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My ds is currently working in US Edition Singapore 5A.  He should complete 5B by the end of this school year.  Looking ahead to next year, I'm trying to figure out if it would be better to skip 6A/6B and go into AoPS Pre-Algebra.  If we complete 6A/6B would we still go into AoPS Pre-Algebra or would it be better at that point to go straight into the AoPS Algebra course?  Any advice is appreciated!

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We did 6A and 6B because I wanted to make sure that a few concepts were more cemented in place and also because I wasn't sure that he was ready, maturity-wise, to move to something where he had to write long problems out on paper (he was in 3rd grade and had some writing issues).  The Singapore 6 books weren't too hard and were a good review, and we added some of the challenging word problems.  AoPS is really different - Singapore is good preparation in terms of content, but they style was different enough that I was concerned.  As far as content, I don't know that you need Singapore 6, so I would make my decision based on mental/emotional readiness as much as academics.  We got to AoPS at the end of the Singapore 6 year and it was fairly frustrating, but when we started up again in 4th grade with their pre-algebra he did fine, so I think that for us we needed a bit more maturity.  If your kid is older/less prone to getting upsettedly frustrated, you could go straight to AoPS. 

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I wouldn't skip AOPS PreAlgebra, it's a hard book and is more than just review. It goes deeper and really is a good introduction to the AOPS style. 

 

My oldest did 6A and 6B. In hindsight, it probably would have been fine for him to skip them but I don't regret that he did them. He did them in 5th grade. At the time I didn't feel any hurry to get him to PreAlgebra since he was already ahead. He enjoys Math but isn't one of those kids who lives and breathes Math. So I wanted him to have a really solid foundation but wasn't really feeling like he was desperate for more challenge. Singapore 6A and 6B were review but I felt like provided a lot of problem solving opportunities. It didn't feel like a wasted year for him. 

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I also has Ds1 do Singapore 6A&B before AOPS Pre-A. And will have Ds2 do Singapore 6 as well. I just don't see any reason to skip it and it had plenty of value for us.

 

I definitely would not go straight into AOPS Algebra either. Pre-A was a good intro into AOPS and a good foundation for Algebra the AOPS way.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

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My ds is currently working in US Edition Singapore 5A. He should complete 5B by the end of this school year. Looking ahead to next year, I'm trying to figure out if it would be better to skip 6A/6B and go into AoPS Pre-Algebra. If we complete 6A/6B would we still go into AoPS Pre-Algebra or would it be better at that point to go straight into the AoPS Algebra course? Any advice is appreciated!

it's all about style and what you want. If you skip 6a and 6b, you will do preA. If your child does 6a and 6b, your child will go to algebra. So you could use either one for that year and the algebra will still be the next year.
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I would definitely  recommend starting with AoPS prealgebra over algebra. I think it is okay for most students to skip 6a/6b to go to prealgebra.

 

I've done all the above.

My oldest skipped from SM 5b to AoPS Algebra (before the prealgebra book came out) - he's a math wiz, so he tolerated this transition and it was his choice.

 

My second went from SM 5b to AoPS prealgebra. This was a hard transition, but tolerable for a good math student.

 

My third did SM 5 and some of 6, did Derek Owens prealgebra as a bridge to AoPS and is now doing AoPS prealgebra.

 

It all depends on how quickly your student picks up math topics and how easily. Also, some students just aren't ready for the level of AoPS.

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We did AOPS preA after Singapore PM 5a/5b with oldest.

 

I haven't used Singapore 6, but my *guess* is there would still be stuff in AOPS preA that Singapore 6 doesn't cover. If you're planning to do AOPS might as well get on board in PreA. It's a rigorous course, and many people take more than a year to finish.

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We skipped 6A and B. I had read somewhere (on these boards I think!) that they are just a review and solidifying year before they take the year 7 exams in Singapore. So my ds went straight to PreA in Aops. No problems, and we had more time to get used to the level of challenge. He was familiar with almost all the concepts from Singapore 5, but it just took them to a much higher level.

 

My ds used only Singapore Intensive Practice though- so it was already challenging.

