Math - Singapore Primary

[mrsfellman]

Hi all! I have my first budding Logic stage kiddo & two more to follow in the future. We have been using Singapore Primary since the oldest was in 4th grade but we started in the middle of that school yr & I believe we started in 3B (may have even been 3A). He is now (6th grade yr) half way through 5A (a bit behind our schedule) but we have now planned what he needs to do each week to finish all level 5 by the end of May. I am trying to decide if I should have him move to Pre-Algrebra in the fall (7th grade) or if he should do level 6 in 7th grade & Pre-Algrebra in 8th. It seems to be whether 1. He's ready or not & 2. Do I want him to do Calculus 1 in HS or not. 

According to Brenda Barnett from Singapore Math Live he should be ready for Pre-A after SM P Level 5.

https://www.singaporemathlive.com/after-singapore-mathreg-curriculum.html

Has anyone had experience with this transition before? What reasons would we want to do Calculus in HS? Currently he wants to be a Police Office or Fire Fighter (both Grandfathers were Firefighters). However I know those "plans" will probably change (although he is my Mr. Steady boy). 

Edited January 15, 2021 by mrsfellman

[EKS]

My son was well prepared for Derek Owens's prealgebra course after finishing 5B.  

Edited January 15, 2021 by EKS

[TheAttachedMama]

I've used it with two students so far, and both were well prepared for AOPS Pre-Algebra after 5B.  The only area where there were a few weaknesses were multiplying and dividing with negative numbers.   I had to teach that a bit more before pre-algabra.   

[TheAttachedMama]

1 hour ago, mrsfellman said:

Do I want him to do Calculus 1 in HS or not. 

According to Brenda Barnett from Singapore Math Live he should be ready for Pre-A after SM P Level 5.

https://www.singaporemathlive.com/after-singapore-mathreg-curriculum.html

Has anyone had experience with this transition before? What reasons would we want to do Calculus in HS? Currently he wants to be a Police Office or Fire Fighter (both Grandfathers were Firefighters). However I know those "plans" will probably change (although he is my Mr. Steady boy). 

My advice?  Do as much math as possible and make it a priority in your homeschool no matter what your student thinks they want to be when "they grow up".  🙂. Why?  Well, let me ask you this:  has your child ever changed their mind in the past?   If so, there is a good chance they may change their mind in the future.   Having a strong math background will give him options and choices.   That is a good thing!  He may be set on being a police officer or fire fighter NOW, but a lot can change in a few short years before graduation!     And a lot can change throughout someone's life!  I know many adults who have decided to go back to college, but have struggled to change careers because they have a poor math background.   It wasn't impossible for them, but it was definitely another hurdle that made changing careers that much more difficult.   

Math is an essential core subject....just like writing or learning to read well.   And, I think given our current job market, math is becoming even more important.  So my advice is to do as much math as possible.  To clarify, I am not suggesting that anyone push their child ruthlessly; I am suggesting that you encourage your child to keep working to the best of their ability and make as much progress as you can before graduation.    I'm also not t going to make the argument that you NEED to study calculus, but getting ahead in math now frees up time to study any number of advanced math topics.   He may decide to study statistics or advanced number theory or advanced probability or maybe even "counting" (which is used a lot in computer science.).    

that is just my 2 cents!  

Edited January 15, 2021 by TheAttachedMama

[EKS]

On 1/15/2021 at 10:21 AM, TheAttachedMama said:

My advice?  Do as much math as possible and make it a priority in your homeschool no matter what your student thinks they want to be when "they grow up".  🙂. Why?  Well, let me ask you this:  has your child ever changed their mind in the past?   If so, there is a good chance they may change their mind in the future.   Having a strong math background will give him options and choices.   That is a good thing!

I absolutely agree with this.  

I was the kid who was going to be a poet and a musician and a painter who wasn't going to need math ever, so I failed prealgebra and had to take it again in summer school, failed Algebra 1 and took it again in summer school, failed geometry and took it again the next year, and got a D in Algebra 2.  I ended up majoring in biochemistry, which is as math heavy as chemistry.  I was at a major disadvantage.

As far as being ahead in math goes--if the kid isn't hopelessly confused, it is far better to press on, even if they are ahead because that way you can use that time later on if they need it.  So many homeschoolers tread water in the elementary-middle school years because they're terrified of gaps cropping up during algebra.  What they should really be terrified of is finding that their kid needs more time to get through high school math for whatever reason, and that there is no time because they used it all up before they even got there.  The great thing about homeschooling is that if you do find a gap, you just fill it.  The great thing about moving on to algebra is that, in my experience at least, it actually helps kids understand arithmetic better.

Edited January 16, 2021 by EKS

[Not_a_Number]

4 hours ago, EKS said:

So many homeschoolers tread water in the elementary-middle school years because they're terrified of gaps cropping up during algebra.  What they should really be terrified of is finding that their kid needs more time to get through high school math for whatever reason, and that there is no time because they used it all up before they even got there.  The great thing about homeschooling is that if you do find a gap, you just fill it.  The great thing about moving on to algebra is that, in my experience at least, it actually helps kids understand arithmetic better.

So much this. I keep seeing this -- people are afraid to start on algebraic concepts because it's advanced and seem serious and they are afraid they are missing something crucial. Whereas in fact, introducing the CONCEPTS early makes things easier later. As long as you aren't expecting your 5th or 6th grader to do algebra exactly like a 9th grader, seeing the ideas early helps them jell. Plus, it's a lot less boring than doing the same things over and over for a few years, which can give mathematically intuitive kids a real distaste for math... 

[EKS]

1 hour ago, Not_a_Number said:

So much this. I keep seeing this -- people are afraid to start on algebraic concepts because it's advanced and seem serious and they are afraid they are missing something crucial.

In most cases, I think that it is more of a teaching issue than a learning issue.  As in, the teacher is afraid they won't detect the gaps until it is too late (or won't detect them at all because they've offloaded math instruction to a textbook or program).  Instead of making the kid tread water, a far better use of everyone's time would be for the teacher to get up to speed enough on high school math to feel comfortable filling gaps on the fly when they're encountered.