From Singapore 5 to BJU 6 + Beast Academy?

[kristin0713]

I'm stuck on what to do for my DS11 next year.  He'll finish Singapore Standards 5b this spring and I'm going to start him on Beast Academy online as a supplement.  He is very mathy and has great conceptual understanding.  He often solves word problems in some convoluted way that I can't even wrap my brain around.  However, he does forget procedures that I think should be solid before moving on to pre-algebra/algebra.  I have AOPS in mind for him for 7th grade but I want something for him for next year (6th) to get all his foundational math rock solid.  For example, he will forget that when dividing fractions, you multiply by the reciprocal.  But as soon as I tell him, he says "oh yeah!" and completes everything with little error.  

I recently realized that there is no HIG for Singapore Standards 6.  I cannot stomach paying for the classroom teacher's guide.  If I switch him to Singapore U.S., it looks like there are skills missing from the scope and sequence chart.  And anyway, it looks like level 6 would only be about a semester's worth of work for him.

I love Math Mammoth, but he is very averse to it because there are so many problems.  I know we could just do less problems, but he has begged me NOT to get MM.  

I'm looking at BJU because I have read that it is thorough, uses similar methodology as Singapore, and the scope and sequence seems to have what I want him to practice for next year.  Any potential problems with that? 

I also looked at Horizons.  It seemed to target all the skills that I want him to practice in 6th grade, but would the methods be too different for a kid who has thrived with Singapore?

With anything we do, I'm going to sign him up for BA online and have him start working through it for practice and for fun.  I think it might reinforce concepts that he forgets and also challenge him on a level he enjoys. 

Anything else I should consider?

 

 

[SoCal_Bear]

If you truly like Singapore, perhaps you might want to consider their newest offering. Dimensions Math 6A/6B. The teachers' guide for that is available for $29. 

Here's the sample from the textbook for 6A.

http://www.singaporemath.com/v/vspfiles/images/samples/sp_dmT6A.pdf

 

[Dudley]

My daughter went from Singapore 6 to bju foundations. (Then bju pre-a and Alg) Well actually I can’t remember if she finished 6 then started or did it concurrently... My daughter also had trouble remembering things. I felt bju was good for her that it provided more practice and review than Singapore and a larger scope (we used US edition). I taught straight from the text explanation and it was all I needed. But I’m also trained as engineer, so I don’t need much. But the teachers guide was great for the answer key and help deciding which problems to assign. 

It is a large step up in workload and ,at least foundations,  was working from a text book not a workbook (I am not familiar with bju 6 and I understood Foundations to be 7 but I could be wrong ). So  definitely be prepared for more time spent. 

With this child I put in all the review it provided , even bought the extra student activities for the cumulative review. There was also enough challenge for more other kid who was more mathy. I just cut those out for her. Just have to say that using BJU brought out my love for math, and math became my daughters favorite subject despite the workload. 

So I know my review isn’t exactly the grades you are asking but maybe it is close  enough to be helpful 

[kristin0713]

16 hours ago, calbear said:

If you truly like Singapore, perhaps you might want to consider their newest offering. Dimensions Math 6A/6B.

I have heard the Dimensions program is harder to teach than SM, so I didn't consider it.  But hopefully I will be able to take a closer look at the teacher's guide at a convention.  Thanks.

 

4 hours ago, Dudley said:

My daughter went from Singapore 6 to bju foundations.

I thought about using Foundations as well.  The textbook format does give me pause.  That is one thing that appeals to me about Horizons, since it would give him one more year of a workbook format before jumping to a textbook.  

[SilverMoon]

Another one similar to SM is Math in Focus.  The textbooks are easily found inexpensive on the used market and we only purchased the workbooks new. As long as I went through the textbook with them I didn't feel like I needed anything else to teach it well. I added the Enrichment workbook for a harder challenge.

[kristin0713]

17 hours ago, SilverMoon said:

Another one similar to SM is Math in Focus.  The textbooks are easily found inexpensive on the used market and we only purchased the workbooks new. As long as I went through the textbook with them I didn't feel like I needed anything else to teach it well. I added the Enrichment workbook for a harder challenge.

I have looked at MiF and I can't remember why I dismissed it.  It's worth looking again.  Thanks 🙂

He really is a mathy kid and would probably be fine going into Pre-A, but I don't want him to float by on his mathy-ness with gaps that might cause problems for him later.  I could see him doing very high level math in high school, so I want to make sure his foundation is solid. 

[Rasa]

If you are looking for depth, you could enrich any math curriculum with 6-grade Singapore supplements such as Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems.

[kristin0713]

2 hours ago, Rasa said:

If you are looking for depth, you could enrich any math curriculum with 6-grade Singapore supplements such as Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems.

I think what I really want is Singapore, because he has thrived with it and really has incredible intuitive understanding.  But I also want him to go through a general math review.  And I need material to last the school year.  If I get Standards 6A/B, he will be through it by January.  I looked at MiF--it seems like it has more to the program for the year, but there is no workbook.  I can't find a good enough sample of Dimensions to figure out if that would work for him and be enough.