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Why am I feeling so overwhelmed with Singapore?


nature girl
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I think I'm just used to RS which was SO scripted, everything in one place for planning. But I just got 1B in the mail today, I'm trying to plan out the week and I'm feeling panicky! There are too many pieces...Do I need to read the whole HIG and take notes on where I think we should use manipulatives to deepen understanding for later lessons? Or start her on the textbook, then the workbook, see how far she can go on her own and decide which pieces I might want to go deeper on? At least half of 1B seems like it will be review for DD, but I'm worried about missing bits since the methodology is somewhat different from RS. They make it sound like magic, like DC will use a deep understanding of concepts to figure out new ways of doing problems...so maybe I need to worry about those little missing bits?

 

I think I'm overthinking this.

 

Those who use Singapore, how did you plan out your lessons? Am I making this out to be more difficult than it actually is?

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There's a guide in the front of the HIG that is essentially a lesson plan. It tells you what pages to cover in the HIG, TB and WB each day. In the early grades the HIG has many activities that are not in the TB. Here I would look ahead to the next lesson to see what manipulatives I would need or to see if anything needed to be copied from the appendix. I generally teach from the HIG, have them solve some of the TB problems on the board, and then assign them the WB to do independently. In the later grades the HIG mostly explains problems in the TB, so I pretty much wing it. I read along in the HIG to see if I think there is anything worth mentioning while working through the TB problems together.

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I go over the lesson in the HIG and textbook, doing the textbook problems orally or maybe a few on the white board. I don't do all the problems. I just make sure each type of problem is well represented and the goals of the lesson are met. Then I send child off to work on the workbook on their own. If you want to throw in IP or CWP, you can do that, but you don't have to do it every day (or at all).

 

It's been a while since I did the first grade level, but I just used C-rods for everything, keeping the bucket o rods nearby during math time.

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Yes, you are overthinking it. :-). You will find a rythym that works for you soon!

 

For me-

 

- read HIG cheaper intro plus relevant sections for the week to get a picture of where things are going.

 

- decide when/if for manipulatives (in SM 1-2, I introduce every concept with manipulatives.

 

- demonstrate concept using examples in TB (I actually tend to just make up my own examples at this point...), make sure child "gets" it.

 

- supervise child's work in WB according to child's needs.

 

For me, the HIG is something I read outside of lesson time. The TB is used to remind me how to break problems into kid size steps, and the WB is where kid then demonstrates (or not) understanding.

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I almost think it would be easier for me if she hadn't been through RSB, since she's already familiar with most of what I've seen so far in the TB (but not necessarily the HIG), so I'm not sure how much deeper I need to go into those topics. I'm tempted just to skip most of it (and waste $40...), maybe just focus on the mental math aspects.

 

Do the CWP align well with sections in 1B? So you can do them alongside the textbook lessons? That's one area where RS was lacking, so I probably should have gone straight to CWP 1 without buying these three books and then moved to 2A. (I debated for awhile between 1B and 2A, but was worried about her missing concepts.)

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Definitely overthinking.  I used to just crack the book and do the next thing and wing it.  I would basically follow my kid's lead.  If he wasn't getting something we spent more time on it through games or more practice.  If it was too easy, we'd go through quickly and move on.

 

 

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I agree with SparklyUnicorn. I just open up the WB and mostly use that without much forethought. For 1B I used the TB a little bit, maybe 1/3 of the time? I also didn't necessarily go in order or use all the pages. I'd evaluate how my DD was doing and move at her pace. Sometimes I'd jump to a geometry section or money section or weights, etc for awhile before heading back to the +/-/x sections. I think it's good to break it up! It's also fun to go back to a bit of a harder section a month later and whiz through it. I'd just move her quickly through 1B to cover any potential gaps and/or just start her in 2A and save 1B if you hit any snags or need extra practice.  Yeah, we all purchase things we wish we hadn't in hind sight...

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I open up the textbook, go over what seems like a sensible amount with my child, and then have her do the relevant workbook problems.

 

I don't use the HIG, CWP, or IP. I tried the CWP at one point, but it wasn't all that fruitful for us.

 

I should also say that my philosophy is not to bore my daughter with endless repetition. If she gets it, we move on. I don't bother to prepare ahead of time for the lesson; if it turns out that my explanation was inadequate, we can always come back to it over dinner.

