Singapore Math Users... a question

[golfcartmama]

My daughter used SM SE 1A and 1B in co-op last year and did great. The only problem I can see in her skills is that she has virtually no math facts memorized at this point. She'd like to continue and use 2A and 2B this year, which I'm ok with, but I'm thinking that she needs a couple of weeks of fact review/drill before we start. Is this a common problem with SM? Are you doing drill and fact review on the side? I was thinking of using some of the MM pages where they cover single and double digit addition before starting 2A.

[boscopup]

You are expected to be drilling on your own, in whatever manner works for your child (games, flashcards, drill sheets, whatever). At that age, you can also let them continue to use manipulatives. I prefer c-rods, which make the facts easier to "see" for my visual kid. He memorized the facts just by using those c-rods.

 

The Singapore HIG includes "mental math sheets" in the back for you to copy and use. They are basically drill sheets. I'm assuming the co-op didn't use them last year?

[TCB]

Not much help I know but I think there is a reason they do not emphasize learning the math facts early on in SM. I think I remember it being something to do with actually understanding the concept before memorizing things by rote. Anyway just wanted to say that my dd9 has done SM from the start, did not drill math facts, and knows them better than my older dd who did more of the drill when little. I think it may be to do with the "make 10"method they use. Instead of learning facts up to 20 or whatever, you focus on the ones to 10 and then the child can add anything by "making 10". I'm not sure if that is very clear, it seems hard to describe, especially when my memory is hazy.

[pitterpatter]

As long as she understands how to count up, count on and count back correctly and when to do so, it should be fine. Memorizing doubles and being able to pick out near doubles helps. Not too far into 2A, Singapore switches to vertical computation.

[golfcartmama]

Thank you for your replies!

 

No, they didn't use the drill sheets, I didn't know about them, but I will go see if they're in the HIG I have and use those to start her off this year. She picks up the concepts quickly, but she does still use and need the manipulatives right now which frustrates her more than me. She wants to do them without, but sometimes can't picture it.

[jessj]

Yes, you have to do the drill with it.  I would guess they expect you to do that at home.  You can probably start now and have her mostly ready to start level 2 come September.  She'll get into multiplication facts fairly quickly, so I would nail down those addition and subtraction facts now if you can. 

[StephanieZ]

Yes, you've got to drill, too!!
 

Use whatever materials you like, and mix it up for variety, but I believe that triangular flash cards are the best fit for Singapore Math.

 

I simply scheduled 5 min of fact drill into every school day. I focused the topics of the drill on whatever set of facts was coming up in the coming week or two. That's all it takes.

 

Spend a couple weeks now playing math games, etc, that drill the facts she should already know. (Peggy Kaye's Games for Math is a great resource for fun ideas.) Then just start on in and keep drilling daily. 

[Tanikit]

My DD has started SM 2A and does not have all her facts memorised - she is not bad, but especially for the facts over 10 she is making tens (which is the point of SM) and for some of the ones under 10 she still counts on or uses counters or even her fingers. I moved on, but we are using Horizons 1 also which gives her enough practice in the facts for them to become automatic eventually. 

 

Personally I would continue, but drill math facts for a few minutes every day as well. 2A starts multiplication facts and I have found it easier with my DD to start teaching these even before we get to the chapter on them - she understands from 1B what multiplication is now and can work them out by herself so I feel now is the time to start drilling them also without causing addition and subtraction confusion.

[Crimson Wife]

My DS really liked the Mindware "Addition Adventures" and "Subtraction Secrets" books for fact practice.

[NASDAQ]

Yes, you're supposed to do your own drill. SM was created for a society where people extensively drill outside of school hours.

[gratitude]

They add fact drills in the classroom in Singapore.  So those of us using Singapore need to do the same.  Yes, the memorization is not in the Singapore books themselves so it is a common problem unless they are added.

 

I have added them with:

Flashcards

Math Games

Portions of Rod and Staff from the early grades that focus on facts

Rod and Staff math fact drill books they sell for a couple of dollars are fabulous for written drills

Oral drill

MUS Alpha

 

My main suggestion would be:

*Rod and Staff drill books (20 problems for one minutes); the only problem is they sell great drill books but not for 2nd grade...they have a lot of addition/ subtraction drills though in first and third drill books)

*Flash cards (could also use Xtra Math on the computer)

*Oral drill

 

The MUS Alpha worked really well too for solidifying basic math facts, but it is a more expensive way to go.

 

I obviously have tried various things to make up for the lack of math facts in Singapore.   :mellow:   Much more than needed.  I was trying to simplify it and kept making it more complex than it really is!  At this point I do about 10 - 15 minutes of math facts daily. Singapore definitely covers everything else and then some.

 

 

 

[EKS]

I think a couple of weeks of fact drill would be helpful, but you should also be drilling every day even when you're using the program. 

[bethben]

You are supposed to do drills - I have used Flashmaster. I like Singapore to a point, but a weakness with it is that it doesn't review and children can wind up forgetting concepts already mastered.  For my ds who went through 6A, it was everything to do with fractions (adding, multiplying...).  For my ds who has completed half of 3A, it has been how to subtract with borrowing.  While I do love Singapore, I don't want to have to figure out how to make it more spiral so we're jumping ship.  Make sure you figure out how to review concepts already learned.

 

Beth

[baybedaul]

We do half of a Mental Math section from the HIG every day before we start our lesson. We call it M&M math here bc *yes* I give the kids M&Ms for right answers. :p

 

We also do a math game (usually from Right Start) and beginning last year (with Singapore 2), we added in Intensive Practice 1. We're just now advancing levels, but doing the IP a year behind seems to work really well as a review without seeming too simple.

 

Even so, I'm not sure we have our multiplication facts down as well as I'd like. He's great at "figuring them out", which I think has great value, but I was thinking of getting some of those math wraps to help him with his recall.