Talk to me about Singapore, using textbook+IP instead of Textbook+workbook

[abba12]

Sorry if this is a bit jumpy and confusing, it's been a long week... 

 

Thinking about moving to Singapore Math. I have heard of people who use the textbook, and then use the IP instead of the workbook. My husband and I are pretty mathy (and were taught math with a sort of combination of Singapore-style and US traditional math, since our country is heavily influenced by both) and our kids seem pretty bright with math too. So far it does not appear that my eldest needs much practice, she either 'gets' it or she doesn't, and if she doesn't only time/development helps. I'd rather avoid excessive practice if she doesn't need it, and instead focus that time on things like CWP, and fun things like LOF and eventually BA 

 

Can anyone who does it tell me about using IP instead of the workbook? Or anyone who tried it tell me why not? We'd still do the textbook so get the learning the same way, and I have a good understanding of the way the math is being taught since I was taught in part the same way as a child, so I would be able to assist with harder problems the 'proper' way easily enough. 

 

Do the IP books start out as easy as the normal workbooks? Or would the child suddenly be thrown into considerably harder problems than the ones in the textbook?

 

How many pages are the IPs vs the workbooks? Is it around the same number of problems? Half as many?

 

Do the IPs tie into the lessons properly or are the out of sync? How do you compensate?

 

Anything I should know before making the decision?

[kateingr]

My son used textbook, IP,and CWP when doing Singapore 2A and 2B, and it worked very well. At least at the 2nd grade level, IP isn't really that much harder than the workbook--it's more that the problems are presented in a more puzzle-y or interesting format. The IPs aren't quite as specifically coordinated with the textbook as the workbook, but they match up pretty closely and it's pretty easy to figure out which pages go with which textbook activities. The IPs do start with relatively easy problems, so the child still gets a gradient of work over the course of the chapter. 

 

I only used 2nd grade, though. (I used RS before that and Beast after that with my son.) Does it stay the same for the other levels? 

[SanDiegoMom]

My son used just the IP.  I was too cheap to buy the textbook too since he went through them so fast.  We went through 3a-5b in 1st and 2nd grade and started Aops PreA in 3rd.  I worried at the time but he's never hit any bumps and is doing great this year (4th) in Intro to Alg. So it seemed to work fine! 

 

ETA: The workbooks are the same length and have just the right amount of problems (I felt) for a complete program.  I couldn't imagine using workbook too -- that would be too many problems.  They are much more of the challenging problems but they start out with the basic type problems and then just advance from there to much farther than the workbook takes you.   

 

Edited January 28, 2016 by SanDiegoMom in VA

[Sarah0000]

For my kid who doesn't need much practice I've been using just the TB. I use games, living books, and sometimes worksheets (like from Greg Tang's website) for practice. I've found that there are enough problems in the TB. We've only used 1a and 1b.

[Ms.Ivy]

I prefer the workbooks to the textbooks. For us, the workbook exercises are what actually developed the concepts in the mind of the child, rather than the lessons presented in the textbooks. The IP books don't have exercises that teach the concepts, but are a great review and way to teach more problem solving using the concepts learned. We've used Singapore 1a through 5b. If I had to choose textbook or workbook to go with IP, I'd go with the workbook for 1a through 2b. After that, I think the textbook plus IP would better.

 

My kids have no inherent talent for math and don't learn particularly quickly, so our experience may be different than other's.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Ms.Ivy

[BooksandBoys]

DS7 uses the textbook (sometimes) and the IP instead of the workbook. We also use Process Skills. He's in Singapore 4A. The problems in the IP are harder, but the biggest adjustment for him was how much more text is on each page and the loss of the "fun" pages (use the answers to complete the maze), although, to be fair, there isn't as much of that in the 4th level of the workbook anyway. The IP isn't divided into exercises like the workbook, but it follows in the same order, so I look at the textbook and divide the IP up accordingly.

[Spy Car]

The Textbook is designed to be used interactively with a teacher/parent, not as independent work (with possible exception of the review sections in the Standards Edition). If one skips the Textbook it is highly unlikely one will be teaching the "Singapore way." and the value of the program is vastly reduced. You could we any old workbooks if that's the case, as one could be entirely missing the point (which isn't just "getting the right answer"),

 

The Workbook is there to provide independent practice that are directly tied to the lessons in the Textbook.

 

If one i using the SE the IPS don't collegiate directly to the Textbooks/Workbooks, which is fine (maybe even a bonus) if one is using them (as intended) as a supplement to the core components of the program. The IPs add important challenge problems to the mix. However, they are not designed to replace core books.

 

There is a "method" to the Singapore Method. 

 

Bill

 

 

[Raifta]

We have used the workbook and textbook for SM from K through 4A for DD.  We go through the TB together and then she works independently on the WB.  Depending on how things went with the TB, I might assign anywhere from 1/2 to all of the problems in the WB that pertain to the section we have just done in the TB.  We use the IP and CWP as review - typically starting them about 1/2 year after starting the new level of the WB/TB.

 

I would be hesitant to just use the TB and IP for DD because I find that the problems in the WB relate directly to the teaching in the TB and they increase in difficulty incrementally.  DD does fine with math, but doesn't particularly enjoy it, so being able to ramp up through the WB problems and then later encounter the IP/CWP problems is good for her confidence.  I suspect that if she only did TB and IP, she would immediately start to balk and complain about not understanding the problem, despite the fact that if she thought about it, she would be able to figure it out.  The TB to WB to IP/CWP approach gives her a bit more scaffolding, which is good for her.

[Esse Quam Videri]

We like the IP A LOT for the challenge problems, but most of the chapter/problems are not more challenging than the workbook. Just a select portion and then those designated "challenge." One major difference to note is that the IP has far more problems per page printed much smaller. The formatting is not like the WB/TB in that way and way more cluttered, kiddos must write a lot more, etc.

 

With my oldest we could use just the TB and the IP in full, but with my middle (actually more mathy) boy we used the TB together/orally, WB selectively as needed on a whiteboard, and IP just challenge questions on a whiteboard. My oldest will work independently through hundreds of math problems with no complaints, but my middle boy wants to write as little as possible, so this worked for us.