Singapore 2 math help

[ThursdayNext]

Can any Singapore people help? We haven't been doing Singapore that long, just since K. I like it and do not want to switch. My daughter, like me, is really slow at math. Not that she doesn't understand. It just takes so long to do a page of problems. The mental gears work, but turn slowly.

 

It seems to take us so long to go through activities in the HIG, go through the textbook, and then do the workbook. Add in mental math and it is so much time! I can't believe people supplement with other math, add intensive practice or complex work problems. How do you fit it in? Or are we just unusually slow?

 

She hates the mental math pages. Would it be possible/recommended to switch that out for some other kind of math drill? I'd love it if we could substitute some kind of math game on a tablet. She's semi-enjoyed a little Khan academy and some math facts matching games. But I don't know the system well enough to make changes.

 

Also, any links to fun ways to learn multiplication tables are welcome. :)

[fralala]

Well, I am just starting teaching 2A and feel like it moves a lot more quickly I do, when I look at the suggested amount of material covered in a day. Yes, it definitely does. We don't adhere to their recommended pacing at all. We move much more slowly. In fact, I often spend several days on each lesson.

 

When it comes to feeling slow or discouraged, I always give my daughter work that I know she is absolutely at ease with for a few days to build up her confidence (and fluency) and to remind her that many times, the difference between finding something hard and easy is simply practice. The point isn't to get through levels-- I would rather be a level behind in Singapore but have my child feeling speedy and confident.

 

For drills, I love the Math Sprints book. They are basically the mental math pages in a different format, though. I do them instead of mental math. You do as many problems as you can in 45 seconds and compete against yourself. My daughter LOVES Sumdog, which is free, and offers a powerful incentive for becoming speedier. But yes, I think using Singapore it is very easy for kids to get way ahead conceptually without getting the quick mental computations-- and I never even learned quick mental math myself, so I am working on this myself.

[BrittanyM]

I bought the app, "Math Bingo" recently and it has been a great way to have my kids practice math facts, including multiplication!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kat w]

We use Singapore. My boys are LC, so we're all over the place.

We do SM 2

Sm3

And sm4

 

Here's the thing. Singapore is so thorough Nd deep, you move ad slow as you need to.

 

The big thing to remember here is, you are laying the foundation . it wouldn't matter if she was in 6 or 7 grade, doing SM 2 is perfectly acceptable BECAUSE, you are laying an amazing, never used or seen before in the U.S. math program.

 

She will at some point, when her brain is ready, soar and start to move very quickly.

 

Part of the slow pace of Singapore for we parents is learning HOW they teach, how deep they go, lateral movements, bar models for word problems. SM teaches math backwards and forwards.

 

You're doing the right thing mama :) she will be ahead of her peers with this program. Probably already is. Not only that, but have a deeper understanding if math.

It takes time to move lateraly, to learn the 4 methods. It pays off.

 

When she's in college...she will blow her peers out of the water .

 

And really...when they are in college? Who cares how long it took to get through Singapore 2 or 3 or any of them. The point is, they learned a deeper more systematic way than probably all of her classmates.

She likely, won't be the one needing extra teacher help, intense study group time ( which is the bane of frustration ).

 

Singapore 2 right now, you are filling all the holes she had..and you. I'm learning math in a new and better way too. That takes time. Time that pays off later. Pays off big in fact.

 

I have a 12 yo doing 2,3, and 4.

We picked up a Bob Jones math book 7? And he could tear it apart ...ate it up like it was yesterday's news lol.

 

Because we parents, educators, and children alike have never seen or learned anything like it ...it just takes time.

 

I don't do every single example in the hig...but I do most...and sometimes all. Because again, we are filling in holes having come from American math.

 

When you think about America , we consistently come in around 20-30th place in the world on math.

 

That is a sad state of affairs for esp, being the most wealthy nation.

Singapore comes in the top 5 and for several years has been #1.

