Singapore HIG Schedule

[MusicMama]

I'm looking through the 3B HIG and the sample schedule seems to fluctuate between 3-5 days of math each week. How has this worked in other people's experience? Do you give extra assignments on the empty days, move ahead, or let them have the time off?

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Hmmm.  I haven't noticed this, I wonder if it's because they are factoring in tests and extra practice?

 

I don't use their schedule.  I just do the lessons as do-the-next-thing, and add in the practices and reviews in the textbook as "checkpoints" (not quite tests) to make sure we're on track.  Fridays are for challenging word problems.  

[TheAttachedMama]

We don't follow the schedule in the HIG.  We just do the next thing with the goal of doing math every school day.   :)  

 

I started off following the schedule when I first started using Singapore math, however, I quickly fell behind or moved ahead of the plan.  Eventually, I tossed the plan and just did my own thing.   Plus, I learned early on that my kids didn't need the tests or extra practice to succeed with Singapore.  We use "just" the standard issue HIG + Textbook + Workbook combo.    

 

We make it a goal to do one workbook exercise per day.  We take two days on each review because they are much longer.   If my kids show any sign of not understanding things, I then have them go back and do the review in the textbook too.   (2 days for that review as well, but only if needed.)   If they show ANY signs of still not understanding, I re-teach the lessons a different way, and download practice for them from math mammoth.  (I've only had to do this one time and it was with long division!)   This has always allowed us to finish up the book in about one school year.   

 

Our routine:

I teach a quick lesson using the HIG as a guide.  (10-15 mins tops?)

We read and work problems from the associated textbook pages as examples until I feel like they get it.

I assign workbook pages.   

[Steven]

We followed the weekly schedule at the front of the HIG. I marked the pages we were suppose to reach by Friday in the textbook and the workbook. Then divided those pages over 5 days. Of course you have to be careful not to let the workbook get ahead of the textbook lessons. But I don't remember that be a big issue. 

 

Because of holidays, etc., sometimes I divided the pages over 4 days, so we could days off. 

 

My daughter had no problems keeping to the suggested schedule. 

[SevenDaisies]

I'm looking at my Standards HIG and I see that weeks with a review only have 4 days of work, so perhaps there is extra time built in for review and testing.  I do use the sample schedule, but only as a list of what to do next and we only do the workbook and textbook - not the extra practice or tests that are scheduled. Before starting a new level, I count the number of days needed to finish by counting any line item with a number in the 2nd column (each section), plus 2 days for a review. I generally end up with 85-88 days worth of work per semester. I just complete the next line item without regard to week.

[freelylearned]

I think the HIG schedule is...odd. How we use Singapore is pretty much "ditto what TheAttachedMama said." The extra practice pages are there if you need them and I use the reviews as cumulative assessments, but I just assign every other problem to finish in a day. We have a lot of 4 day weeks because we use a charter school, and this year we fell a bit behind had to "do math" the first week and a half of summer. Next year I am going to plan out where we should be at the quarter and mid quarter marks so I can monitor my pacing a little better.

[ItoLina]

We just do the next thing. We do math every day for a certain amount of time. Usually we will get through on new concept in the text book and the corresponding workbook pages, but sometimes it takes longer or we move faster depending on the topic.

 

To keep us "on track" to finish in a year I divide the total number of lessons in each book, A and B by 2. This gives me 4 sections of lessons, since I divide our school year into 4 quarters. Then I can check toward the end of each quarter if we have finished about a forth of the lessons. This allows me to easily see if we are ahead or behind in terms of finishing in one year.

 

 

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[vonbon]

Intrigued by this post because we've been using Singapore for 3--going on 4--years and I find the pacing schedule they set in the front of the books to be very...rigorous?  It's not that the math is "hard" necessarily--not always that type of rigor--  Just that, IMO, if you're going to get through both halves of a Singapore level in a year and cover everything well, there is a lot of material there.  I don't like to "skim" over concepts; I want them clear and cemented.  

