Singapore Math, Teacher's Guide or Home Instructor Guide?

[A home for their hearts]

Which did you use and why?  If you've used both which do you prefer and why? 

 

Thanks!

[dsbrack]

I use the Home Instructor's Guide as it is written directly for homeschoolers.  I never used the Teacher Guide but my research indicated that many of the teaching tips were directed at larger classroom settings.  That was my experience with the instructions for Earlybird Kindergarten and I either had to skip the ideas or modify them.  Also, I believe the Home Instructor's Guide is less expensive.  I know a lot of people don't use either one but I like having the guide to fall back on as I'm not confident in teaching mental math strategies on my own. 

 

Hopefully someone with more experience can chime in for you, too. 

[A home for their hearts]

I use the Home Instructor's Guide as it is written directly for homeschoolers.  I never used the Teacher Guide but my research indicated that many of the teaching tips were directed at larger classroom settings.  That was my experience with the instructions for Earlybird Kindergarten and I either had to skip the ideas or modify them.  Also, I believe the Home Instructor's Guide is less expensive.  I know a lot of people don't use either one but I like having the guide to fall back on as I'm not confident in teaching mental math strategies on my own. 

 

Hopefully someone with more experience can chime in for you, too. 

 

Thanks for your reply.  I didn't consider the Teacher Guide having suggestions for a classroom setting.  The sample I saw on RR didn't show much.  I'll have to look into this a little further.

[Dana]

Absolutely HiG and not Teacher's Guide.

 

I used the Standards edition from 2-5. (Used US for 1st - definitely prefer standards).

[Elisabet1]

I did not use either. Neither were available when I first started home schooling and nothing looks worth using now, to me anyway. But I also like math and would look ahead and what was being taught. I would sit down and make up lessons about things. Before I had the base ten blocks, we used beads and put them in strings in 10's and tied the strings. they looked just like the ones in the book. I think they actually were better than the Base 10 blocks. I might need to give away my Base ten blocks and get more beads. We would string together 10 of those to show 100.

[chelsmm]

My kids are only in levels 1B and 2A right now.  They are both almost ready to move on to the next level.  I haven't bought the HIG or teacher's manual for any of the levels except 1A, and I found I didn't need it.  I do like and understand math, but I'm not sure if that is why.  My kids also seem to understand it pretty easily.  Perhaps in the higher levels it is more necessary?  I'm not sure.  We use base ten blocks/rods for the most part.  It seems like when I explain something with the manipulatives, they understand it well.

 

Word problems have been a little trickier, but I'm not sure that would be solved with the hig.

 

If I were to get either, I'd go with HIG, as it's geared for home schoolers.

[Coco_Clark]

I love the HIG and don't really know how you'd correctly teach the "singapore way" without it. Unless of course you happened to have also learned that way. I was public school taught myself and still have a habit of counting on my fingers. So the HIG is my life-line. It explains the methods, has example problems, shows how to teach with manipulatives, and gives games to reinforce.

 

Like another poster said, the Teachers Guide is meant for classroom use so it will be geared towards teaching a group. The HIG assumes you are one-on-one.