Manipulatives based math programs...comparison help

[Rainbows]

(this is for kindy this year, and 1st grade next year)

 

Im ordering the Singapore Earlybird books but also want to get another program so I can see what works best for DS. I like the idea of the Singapore books but DS tends to need repetition to get a good grasp on ideas (overall, not specifically math).

 

So.....here are some of the other programs...Ive done countless searches for reviews and I can't think straight anymore lol. I'd love a comparison of them.....

 

--Right Start

--McRuffy

--Math U See

--Minquon (starting in 1st grade)

--Saxon

 

 

(also looking at MCP, math mammoth, math on the level if he ends up not liking the manipulatives)

 

I think I'd really like something that uses manipulatives so he can actually "see" the math but I don't want it so heavy on their useage that it becomes tedious. I'd like something that is well laid out--we can just open and go. Id also like it to last 30 minutes or less per lesson (he is only 5 yrs old).

 

Another question....could I use the abacus from Right Start with one of the other programs? I really like the idea of the abacus..just wondering how easy/difficult it would be to incorporate into a different program.

 

Thanks in advance! :001_smile:

[Closeacademy]

--Right Start I used levels A, B and 1/3 of C. I really like the abacus and you can use it with Singapore or other programs easily. The cards are nice as well and so is the math balance. We do not use the games but I do use the balance and abacus on a regular basis with Singapore. The cards are nice for games and I like to use some of them to teach concepts as well. I like the fraction magnets as well.

 

--Minquon (starting in 1st grade) We worked through most of the first 3 books and it was OK but not a hit. I did keep the blocks and find that they are very useful for teaching various concepts like the number stairs, addition and fractions.

 

--Saxon We used the K level and got to around lesson 102 and dropped it for Singapore. I kept all the manipulatives and use them on a regular basis with Singpore or just for fun. The tanagrams and pattern blocks are nice to have just for the kids to play with and make shapes and patterns on their own.

 

We really like to use the math stories from this site: http://ebeth.typepad.com/serendipity/gnomes_and_gnumbers_a_mathematical_tale/ You will need to page down for the first lesson. I use the story to introduce new concepts, do the activities for a few days with the manipulatives until my child has the concept down and then we work in the Singapore book.

 

I've done this with 3 different children now (oldest to reinforce, second and third to teach) and they really seem engaged by the stories, think that working with the manipulatives is fun and by the time we get to the workbook they are ready to do the work.

 

Good luck!:001_smile:

[Crimson Wife]

It really depends on what you're looking for in a math program. Saxon is very traditional, while Miquon is very untraditional. Both programs seem to be very much "love-it-or-hate-it" ones. RS and MUS are kind of in the middle- they both stress conceptual understanding while also still teaching basic algorithms.

 

In terms of being easy-to-teach, Saxon and RS have scripted lessons and MUS uses DVD's. Miquon has the reputation of being pretty tricky to teach if you don't have a strong math background yourself.

 

Saxon and RS take a "spiral" approach while MUS takes a "mastery" one.

 

I don't know anything about McRuffy Math- I always thought McRuffy was a set of old-fashioned readers? :confused:

[Oakblossoms]

We have used Math U See and Singapore together. They worked really well together.

[Veritaserum]

We've only used MUS and I really like it. My 4-yo is doing the Primer right now and always begs to do "more math" because she's "a math girl". :) My middle is finishing up the Primer and my oldest is in Beta. The DVDs have each lesson as its own chapter and each lesson only lasts a few minutes. There are six pages per lesson for practice and review is built-in. Starting with Alpha there is also a test book.

 

The word problems in MUS aren't challenging so you may want to add something for that eventually.

[Spy Car]

We have been doing Earlybird Singapore with my son along with parts of Miquon Orange.

 

The biggest manipulative hit has been the Cusinaire Rods. They have really helped him. First by making "trains" (stacking different combinations that can "equal" a given quantity) and lately in forming equations which we write out as "math sentences" and he has to solve the unknown variable using the rods.

 

I wasn't sure if these would gather dust, but they have proved their worth in our home and he loves "math time".

 

Bill

[Rainbows]

thanks

your responses really help! :)

[EKS]

Of the programs on your list, I've used RightStart, MUS, and Saxon.

 

You can use the abacus from RightStart without using the rest of the curriculum. I used RS B with my son last year and I'll still use the abacus when I think it will work well to illustrate a concept. RightStart is open and go but the lessons can get long, so if you want 30 minutes or less, you will likely have to do some of them over two days (or more). I think RightStart is a solid program, but there is a lot of emphasis on the abacus, if you're worried about it being tedius. I honestly can't remember if RS was good with review. RS probably most closely resembles Singapore in terms of how concepts are developed.

 

MUS is a great program if you're ok with doing one major concept all year. The manipulatives are great and illustrate the concepts well. Again, the whole thing can get tedious because there is a lot of emphasis on the manipulatives. MUS has a good amount of review if you use the review worksheets.

 

Saxon is the king of review! If you want review then Saxon is the program for you! In the lower grades it uses a variety of manipulatives. It is gentle, but if you do *everything* for each lesson it takes forever.

 

I don't know if this will help, but there it is.

[jg_puppy]

My kindergarten ds is using McRuffy math this year. He loves it. His older sister also enjoys playing the math games with him. The games look really easy, but some of them really start to build good logic skills. I will probably add either Miquon or Singapore at some point, but for now McRuffy is working well.