 

I wish the pace were a bit lighter because I don't care to do the same thing every day, 5 days/week but I don't feel the freedom to veer off into something supplemental if we're going to arrive at summer with most of the Singapore level complete.  I'd like to use Life of Fred more and do other hands-on mathy things but I feel tied to Singapore's pace.  

 

I really like Singapore and I think it's very thorough, so I'm not willing to "fix something that's not broken."  Maybe as I gain more experience in homeschooling, I will feel more confident in having DD skip areas she knows and/or begin a year with a level of any given subject that "matches" last year's grade.  It's the beauty of homeschooling, but I also don't want DD to fall behind.  I like hearing others' experiences with assigning every-other-practice-problem or that sort of thing.

 

I'm not sure we're using the exact same Singapore book as OP; we're in "2B Primary Mathematics Standards Edition", so I don't know if it changes between books 2A/B and 3A/B.

 

Anyway, for 3 years it has stressed me out and we've ended up doing math in the summer to get through each grade level before the next year starts.  I mainly do the next thing and teach to mastery of any given concept.  I try to incorporate interesting manipulatives and real-life examples or made-up stories when I can.  This, and not doing Singapore 5 days every week throughout the year, eventually leads us to having 3-4 units left at the end of the year.  DD does math 5 days/week most weeks, but it's not always Singapore.

 

This year, I'm choosing not to stress as much about it.  The last few units are fun (capacity, money, time, fractions, etc.) and we took somewhat of a detour this summer with Reflex Math to gain ground on math fact fluency.  I figure if DD can really cement those math facts early on, it will make math (including Singapore) more fun and easier for everyone.  So, we didn't finish "on time", which bothers me, but it shouldn't be too difficult to finish off those last few units this month or as we begin the new year.  DD already tells time, has a pretty good grasp on fractions, etc.  I just want to make sure we've covered everything before moving on to 3A.

 

I do what The Attached Mama wrote (below), though sometimes I take longer teaching the lessons than that.  Also, sometimes DD needs some help with the workbook pages.  I'd like her to be totally independent in tackling a concept by the time I assign the WB, but sometimes I've had to spend more time going over a concept as she does them. 

 

"Our routine:

I teach a quick lesson using the HIG as a guide.  (10-15 mins tops?)

We read and work problems from the associated textbook pages as examples until I feel like they get it.

I assign workbook pages."

[vonbon]

Can anyone verify or deny this?  

 

I read somewhere in the last year that if your child is working in Singapore 2B, for example, that the level of math they're doing actually equates to the first half of 3rd grade.  Or, for example, if your child is working in Singapore 1B, it's actually at the level of 2nd grade?  

 

Not to derail the thread; just wondered if anyone had ever heard anything along these lines.  (I guess a lot of it might have to do with what levels a country or state defines in terms of standards.)  Thanks for any insight or knowledge on this detail--

[Flowergirl159]

My DD had completed Singapore 4B and tested into our states grade 6 math. So yeah, for us, over the primary years, Singapore does bump them up a grade level :)

[MusicMama]

Thanks for all the replies! This gives me a lot to think about and incorporate during the upcoming school year. My Dd and I butt heads over math so I'm having one of my younger sisters, the Fun Aunt, help with math homework once a week. I'm hoping she can help wrap up any workbook pages we haven't gotten to by the end of the week. I'm trying to find a manageable pace.

[freelylearned]

For vonbon:

 

My computer is in the shop and I can't figure out how to link to this pdf from my phone, but if you google "singapore math standards edition common core correlation" and go the the third results down you will see a pdf file where the Standards edition is correlated to the CC standards grade by grade.

 

While it isn't the case in the early grades, by the time you get to 4th grade, a lot of the CC topics are covered a year or two ahead in the Singapore program. I hope that helps because at one point in time I needed a document to show what you were asking about, and this was the document I used.

[Kat w]

Yes, if you look at what workbook pages are assigned per day , it's spread out over those days. That's how they achieve mastery. Doing that concept in the workbook over several days. Those days are practice and "cementing" days.

