Singapore Math questions

[Robin in DFW]

DS10 will be starting 4A tomorrow after a rather tumultuous half year with Saxon 6/5. He has really had a hard time. I think he needs mastery. I know 4A may be a bit below his level, but I decided he needed to back-track a little in order to grasp some of the "different" presentations. Some will be review, some will not. I have scrutinized these books to make sure he's moving into an acceptable level. He is excited and has requested a change for some time now.

 

Is there anything special I need to know to make the transition smooth?

 

Do I need the Home Instructor's Guide?

 

And, exactly what is the difference between the Teacher's Guide and the Home Instructor's Guide? My homeschool store currently only carries the Teacher Guide. If I get the TG or HIG, do I need the answer key as well or do the teacher books include the answers?

 

Thanks,

Robin

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I found the Home Instructors' Guide helpful in Level 4, especially when we were multiplying/dividing by fractions. It gave several different ways to explain the concept (beyond just plugging numbers into an algorithym). Oh, and I found the two-color counters helpful for this section. (flat disks, about the size of quarters, that are orange on one side and yellow on the other).

 

The rest of 4 is pretty straight forward, I think, but we started with Singapore from the beginning. The bar diagrams (for solving algebraic type problems) will be new to you. I don't know what else might be different from Saxon.

 

I've never seen the Teacher Guide, but I imagine it will give lesson plans for classroom use. The HIG is geared toward homeschooling -- more of a tutor/pupil approach. It has all the answers to all the problems in the textbooks and the workbooks. You don't need the answer key if you have the HIG.

 

You'll probably get better response from someone who came into Singapore from Saxon. It's been a couple years since I've done Level 4 (dd is in 6A now), so I'm sure I've forgotten something. Actually, my 4th grader is just starting 4A also. He's moving right through the beginning of the book. No problems so far.

[AudreyTN]

I'm currently in level 1 (getting ready to start 2A) but I highly recommend the HIG over the teacher guide. I had both for 1A/B. The teacher guide does have more activities, but to me it was kind of confusing. The HIG says: Do these activities and then do these workbook pages. I need that. It also gives a little background to what you need to know. The Teacher Guide assumes that you *know* this background info.

 

The HIG does have the answers.

 

That's about all I can tell you, like I said I'm still in level 1. Hope I've helped some, though. ;)

[Robin in DFW]

I'd like to hear from anyone else who might have any suggestions on making a smooth transition into Singapore Math.

 

Thanks,

Robin

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Once again you're hearing from someone who hasn't transitioned: we've used Singapore all along. FWIW, though, these are my tips for a smoothe transition.

 

Go to the Singapore site and log on to the message board. Jenny H. is the author of the HIG and moderator of the boards. Read back through the old posts and see what advice "switchers" have recieved before. I've read that it is useful to begin at least a half step below what you would be going into in another program.

 

Singapore is all about MENTAL MATH!!! Get those math facts memorized -- that means addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Yes, indeed, much easier said than done. Jenny's games from the HIG really help.

 

Find someone in your area who has Singapore in the level you're looking at and the previous one or two. Really I think it would be a good idea to look at all the preceding levels to get an idea of how this math is taught from the ground up. Looking at that will give you a better idea for placement. You'll see things there that you haven't done and see how different the approach is. You may see things that you want to introduce over the course of a week or so just so that means of understanding is clearer when you do begin your work.

 

Get the stuff! One of the real beauties of Singapore Math is the hands on/activity based learning (at least at our level!) and it is that that make it a great program for us. Don't just look at the games/activities and think how neat they'd be if only you had the time. Get the stuff and do it! In a transition, frankly, I might take some time to just get the HIG from the previous level and go through the activities/games to get a handle on it. You know what? I really did just think of that but now that I've said it, I truly do believe that's what I would do. If you're planning to begin next school year, spend the summer with the previous HIG and play those games and do those activities. These are items we've needed: two decks of cards, plenty (and I mean plenty!) of . . . oh, shoot . . . what are they called? Note cards? no that isn't it. You know, small cards that, back in the day, we wrote reference notes on for our term papers. Ugh, if you don't know what I mean, let me know. Anyway . . . dice, tape, paper and access to a copier are helpful, markers, number blocks or leggos, et c., number discs that we made ourselves, poker tokens which we would have used instead of making number disks if I'd thought of it back then, a dry erase board and some wet erase markers (many of the games require you to make a game board by randomly placing numbers in a 5 X 5 -- or other size -- grid. We like to do it on the white board with the vis-a-vis markers so we can play it several times before moving on. I really don't want waste paper so I make it on the white slate and use vis-a-vis. We can play several times w/o having to remake the board and then can just erase it for the next game/use.)

