I'm okay with that.

 

My problem is that I'm a compulsive supplementer, and as I look at everything I WANT to do, I realize that something has just got to go.

 

Right now with Singapore SE we're using:

• HIG/Text/Workbook (spine)
  
• Process Skills (supplement; I like using these before the CWP for the level)
  
• CWP (supplement; we love these)
  
• IP (supplement; half-level behind)
  
• We also do fun Fridays, with Life of Fred or Primary Challenge Math.
  

 

For those of you who have used a few of the BA books (and maybe even had a peek at 3D?), what combination of the above books would best complement BA as a spine? Text / workbook? CWP / IP? Text / CWP?

 

FWIW, she is a bright, but not accelerated, math student. Beast will be challenging for her, but she seems to be determined.

 

Thanks ...

[UrbanSue]

I'd probably drop either the IP or WB depending on your preferences. The WB is going to give you more tightly correlated practice at a level at or easier than the SM TB. The IP Is going to give you more challenge. You don't need both with BA.

 

You sound like you are planning to keep both programs running and I think that is wise. My ds loves BA as well but we would oupace the publishing schedule if we made it our only program. I think we'll be good up to 4B at this point if they don't slow down further but after that we'll be doing BA behind or leaving it altogether.

[Crimson Wife]

I would do BA, Singapore text, either CWP or Process Skills, and either the wb or IP. Whether to do Process Skills and the wb or CWP and IP depends on the specific student.

[Iskra]

I had the same question as you for my 7 year old who is doing 2B (textbook, workbook, cwp and ip). We want to do BA when we finish this level, but I didn't want to let go of singapore iether. I have a pretty mathy kid and the txtbook, wrkbook, cwp and ip is too much redunduncy for him. I was thinking that if we did BA we would keep the singapore textbook, just so we know what topics they cover in level 3 and as long as they are covered in BA we wouldn't worry about them, but if they are not, I was going to just have him go through those chapters in the Singapore textbook, and I would hand pick some cool problems for those chapters from the IP and CWP for him, without having him do all the problems and definitely we would skip the workbook (in fact we should be skipping the workbook right now, I just am for some reason unable to just let it go unfinished, even though I know he doesn't need the extra practice).

[LMD]

My DD is 7.5 and doing Beast as her main math, she absolutely adores it. It is a challenge for her. We have finished 3A in BA, with a bit of supplementing with Singapore 3A during. We've gone back to singapore a little to solidify before going on to BA 3B. Singapore is EASY now... I try and do singapore 2 days and BA 3 days a week.

 

So, my plan for the next 4 or so months is to do:

 

CWP3 (a question or two a day - she likes these)

Singapore 3A, mostly the IP but workbook when she needs a little more practice.

Beast Academy 3B

[Five More Minutes]

I'd probably drop either the IP or WB depending on your preferences. ... You don't need both with BA.

 

You sound like you are planning to keep both programs running and I think that is wise. My ds loves BA as well but we would oupace the publishing schedule if we made it our only program.

 

 

Thanks for this. I agree that the publishing schedule could be problematic, so I don't want to completely let go of Singapore because we may end up returning to it.

 

I would do BA, Singapore text, either CWP or Process Skills, and either the wb or IP. Whether to do Process Skills and the wb or CWP and IP depends on the specific student.

 

 

Thank you. It sounds like you and UrbanSue are both suggesting that the SM textbook is an essential component to keep and run in tandem with BA, and then the other elements can be added in, depending on the student. That's good for me to hear, because I was wondering if the textbook could / should be abandoned.

 

I was thinking that if we did BA we would keep the singapore textbook, just so we know what topics they cover in level 3 and as long as they are covered in BA we wouldn't worry about them, but if they are not, I was going to just have him go through those chapters in the Singapore textbook, and I would hand pick some cool problems for those chapters from the IP and CWP for him, without having him do all the problems and definitely we would skip the workbook (in fact we should be skipping the workbook right now, I just am for some reason unable to just let it go unfinished, even though I know he doesn't need the extra practice).

 

 

Another vote to keep the textbook -- thank you SO much. And I hear you on not being able to let a workbook go unfinished, although in my case it's my dd who refuses to skip problems in her workbooks. I can get away with skipping problems in the textbook because she doesn't write in it, but not in any workbook we do. :-)

 

My DD is 7.5 and doing Beast as her main math, she absolutely adores it. It is a challenge for her. We have finished 3A in BA, with a bit of supplementing with Singapore 3A during. We've gone back to singapore a little to solidify before going on to BA 3B. Singapore is EASY now... I try and do singapore 2 days and BA 3 days a week.

 

So, my plan for the next 4 or so months is to do:

 

CWP3 (a question or two a day - she likes these)

Singapore 3A, mostly the IP but workbook when she needs a little more practice.

Beast Academy 3B

 

 

Thanks for sharing this plan. Are you skipping the Singapore text altogether for 3A?

 

Thanks, everyone! This has given me lots to think about, and dh will be thrilled to hear that I'm trying to eliminate SOME purchases next year. :-)

[Crimson Wife]

 

Thank you. It sounds like you and UrbanSue are both suggesting that the SM textbook is an essential component to keep and run in tandem with BA, and then the other elements can be added in, depending on the student. That's good for me to hear, because I was wondering if the textbook could / should be abandoned

 

 

IMHO the whole point of using Singapore is to teach a deep conceptual understanding of math, and that comes from using the textbook. The workbook is just practice and there is nothing particularly different between the practice problems in Singapore and in any other math program. What is different is the teaching, and that is found in the textbook.

 

With my DS, I am using BA in tandem with the SM text, IP, and selected problems from CWP.

[LMD]

 

Thanks for sharing this plan. Are you skipping the Singapore text altogether for 3A?

 

Thanks, everyone! This has given me lots to think about, and dh will be thrilled to hear that I'm trying to eliminate SOME purchases next year. :-)

 

No, I am using the Singapore text too, but not completely. Mainly to introduce a topic, and if there's any other interesting/key concepts, and for the review sections. I like having it there for me - even if we don't use it much in lessons - so I can see the singapore way. We haven't really hit anything requiring intensive Textbook use in 3A yet, as DD got the concept of addition and subtraction with 4 digits just as easily as with 3 digits (and rolled her eyes at me when I tried to teach it!) We're just about to hit multiplication which aligns nicely with BA 3B.

[Five More Minutes]

Thank you all! I shall definitely get the textbook and CWP for SM 3, then, and am leaning towards using the IP instead of the WB. I appreciate your help!