 

So I think the question would be...what do we want fir our kids?

Me? I want to take the time we need now to set them up for success later.

That's what Singapore does.

 

Some days I go ...ugh. Don't wanna do math...but? It's good for my boys and they are filling in all the many...many holes they had from PS math.

 

Take heart mama. It will get better...and I say again.

When she's in college? Who cares how long it took to lay the essential foundation that Singapore lays.

 

They will be far ahead of their peers and probably testing into above algebra college math.

Meaning...they don't have to take those classes :)

Score! Ha-ha :)

 

Go as slow as you need to. She's young. The complete foundation SM lays is what's important :)

 

ETA: I think China has crept up to us as far as weath. But, were neck n neck with them at a very minimum and we may still be the wealthiest.

Wanted to add that before someone jumped n said...China! Lol

Edited August 10, 2016 by Kat w

[ThursdayNext]

Anyone else? What does a typical day of math look like? How long does it take you?

Edited August 12, 2016 by ThursdayNext

[Kat w]

It normally takes us, including breaks, about an hour and a half to 2 hours.

 

My boys need lots and lots of review though. They have some learning challenges .

 

With my big kids though, it took us around an hour.

 

Math is just something I have always felt like needs a decent amount of time to really get the orders of operations down.

 

For my nt kids, around an hour, LC kids hour and half to 2 hours but that includes lots of breaks :)

[razzles]

I do wonder about the amount laid out in the schedule. We started 1A in her first year of full time "school". Here that was primary 1, there it was like K-4 because of her birthday. We then did 1B in P2/K and will be doing 2A for P3/1st grade. If we were in the US it's possible I could have pushed her to start K earlier and therefore she'd be starting 2nd grade now, but I wouldn't be likely to do that.

 

We have always taken from Aug-April to finish the book, which considering that she's technically ahead (I think 2A is like a USA 3rd grade level) it's just fine, but it does puzzle me when I try to plan out the year- there's no way we're fitting both books in to one year.

 

I have a friend with a child born a few days before my daughter. They started 1B last year after the summer, the same time as us, and at their natural pace they finished the book around Easter too, same as us.

 

I can't imagine trying to fit it all in a year and do it well. I try to remind myself that's not what's important though! Just makes planning a little more vague.

 

I do wonder if maybe as she gets older the pace will increase since we started a quite a young age (which I didn't realise at first, I figured P1 was like first grade or K, not K-4).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited August 13, 2016 by razzles

[Sk8ermaiden]

We did the both K books in PK 4, 1A and 1B in Kindy, and 2A and 2B in first grade. The numbers correspond to grade, at least in the US. (So 2A and 2B are the two semesters of second grade. Though the books are a little advanced for grade, they don't run a full year ahead.) She's a year ahead of grade level, because we started early. The K books were just right for her in PK and we just continued from there. 

 

She's mathy, but not gifted, and we spend maybe half an hour on math each day? We do one exercise a day, however long that takes. If it's a new concept with lesson, it takes a bit longer. I also, do not see how people fit in all these supplements, but that's just because I only have the kid in front of me and she needs/wants no more or less than I am giving her. We do do the Intensive practice as summer review. 

 

We typically finish both books right on track with our school year running from the beginning of September - late May, but this year once we were past all the "hard" stuff, and into the "easy" stuff like graphs and volume and measuring, she sat down with the workbook and blew through almost a month's worth of work in 2 days, so we were done like 2 months early...

 

For math drill we only occasionally use the mental math sheets. We've used Xtramath.org, which is good, and she also plays a lot of math vs. zombies and times tales on the tablet. My understanding is that the mental math is really important for Singapore, but it doesn't matter how it's learned. Find an app that your child really enjoys and use that for fact drill. It makes life a lot easier (and they can do in in otherwise wasted time, like in the car!)

