MSherman Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 (edited) So, having read some of Bill's recent Math threads, I am reconsidering my approach to math. Some background: I will be homeschooling my two daughters (they will be in grades 6 and 3 respectively) beginning this fall for the first time. They are coming from a private prep school which uses Saxon. I thought I would simply transition them to the homeschool edition of Saxon, but Bill's got me rethinking that. Instead, I think I might want to use Singapore as a spine and supplement with Miquon and some Right Start games. But, I am worried about how the girls (especially my oldest) would transition. They are both straight A students who merely tolerate math. I looked at the placement tests and am concerned that my oldest would not be quite ready for Level 6A of Singapore (I also don't think my younger daughter would be quite ready for Level #A). The concern is that then they would not finish New Elementary Math by 10th grade (which would be a problem for college entrance exams according to SWB). Anyone else faced this problem or can give me and advice? Do I simply leave them in Saxon? Any advice is appreciated. Michael Edited February 11, 2009 by MSherman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
at the beach Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 So, having read some of Bill's recent Math threads, I am reconsidering my approach to math. Some background: I will be homeschooling my two daughters (they will be in grades 6 and 3 respectively) beginning this fall for the first time. They are coming from a private prep school which uses Saxon. I thought I would simply transition them to the homeschool edition of Saxon, but Bill's got me rethinking that. Instead, I think I might want to use Singapore as a spine and supplement with Miquon and some Right Start games. But, I am worried about how the girls (especially my oldest) would transition. They are both straight A students who merely tolerate math. I looked at the placement tests and am concerned that my oldest would not be quite ready for Level 6A of Singapore (I also don't think my younger daughter would be quite ready for Level #A). The concern is that then they would not finish New Elementary Math by 10th grade (which would be a problem for college prep tests according to SWB). Anyone else faced this problem or can give me and advice? Do I simply leave them in Saxon? Any advice is appreciated. Michael Our first year hs, my dd used Rod and Staff Math 4. Second year we used Teaching Textbooks with Singapore supplementation of Challenging Word Problems. We very much liked Rod and Staff but were not crazy about TT. I began to really believe Singapore's approach was superior (word problems, especially). I decided to have my dd start working through Singapore starting at 3B. She moved very quickly over the summer and started 5A in the fall. She is finishing 5B now. I am hoping to have her done with 6B by summer's end. It's going well. I have the home instructor guides. Perhaps you can start working with her in the evenings with Singapore and the other materials. But you really need to start at a low level. I'd say 3A even for your oldest. Your younger at the start of the series. They will move faster through the material. This is not to say we have not had challenging moments with Singapore. We have, but IMO, it's worth it. Best, Anita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristineinKS Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 So, having read some of Bill's recent Math threads, I am reconsidering my approach to math. Some background: I will be homeschooling my two daughters (they will be in grades 6 and 3 respectively) beginning this fall for the first time. They are coming from a private prep school which uses Saxon. I thought I would simply transition them to the homeschool edition of Saxon, but Bill's got me rethinking that. Instead, I think I might want to use Singapore as a spine and supplement with Miquon and some Right Start games. But, I am worried about how the girls (especially my oldest) would transition. They are both straight A students who merely tolerate math. I looked at the placement tests and am concerned that my oldest would not be quite ready for Level 6A of Singapore (I also don't think my younger daughter would be quite ready for Level #A). The concern is that then they would not finish New Elementary Math by 10th grade (which would be a problem for college entrance exams according to SWB). Anyone else faced this problem or can give me and advice? Do I simply leave them in Saxon? Any advice is appreciated. Michael I was in a similar situation with my son who is in 6th grade, except that we started homeschooling mid-year. He took the placement test & based on that I decided to start him in 5A, rather than 6A. We plan to school year-round however, so at some point he will be 'caught up.' (BTW, same scenario with my other kids, dd was in 3rd grade this year but started book 3A & has been breezing through it, my twins were in 4th grade & started in book 3B). My kids have only struggled with one or two assignments so far, the rest has been simple enough that they were able to move through it quickly, so I'm sure your girls will do fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSherman Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 So, sounds like it would be ok to make the switch, start them below "grade level" to fill in any holes in their math education to date (and to account for the different approach that Singapore takes) and they can "catch up" by working a little more quickly through the material (and during the summer) to get back on track to finish NEM before SATs. :001_smile: I hate thinking about "teaching to the test" (especially at their ages), but I also don't want to commit any missteps in our choice of curricula that short change their opportunities. Thanks for the input. It was helpful. If any others have experiences to share, I'd welcome them as well. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2GirlsTX Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 (edited) I love Singapore, but I believe you will need to start your children at a lower grade level than they are at. I shouldn't be on the boards posting as I have a migraine, so ignore my typos please. Singapore books do not necessarily equal Grade 1= 1A...so a first grader would not necessarily do 1a. There system is different than ours, and I believe they explain that on the Singapore website. If you have more questions, join the forum groups and post questions, there are very knowledable Singapore experts who can help guide you on the Singapore boards. It is at http://www.singaporemath.com/ and then find forums and click that. I can say that backtracking is a very good idea so they can grasp the concepts of how Singapore works. Also, I would recommend starting the CWP at definitely a grade or two below where they are at .... they are definitely challenging. I had to back track my daughter from 2nd grade Saxon down to 1st grade Singapore and work our way up. I simply love Singapore, I love the way it makes the child think, especially the Challenging Word Problems. It is a total breath of fresh air after having done Saxon. I do not see how your children could not benefit from at least trying the program out, they might actually find they like math, my daughter did. (she hated math when we used Saxon) Edited February 11, 2009 by Mom2GirlsTX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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