redquilthorse Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 We have used BJU math for my son up to this point - now 4th grade. He is almost done with his 4th grade math book. I am deciding whether to switch to Singapore math at this point or continue with BJU. He is good at math; he intuitively "gets" the concepts. He understands mental math better than I do. I am thinking of switching because I would like for him to learn the mental math that I never learned in school, but I have a couple of concerns. Is it too late to switch? Would it be too confusing for him? Can I teach it? I like BJU because I can teach it. But I wonder whether Singapore would be a better fit for him. He isn't particularly challenged by BJU most of the time. He likes math and says it's his second favorite subject after science. I guess I'm wondering if anyone out there has made this switch and been happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Have you considered supplementing with SM instead of switching entirely? There are lots of supplemental books to chose from. I like using Challenging Word Problems a year 'behind' to review skills and to focus on problem solving. So, right now my son is using Beast Academy 4 and SM CWP 3. I actually counted all the problems in CWP and if we do 2-3 problems a day, 4 times a week, we can easily get through the book in a school year. There is also "Process skills in problem solving" and "Mental Math" http://www.singaporemath.com/Primary_Math_Supplement_s/57.htm My biggest problem is that I find these books fairly useful and I always want several. But, that isn't really fair to my kid, lol. I guess I could rotate through.... But, anyway, that is my problem, not your problem, lol. If you are not familiar how SM works, it can be challenging to jump in at that late stage in the game. The program stops in 6th grade. Some people consider 6a&6b to be their pre-Algebra year, and some people skip the 6th grade books and just move on to algebra after 5th. For my older kid we went through 6a&6b in 6th grade and then did AoPS pre-A in 7th and AoPS algebra in 8th. But you might want to start any supplemental books significantly behind and let your kid work through them at his own pace, even if it seems too easy, to let him learn some of the method. For example, a 5th grader could probably work through years 2&3 CWP in a school year with little difficulty, and then work through 4&5 CWP in 6th grade. Using the lower grade level allows your student to really focus on process, rather than getting the problem 'right' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 I use the US edition if that makes a difference, but I would look at the scope and sequence, TOC, and do the placement test. Fifth grade math builds on fourth very heavily. The good news is that it's relatively easy to plow through quickly if you just need a brush up here and there. We use the Intensive Practice books, and I agree that those make really good supplements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 I never used BJU (BTW, I just posted on your other thread) but I did switch RightStart -> Math Mammoth -> Singapore. We're still not in the right place. I was very conservative making the switch and ds complains that he isn't learning anything new. We were using CWP along with MM before making the switch. I don't think it is too late to switch, you just need to be flexible and have a growth-based mindset. If he complains it is hard, remind him that it would be a waste of time if it were easy and that it will just take some time and effort. If he complains he can't do it, tell him that he can't do it now, but that he's able to learn to do it in the future. Intensive Practice takes a lot of time. I think you should choose CWP or IP to go along with the text. If he is breezing through the text, then use only IP (that is what worked out for us). Fan-Math has a lot of instruction in solving word problems and can be a good supplement if word problems are tricky for him. My kids enjoyed using them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redquilthorse Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Thank you! These are all great suggestions. I like the idea of using CWP a year or two behind with him either way. I'm wondering after reading your responses whether we should stay with BJU a for 5th and add CWP and/or IP from Singapore, since he is already nearing the end of The age range for Singapore. But I have 3 more kids behind him, so I have many more years of teaching math ahead of me! Maybe by the last one I will get all the way through elementary without switching curricula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redquilthorse Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Sorry for the typos - on my phone. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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