will the real Singapore Math please stand up?

[myfantasticfour]

Not to evoke an old Eminem song, but I am looking for Singapore math, and am puzzled. It seems to be on a lot of different publishers' materials. I also found a singapore math dot com website. Can anything call itself Singapore Math that claims to teach by that method, and if so, how do I select one? Which do the members of TWTM community use and trust?

 

Thanks for any help in sifting through all this!

[Sneezyone]

There are two versions of Singapore Math for the U.S. homeschool market and they're called Primary Mathematics. There's a U.S. version and a Standards version (CA). There are two versions designed for the public school market. One is Primary Mathematics, Common Core Edition (it does not have home instructor's guides) and the other is an off-shoot called Math in Focus. It is also Common Core-aligned. You will find that people here use all four versions for different reasons.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Sneezyone

[EKS]

When we talk about "Singapore math" on these boards we are usually talking about Primary Mathematics.  I've used the US version and the Standards Edition, and I prefer the Standards Edition for formatting reasons--my son liked the colored pictures in the textbooks (all of them, not just levels 1 and 2) and I felt that having a review after each unit was helpful.  The content is virtually the same, though the Standards Edition has a few extra topics (that are obvious when you come upon them as they aren't nearly as well done as the rest of the material).  Also the Standards Edition has better HIGs.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I've used PM, Standards, and Math In Focus (also used My Pals Are Here from Singapore).  Not all levels of all of these, but various levels of all of these.  They are all similar. 

[beka87]

singaporemath.com is where I order all of my materials from. :)  We love the Standards edition here.  Math in Focus is singapore math style, but, as I understand it, has a much more scripted home instructor's guide for those wanting a little more hand holding.  There was a thread here once upon a time that compared Singapore Math's Primary vs Standards vs Common Core editions.  I highly recommend Standards for the reasons the PP listed.

[SparklyUnicorn]

singaporemath.com is where I order all of my materials from. :)  We love the Standards edition here.  Math in Focus is singapore math style, but, as I understand it, has a much more scripted home instructor's guide for those wanting a little more hand holding.  There was a thread here once upon a time that compared Singapore Math's Primary vs Standards vs Common Core editions.  I highly recommend Standards for the reasons the PP listed.

 

Yep, that IS how I'd describe Math In Focus. 

[desertflower]

My friend and I use the U.S. Edition.  Bought them either through christianbooks https://www.christianbook.com/page/homeschool/math/singapore-math/singapore-primary-math-us/singapore-level-1?event=Homeschool|1002941 or at homeschool sales. 

[RKWAcademy]

I use Standards Edition because it has the Home Instructor Guide.  I buy from Rainbow Resource because I never have trouble buying enough for that free shipping

[TheAttachedMama]

I can't say enough good things about Singapore math.   I love it.

 

This website lists all of the different types of "Primary Mathematics" programs for G1-G6:

http://www.singaporemath.com/Primary_Math_s/21.htm

 

Please note that the Math in Focus books are not listed on the actual Singapore Math website.  That is because they aren't actually published by Singapore Math.   It is Houghton Mifflin's version of Singapore math.     I have never used it, so I can't speak to the product to compare it to you.   

 

IMHO, you really can't go wrong with either of these choices.   They are all good.    So how do you make a decision?   Look at samples of the Home Instructor Guide (HIG) and samples of the textbooks and workbooks.  Make sure you check out examples from several different grade levels.   Also look over this side-by-side comparison of what is covered in each "version" of Singapore.   (Rainbow Resource has samples for all of these books including math in focus.  Christian Books also has samples I think too.)

 

I started off using the U.S. Edition but then switched over the Standards Edition.   After using both, I much prefer the standards edition.    I like the standards edition HIG much better.  (It is much easier to teach from IMHO.)   I also like how reviews are scheduled much more frequently in the standard edition compared to the US edition.    I have never used the common core edition.   I ruled it out because some of the stuff they spend time on is very...well....for lack of a better word...... "Common Core-y"   (Example:  Illustrate division of a whole number within 10,000 by a 1-digit whole number with arrays and/or area models)   HOWEVER, it is still a very solid math program.    They just teach the required common core stuff in addition to everything else so that the programs can be used in schools which require common core textbooks.  

 

My advice is to pick an edition and just boldly stick with it.   :)  The stuff is introduced in a slightly different order in each version.   So it isn't a good idea to switch like I did.  I wish I would have just started off with the standards version.   (And if you do switch, you need to check that chart I linked to above and make sure you cover anything that was missed so you don't' have any gaps.)   

 

 

I do all of my research on singaporemath.com, but I also purchase from Rainbow Resource.    (Just so I can include other homeschool stuff that I might need and get free shipping.)   We use the HIG, the workbook, and the textbook for each level.  

 

Also note that you will need some manipulatives for teaching at each level.  (I order those from Rainbow too at the same time.)   The placement test on singaporemath.com is very accurate IMHO. 

 

[Spy Car]

As EKS said up top, most people on this forum are referring to Primary Mathematics when they say Singapore Math.

 

There are four versions of PM commonly used by home educators. The 3rd Edition (international and Singapore specific in flavor), the US Edition (based on the 3rd, but Americanized), the Standards Edition (that met CAs tougher math standards), and the newest CC Edition.

 

All the favors of PM were based on materials written by the Singapore Ministry of Education. They are what shot Singapore to international attention when Singapore students started winning TIMMS competitions.

 

Then Singapore decided to make changes. PM became the "old syllabus." New standard were written called the "new syllabus." This time the Ministry of Education elected not to write the actual textbooks, leaving that to competing textbook publishers. So several new syllabus series emerged on the Singapore market.

 

One of the new syllabus math books is called My Pals Are Here! The publisher, Marshall Cavendish, made a deal with Houghton Mifflin to create a series aimed at the American market called Math-in-Focus based on My Pals Are Here!

 

None of the textbooks from Singapore or their American derivatives are published by the singaporemath website. They do write and publish Home Instructors Guides that compliment Primary Mathematics.

 

Further, there are a myriad of supplemental books published in Singapore that can be used in conjunction with either old or new syllabus textbooks.

 

Long answer.

 

The short one answer is most people mean Primary Mathematics when they speak of Singapore math.

 

But.....

 

Bill

Edited January 27, 2017 by Spy Car

[myfantasticfour]

wow, thank you all! You really helped me, and now I know exactly where to go and what to look at, too (thanks for the links, AttachedMama)!

 

I now feel confident to go forth, use the placement tests, get manipulatives, and get going!

[Dmmetler]

There is also a second publisher of primary maths in Singapore. Shing Lee publishes New Primary Mathematics. It is so similar to the US edition Primary math that I was able to use the IG and IP books from the US along with the Singapore published text/WBs without a hiccup. (I accidentally bought a lot of "Singapore Math"on EBay that turned out to be "Math from Singapore", and my DD preferred it to the US versions because of all the cultural stuff that was different and new to her. Since then, we have used at least one non-US textbook every single year for some subject simply to get that wider perspective).

[Julie of KY]

I use Primary math - typically the US version. I still have some of the old 3rd edition books which are the same except they are the Singapore version with Singapore culture, names, money.