 

I don't find it useful to try to figure out ahead of time which weeks I'll be using which chapters of the books. Some parts are much easier for my child than others, so our pace varies considerably throughout the year. This year, for example, my fifth grader took a diversion into algebra for at least a month, because she was getting so hung up on the bar method for solving word problems. Once I spent a month teaching her basic algebra, she was suddenly much more able to grasp Singapore-style bar diagrams, which she had been refusing to learn how to use for years (preferring to solve the problems in her head). We still finished on time.

 

I have my kids use Khan Academy in the summer for review.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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While you certainly can use only the workbook, the Singapore method is in the HIG. If you are unfamiliar with the method, I highly recommend the HIG at least as a reference.

 

I also highly recommend CWP. I have a cousin in gifted math in PS who is three years older than my oldest, and she cannot work my oldest child's CWP problems. I have been reviewing Dolciani PreA and my 3rd grader can do the word problems in Dolciani and he's using CWP2. We do not try to coordinate it with the TB/WB. We generally use it 1/2-1 full year behind and usually just assign whatever is next. Whatever they don't finish in CWP is summer review.

 

Edited to correct typo.

Edited by SevenDaisies
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You are overthinking it. I do the textbook until I reach an arrow. I use whatever I have on hand to explain the concepts. Then, the child works on the workbook independently. That's it. That simple. We do math fact review on the side, often with an app or the drill thing on MUS page.

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Gosh, I don't know. I was right there with you and spent a whole lot of time every single night planning how to teach one little lesson (1st grade). It was so stressful for me!  It just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me the way it was written out. I never knew what exactly I was supposed to be teaching, or how to explain it so that it made sense to my kid. As you may have guessed, Singapore didn't last around here. I needed more hand holding. We switched to BJU and I've done it every year since. It's completely scripted but I can deviate from that no problem. For me, a rather non-mathy person, it's perfect.

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Gosh, I don't know. I was right there with you and spent a whole lot of time every single night planning how to teach one little lesson (1st grade). It was so stressful for me! It just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me the way it was written out. I never knew what exactly I was supposed to be teaching, or how to explain it so that it made sense to my kid. As you may have guessed, Singapore didn't last around here. I needed more hand holding. We switched to BJU and I've done it every year since. It's completely scripted but I can deviate from that no problem. For me, a rather non-mathy person, it's perfect.

Yep, same here. Singapore lasted maybe 2 weeks here before I ditched it. I just didn't understand it at all. And the HIG, forget about it... so confusing.

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I used Singapore for two years, and decided to try something new, for this very reason.  I would read the HIG and see what their goals were, but I didn't find it helped me translate that all that clearly to my students.  And there seemed to be a huge amount of extra work involved with each new lesson of stuff I should do that wasn't in the program.

 

I liked they way they conseptualized things, but the way it was organized stunk for me.

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I used Singapore for two years, and decided to try something new, for this very reason.  I would read the HIG and see what their goals were, but I didn't find it helped me translate that all that clearly to my students.  And there seemed to be a huge amount of extra work involved with each new lesson of stuff I should do that wasn't in the program.

 

I liked they way they conseptualized things, but the way it was organized stunk for me.

 

Yep.  We moved on from Singapore after one semester.  I loved the Singapore method, but I just kept thinking implementation shouldn't have to be so complicated.

 

I hated juggling so many books; I wanted the lessons plans and the fact practice and the example problems and the practice problems all integrated for me along with a sprinkling of challenging word problems.

 

We switched to Math Mammoth and have been much happier.

 

Wendy

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Maybe I should try this. Dd also refuses to do bar method and wants to do it in her head, which really made the fractions story problems impossible (I couldn't do them without algebra until

I looked up the solutions in the HIG).

 

I find the HIG really unnecessarily difficult to navigate. Tbh I'm considering switching programs partly to get away from it.

My son is very math-natural and he strongly resisted bar diagrams at first. He could easily do it in his head so he didn't see the need. I backed off a bit, but explained that eventually the problems would get harder and he'd want to use them. He still doesn't really use them on his own but he no longer resists when we work problems together.

 

Those who dislike the HIG are you using US or Standards? The Standards Edition (as well as US 1A/B) have a much better format and are easier to follow.

 

It's funny how something simple to one can be so difficult to navigate for another. Shuffling 4 math books doesn't phase me, but the cluttered pages of MM drive me crazy.

