MUS or Singapore

[jg_puppy]

I have two kids. One is very mathy and one is not. The child that is not mathy really stems more from attitude than ability. I loved math as a student and feel comfortable teaching math. Given that information which program would you choose. Singapore, MUS, or a combination of both. If a combination please share how you would combine. My kids are 6 and 8.5 if ages make a difference and the older one is the one who doesn't like math.

 

I meant to add a poll, but I can't figure out how to do that.

 

Jan

Edited January 13, 2009 by jg_puppy

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I've only used Singapore so I can't comment on MUS. You don't have to have a mathy student to do well with Singapore. I wouldn't consider either of my girls mathy, and they both do very well with the program. It's straight forward and easy to teach. Since you're comfortable with math, I wouldn't bother with the HIG. HTH

[ElizabethB]

Singapore, but I love the way MUS does fractions. I'd supplement with MUS fractions when you get to that point.

 

Make sure you get the Intensive Practice books, they will challenge the kids and they are inexpensive.

You'll probably also need to supplement with extra fact drills. We really like our Flashmaster, it makes the drilling a little less painful and a lot more efficient, they can type in numbers a lot faster than they can write.

[jaysdarlin]

What is MUS?

[Veritaserum]

What is MUS?

 

Math U See :) We've only ever used MUS and we all like it. My kids are 8.5, 6.5, and 4. I really like the mastery approach and how he explains things like place value.

[Donna T.]

I love MathUSee. My oldest son has used MathUSee almost exclusively. I've been very happy with it. My youngest son started out with MathUSee but became bored. I don't think that is so much a reflection on MathUSee as it is on the fact that's he's a normal and whimsical six year old boy. He likes to shake things up. But, he is what I guess you would call a "math bright" child. He just knows his facts and doesn't need any drill. I tried Singapore with him on a whim, just to give him something different to look at. He loved it right away. It just fits the way he thinks, just as MathUSee fits the way my oldest son thinks.

 

I'd prefer that my youngest son stick with mostly MathUSee, but he's not going to. He just enjoys Singapore more. So, he's doing Singapore as his main program and he watches the MathUSee DVD but he doesn't work the problems in the MathUSee book. He doesn't need the drill practice, so I don't require him to. I guess that could change later.

 

My oldest son will always do MathUSee, I think. He learns his facts almost effortlessly with MathUSee. He has never struggled at all with math because MathUSee is so understandable. He is working through Singapore's Challenging Word Problems as a supplement. He has had no problems at all with the Singapore Word Problems so I think MathUSee is serving him well. He can transfer the learning.

 

I like both. I prefer MathUSee. I'm not sure I trust Singapore. I really love the logical, precept upon precept, orderliness of MathUSee. I like the mastery approach, the review, the way that Mr. Demme makes it so easy to understand.

 

You may have to just pick one and then make changes should a need come up. I know some moms who use both side by side but I don't see how they do it. They seem very different to me. But, we're just starting with Singapore and I definately do not understand the "big picture" with it.

Edited January 13, 2009 by Donna T.

[siloam]

I have two kids. One is very mathy and one is not. The child that is not mathy really stems more from attitude than ability. I loved math as a student and feel comfortable teaching math. Given that information which program would you choose. Singapore, MUS, or a combination of both. If a combination please share how you would combine. My kids are 6 and 8.5 if ages make a difference and the older one is the one who doesn't like math.

 

I meant to add a poll, but I can't figure out how to do that.

 

Jan

 

I would go with Singapore, but I adore Singapore (base 10, problem solving) and can't stand using rods, so MUS would have been hard for me to use just for that reason. Well that I an I have a philosophical issue with using video texts and not teaching myself. LOL! I.E. I am horribly biased.

 

Heather

[jg_puppy]

It looks like Singapore is probably a better fit. We tried Singapore in first grade, but my dd hit a mental block. We have tried other curriculums since then, but I would like to go back to Singapore after we finish this year. I loved Singapore, but my dd wasn't getting it. I think a large part of it was a maturity issue. She also needed more help with drill.

 

I really think that I would like some sort of spiral review to be done 2-3 times a week alongside Singapore. I just want something that is 5-10 different types of problems that she can do quickly to keep the skills she has learned in the past sharp. I have found Evan-Moor's Daily Math and Prufrock's Math Warm Ups. Has anyone used either of these? Are there any others that you I should consider?

 

Jan

[siloam]

It looks like Singapore is probably a better fit. We tried Singapore in first grade, but my dd hit a mental block. We have tried other curriculums since then, but I would like to go back to Singapore after we finish this year. I loved Singapore, but my dd wasn't getting it. I think a large part of it was a maturity issue. She also needed more help with drill.

 

I really think that I would like some sort of spiral review to be done 2-3 times a week alongside Singapore. I just want something that is 5-10 different types of problems that she can do quickly to keep the skills she has learned in the past sharp. I have found Evan-Moor's Daily Math and Prufrock's Math Warm Ups. Has anyone used either of these? Are there any others that you I should consider?

 

Jan

 

In Singapore they don't start level 1A until after the child turns 7, so here in the US we are using them earlier than the program was written for. After having the same problem with my oldest doing 1A and then hearing about the 7yo thing I have held all the rest of my kids back and started them at the beginning of 2nd grade. That has worked much better.

 

Heather

 

[LanaTron]

My 13yo, 9yo, and 6yo are all fine with Singapore by itself. I personally love Singapore's way of presenting concepts.

 

My dd11, who is my artsy kid, loves Singapore, too, but it is not enough for her by itself. I don't know exactly what the problem is, but she cannot learn math from Singapore alone--well, she can, but she was just falling so far behind, and it frustrated both her and I. When she was younger and learning basic addition, I used R&S for a while before returning to Singapore (because R&S was terribly boring for both of us). Using R&S to help her learn her basic addition facts helped her fly through Singapore 1 and 2. Then she got to Singapore 3, and was struggling with learning those mulitplication facts. So, I purchased MUS Gamma, and the combination is working great.

 

So, here's how my dd does both Singapore and MUS:

 

I consider MUS to be her main curriculum, and plan on having her work through both Gamma and Delta this year (she is in 6th grade!). She does Singapore to break the monotony of MUS, and to have concepts presented in a different way. I am not concerned how quickly or not she moves through Singapore (She's in Singapore 3B).

 

She watches the MUS video and does one lesson practice and one systematic review page. If all that is great, and she understands, she takes the test the next day. If she does well on the test, she goes to the next lesson the next day. When she hits a concept that is harder for her, she slows down and does one page per day, then takes the test. So far, on the difficult concepts, the three lesson practices and the three systematic reviews have been enough work to get her to understand the concepts very well.

 

In addition to that, she does one lesson in Singapore each day, more if it is an easy topic.

 

If you can, you could purchase both and try them out and see what fits each child, and which one you like (both should be pretty easy to resell on the Sale and Swap board if you decide you don't want one or the other). I was determined to only use one math curiculum, thinking it would be simpler, but I am finding that this way is actually simpler in the end because my dd is doing great at math now!

 

HTH!