Miquon with Singapore Math

[visitor]

Dear all, 

 

DS5 is good with math , but he needs a more hands on approach . He loves Singapore Math , but I think something as Miquon will give him a better start as he likes to work with manipulatives .

 

I am going to start with Singapore 1A Standard Edition as well . How can I make it work and how do I plan this. Does he need to start with Miquon and finish the orange book ,or work with both curriculums in a day /week.

 

DS just finished Singqpore Earlybird B .

 

Thanks in advanced ,

Visitor

[hands-on-mama]

I'm following this as well. We are loving Miquon Orange but I think I want to add in Singapore 1 for my almost 1st grader.

[Sarah0000]

I keep both the Miquon workbooks and the Singapore textbooks (we don't use the other books) on the shelf with the activity books and let him do whatever he wants whenever. If its been awhile that we've looked at an actual curriculum and I need to see what to do next or how to approach something, or I want to make sure he can complete a written problem (versus mental math) then I'll take one of the books. Usually I take Miquon for introduction of a new concept and Singapore for testing of computation level.

[El...]

We did both Miquon and Singapore Standards Ed.  Now we use Singapore plus Beast. 

 

The downside is that math is a BIG part of our homeschool day.  We usually use only one curric per day, but still I've sometimes set time limits on math so I don't exhaust Dd.  I rationalize the investment because I think math is really, really important for future studies. 

 

I LOVE Miquon.  I learned things from it, myself!  Dd got such a solid foundation from it. 

 

Miquon sometimes went too fast for Dd, and would suddenly be way too difficult (read: tears over math).  We used Singapore behind Miquon, so we started 1A after the second book of Miquon.  When Dd started to struggle, I'd flip over to Singapore for a few weeks of confidence-building, then flip back when she looked bored and needed a push. 

 

Dd also needed a touch more practice with multiplication facts than Miquon supplied, and Singapore met that.  I love how Singapore requires so much mental math.  (We do the textbook problems almost entirely mentally.  I'm not sure that is what the authors had in mind, but it is working for us.)

 

Post how you decide to do it, and how it goes for you, Visitor!  :)

 

[Rachel]

With my oldest I had him start SM1a about half way though K. He would do SM 4 days a week with Miquon on Fridays.

 

I had my second child start SM1a at the beginning of K. However some concepts she just doesn't seem developmentally ready for, so when we get to one, we switch to Miquon for awhile.

 

You can either work through the books in order or mix and match, there is a list that tells you which concepts go together across the series. I believe it's printed in each book but it might be in the 1sr grade journal. My personality is such that I prefer to finish a book before moving on to the next one.

 

Miquon can be used as a stand alone curriculum and I know there are quite a few people on the board who have used it that way.

[Spy Car]

You can bounce around. There is no magic path. But what is magical is opening up the comprehension of concepts using methods that the child really understands deeply. The beauty of the discovery-type method, for students for whom it clicks, is once they discover or prove concepts for themselves, they own it.

 

The Miquon teacher materials are a great way to see "ways to teach," which is more important than any individual lab-sheets. One can learn to teach almost anything in a "Miquon-like" fashion, using Miquon directly, or not. They were made after we were past Miquon, but the Education Unboxed videos show how one teacher/mom is inspired to use these sorts of methods, and I'd recommend them.

 

Primary Mathematics is a great program. However, it expects a concrete to pictorial to abstract progression, which is not "built-in." The HIGs help, but they chose to use inferior linking rods (which encourage counting) instead of C Rods (that are a perfect concrete representation of the Singapore Model. Miquon also brings, assuming a parent reads the math topics in the Lab Annotations book, an explicit understanding of mathematical laws that is only implicit in PM.

 

There is synergy is using Miquon. It adds on both ends. Math concepts are more comprehensible to children, and they learn deeply.

 

Bill

 

 

Edited April 22, 2016 by Spy Car

[Rachel]

At Spy Car's recommendation we use c rods instead of linking rods with SM, it has worked well so far.

[visitor]

Thanks Spy Car and others . I am going to start tomorrow with DS . I am very excited about it. I have read all the books and really like there math approach .

[BooksandBoys]

We use both Miquon and Singapore. I opted to start with Miquon, and he finished Orange and Red in K before jumping into Singapore 2A. After starting Singapore, we slowed down in Miquon and now use it at as a review several levels behind where he works in Singapore (4B vs Miquon Yellow). I do think, like Spy Car mentioned, that starting with Miquon made me a better teacher, so I do apply that method to other programs. My son does both programs most days, one page of Miquon and several pages of Singapore. I intend to have my next son also start with the first Miquon books before Singaore because I think they create such a nice foundation (and don't emphasize counting!). Also, I love c rods. They are my go-to manipulative no matter what math program we're using.

[Spy Car]

I'll put in a plug in for adding base-10 "flats" (to represent 100 values) to a C Rod set. Then working on modeling numbers using "math names" like 3-Hundreds 6-Tens 5-Units for 365. Or 1-Ten 2-Units for Twelve.

 

As much as possible, feed the kids with problems they get to figure out, ones that make them work their noodles, as a way to make math fun. Creating opportunities for discovery learning is harder than taking the direct lead, but it has value. There are times for direct instruction, and there are times when a parent should be prepared to "add value," such as when they "discover" 4+5 is the same value as 5+4. 

 

Teach for real understanding. I found it helpful to keep asking what does my child understand? What do I hope for him to learn next? What does he need to know prior to taking on this next goal? How can I create ways for him to discover the concept. How can I reinforce the discovery though providing the vocabulary of mathematics (such as the Commutative Law above? Is there enough mind-bending work to grow the brain? Is there enough prosaic work and review to cement procedural competence? it is about trying to strike the right balance. But real understanding of the topics is key IMO to success. 

 

Miquon helped me find "my style" of reaching my kid. The synergy with Primary Mathematics made both stronger. If you have time to steal from MEP and RS there are great ideas to be had in those programs as well.

 

Making a "Math-lab" experience is work for parents, but pays off with those students who thrive on the approach.

 

Bill