Tanya in KS Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 My son is working in book 2A. Can someone please explain to me their crazy method for introducing multiplication? And then jumping into division without all the facts of multiplication down!!! There does not seem to be any consistency to it at all - the 2, 3, 4. It all seems to be mixed up. Am I missing something??? :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabanana1992 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Sorry - it didn't seem crazy to us.... It makes sense to introduce them together from a conceptual understanding standpoint. The memorization is a separate, parallel process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Yep - I agree. It makes sense. The memorization takes place outside of what is in the books - I think the Home Instructors Guide might tell you what to memorize, but I don't use it. It has mental math review in the the back that should be worked on. The idea of doing multiplication and division together is that it helps to build a conceptual understanding that the processes are related. You work with the lower facts first and build understanding of how it works with the easy multiplication/division facts. In the next level you do the same thing again starting with the easy facts and then move to the harder facts. Then you do two-digit multiplication then division with easy facts (2,3,4,5) then with harder ones. You start with using manipulative - like beans or something then pictures and then just the problems. The kids learn to understand the problems, not just memorize the facts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in WA Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Singapore is great is teaching how to think mathematically. They are showing how division and multiplication are connected, just like addition and subtraction are connected. Get your hands on a Home Instructor's Guide. They are helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Singapore is starting with the conceptual understanding of what multiplication is...repeated addition. Instead of adding 4+4+4+4+4, they get you to understand there are five 4s or 5X4. Introducing division immediately after also builds the conceptual understanding of division as the inverse of multiplication. The math fact 4X5=20 is directly related to 20/4=5. It makes sense to learn them at the same time (or close to it). Singapore begins to build understanding of the multiplication table with the easy numbers. If you have already worked with even numbers, learning the 2s is easy. Many kids will also have skip counted 3s, 5s, and 10s so those are easy to pick up. 4s are just every other one from the 2s, so not too difficult there. The harder numbers (6,7,8,9) I think are left for 3A if I remember correctly. They require more brute memorization skill. I appreciate that Singapore works on the conceptual understanding and doesn't just say "memorize this table". It does work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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