Singapore Primary Mathematics and Math Mammoth - exponents, variables, prime factorization...

[MomN]

We just finished 5A of Singapore Primary Mathematics. We also do a mental math practice book from Sinagpore and Hands on Equations and some of the Process Skill book 4.  I decided to print out the Math Mammoth tests and try those as well.  I find the curriculum to be so different.  Like the chapter test 1 had exponents ... we haven't learned those yet (and I actually don't see them in Singapore book 5B either).  The Math Mammoth test also had lots of variables and prime factorization - again, two things we haven't see. 

So, it makes me wonder if I need to add these things in to Singapore or if these are concepts that MM introduces early.  Otherwise, I am very happy with Singapore.

Thanks for any help!

[forty-two]

I'm not sure how much is MM introducing them early, and how much is the typical US progression introducing them earlier than SM does (there's a common core edition of SM that puts things that that in so as to match current US ps progressions). 

FWIW, I just let our Pre-Algebra (old school Dolciani, for us) be our introduction to those sorts of things (another big one is negative numbers).  Since we weren't going back to ps in middle school, nor did we need to do testing that assumed a ps progression, I decided it didn't matter if we got to it "late".  So far it hasn't - oldest dd and middle dd picked those things up fine.  And Hands-On Equations will cover both variables and negative numbers, which were the ones I was most concerned about getting to late.
 

[MomN]

29 minutes ago, forty-two said:

I'm not sure how much is MM introducing them early, and how much is the typical US progression introducing them earlier than SM does (there's a common core edition of SM that puts things that that in so as to match current US ps progressions). 

FWIW, I just let our Pre-Algebra (old school Dolciani, for us) be our introduction to those sorts of things (another big one is negative numbers).  Since we weren't going back to ps in middle school, nor did we need to do testing that assumed a ps progression, I decided it didn't matter if we got to it "late".  So far it hasn't - oldest dd and middle dd picked those things up fine.  And Hands-On Equations will cover both variables and negative numbers, which were the ones I was most concerned about getting to late.
 

Thank you!  Did you do Singapore 6A and 6B and then move on to Dolciani? 

[forty-two]

1 hour ago, MomN said:

Thank you!  Did you do Singapore 6A and 6B and then move on to Dolciani? 

Yep.