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Well I wish I'd read these kinds of comments before spending the money! :svengo:

 

So far DD does like the colorful textbook, she's very VSL, and I like that there aren't many problems per workbook page. That works well for her even if I'm tearing my hair out, so we're going with it for now. I'm basically reading through the HIG, but then deciding not to do any of their suggestions, which makes it easier, lol. (That might change as we get to material that's more challenging for her.)

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I used Singapore for two years, and decided to try something new, for this very reason.  I would read the HIG and see what their goals were, but I didn't find it helped me translate that all that clearly to my students.  And there seemed to be a huge amount of extra work involved with each new lesson of stuff I should do that wasn't in the program.

 

I liked they way they conseptualized things, but the way it was organized stunk for me.

 

 

 

Yep.  We moved on from Singapore after one semester.  I loved the Singapore method, but I just kept thinking implementation shouldn't have to be so complicated.

 

I hated juggling so many books; I wanted the lessons plans and the fact practice and the example problems and the practice problems all integrated for me along with a sprinkling of challenging word problems.

 

We switched to Math Mammoth and have been much happier.

 

Wendy

Ditto. We stuck it out for two years because I loved the method, but I just didn't have the energy for it anymore. I wish someone would write a homeschool version. Math mammoth is only sort of similar, and the cluttered pages did not work for my kids.

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Well I wish I'd read these kinds of comments before spending the money! :svengo:

 

So far DD does like the colorful textbook, she's very VSL, and I like that there aren't many problems per workbook page. That works well for her even if I'm tearing my hair out, so we're going with it for now. I'm basically reading through the HIG, but then deciding not to do any of their suggestions, which makes it easier, lol. (That might change as we get to material that's more challenging for her.)

 

Do you like how the lesson is laid out in the text? Do you feel like you are getting the crux of the Singapore method? I can read the textbook and immediately understand what they are doing 99% of the time. I used to check the HIG, and it didn't usually add to my understanding. Based on that, we worked through the TB pages that have the instruction, and then we consulted the HIG if needed (as you get into the upper levels, sometimes they have terminology in there for geometry and things like that). I found that I was naturally doing things like the HIG was showing them, so we just use it on a consulting basis now. 

 

I really discourage people from discarding elements of the program without fully understanding them, but if the trouble is book-juggling, not the methodology, you can simplify your preparation and not juggle so much. Teach from the TB and see if it clicks. Use the HIG when it doesn't or if you want to settle into a topic for a longer time. My kids rarely need much supplementation of the TB, and if they do, it's usually not something in the "script" of the HIG either (though sometimes it is). I usually need to figure out where their brain got stuck and come at it again or from a slightly different angle--that may or may not be in the HIG. Usually, they are hung up on a step or something inside the process. .

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Well I wish I'd read these kinds of comments before spending the money! :svengo:

 

So far DD does like the colorful textbook, she's very VSL, and I like that there aren't many problems per workbook page. That works well for her even if I'm tearing my hair out, so we're going with it for now. I'm basically reading through the HIG, but then deciding not to do any of their suggestions, which makes it easier, lol. (That might change as we get to material that's more challenging for her.)

 

 

 

There will ALWAYS be people who don't like a particular curriculum.  And you may be one of the people who doesn't like SM... it does happen, as evidenced by commenters up-thread. But I would not abandon ship while still only a week or two in, and using it for review to boot!  

 

I posted a thread not too long ago that was very similar- how to juggle all the pieces of SM.  OH my goodness, checking the date that was three years ago... lol!  Time flies... anyway, lots of practical advice in there.  We obviously made it over the book juggling hurdle and are going strongly in SM5 now.  

 

I would qualify myself as a strong math teacher with strong background knowledge (physics degree), and have been relying less and less on the HIG, but am definitely still happy to have it around.  

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We jumped into Singapore 3A/3B (Standards Edition) this past year (first year homeschooling, after pulling from private school). I was really overwhelmed at first as well. I started the year by planning out all the lessons, reading ahead, preparing manipulative, etc. But after a few months, I'd just open the HIG and Textbook when we started in the morning and wing it, using all the pieces my son seemed to need for that particular lesson. I think there's an adjustment / learning curve, but once you've done it for a while, it's not so bad.

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Do you like how the lesson is laid out in the text? Do you feel like you are getting the crux of the Singapore method? I can read the textbook and immediately understand what they are doing 99% of the time. I used to check the HIG, and it didn't usually add to my understanding. Based on that, we worked through the TB pages that have the instruction, and then we consulted the HIG if needed (as you get into the upper levels, sometimes they have terminology in there for geometry and things like that). I found that I was naturally doing things like the HIG was showing them, so we just use it on a consulting basis now. 

