Singapore Standards Question

[RoseS8]

Has anyone used Singapore Standards just using the textbook and student workbook (not using the HIG)?   

[Targhee]

I know it wasn't your question, but teaching Singapore math is different than most western math approaches.  It isn't always evident in the text, and less so in the workbook.  The HIG gives you the methodology that sets Singapore apart and makes it the successful program that it is.  Otherwise, you're just buying workbooks with no advantage. If you are familiar with the methods you may not need the HIGs. The standards Ed HIGs are the best available IMO - clear instructions, all answers/some complete solutions, and good formatting.  If price is an issue you might find them used.  If you were even just to use them with grades 1-3 as a solid foundation (though I recommend all levels).  This is my 4th child using Singapore and I actually just ordered HIG 1B because I misplaced it somehow and even though I know the approach methods I want to use the specific teaching activities and games to cement foundational concepts. Whatever you decide to do, best wishes!

[SoCal_Bear]

+1 on what Targhee said. You miss a lot. This isn't going to answer your question directly, but this is how I used Singapore. https://lifeatwarpspeed.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/singapore-math/ 

[RoseS8]

Thanks!  I will definitely get the HIG.  What manipulatives do we need to teach with the HIG?  I have liking cubes, a base 10 set, and an abacus here.

Edited May 20, 2018 by RoseS8

[Sarah0000]

I didn't use the HIG. Instead I read a lot of threads on here and math strategies books, then I used RS Activities for the Al Abacus and Education Unboxed for conceptual teaching. Greg Tang has books and website resources for learning in a Singapore way. So I ended up using just the textbooks and Process Skills and CWP (plus other resources).

[SevenDaisies]

On 5/20/2018 at 9:37 AM, RoseS8 said:

Thanks!  I will definitely get the HIG.  What manipulatives do we need to teach with the HIG?  I have liking cubes, a base 10 set, and an abacus here.

 

We used linking cubes and base ten blocks more than anything else. The other thing we used, although less frequently, was place value discs.

[Targhee]

On 5/20/2018 at 7:37 AM, RoseS8 said:

Thanks!  I will definitely get the HIG.  What manipulatives do we need to teach with the HIG?  I have liking cubes, a base 10 set, and an abacus here.

Those are all great!  There are some manipulatives you create from the HIG - card sets, a 100s chart, etc. - by photocopying onto card stock and cutting out. Other items are found around the house (like an egg carton cut down to 10 compartments, items for counting like toy cards or buttons, regular deck of face cards, ruler, etc).  My most used items that were not readily found around the house or copied from the HIG:

• dry erase board 
• counters (I like the little colored, round, plastic chips because we also wrote on these to make 100, 1000, 10,000 tokens for exchanging while practicing subtraction with regrouping) 
• base ten blocks (and we also used c-rods too, with EducationUnboxed videos, but the books don't call for them)
• number bond/part-whole diagram printed big and slipped into a sheet protector (the HIG does have you use these diagrams, but I don't remember a template being in the HIG to copy, but you can make one or download this for free)
• linking cubes
• number cubes (these are blank dice on which you can write numbers and symbols, works best with a WET-erase pen, aka overhead pen) we also used polyhedral dice (gaming dice) mostly a d10 and d% but I don't remember them being called for
• abacus (this is not called for in the books but I had already taught RS math and learned to use their abacus and found it very helpful)

The other thing this HIGs called for that we did not really use were math fact flash cards for addition and multiplication.  Flash cards were counterproductive for my kids, though we did have some limited success with the triangle style addition flashcards that mimic the number-bond relationship.  Maybe #4 will be different and do well with flash cards.  The card games from RS Math helped, as did a few cards games like Frog Juice, Mathematical Battle, and Earthquake, for memorizing facts.  The HIG includes Mental Math exercises in the back to copy - these are quick strips of roughly 20 problems of mental math practice - and tells you when to do which Mental Math exercise.  

Best wishes!