SIngapore Math Struggles 1st Grade

[heritagelearningacademy]

My first grade daughter is struggling in how Singapore wants you to regroup everything into tens.  We are just doing Sinapore A and we are not moving forward.  It seems her mind does not work this way.

If I were to switch, any suggestions on which math?  It has to be spiral, that I know.  It works best for review for her. 

I was looking at horizons math.  Thoughts?

 

[boscopup]

That unit is famous for being difficult.

 

Are you using manipulatives? Continue to let her use them for every single problem.

 

Does she have her sums of 10 facts memorized? That's absolutely necessary.

 

Feel free to move on to the next section, giving her brain some time to process the concept, then return to it.

 

I would also watch the mental math videos at EducationUnboxed.com and try some of the different methods presented there.

[73349]

Have you tried 10 frames to help her learn what makes 10? I made some on index cards with two different colors of dots (1 orange and 9 blue, 2 orange and 8 blue, etc.). That helped DS.

If you have Cuisenaire rods, they also work well. You can see easily whether the rods line up or not.

[redsquirrel]

Making 10s is something that you can't avoid by switching to a different program. It is a necessary math skill.  It just takes the time it takes.

 

Have you done things like play games making 10? I give each kid some number of playing cards (5, 6, 7 up to you) and we make pairs that equal 10. take out the face cards, aces etc. Just use the number cards. When you make 10 you get to put the pair down.

 

Have you google'd games for making 10? There are so many. This is a skill that teachers spend a lot of time on.

 

I also suggest that you watch the videos at Education unboxed. They are a great way to learn ways to teach math skills.

 

Here is a site with lots of printable SM things. It has printable place value cards and 10 frames etc.

 

[Crimson Wife]

The way Singapore presented the information struck me as much more convoluted than the way Right Start presents it. I highly recommend the Right Start tutoring program with the AL Abacus as supplement to Singapore 1-3. http://store.rightstartmath.com/alabacuspacket.aspx

[EKS]

I also recommend RightStart, but I'll go one step further--I recommend switching to RightStart B and then when you're done with that (or mostly done with that) switching back to Singapore 2A.

[energy2c]

I did exactly what EKS said. My 5 yr old started on Rightstart B and near lesson 80 we hit a stall and needed a change. We switched to SM standard 1B. I was surprised how she knew a lot of what was required based on what she learned from Rightstart.

[Coco_Clark]

Just wanted to step in and commiserate. I think we are at that same stalling point in Singapore 1a. I decided to just keep moving forward. The next few sections are "easier"- shapes, measurements, ect so we are splitting our time doing those and continuing to work on regrouping. He's getting to the point where he can do it with blocks every time, but the leap to mental math just hasn't happened. If we get past these other sections ( they finish off book a) and he's still struggling maybe ill look into Right Start b before we do Singapore 1b.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

My oldest got stuck in that unit, too (just subtraction).  We were using both RightStart and Singapore, so we switched to RightStart for a while, then did the last few units of 1A, which are much easier, and then went back to the making 10 unit.  We did use the 10 frames recommended in the home instructor's manual and that helped a lot.  Plus, I think just time to mature.  I waited longer to do that unit with my ds and it went well with him the first time.  It was a challenge, but it wasn't too difficult.  

[bensonduck]

What helped us was using the Education unboxed videos and then having the C-rods available to DD for every single question.  She used them for every question, even the mental math sheets.  We moved forward and then while we were working on 1B, she wanted to add something that was of personal interest to her (not during math time) and I suggested that she might want to try imagining the rods in her head.  She did and it worked.  

 

At this point (mid 2B) I think she has just sort of memorized the facts to 20.  She certainly doesn't imagine the rods in her head now when figuring 16-7 or anything like that.  We didn't work on this memorization or anything, it just happened kind of naturally as we did more and more questions.

 

I think you might want to consider sticking with Singapore for a bit if the program is otherwise working for your family.  I thought that was the hardest chapter in 1A and 1B for sure.  But, you are set up for a lot of amazing, cool things your child will be able to do with math down the road.

[marylandhsmom]

Well, let me be the black sheep and say, CLE math is GREAT!!!  It's spiral, solid, affordable.  It's not as conceptual, but it gets the job done, and painlessly, I might add.  The Education Unboxed videos are worth every minutes of your time, along with the C-rods, I might add.  

[MrsH]

Another big c-rod and games fan. We use the 10 frames, play go to the dump and other card games, talk math in other contexts, and make up dice games too. Anything to get him comfortablw .

 

The most effective thing though? Moving on and returning to the skill a month later. Almost always works around here!

[KSinNS]

Hi, 

 

Quick vote for Math U See. It's not spiral, but every lesson has review, so they really don't forget. What I like (and my kids like) is that the lay out is clear and transparent. Steve does not overcomplicate relatively straightforward ideas. My husband and I are math people, and it seems like so many programs really make arithmetic much more complicated than it needs to be. You can move at your own speed, and do as much or as little as the kid needs in a given area. I don't use the videos unless I'm having trouble explaining something. The manipulatives are great. The books have lots of white space, no pictures which reduces the distraction factor. Overall, it's simple, fast and clean. No muss, no fuss. Only minus, it's out of order from the PS in our area. But the approach is so systematic, and makes so much sense, that I'm not too worried about that. 

 

[Chelli]

You might check out Professor Pig Math from Ellen McHenry. I've got it scheduled to work on after that chapter in MIF. It looks like a fun game focused way to get mental math tricks down.

[Dana]

I liked base 10 blocks as manipulatives with elementary level math.

I remember division in particular taking a long time and the manipulatives being incredibly helpful. I had ds work the problem with the manipulatives first, then repeat the same problem, but with me scribing how we'd write it out.

Another day I had him use the manipluatives and write the steps.

When he was able to just write the problems, he could do that, but if he ever got one wrong, he'd need to show me with the blocks. That's how he went from the concrete to the abstract. I think it made a tremendous difference.

[heritagelearningacademy]

Well, we are taking a break and going to step back.  I am going to do some work in Horizons to review and work on place holders and using the blocks.  I think we both need a break.