[Tumbatoo]

We're using Singapore. 4A and finishing 2B right now. I only use the HIG when I need supplemental ideas. I usually can do examples and explain without it. My youngest daughter does not like examples, she likes to figure it out on her own as much as possible. We also don't use the CWP or sometimes even the text. We do an exercise per day with my oldest, and a page or two with my younger (she's 6, so moving slower). It takes as long or as little as they need to get it, and we're done. We don't do the mental math exercises either, although my 9 year old had amazing mental math abilities just from going through the exercises. She can usually do problems faster than I can. My 6 year old is still learning her multiplication tables, so we do drill a couple of minutes a day. Also, my oldest is also doing Beast Academy, and my younger will start as well soon. I do use other resources, such as Miquon if needed for more practice. Xtramath was fun for a few days, then they were bored with it. We enjoyed Dreambox for longer - about a couple of months. My youngest still likes Prodigy!

 

So, we don't really use the "system." I did more with my older. My younger daughter gets frustrated with new ways to solve problems and just wanted to use the one she is comfortable with. I'm sure that's part personality and part age.

[SereneHome]

I don't use textbook and do mental math while we are driving.  I assign CWP as "homework". 

 

I read HIG very carefully when we first started out - to understand their philosophy, but now I am not following word for word.

 

First unit of 3B was a complete review of how to do mental math.  I made sure he understood and remembered how to group numbers, what methods to use, etc.  It's important to me that they understand how numbers work and how they relate to each other. 

 

[Dinsfamily]

Can any Singapore people help? We haven't been doing Singapore that long, just since K. I like it and do not want to switch. My daughter, like me, is really slow at math. Not that she doesn't understand. It just takes so long to do a page of problems. The mental gears work, but turn slowly.

 

It seems to take us so long to go through activities in the HIG, go through the textbook, and then do the workbook. Add in mental math and it is so much time! I can't believe people supplement with other math, add intensive practice or complex work problems. How do you fit it in? Or are we just unusually slow?

 

She hates the mental math pages. Would it be possible/recommended to switch that out for some other kind of math drill? I'd love it if we could substitute some kind of math game on a tablet. She's semi-enjoyed a little Khan academy and some math facts matching games. But I don't know the system well enough to make changes.

 

Also, any links to fun ways to learn multiplication tables are welcome. :)

I'm just starting my 4th dc on Singapore and I think it just depends on the child. Oldest ds finished the entire series by the middle of 4th grade even though I added A LOT of supplements. He is gifted but not HG or PG, imo...just loves math. Ds#2 has done a level a year (A&B) plus CWP with a few supplements. He is HG at least but lacks focus and is not a math guy. He gets his work done at a pace we're both happy with. Ds#3 could go a lot faster if he had more time from me. That is one of my goals this year. He is fairly mathy and likes it so he could get through 3-4 books this year. All that to say, a lot of it depends on ability, motivation, and life circumstances. I don't do everything in the HIG since my kids "just get it" most of the time. We've had to dive in on certain topics. We do the mental math and I think CWP is very important to add to SM.

 

If I had a kid "behind" grade level but still moving along, I'd just keep plugging away. There is a lot of play in math timing in the middle school years. I also don't think Singapore is a full grade level ahead of US grades. I would consider the 2 level as advanced 2nd grade, but not 3rd grade. However, I don't think that is an important distinction for most hs'ers. It is more important to build that strong foundation than adhere to any arbitrary grade guidelines.

 

I added in Khan for my 5th grader this summer since he thought it was fun and it would keep the cobwebs away. 3rd grader does an app to practice math facts. The best way for us to learn multiplication facts has been School House Rock. They love it.

[Kat w]

Singapore is (depending on the grade and edition) is at least a half a grade ahead.

I think it's standards? That's almost a full grade ahead....and primary , I could have the 2 mixed up.

But one is almost a full grade ahead.

The other is a little over a half a grade ahead.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I've got a kid in 5a and another in 2b.  