 

I really discourage people from discarding elements of the program without fully understanding them, but if the trouble is book-juggling, not the methodology, you can simplify your preparation and not juggle so much. Teach from the TB and see if it clicks. Use the HIG when it doesn't or if you want to settle into a topic for a longer time. My kids rarely need much supplementation of the TB, and if they do, it's usually not something in the "script" of the HIG either (though sometimes it is). I usually need to figure out where their brain got stuck and come at it again or from a slightly different angle--that may or may not be in the HIG. Usually, they are hung up on a step or something inside the process. .

 

We're still on very basic stuff, so it's pretty easy to understand where they're coming from. And so far it's all review for DD, some of it she's been doing for over a year. So the extra exercises in the HIG aren't really necessary, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. Teaching from the TB (I'm not really having to teach at this point, just having her give me answers) has been working well. I'm sure that will change as we go on, although glancing through the end of the TB I don't see ALL that much that she'll need extra work on. I'm glad to have the HIG though, because without it I'd just be looking through the TB and WB and thinking, "This is it?" They don't look much different from workbooks you can buy from Walmart for $5...So I'm seeing how I could teach the concepts if I needed to. I'm considering buying 2A so I can get a better idea of what's next, since I doubt this will take us more than a month. But I want to make sure I'm going to stick with the program first.

 

Monica, thank you for the link! I'll look through it tonight. I'm not giving up yet. :) I actually think I would have loved SM if I'd seen it before RS, and taught this way from the beginning. RS was just so straightforward, with all the explanations and activities right there so I knew right away the reasons behind everything, and didn't have to worry that skipping something she already knew would somehow lead to a gap in understanding.

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I had the same problem when I tried to use Singapore Standards. Then I found Math in Focus which is Singapore math as well but I can teach straight from the student textbook and my daughter does the workbook on her own. Much simpler and easier for me to understand.

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I found that as we went on, if I didn't incorporate the stuff in the HIG, there wasn't always enough in the books, we needed extras on some things.  Which means other books and more money.

 

We ends up switching to MM.  Sometimes it is too many problems, but then we just cut some out. It is nice to have them when we need them, though.  Also, the lower cost means it is easier to do a little supplementing if we want to.

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I found that as we went on, if I didn't incorporate the stuff in the HIG, there wasn't always enough in the books, we needed extras on some things.  Which means other books and more money.

 

We ends up switching to MM.  Sometimes it is too many problems, but then we just cut some out. It is nice to have them when we need them, though.  Also, the lower cost means it is easier to do a little supplementing if we want to.

 

Exactly.

 

Just using the textbook and workbook (or IP book) did not feel rigorous enough for my mathy kid, so I ended up buying the CWP book and Process Skills and Speed Drills.  I was never even juggling the HIG (I felt very confident teaching without it), and yet I was still trying to schedule bits and pieces from 5 books.

 

In fact, we would probably still be with Singapore if they condensed the HIG, CWP, Process Skills and Speed Drills into one optional supplemental book per textbook level.  For each chapter it could have a couple of pages of teaching tips, some explicit "process skills" teaching corresponding to the chapter topic and then a smattering of challenging word problems, fact drills and mental math practice.

 

Wendy

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The HIGs have left people thinking they need them to use SM. The HIGs are not even written by the same people. You do NOT need anything in the HIG. But the fact that they exist leaves people thinking they will be missing something without it. You won't be. It's just sales and marketing. Someone made something people will buy. Now people think they need it. They don't.

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Yes. I spoke to a teacher at the Singapore International School in Hong Kong. They used the text book, the work book and drilling sheets.

Yes, but it is my understanding that the teachers in Singapore have extensive training in the method. The HIGs were designed to fill in those gaps for homeschoolers.

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Yes, but it is my understanding that the teachers in Singapore have extensive training in the method. The HIGs were designed to fill in those gaps for homeschoolers.

 

I can see that, but I certainly felt that by following the textbook and workbook diligently (not skipping things because I felt I knew better) my sons and I were immersed in the method.  I certainly taught them in a completely different way than I learned myself.  I became truly mathematically capable for the first time.

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I feel like the HIGs ruined the books. You know there were not any HIGs the first several years people used Singapore Math. I would just ditch the HIG.

