Teaching Textbooks Math Questions....

[astrid]

Hello,

First, thank you all for your replies to my inquiry about where to go from Singapore for my sixth grader. I think we've settled on Teaching Textbooks; we did a few sample lessons on the website and dd loved it, and it all seemed to click really well. But I have a few questions.

 

Dd is in 6th grade, and just finished Singapore 5B. I gave her the placement test for TT Grade 7 and she only got one question wrong-- the radius question, because that has not been covered yet in Singapore. Do you think it's worth buying the Grade 7, or does it contain enough review that she could jump to level 8? I havent' given her the leve 8 placement test yet, but will this week. It all seems odd to me, as math has never been dd's strong suit, but then again, she's been using Singapore since she left public school in 3rd grade.

 

Also, how long does it typically take to get through one level? Since we're basically starting in March, I'm assuming we'd finish up around the middle of next year? Or is it possible to move more quickly? I certainly dont' want to push it.

 

Lastly, I've read back through some of the archived threads and noticed that not many people think both the CD's and the workbooks are necessary. Do you agree with that?

 

Thanks for any advice!

astrid

[scrapbabe]

Well, level 8 is actually Pre-Algebra, right? I believe the placement test means they are ready for that level. So if she did well on the placement test for 7, then she should move into 7. You could do a placement test for Pre Algebra and see if she does well on that - then you could start her with that level.

 

As to your workbook question - I agree it is not necessary. My son uses it, but you could just as easily use a pad of paper.

 

Smiles,

Shalynn

[Mothersweets]

My kids don't use the workbooks and I bought 3 of them! I really need to send the other 2 that we haven't written in back.

 

My kids are working through TT7 and yes, there is A LOT of review!

 

I would do the placement test for Pre-Algebra and go into that if she scores well for it.

[lionfamily1999]

I'm glad you asked about the placement tests. Ds took a handful of tests yesterday to help me pick our next math books. He's technically in 2nd, moving to 3rd. I had him take the Math 3 test for Saxon and he answered everything correctly, according to their test that means he's ready for Math 3. The placement test he took for a different system has him ready for Math 4 and I have to wonder if Saxon Math 3 wouldn't just be a year of review. BTW, if anyone has a link to the Saxon Math 4 placement test, can you post it? I couldn't find it on their site.

 

Anyway, I can offer you no help, but I'm in a similar spot ;)

[smythen]

I could be wrong on this, but I thought the placement test for level 7 would not test the material *in* 7, but what you should already know before you entered level 7. Does that make sense?

 

We switched from Singapore to TT this year... dd finished 5A and went to TT6. Lots of review (which for her is very good) but I think it's the right level for her. You could definitely move quickly through it, especially the first few units, if she's solid on all the info.

 

I would think that if she scored well on the Level 7 test, that would be the place to start. Did you do the Level 8 test?

[littlebug42]

I looked at the Teaching Textbooks placement test for the grade 4 program and a lot of the material on it, is not in the table of contents until the end of the year. So, in my thinking and with what I have looked at on the website, I think it will work for my daughter even though she can't answer all of the questions on the placement test because most of the year is spent working up to that point anyway. It's late. Does that make sense at all?

[debbielong]

We did this. We went from Singapore 6B to Teaching Textbooks pre-algebra (their level 8) with my son and from Singapore 3B to Teaching Textbooks 5 for my daughter.

 

In both cases, there was a lot of review. Review was good for my daughter and tedious for my son. So, whether you want to skip another grade depends on how much review would be good for your daughter. Unlike Singapore, Teaching Textbooks includes problems from previous lessons in every new lesson. If you skip a grade, you'll know in short order if any of the skipped material is causing her problems. The table of contents for each of the levels is listed on the Teaching Textbooks website - looking at that you'll be able to tell if your daughter can skip some of the material.

 

Regarding how long it will take to complete each grade, the table of contents also tells you how many lessons are in each grade. You can expect to do one lesson per day, and there is a test every 7-10 lessons. TT 5 has 114 lessons with 16 tests. TT pre-algebra has 126 lessons with 15 tests.

 

As for the workbooks, I'm glad we have them. We have referred back to the workbook for the teacher's exact wording in a concept explanation. Also, the workbook shows me all of the problems in each lesson. I really have referred back to it multiple times. It was worth the $20.

 

You should also know that until pre-algebra, all the student's work is completed on the computer. Other than for reference, you don't need the text. However, beginning in pre-algebra (level 8), the problems are no longer on the computer. The student has to either work in the workbook, or copy the pages, or write his answers on a separate sheet of paper. For pre-algebra, the workbook is necessary.

 

As an aside, my daughter (who went from Singapore 3B to TT) LOVES, LOVES, LOVES TT. It is a PERFECT match for her. She likes how the concepts are explained to her; the teacher is consistent (as opposed to her mother's inconsistent math explanations in Singapore). She likes that TT comes easily to her, whereas Singapore was a struggle (probably because of me:)). She likes that she is a grade "ahead" - it makes her feel smart. She enjoys working exclusively on the computer, entering all her answers there. She thinks the teacher is funny and she likes the goofy flying icons that come at the end of each lesson. All the silliness that is thrown in for positive reinforcement WORKS for her. Finally, there is the indisputable fact that she is learning and understanding math.

 

My son hates it; I suspect we should have gone straight to algebra for him, but I was chicken - and I don't really know that algebra would have resolved his dislike for TT. He doesn't think the teacher is funny like my daughter and I do:). He doesn't like the constant review in each lesson. Once he knows how to divide, he really does not want to have to divide for the next 30 lessons. He thinks the 10 minute lectures are too long (they aren't:)), and he doesn't like the teacher's voice. And, like I said, he had to plod through a LOT of review, only a small fraction of which was probably good for him.

 

Good luck!

[RJH]

I had DS take the placement test for TT5 last summer, he missed more than the cut off. I still felt confident that he could do the program because he is the type of kid that only needs to be shown once. He will be done with TT5 in one more week, and has never gotten below a 95%. So it was a perfect fit for him. If your DD only missed 1 question, you might want to think about going up a level.