Anybody go from Singapore 5A / 5B straight to Jacobs??

[TheAttachedMama]

Boy!  I am just full of math questions today!

SO---my original plan was to finish up Singapore 5A/5B this year and then move the kids over to AOPS Pre-Algebra.   However--I have been having doubts about my long term plans.   My kids understand math, but I wouldn't exactly call them GIFTED math kids, you know?  I don't mean that in a negative way...I'm just sayin' that not everyone can be gifted and talented.   They test well in math, but I credit that more to the instruction in Singapore and not to any special math abilities.    In fact, sometimes we even have to supplement Singpaore with extra practice or else they forget the concepts.   This really has me concerned that AOPS may not be the right choice for them.   Perhaps my kids are good in math, but not-AOPS-good.   

I've been researching alternatives, and I am now looking at Jacobs algebra.   I've pulled up all of the samples I could find online, and I am now wondering if a child might be able to go straight from Singapore5A/5B to Jacobs?   From what I could tell based on samples, it LOOKS like that might be possible.    What does the hive think?   

[forty-two]

I wouldn't skip SM 6a/b unless there's a compelling reason, especially if you are planning to skip pre-algebra, too.  As another poster has said, wrt whether to skip 6, SM6 is part of the primary math program, and if it's been working for you thus far, why not finish it? 

My oldest is in 6th grade and will finish 5b.  She's like your kids, in that she's good at math, but not necessarily gifted.  I've been angsting over 7th grade pre-algebra - both if we should do Aops, or the Dolciani I have, and what to do about 6a/b.  I really think she would benefit from consolidating and extending her arithmetic through SM6, but I want to aim for 8th grade algebra unless it proves to be a bad idea for her in practice.  My plan is to do both SM6 and pre-algebra concurrently, to get the benefits of both SM6 and 8th grade algebra.  We do two math sessions already (tb/wb and ip), so doing two math programs won't be a huge change.

[Lucy the Valiant]

The beauty of 6A/6B in this house was twofold: (a) advanced practice / shoring up / comprehensive review, and (b) the realization on the part of my kids (3 so far) that they can do math by themselves! That has been very beneficial for all 3 as they've transitioned (much more independently than I would have guessed) to Dolciani Pre-A & beyond. 

 

YMMV, of course.

[Lucy the Valiant]

Also, 6A / 6B is not a full year's worth of math; it's much shorter than the 3-4-5 levels.

[SoCal_Bear]

You could give Jousting Armadillos a try as another alternative. It's discovery like AOPS, but a lot less intense. There are plenty of discussion threads about this. It's much less wordy than AOPS pre-A which my son is interested in doing after he wraps up JA. He is enjoying the discovery process. We will see if he still does once we dive into AOPS PA. I'm not married to it though, so switching over to Jacobs will be another option. The first 1/3 is pre-A anyways.
 

[Lori D.]

Yes, some WTMers have posted here that they skipped straight from Singapore 5A/B to Jacobs Algebra (or other algebra), so it is do-able.

However, I personally agree with the previous posters. We used Singapore all the way through 6A/B (plus a few other things) before starting Jacobs Algebra, and no regrets here. It absolutely was worthwhile (for us), as 6A/B gave us more practice with multi-step problem-solving, and more time in solidifying those foundational skills needed for succeeding in Algebra. 

No matter how you slice it, even with Jacobs' strong connection in every lesson with concrete, real-life applications of the algebra topic of that lesson, algebra is still an abstract math, and algebra is going to be *much* easier for a student who is first given the time for the abstract thinking portions of the brain to start maturing (typically doesn't happen until somewhere along around age 12-14).

If I had a young student, esp. one who is competent in math but not math-gifted, then instead of starting Algebra in grade 6 or 7, I'd take the opportunity to go broad and explore with some things like: Jousting Armadillos, Zacarro Challenge, TOPS Graphing or TOPS Probability, Dragon Box, Patty Paper Geometry, etc.

Or even try something like: Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra Physics; Beast Academy 5 -or- Art of Problem Solving Pre-Algebra; Keys to Algebra.

BEST of luck in deciding what is the best fit for your student and your family. Warmest regards, Lori D.

[SanDiegoMom]

From what I understand (and I am not getting off the couch to look at my copy!) Jacobs has a very long section at the beginning that is review of Pre-Algebra.  I wouldn't hesitate going straight in from Singapore if they were good at math (not necessarily gifted, but strong).   

My daughter is not super strong in math.  She is good, and does well in concepts once she's practiced them, but would never do well with the discovery method and math is not her passion.  We are using Aops Pre-A, but not quite as intended, and it is still totally worth while.  She really does enjoy it.  We don't do any of the challenge problems, she always watches the videos first to understand the concepts, and we rely heavily on alcumus to balance out skipping all the challenge problems.  And I sit next to her to socratically help. 

My caveat of course is that we are just finishing up chapter 3 so who knows what might happen. And we are planning to take a full calendar year to get through it. 

I was planning on doing Jacobs after Aops but I probably will skim most of the concepts that are already covered. For instance, I compared the exponents chapter and Aops goes into much greater depth and covers more types of exponents than Jacobs.  

 

[TheAttachedMama]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all of the good ideas.   I hear programs like Jousting Armadillos mentioned quite a bit, but I have never actually looked at it.   (I sometimes avoid looking at new math programs on purpose, because I tend to overspend and over schedule my kids...you know?)     

My kids LOOOOOOOOOOOVE beast academy too.   They beg me to do this program.   However, it never provided enough practice for them to remember the concepts.   So MAYBE I could do a year of Singapore 6A/6B + fun math (beast academy level 5) or the like.    (I also own Math Mammoth pre-algebra too which looks pretty good and isn't a bulky textbook.  It sticks with the workbook format they are used to.   And I even have an easy copy of Kumon pre-algebra which might just give them easy review so they don't forget the basics.  So I have stuff sitting on my shelf to use if needed.)   

Thanks also SanDiegoMom in VA for comparing Jacobs Algebra to AOPS pre-algebra....   I can only see the samples, but I was thinking the same thing as you stated about the exponents chapter.   From what I can tell, the AOPS pre-algebra goes much deeper into concepts than the algebra book.  

[Janeway]

I agree with the others on not skipping 6a/b. If you like, combining it with another program like Beast could be great. Or go on to a prealgebra. But just going straight to Jacob's is not such a good idea. 

[TheAttachedMama]

Just to clarify, let's say I use Singapore 6a/6b supplemented with something else (BA 5A-5D for example?) next year. 

THEN, the following year would they be placed in pre-algebra or algebra?  (Or does it depend on which book I choose for pre-algebra and algebra?)  

Thanks!!   

[Lori D.]

9 minutes ago, TheAttachedMama said:

Just to clarify, let's say I use Singapore 6a/6b supplemented with something else (BA 5A-5D for example?) next year. 

THEN, the following year would they be placed in pre-algebra or algebra?  (Or does it depend on which book I choose for pre-algebra and algebra?)  

Thanks!!   

 

If you do Singapore 6A/B + BA5, afterwards you could either go straight to Jacobs Algebra, OR, to AoPS Pre-Algebra.