 

I love SM, but it's not a miracle worker.  Just because a kid graduates from SM 6b doesn't mean they will go into STEM or even have that ability.  So I disagree with PP about that.  However, it is a fantastic math program.  

 

I've already taught levels 1-5a, so now that I'm back in 2 with my second child, I don't rely very heavily on the HIG.  I'm also very mathy myself, so take this with a grain of salt.  

 

For a lesson:  I take a look at the WB page and see what is being taught.  I usually take a look at the next lesson as well, so that I know exactly how big of a "chunk" the material is broken down into.  I might take a look at the TB, but honestly, I usually don't.  

 

I  make up a handful of problems that review previous concepts.  Some are concepts from other units, others are problems similar to the previous day's work.  

Next, I make up problems similar to what are found in the TB for today's lesson and write them on the whiteboard.  Occasionally, this involves drawing pictures, and we're just starting with bar diagrams. 

 

DD solves them, and if I see there is a big issue, we stop there, I take out manipulatives and really work on concrete.  We then finish the lesson the next day, going back to the WB.  

 

I have two kids so far who don't really struggle in math.  My DD occasionally seems totally unable to access her math brain, and I may as well be speaking Chinese to her.  I put it away, get it out the next day, and she'll get 100% on her page.  I've learned to just roll with it.  :-)  

 

CWP we use on Fridays, about half level behind.

 

For math facts, we enjoy the free app xGermsAddition for adding and TimezAttack (computer version) for multiplication.  But I wouldn't do any fact memorization until the child is very good at fast calculation- making tens when adding, using multiplication "tricks" (i.e.  x4 is the same as doubling twice, x5 is x10 then cut in half, etc.)

 

 

[Kat w]

Don't recall saying they'd go to stem or have the ability either.

 

It's just an above average math.

Global test scores do the talking :)

[Janeway]

I am unsure if I replied already BUT...you can skip the HIG or TM with SM.

 

Also..SM is ahead. I would say 1A is equal to about 1st grade in the US. 1B and 2A would be 2nd grade. By 6A and 6B, you are equal to 7th grade advanced math or 8th grade average math. If done well, a child should be able to go with ease from 6B to regular algebra. 

 

I like to supplement with computer games for math drill or apps. I do this little game in the car sometimes, and suddenly give 10 math facts for my child to do. He has to go until he does all 10 facts. If he misses a fact, he does not get a point for it. It is missed if he cannot answer within a few seconds. I will tell him the answer, have him repeat it back, and I will repeat that fact by the end. So..like this Me "5X7" him "35" M"3X5" H"15" M "6X7" H..thinking more than 5 seconds.. M"6X7 is 42, H "6X7 is 42" M "5X6" H"30" M "6X7" H"42" M "7X6" H "42"....see how it goes? I give a few easy and a few hard but similar and only ten at a time. You can do this with small addition and subtraction facts. Of course, only use what they are learning in the textbooks or have learned so far. Do throw out facts you have not worked on yet.

 

Oh, and I have a few dry erase boards up. I let my child do the problems on that board that we do together. That makes it more fun too. And some days, I will have a few problems up there already to do. 

Edited August 14, 2016 by Janeway

[Alice]

I've used Singapore with all three kids. 

 

I have the HIG but rarely use it. I never have done all the activities in there. I used it more at first to read myself in order to understand the "method" and to have an idea of how to teach a new concept but I only did as many activities as we needed to get the point across. 

 

With my oldest I used only the Textbook and Intensive Practice books. He is good at Math and that gave him the right amount of practice but at a more challenging level than the Workbook. My second son hates Math although it's not really that hard for him. He hates it more if it's boring so for him I do a combo of the Workbook for practice when he needs it, the Intensive Practice book (he actually likes the harder problems better because they are interesting) and Beast Academy to keep it fun. My daughter is young but seems to be more like my first in personality and learning style. So far we've mostly done the Intensive Practice book only with her. 