 

In our experience, Singapore is a teacher intensive program and not something to hand a child and let him go at it.

 

HIG vs TM . . . I bought the TM but didn't find it particularly useful and ditched it. I really don't remember any details about it. I love the HIG.

 

A word (or two) about all the books. We use the HIG, textbook, workbook, extra practice book, the challenging wordproblems book, the intensive practice book (a few select problems), and the test book. THAT'S A LOT!!! We take a long time to go through math but I have a painful and sordid history with math in my own life and I am cursed by it. I want something else for my daughter. I realize I've become somewhat compulsive about it, though. Previously we've done every single problem in every single book. The IP problems really take a great deal of time so recently we stopped this book except for a few problems. If you don't have the same mental/emotional issues :rolleyes:, I believe the HIG, text, workbook, extra practice and word problems book are what's needed. You may not need the ep book but I like it -- that may be my emotional scars speaking. As for the word problem book, emotional scars aside, I don't really think there are enough in the wkbk or ep book. I think it's necessary. Shoot . . . buy them all and return what you don't think you need.

 

and speaking of $ . . . compared to other math programs Singapore looks pretty cheap. Hey, less than $10/per book! HOwever, considering the number of books purchased and that they are semester, not full-year books, and the materials you buy (admittedly pretty cheap), it all adds up and I don't think it's any cheaper and may be more expensive. I haven't done a cost analysis but I recommend you sit down with a calculator (unless you had Singapore math as a kid) and really figure it out. I don't believe you're choosing a less expensive program . . . unless you only go with the text and wkbk and you already have the materials.

 

I love Singapore Math and highly recommend it!

[StephanieZ]

I'd think you could start with just the text & workbooks unless you really feel you need more handholding after peruising the text & workbooks. If you understand it and can teach it with those tools, I can't see that more is necessary.

 

I've never needed teacher's guides or home instructors guides. (eldest dd did all levels; second ds is starting 6A. . ) I haven't seen them, as a matter of fact.

 

Our basics is just text & work books, with some intesnsive practice or challenging word problems thrown in sometimes to get added practice before moving on (my dc tend to zoom. . .)

 

I don't find SM to be teacher intensive. A typical worksession might involve 2-4 min teaching time and 30 min kid working time with one or two "hey mom" questions sprinkled in and a couple min at end for me to check work. Of course, on occasion, there'll be a trickier spot that may require 15-30 min of teaching time but those are far and few between and offset by the OFTEN times when no teaching time is needed at all.

 

I agree that hands-on stuff can be helpful but I find that more at the very early levels -- k-1 in particular and then maybe occasionally later on when we're doing geometry, measuring, weighing, money. . . Not much was needed for us for the routine stuff past 1st/2nd grade level.

 

I wouldn't make it harder on yourself than needed. It sounds to me that you've put a lot of thought into choosing an easy-enough level that you may not need much help. If one of those guides could help you know how to work out problems (the rod diagrams, etc) that may have been taught in earlier levels, than that could be helpful for your first semester, but I'd guess you might not need them for subsequent levels once you've all got the hang of it.

[Alana in Canada]

I always say this: Get the Home Instructor's Guide. They are for you to help your son grasp the concepts which drive the program. They would also be instrumental for those areas that will be "new" to him.

 

They set out "how to teach" very plainly and well. They schedule your year coodinating with the Mental Math sheets and the CD (should you choose to get that) and they have excellent activities for a small class--many activities are structured for the two of you.

 

It's a wonderful program. Without the HIG--it's just a bunch of worksheets.