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Help me decide where to go after Singapore 5...


Esse Quam Videri
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He's definitely a math brain but not ready for AOPS Pre-A, because he doesn't work independently yet and I don't have the time to hold his hand through it all. We've loved SM for him in part because he can keep moving forward conceptually without much work ethic  :lol: Should I just move into SM 6? Or does anyone have any fun suggestions? He's a little bored with math as it is, and I would love to liven things up. I do love teaching math and I'm wanting to explore some alongside him, but with an older sister in AOPS Intro to Algebra and a younger in RightStart D, I need something that is somewhat self-guided. What I really need is a program that will challenge him, hold his interest, and lead him in working more independently. And MM is out, because it's way too much writing/repetition for him. Help???

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We did do Singapore up through 6A/B. While I know some people like to skip that level, I thought it was time well-spent getting solid in multi-step problem-solving and in having to set up more complex types of problems that were good prep for Algebra. Perhaps continue through Singapore 6A/B since DS can do a lot of it independently, and add is some fun supplements (see below) to enjoy together when you can join DS??

 

Or, if Singapore has been a good fit for your student and you are stopping after Singapore 5A/B, you might consider Beast Academy 5 or Math Mammoth -- both of which are closer to Singapore. The Beast Academy 5 would also set you up to transition into AoPS Pre-Algebra.

 

If you need something mostly self-directed, you might look at Teaching Textbooks. It is much closer to Saxon and to traditional math instruction and approach.

 

If you  want a different "spin" you might look at Life of Fred (though, it would NOT be largely-independent):

- Life of Fred gr. 4-6 topics -- KidneysLiverMineshaft

- Life of Fred Pre-Algebra -- #0 = "with Physics"#1 = "with Biology"#2 = "with Economics"

 

For things that are more "fun", you might check out these -- NOTE: none are full-year, complete math programs:

Jousting Armadillos

Hands On Geometry (Freeman)

Patty Paper Geometry (Serra)

TOPS units: Metric MeasuringGraphingProbability

 

And for some fun supplements:

Dragonbox

Geogbra

Challenge Math (Zoccaro)

Real World Math (Clemson)

Number Devil (Enzensberger)

Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat (Pappas)

Fractals, Googles and Other Mathematical Tales (Pappas)

Fascinating Fibonnaccis (Seymour)

Exploring the World of Mathematics (Tiner)

Secrets of Mental Math (Benjamin)

 

More ideas in these past threads:

Finishing Singapore 5B - move to MUS?

SM Standards users -- where to go after 5b?

After Singapore 5...

Which math after Singapore 5?

 

Another "after Singapore 6" post

What program after Singapore/MM 6?

After Singapore?

Which Pre-Algebra is like Singapore?

Singapore Math 6B then Jacob Algebra?

Edited by Lori D.
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A bridge to AOPS Pre-A might be BEast Academy 5. It would of course cover some of the same material as SM 5 (like rates, decimals, percentages, etc), but it will cover them in a different way, and include more. The book is designed to be worked independently, and prepares you well for AOPS. My DS did BA from 3A to 5B then had to stop because no more books were published. He switched over to SM 5 to cover the topics he hadn't covered in BA and his experience with BA made it so he was nearly independent in SM. And he breezed through the topics we covered.

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We are not quite where you are but getting close. I like the ideas of BA5 or SM6A and dolciani pre-a (which I have bought to check out, along with a few other pre-a books.)

 

We are really liking cryptoclub right now. There is a fair amount of math in every lesson (division and modular arithmetic) but it doesn't feel like a math book and has some neat true stories about cryptography.

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I was going to suggest Beast Academy 5 as well.  My sixth grader has done various things this year. She's done the first few chapters of Dolciani pre-algebra, and a couple of times during this I've pulled out Beast Academy 5 which seems to have more explanation and more depth on some of the topics.  So I'm thinking of having my current 5th grader do most of it next year as a kind of prealgebra ...  still kind of trying to figure out what prealgebra is all about. 

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I have no fun suggestions... I'm an unfun get-er-done mom. BUT, I'll give my support to SM 6A/B. I didn't know that some people skip it when I ordered it, and was mad when I first realized how redundant it is. But in the end, I think it was a good choice. Ds moved through it at double pace and finished both books by Christmas. (I did let him skip a lot of the review). He did it completely independently. I think he benefited from the repetition and there were a few new concepts thrown in. After that we went to Dimensions 7A, which is quite time consuming, and I'm glad he had that extra semester to get started on it. 

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We went from Singapore 5B to 6A (Standards Edition) and so far each unit has been a  good, challenging review. Like Milknhoney said, a few new concepts were added in, too. 

 

My daughter has an ST Math subscription through our charter school and that is an interesting program that you may want to look into for something challenging, self directed, and fun. She has to use math to solve puzzles and finish games. ST Math has a middle school program, too. Here's the website.

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How old is he?

 

I'll throw my hat into the ring for Beast 5 (or lower if he's young and/or not had any Beast).

 

If he's older, and really should be able to start working independently, and there isn't a good reason why he's not, then I'd spend the summer specifically working on independence.

 

Put him on Kahn Academy,for example. Let him work through that on his own.

 

Or set him up on Prodigy, but not just to play, go in and set assignments, and give him a time frame to get them done.

 

My own DS is finishing 5B this year as well, and I plan on having him complete Beast 5 over the spring and summer, which he'll do pretty independently. And then right into AoPS Pre-Al. But I anticipate some hand-holding, at least in the beginning.

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