 

I say all that to say that one of the things I like about Singapore is that it has a lot of options that are adaptable. You can do just the TB and WB or you can do IP or you can do CWP. 

 

A typical week in Math for us at 2nd grade would be: 

Day 1: Go through the Textbook for a new concept. Sometimes we'll do the whole chapter at once (if it's a concept like shapes or something that I know the kid already understands). Sometimes we'll take it slower and just go through a section (if it's a new concept like multiple digit addition or multiplication). On this day we will work through some of the problems in the textbook together. Not all of them. Just enough that I can see that they understand what we are doing. 

 

Day 2: I assign problems to do from the WB or IP book. I have never had my kids do all the problems in a section. I pick a handful from each section to make sure they get the concept and that it's enough practice. I often assign a couple of word problems every day. Those can be from CWP or from the IP book and usually they do the word problems at a lower level than they are currently working. So I might assign 10 problems from the 2A IP book Chapter 2 and then 1 word problem from 2A IP Chapter 1. 

 

Day 3: Similar to Day 2 OR if it's a tough concept or they had problems the day before we might do something together to review the concept. That could be working through some problems together or playing a game. I also correct problems from Day 2 and then we go through them together to see what the mistakes were. At older levels I would have the kid first go through any mistakes themselves and try and self-correct. 

 

Day 4: Something fun for Math: game or Beast Academy. 

 

For mental math we do a little every day. I assign them one mental math sheet a week and they break it up into about 10 problems a day. We also do a lot of games for math facts. 

[Kat w]

You can certainly leave off the higs.

 

Question is....

Why would you do thst to your kids. They are rich with info, knowledge , doing it the Singapore way.

 

Not using the higs reduces an amazing program ....

...to just another American program that gets us globally....

At the bottom of the barrel and that...is a shame.

 

Something has got to change in America or we will no longer be a super power. We are being killed by almost every other country .

 

How does one take the hearts and minds of a nation?

....starts with their education.

 

The more parents reject a superior program (hig is vital in making it the SINGAPORE way) ...the more injustice we do to our kids.

 

Pride goes before a fall.

 

How long will we continue to be stiff necked that WE have the answers.

WWE obviously do not have the answers. ....we come in in the 20'sans 30's in the WORLD .

...thst is sufficient for us?

 

Why should thst be. Because we think we know everything? And can teach the way a country that has proven success ?

 

No. We don't. We need thst hig to have the true benefit of the program.

 

Every single time I talk to a mom that says...SM didn't work for us, or SM didn't improve our test scores ....know why?....they didb use the hig.

 

I'm just asking that we as parents take a good look at what it is we want for our grandchildren .

 

It starts with our morals and education.

Please reconsider wha that hig has to offer.

Edited August 14, 2016 by Kat w

[Sk8ermaiden]

Singapore is (depending on the grade and edition) is at least a half a grade ahead.

I think it's standards? That's almost a full grade ahead....and primary , I could have the 2 mixed up.

But one is almost a full grade ahead.

The other is a little over a half a grade ahead.

 

Compared to the public schoolers in in my district, it's about one semester ahead, at least through the end of third grade.  The U.S Edition. I was just responding to the poster who thought 1A was possibly a third grade level. No. 2B was though.

Edited August 14, 2016 by Sk8ermaiden

[Kat w]

Yea...no no. I wasn't saying was 2 grade levels ahead.

It is ahead tho.

 

Depending on the addition.

Anywhere from a half to three fourths of a grade ahead.

[Kat w]

Why did you quote me then?

 

I wasn't the one who said it was that far ahead?

 

Sorry, but. It's been a bad weekend. And I'm tired of Janeway pipin up and callin me a liar in previous posts because I recommend the hig...as does swb.

 

I'm not gomna stop givin my suggestions ...and she doesn't need to keep insulting me..or..saying. I'm a liar BC I suggest using the hig to get the full benefit.

Edited August 15, 2016 by Kat w