learningathome4 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Have any of you used mus and singapore math together? I think both programs are great. MUS has the manipulatives and SM has the wonderful unique way of doing math. I think for the early grades manipulatives are essential. Has anyone tried this with first and second graders? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Doesn't Singapore introduce all the operations faster than MUS? That might cause some sticky situations if you rely on one program and supplement with the other. That said, we have a full set of the MUS blocks/fraction tiles/decimal blocks. We use them along with MEP & LoFred, but not exactly in the MUS way. MEP introduces fractions, division, and multiplication in year 2, MUS would wait until levels Gamma/Delta/Epsilon to introduce them all. It works better for us to use MEP as a spine and various manipulatives as an aid - MUS/C-rods, number tiles, Montessori number cards (like from Shiller math, but I made my own), tangrams, counters, and fraction overlays. Seriously, the entire list probably equals the cost of MUS blocks, so if you're on a budget you can get more bang for your buck by buying something that doesn't go with a specialized program. If you wanted something MUS-like, but not as expensive and introducing math similar to Singapore, you could try Gattegno. It's more scripted and there are videos on youtube of Mr. Gattegno introducing the c-rods to a classroom of 1st graders to see how it's done. https://issuu.com/eswi/docs/gattegno-math-textbook-1 https://issuu.com/eswi/docs/gattegno-math-textbook-2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrMty8v2DqI 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Doesn't Singapore introduce all the operations faster than MUS? That might cause some sticky situations if you rely on one program and supplement with the other. That said, we have a full set of the MUS blocks/fraction tiles/decimal blocks. We use them along with MEP & LoFred, but not exactly in the MUS way. MEP introduces fractions, division, and multiplication in year 2, MUS would wait until levels Gamma/Delta/Epsilon to introduce them all. It works better for us to use MEP as a spine and various manipulatives as an aid - MUS/C-rods, number tiles, Montessori number cards (like from Shiller math, but I made my own), tangrams, counters, and fraction overlays. Seriously, the entire list probably equals the cost of MUS blocks, so if you're on a budget you can get more bang for your buck by buying something that doesn't go with a specialized program. If you wanted something MUS-like, but not as expensive and introducing math similar to Singapore, you could try Gattegno. It's more scripted and there are videos on youtube of Mr. Gattegno introducing the c-rods to a classroom of 1st graders to see how it's done. https://issuu.com/eswi/docs/gattegno-math-textbook-1 https://issuu.com/eswi/docs/gattegno-math-textbook-2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrMty8v2DqI Could you tell me more about how you use MEP with manipulatives? I'm really bad with those, but I love MEP. I use the Singapore too as I feel like that keeps us in check, and it's simple enough at this level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Could you tell me more about how you use MEP with manipulatives? I'm really bad with those, but I love MEP. I use the Singapore too as I feel like that keeps us in check, and it's simple enough at this level. Sure. It's pretty easy, though. When a new topic is introduced, we go through it with the manipulatives first. Like when he was learning to divide with remainders: We made a long snake of rods that equaled the total, and used rods to divide and see what was left over. He'd grab the number of rods he thought first (like if it was 57/7, he might grab 7 or 8 seven rods, because he's still working on remembering), and then line it up with the other. Or he'd take 57 single blocks and portion them into 7 containers (we use a desk organizer I found at a thrift store). From the beginning: Ally The Alligator was a large paper <, with a blue strip of water to place underneath. We have number tiles, so he'd build the problem on the floor with the number tiles and have Ally "eat" one to show the difference. We also used to use the addition balance (like from Right Start Math) for problems with "x' or comparison. Oh, and counters in a homemade ten-frame (egg carton) to make tens toward the middle/end of year 1. Number tiles are used in the logic puzzles to give a bit of leeway before writing. Same with blocks. A lot of times the worksheet will illustrate the problem, bringing in tiles and rods brings it to life. We use fraction circles to illustrate when something is split in thirds/fifths/whatever, it's just dividing the unit blocks among everyone equally. I wish I could be more help, but the truth is I think over the years I've gained nearly every math manipulative known to man, it feels like. :lol: My youngest isn't a fan but my oldest was. I insist on the visualization for the youngest, though, because he's so little and trying to do everything in his head.....he doesn't have the emotional maturity yet to keep calm when he gets the wrong answer. I need him to see math as puzzles and not as something to "win". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Thank you! I'm just not good with the manipulatives myself, and trying to teach with them..oy. Like I have no idea how to implement the snake thing you just mentioned 😢. Fraction circles I have. I also got a little balance scale to help with the >,<,= problems in MEP. And that's the extent of my manipulatives skills, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 I've used MUS' manipulatives with Singapore, primarily when introducing number bonds, part/wholes, etc. Sometimes I take them out to demonstrate a concept, but we have more or less moved away from MUS, even with our LD kiddo. It was her primary math for the first couple of years, but we got halfway through Gamma and it fell off for us. His method of multi-digit multiplication was way too confusing for her. But again, the manipulatives are very versatile. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Conceptually MUS and Singapore are pretty different. I wouldn't use them together. I don't see them as reinforcing programs. If you use the HIG, Singapore has lots of great suggestions for conceptual understanding and use of manipulatives. My brain is drawing a blank on the name of the pop together cubes Singapore uses. We have always used c-rods. Miquon a good source for a manipulative based supplement. You don't even need to actually DO Miquon if you read the 1st grade diary and the Annotations book yourself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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