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What is Singapore Math?


idkm
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I have read quite a few discussions about Singapore Math on this forum. Many have acronyms like MIF, CWP, HIG, etc. I have compiled an outline here. Hope it helps.

The Singapore Math curriculum was conceptualized by the Ministry of Education in Singapore. It became popular worldwide due to its consistent top ranking on Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS).  The early adopters are home school students. Currently Singapore Math is used in 100 over US school districts.

The math learning process comprises three steps which are: concrete, pictorial, and abstract. The concrete step refers to students learning through manipulation of objects like pens, erasers or clips. In the next step, pictorial representations like bar models are used to represent the problem.

The syllabus is about 1 year ahead of syllabus in other countries. For example primary 3 may be equivalent to elementary 4 in other countries. The most challenging word problems are those related to pre-algebra.

Textbook titles with US Edition are listed here below. The titles not only have textbooks but they also have workbooks, home instructor guides and teacher’s guides.

Dimension Math  by Singapore Math Inc

Math in Focus  by Marshall Cavendish, reseller Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Challenging Word Problems by Marshall Cavendish

Primary Math Marshall Cavendish

 In addition to workbooks, students/instructors can tap on worksheet question banks in free test papers -> Sg Math, for challenging word problems. Grades 4 to 6 are extremely challenging.

About

Marshall Cavendish is a Singapore-based textbook publisher whose publication are used in Singapore schools.

Singapore Math Inc is an US publisher that adapted the curriculum to the American education market

 

 

Edited by idkm
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  • 4 weeks later...

From my experience, it is about a grade level ahead, the primary series is anyway. Book 1A is about equal to a US 1st grade. 1B-part of 2A would be equal to a 2nd grade. Anyone coming out of public school 2nd grade would need to start at 2A or 2B. I am referencing regular level American math, not advanced or GT or private schools that are naturally on an advanced track.

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Since the US doesn't have a national curriculum, I think it's very hard to make a statement about what is or isn't way ahead or behind. In my experience, the challenging problems were significantly ahead in terms of what they asked students to do, but the concepts were not for the most part.

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What Farrar said.

I've been using Singapore Math for almost ten years now. My DD, in Standards Primary, is doing word problems similar to my son's Algebra 1 text but without the equations. She is using bar models to work the problems. The questions involve multiple steps and are far more challenging than what her friends in the local schools are being asked to do. I do find that Standards Primary is slightly more challenging than the US Edition and loads more challenging than the Math in Focus series.

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4 hours ago, Janeway said:

From my experience, it is about a grade level ahead, the primary series is anyway. Book 1A is about equal to a US 1st grade. 1B-part of 2A would be equal to a 2nd grade. Anyone coming out of public school 2nd grade would need to start at 2A or 2B. I am referencing regular level American math, not advanced or GT or private schools that are naturally on an advanced track.

THat is not our experience.  My oldest ds was able to do all of the SM 6 challenge problems without any difficulty at all (with the exception of rate/flow b/c he had not been taught r*t=d and could solve them once he had been taught it) when he was in 6th grade and had only ever used Horizons math up to that pt. He solved using simple algebra. My dd did MiF starting in 4th grade after only using Horizons 3.  It was on level for her (and she is not a gifted math student.)

The general concepts are on grade level.  The wording of the word problems can be confusing and not knowing how to use the bar method can be confusing, but kids who have been solving via basic alg principles can take them and apply them to SM challenge problems.  (HOE verbal book problems are similar to Singapore challenge problems except solved using simple algebra.)

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1 hour ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

THat is not our experience.  My oldest ds was able to do all of the SM 6 challenge problems without any difficulty at all (with the exception of rate/flow b/c he had not been taught r*t=d and could solve them once he had been taught it) when he was in 6th grade and had only ever used Horizons math up to that pt. He solved using simple algebra. My dd did MiF starting in 4th grade after only using Horizons 3.  It was on level for her (and she is not a gifted math student.)

The general concepts are on grade level.  The wording of the word problems can be confusing and not knowing how to use the bar method can be confusing, but kids who have been solving via basic alg principles can take them and apply them to SM challenge problems.  (HOE verbal book problems are similar to Singapore challenge problems except solved using simple algebra.)

Before Common Core, Horizons was considered to be a year ahead, too. I remember back on the Sonlight forums, a lot of us meticulously compared it to our ps standards (which were much more accessible back then), and Horizons was just about exactly a year ahead of ps in most states. That was probably at least a decade ago.

Edited: I remember that Horizons was on grade level for California, back then.

Edited by Lang Syne Boardie
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