 

The problem with doing this is that the books were intended to be used by trained teachers in Singapore who do the sorts of things that are in the HIG.

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The HIGs have left people thinking they need them to use SM. The HIGs are not even written by the same people. You do NOT need anything in the HIG. But the fact that they exist leaves people thinking they will be missing something without it. You won't be. It's just sales and marketing. Someone made something people will buy. Now people think they need it. They don't.

 

You don't need the HIG if you understand how to teach the "Singapore way."  But most home educators do not.

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You don't need the HIG if you understand how to teach the "Singapore way."  But most home educators do not.

But it is actually all in the textbooks. You do not need the HIG also. There is nothing missing from the textbooks that the HIG would bring to the program. Other than that some people wanted a more scripted type program to follow. But, the entire "Singapore Way" is in the textbooks and explained very well there.

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The problem with doing this is that the books were intended to be used by trained teachers in Singapore who do the sorts of things that are in the HIG.

 

The HIGs did not come from the same writers as the Singapore books, nor did they come from Singapore at all. They were written by home school publishers, I think Sonlight may have been the first. It was written by people who had no special training in "the Singapore Way" beyond using these textbooks and workbooks. "Singapore Way" is not such a mysterious or difficult thing that it takes tons of work to understand.

 

There was some family in this area, not near me, but within an hour, that opened a home school store. They really got on my nerves because they started advertising for new home schoolers to come to them and pay for their seminar on how to home school. They said in their ads that this seminar is a must because if you home school wrong, you could end up in jail and even your children taken away. We are in Texas! This is not even true! They took it a step further and sold "evaluations" to "determine the best program for your child." Only, every single child got the same exact thing, and at their grade level, and it was not even that amazing of stuff. It was mostly CLP, which is fine I guess. But not this amazing, "wow" thing. In fear, new home schoolers paid for their seminars because they thought they needed them. Many parents gave up on home schooling all together thinking it was very complicated to navigate the legal waters and one wrong step and their children could end up in foster care.

 

Anyway, I equate the HIGs to that. Sure, they are good for someone who wanted the added activities and a somewhat like a script to follow. But that is it. People were posting on boards, including the Sonlight boards that existed back then that they wish they had more of a TM to go with the books. The HIGs were written then, by American home schoolers who had read and maybe even used the Singapore Math books.  The books were fine and nice and meant to supplement for those who wanted it. At least Sonlight never told anyone they NEED the books and they will destroy their child without them and cannot possibly do Singapore Math without them. BUT, as the years have gone by, people have grown to think this and post it. But it is simply not true. It is nothing more than a product that is also available that you can use with the math if you wish. But if you do not like the product for whatever reason, or simply do not wish to use it, no problem at all. Everything is in the textbook anyway.

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But it is actually all in the textbooks. You do not need the HIG also. There is nothing missing from the textbooks that the HIG would bring to the program. Other than that some people wanted a more scripted type program to follow. But, the entire "Singapore Way" is in the textbooks and explained very well there.

 

If you just use the textbooks, you lose the concrete part of concrete-->pictorial-->abstract approach.

 

I'm not saying that the HIG is absolutely necessary--I'm saying that a solid understanding of the Singapore way is and the HIG is one way to get that.

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If you just use the textbooks, you lose the concrete part of concrete-->pictorial-->abstract approach.

 

I'm not saying that the HIG is absolutely necessary--I'm saying that a solid understanding of the Singapore way is and the HIG is one way to get that.

No you don't. It is right there in the textbooks. 

 

We clearly are not going to agree on this one. 

 

Maybe if someone has not used the books since level 1 or 2, as in, if they start for the first time at level 4 or so, then they would want the HIG or something similar to help them understand what has been taught prior to their level. And they will need to do additional teaching with the child to catch the child up to what was taught in previous levels. But if you start with the Singapore Math in the earlier levels, you will get it all.

Edited by Janeway
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The HIGs did not come from the same writers as the Singapore books, nor did they come from Singapore at all. They were written by home school publishers, I think Sonlight may have been the first. It was written by people who had no special training in "the Singapore Way" beyond using these textbooks and workbooks. "Singapore Way" is not such a mysterious or difficult thing that it takes tons of work to understand.

 

I understand all of this.

 

And you're absolutely right--the Singapore way is not rocket science.  Unfortunately, most of the people I've known (and maybe all of them) who go rogue with Singapore seem to end up teaching the math the way they were taught (cookbook style) and then don't understand why the "Singapore way" isn't working.  