 

Jan

[Rainbows]

So if I'm using Singapore, which one would compliment it the best: Right Start, Math U See or Saxon?

[EKS]

I think Saxon is an excellent complement to Singapore. Saxon has the drill and review and Singapore has the concepts and the really challenging problems where you actually have to *think*.

[Ummto4]

If you like Right Start approach but don't want an approach which relies heavily on manipulative, why don't you just buy the abacus + their book Activities for Alabacus; and their math games books + cards to spice up the lesson ?

 

Then you can have e.g. math mammoth as your spine and support it with abacus and math games ? Math mammoth is very easy on teacher. IT's like s-pore in development of concept but not as colorful and might be boring for K students.

 

RS is also mastery in development of concept and it provides built-in review both in terms of oral review, drill via games and starting on RS B you'll have to design your practice sheet to practice certain concepts, e.g. +1, +2, commutative, etc.

 

By RS C though, you get review like RS B (oral, drill via games, and your home-made practice sheet) plus every 5 lessons or so, you'll get a review sheet which review all the concepts taught. I think it's neat that RS does that without sacrificing mastery. However, RS is heavy on manipulative.

 

Fo ryou, I have suggestion though. Do Math Mammoth and support with activities of abacus or by using other manipulatives (math tiles are priceless and can be used for patterning, counting, etc). ON top of that, make your own review everyday, either orally, via RS games, online games (MM recommends some websites on math games) or written review of what you've covered. That way, you'll have a spiral review in different format + mastery approach from Math Mammoth backed up with manipulative.

 

I have RS B and MAth Mammoth grade I. This is how we do it:

- 5 minutes written review - homemade (10 numbers: 5 numbers on practicing certain strategies, 5 numbers on practicing previous concepts)

- 5 minutes oral review: days of the week, counting up and down, skip counting, mental math.

- Main topic discussion: use MM as spine backed by abacus activities or other activities from RS B. If my son needs to do the MM workbooks, I usually write the answer for him to save time.

- Otpional: Games to reinforce certain strategy/concept: choose either math online games or RS games.

[Lori D.]

Bear in mind that 5yo is young for many children for formal curriculum, so you may want to consider holding off on a math program and just go with informally covering patterns, counting, math games, etc. and keep math (and school) more discovery and delight oriented. Just a general observation; use or discard as best fits your family. : )

 

I'd also suggest looking at Cathy Duffy's book "100 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing The Right Curriculum And Approach For Your Child's Learning Style" for some good reviews and tips for matching up various curriculum with your child.

 

 

Disclaimers aside (lol), of the programs you listed, we've use Miquon, Singapore, Math-U-See, and Saxon, plus a number of booklets with go-along manipulatives. Here are my quick reviews.

 

 

Miquon

- can be used K-4th grade

- flexible: can be used as spiral or mastery program

- discovery style of learning

- short and simple (use as much or as little in a day as you want)

- an open and go program

- manipulatives: cuisenaire rods

- non-traditional style can take time to adjust to; traditional students/teachers may not connect with this program

 

 

Singapore Primary

- K-6th grade (program changes for middle/high school levels and becomes NEM -- New Elementary Math)

- mastery program

- excellent at teaching mathematical thinking and problem solving

- not overwhelming -- B&W; not too many problems on a page; not busy looking

- workbooks throughout

- can move too fast for some children

 

 

Math-U-See

- K-12th grade

- mastery program, with some built in review

- short teaching video for every lesson

- manipulatives: rods

- very gentle, incremental program; excellent at explaining the "why" of math concepts

- not overwhelming -- B&W; not too many problems on a page; not busy looking

- workbooks throughout

- can adjust the pace to fit your student

- difficult to move forward if your student gets "stuck" on a concept

 

 

Saxon

- K-12th grade

- spiral program, with much review

- manipulatives: many items for the 3rd grade program

- teacher intensive and long lessons in the early years

- thorough; covers all math topics

- familiarity for testing; most national tests are worded and laid out in a similar style to Saxon

- incremental steps are helpful for some students, while others students are frustrated that the incremental steps are spread too far apart (ex: step 1 of a process shown in one lesson; step 2 not shown until two to ten lessons later)

- can be overwhelming -- B&W; lots on a page; many topics covered on one page

- workbooks up through 3rd grade; textbook with student writing out the problems starting in 4th grade

- becomes increasingly abstract in presentation/instruction after 3rd grade

- relies more on formula memorization rather than mathematical thinking in the higher grade levels

 

 

 

Overall, if you're looking for manipulatives to supplement Singapore, you might want to go with short booklets that use manipulatives and when you hit a "snag" in your spine math program, pull out your box of manipulatives and spend a week going through "Discovering Fractions with Pattern Blocks", or some other booklet using geoboards, dominoes, tangrams, fraction bars, attribute blocks, a clock, money, etc. Rainbow Resource catalog has a lot of great math booklets and manipulatives: http://www.rainbowresource.com

 

BEST of luck in finding what works well for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[fractalgal]

I think Saxon is an excellent complement to Singapore. Saxon has the drill and review and Singapore has the concepts and the really challenging problems where you actually have to *think*.

 

:iagree:

 

Saxon is simple and thorough. The weaknesses of Singapore and Saxon are complemented nicely with the strengths of Saxon and Singapore respectively.

Edited November 8, 2008 by fractalgal