I wouldn't want to do all the sheets in a day or 2 when it's assigned ( see notes on the lil pencil in textbook) over several days. They won't or probably won't acheive mastery that way. We also use the practice book , but use it for review of previously learned concepts ( we need lots of review over here). You can also buy the word problem book and use that as practice for those days too.

[Kat w]

Vonbon, yes this is true. Level 2 is for 3 Rd grade. , leve 3 is for 4th grade, And so on. It even says I in the separate practice books rhy sell for it. Which was good for my boys to see that it was a level and not the grade.

I recommend those practice books. Alot of the info is presented in a different way. It helps to cement or master the concept.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Kat w

[Kat w]

Fwiw, I would be very hesitant to assign every other problem or akip one in Singapore . any other math program? Sure, but not SM. BC it is based in the 4 step approach, they will miss something. Or, not master it the way we think.

It's a mastery based program that's why it assigns so many problems per concept.

They don't go back a review ( except at end of CH. And u unit) .

 

I made this mistake with Saxon when my big kids were young. I had a friend that was asasigning every other problem BC sh thought it was redundant. It was in fact not lol. They had holes later and we had to go back and fill in.

 

I would trust the Singapore program. It is a great one and tried n tested. The sigaporians ( I'm sure that's not the appropriate name lol) score consistently in the top few in the world in math and science .

[vonbon]

For vonbon:

 

My computer is in the shop and I can't figure out how to link to this pdf from my phone, but if you google "singapore math standards edition common core correlation" and go the the third results down you will see a pdf file where the Standards edition is correlated to the CC standards grade by grade.

 

While it isn't the case in the early grades, by the time you get to 4th grade, a lot of the CC topics are covered a year or two ahead in the Singapore program. I hope that helps because at one point in time I needed a document to show what you were asking about, and this was the document I used.

 

MichelleCA, 

 

Thanks for the link!  I found it and I can see what you're saying...Not so much in grades 1-3, but in grades 4 and up, I see where the PDF says "See Grade 4..." in correlation to a topic presented in Grade 5 standards.  

 

Very cool to know!  Thanks a lot!

[Kat w]

Also if you buy the extra practice books it says that on the cover.

[vonbon]

Also if you buy the extra practice books it says that on the cover.

 

Just clarifying--sorry:  You meant this in regards to grade level correlation or ?

[freelylearned]

I have seen those workbooks at Costco in with the summer workbooks. They are not published by the same company as the Singapore curriculum. They are titled something along the lines of Singapore Math 4 practice and then it also says appropriate for US grade 5.

[Kat w]

Just clarifying--sorry: You meant this in regards to grade level correlation or ?

Yes. They are called extra practice .

 

I'm looking at one of mine right now 3A. A circle right below that says appropriate for students in grades 4. I hope I didn't mispeak earlier. I vet confused sometimes.

SM #'s make it look like we are a year behind but it's not.

I think they go at grade level tho.v

[Kat w]

Yes Michelle that's what mine says.

The EP bks aren't published by MC. Huh. I never even noticed that.

 

I just ordered in eBay a couple of them and even said....outloud , I was dictating hubby was typing. I told him which one.

I forgot the name of the SM pub. Iys been awhile since I've bought any if the curriculum. I got alot at once , some used. We use these book to spiral it.

 

The visual thinking books by them are good too. They are like puzzles but math puzzles. You do problems forward backwards ( literally!)

I love it. They are more labor intensive but fun.

[Kat w]

Visual thinking is MC. I ordered them first.

After them I never questioned the other supplements.

I really like the practice sheets tho.

[Flowergirl159]

Hmm my Extra Practice books are by Tinoh Chan - Marshall Cavendish Education, and they do not say anything about grade level on the front. Mine is the US Edition, I wonder if they are different for different editions? 

[Kat w]

Flower girl, they probably are different editions.

 

I thought I had looked at practice and it was still MC.

 

Oh wait....I know, it changed somewhere along the line I noticed to extra practice to practice math or, it may be one practice book is for different versions of SM .

That could very well be, or, they phased out EP to go with MP .

 

Not sure which. Either way it hasn't hampered us. We spiral anyway.