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(A little side-question that I hope doesn't need its own thread - For those of you who went SM to AOPS, is the general sequence AOPS Pre-A, then Algebra, *and then* the main AOPS book? I have a kid taking a different path than his elder siblings.)

 

What's the "main" AoPS book? Intro to Algebra?  Intro to Algebra covers what is traditionally algebra 1 and what I'd call a heavy intro to alg 2 topics (might also be called the first half of alg 2; some of these topics are briefly introduced in school alg 1 classes but not to this depth).

 

The sequence is Prealgebra, Intro to Algebra, Geometry, Intermediate Algebra, Precalc, Calc.  The Counting & Probability and Number Theory books are electives.

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What's the "main" AoPS book? Intro to Algebra?  Intro to Algebra covers what is traditionally algebra 1 and what I'd call a heavy intro to alg 2 topics (might also be called the first half of alg 2; some of these topics are briefly introduced in school alg 1 classes but not to this depth).

 

The sequence is Prealgebra, Intro to Algebra, Geometry, Intermediate Algebra, Precalc, Calc.  The Counting & Probability and Number Theory books are electives.

 

(Thank you for pitying my ignorance!)

 

Art of Problem Solving, Vol. 1: The Basics

 

(What book is this?)

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(Thank you for pitying my ignorance!)

 

Art of Problem Solving, Vol. 1: The Basics

 

(What book is this?)

 

That's a supplemental book.  AFAIK, a student using the AoPS series as their main math program will not need that book.  On the other hand, it might be a good choice for a student who is using a more traditional program and wants to get some experience with problem solving.

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That's a supplemental book.  AFAIK, a student using the AoPS series as their main math program will not need that book.  On the other hand, it might be a good choice for a student who is using a more traditional program and wants to get some experience with problem solving.

 

Oh, thank you so much!

 

My older 2 went SM 1A-6B, then to Dolciani pre-A and Algebra (where we are now).

 

My 3rd child EATS UP new math ideas, and I am looking into AOPS for him; he's almost done with 5A now, so I need to figure this out.

 

Thank you! I was confused about AOPS.

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My kids used the SM standard edition as we are in California. I bought two sets of SM2A to SM6B in one book order to save on shipping. So since I already own it, DS11 finished until 6B and went on to AoPS prealgebra. He did SM5 and SM6 over summer and is my speedster. DS10 was bored with SM and asked to skip SM6. He took a longer time with AoPS prealgebra.

 

If you already own SM6 and he is not bored, you might want to just use them. I find my oldest remember the mean, mode, median well enough for SAT and ACT a few years later.

 

ETA:

If you look at page 13 and 14, you would know what I mean

https://www.singaporemath.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/SSUSandSTD2009.pdf

Edited by Arcadia
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SM 6 is no where near the level of AoPS pre-algebra.

 

One of my children started after Singapore 5B. It was fine. With another one, I was not in a hurry to start AoPS, so I had them do Singapore 6. I consider it a super gentle intro to pre-algebra, but not enough work with variables to really call it pre-algebra. That said, I like the way Singapore approaches problems and solving more word problems with bar graphs was valuable. It takes just a couple of months to get through 6A and 6B. It might even be less with the US edition; we used Standards, which I think has a little bit more to it.

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Dd did Singapore 6A and 6B before AoPS Pre-A and it was a good fit.  I had to look at this thread twice because I swear I asked the same exact question two years ago.  Dd is strong in math but at that point was very easily frustrated so I decided a gentle year of 6A/B was going to be better in the long run.  I am very VERY glad we did that because AoPS Pre-A was difficult for dd but that extra year to solidify and mature made all the difference.  The transition into AoPS was difficult but I think would have been impossible had we skipped SM 6.  And it would have been a shame because now math is dd's favorite subject.  We are in Intro to Algebra now and dd loves it.  Had I pushed Pre-A, I think we would have given it up and not gotten to this moment.  So, my advice is that it really depends on the kid but skipping either SM 6 or AoPS Pre-A will make an already difficult transition worse.  If you think yours might be on the edge, it wouldn't hurt to do both.  Better yet, sail through SM 6 in half a year and go ahead and start Pre-A afterwards.  Looking back, we could have finished SM 6 in just a few months then could have relaxed through Pre-A at a slower pace.

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