 

This is why I recommend that parents either read Elementary Mathematics for Teachers or get the HIG.

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No you don't. It is right there in the textbooks. 

 

It is, and it isn't.

 

The parent needs to understand that the concrete part is missing (it is represented pictorially, but that isn't the same thing).

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It is, and it isn't.

 

The parent needs to understand that the concrete part is missing (it is represented pictorially, but that isn't the same thing).

 

I agree with you there, but that's a very different thing from expecting a teacher to juggle an HIG.  It just requires a box of paperclips or other household items and the idea that you use them.  It's in the preface: concrete to pictorial to abstract.

 

FWIW, we started with the Earlybird book, which is all about hands-on work.  It would never have occurred to me to avoid picking up the common objects that I had to hand.

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I agree with you there, but that's a very different thing from expecting a teacher to juggle an HIG.  

 

I never said that I expect the teacher to use the HIG.  I said that the teacher needs to educate herself about the Singapore way in order to use the books effectively.  There are many ways to do that and the HIG is one way.  Personally, I found the HIGs annoying, though I did use the mental math sections as a source of problems.

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I have access to the HIGs and textbooks for free through a curriculum swap. In 4.5 levels, I have never once used HIGs for anything but the mental math drills, which I love. This year, I will no longer have access to those free swap books, so I'll buy the textbooks and find my own mental math drills. We usually skip the workbooks and use Intensive Practice, CWP, and Process Skills.

 

Doing the workbooks alone, you could easily miss the "Singapore way," but if you are using the textbook or have studied the method on your own, you'll be fine.

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I'm not sure if there is another source, but the other nice thing about the HIG is having the answer key!  LOL.  It doesn't take any time at all to correct a SM2 page without an answer key, but in SM5, I am happy I don't have to work every problem out with my son.  Obviously, you could use a calculator to zoom through during corrections, but I feel that sends the wrong message.   :laugh:   I'm talking about mental math problems such as 47 x 51 ... yes, I can do that in my head with a little thinking, but since I'm usually teaching someone else something else while ds is doing his math, it's nice for him to be able to check with me: "Is the answer to 4b 12,345?" and me being able to check in a second whether or not he is understanding his assignment.  

 

I agree with EKS- either through the HIG or through another source, you need to understand the SM way.  In my opinion, the textbook is not enough teacher education.  It is enough to teach with if you have studied Asian math through some other source (HIG, Elementary Math for Teachers, extensive reading online, watching all the videos over at EducationUnboxed, etc, etc.)  

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Really, all of the complaints about Singapore US/Standards can be mitigated by using Math in Focus. I teach from the textbook and my son does the corresponding workbook pages. The textbook does a beautiful job of showing the process for everything, with photos of manipulatives (that we pull out and copy as needed) and photos of kids with "thought bubbles" explaining their steps. It's a very visual presentation without a lot of text, making it very easy to just open it up and scan for content. I don't have to do any pre-reading or prep first. I stop short of assigning the final practice problems in the text; the workbook takes the place of those. Each chapter has just a few lessons (2-4) and there are "put on your thinking cap" challenge problems in each chapter so you really don't need a separate CWP book. There is a review after every 2-3 chapters right in the workbook.

 

I do add "Math Minutes" at the corresponding grade level, which adds just enough review. I also add "70 Must-Know Word Problems" to give extra practice with bar diagrams because they are fun. :)

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I debated awhile between Standards and MIF, but was put off from MIF because of the price! I may consider it for next semester, I just wish it wasn't so darned pricey. You're looking at close to $300 for one subject for a year!

You don't need the TM. Buy the student textbook used on Amazon and the workbooks new from Rainbow Resource. I spend about $40 on math for the year doing it this way.

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You don't need the TM. Buy the student textbook used on Amazon and the workbooks new from Rainbow Resource. I spend about $40 on math for the year doing it this way.

 

That's how I did it too. I bought used copies of the textbooks on Amazon and new workbooks from RR. The textbooks were all under $10 each and the workbooks are $17.50 for the A/B set.

 

The books are a little more expensive now (2A and 2B) but they are $23 new on RR, so if you bought the textbooks and workbooks new from RR your total would be $63.50 for the year. You could even buy an answer key for $28.50 although we are finishing up 4B and I have never needed to look up an answer :).

 

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