Melissa in St Louis Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 I took the leap and am using Singapore 1b to finish out the year (and get us up to where we "should" be), but I keep hearing the siren song of Sunrise CLE Math...the new online sample pages look so good! Anyone have any pros or cons about this program? Or should I stick with Singapore (DS and I are both enjoying this so far)? Thanks Hive! Melissa in St Louis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 We have enjoyed Singapore as well, but we are switching to CLE Math. Mainly, it is because 1. I need the TG to help me teach my older as things get more difficult. and 2. I need to be told when and how to teach what. Singapore just assumes I know how and when to teach things and sometimes I don't. Does that make sense? For instance, we just stared Singapore 1A (okay, we are about 20 lessons into the book) and yesterday I read something in the HIG that said my ds should now know by memory the addition facts. What??? I mean, he is doing well, but he has not committed them to memory. As a matter of fact, I had no idea I was even supposed to be doing this just yet. I was thinking "exposure" - you know...concrete, pictoral, abstract. Well, it appears we went from pictoral to abstract REALLY fast. :( Anyway, I am torn, but my heart is tugging me in the CLE math direction, so we are going to switch and give it a try. If it isn't a good fit, Singapore is always there to go back to. KWIM? Best of luck to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 They're very different programs. We've been happy with it for several years now, but my oldest is ready to switch to a less spiral program and will be doing Life of Fred Fractions and Percents for review this summer and then trying Math-U-See Pre-Algebra in the fall. After that I'm thinking that we'll continue with Life of Fred and/or Math-U-See. Christian Light will not be ready with Algebra in their Sunrise line (far superior in format and content) for at least another year. MY PROs: Very clear explanations, ideal if you want self-teaching, spiral (LOTS of review), portable (great to throw in a bag if you need to school away from home), Christian themes (missionary-oriened), inexpensive, no extras to buy (manipulatives, review books, etc.). MY CONs: Lots of review (don't use if you have kid that will go bonkers doing the same thing over and over), not reusable, not good for hands-on learners (my oldest did best with RightStart for the early years). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eksargent Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 I am a new CLE math user. I switched from Saxon because it was not working for us. My ds loves math again. The program is very well put together, easy to use and understand, and can be very independent. And it's cheap! If what you are using now is working for you...I would stick with it. However, if you are banging your head against the wall and dreading every moment of math...well...CLE is wonderful and I highly recommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBC Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 We have enjoyed Singapore as well, but we are switching to CLE Math. Mainly, it is because 1. I need the TG to help me teach my older as things get more difficult. and 2. I need to be told when and how to teach what. Singapore just assumes I know how and when to teach things and sometimes I don't. Does that make sense? For instance, we just stared Singapore 1A (okay, we are about 20 lessons into the book) and yesterday I read something in the HIG that said my ds should now know by memory the addition facts. What??? I mean, he is doing well, but he has not committed them to memory. As a matter of fact, I had no idea I was even supposed to be doing this just yet. I was thinking "exposure" - you know...concrete, pictoral, abstract. Well, it appears we went from pictoral to abstract REALLY fast. :( Anyway, I am torn, but my heart is tugging me in the CLE math direction, so we are going to switch and give it a try. If it isn't a good fit, Singapore is always there to go back to. KWIM? Best of luck to you. We love Singapore Math in our family, and have used it for years, but my older children do not know their math facts the way they should. I tried to incorporate math drill over the years, but it was always hit and miss. I just switched to CLE, and I love it. The children are still adjusting, and don't love the review after years of using a mastery program, but it's working. They are learning so much, including things that just weren't a part of Singapore. My children learned a lot with Singapore - and so did I, but I think we'll stick with CLE for elementary math from now on. Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Background: with dd 9 I did RightStart A, B, and part of C (similar in many ways to Singapore methodology) because I wanted "thinking math." She is not very mathy and didn't end up knowing her math facts at ALL. Thankfully I started concurrently using CLE 1 halfway through RS B and have continued-we've dropped RS and are in CLE 3 and she's doing great! I will never again use JUST a "thinking math" program because I personally feel more comfortable with them having more traditional sequence. (Caveat: I know others have used both RS and Singapore alone and it's been fine!) With ds 6 I have him starting CLE1 AND Singapore in the fall-the CLE will be our primary program and we'll add in Singapore a few times per week for more "thinking math"-he is very mathy and will love this combo! So if you have time, maybe that's a solution? I totally agree with GVA's pros and cons for CLE. We LOVE, love, love CLE math! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 I have to hang my head and admit that we have used A LOT, A LOT of math programs in the 9 years that we have homeschooled. In my opinion, CLE contains all the components of a math program. It has drill, word problems, computation, algebra, geometry, etc. It works on metric measurements and English measurements at the same time. The children are expected to know both. Many of the other programs that we used were missing at least one of these components especially the drill work. Some might argue that there are no manipulatives. I don't see that as a detriment as M&Ms make great manipulatives. I have added manipulatives into our teaching of CLE if the students need it, but I do not want a program that is dependent on them. We have also used unifix cubes, base 10 blocks and other things. So, it can be fine for a hands on learner. After all we are the teachers not the curriculum. I find that CLE does a better job than our former program preparing the students for upper level math. The algebra that is introduced in the 5th grade level is a precursor to what my son is now doing as a 9th grader. I can see how the concepts build on each other. I can see that some children could struggle with the repetition, but that has not been a problem in my house. The fact that it is consumable might be a problem for some, but I am happy to spend my money on this program. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in St Louis Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Thanks so much! :D These are just the kind of answers I have been looking for! Just a few more questions: 1) How long do you spend per day with CLE Math? (we will be doing 2nd grade) 2) If a child is breezing through Singapore 1b, will they be "good" to start CLE 2nd grade in the fall? 3) Do you supplement CLE with anything? 4) How would you feel about sticking with Singapore and implementing the drill work CLE offers in addition to that? Would that be the best of both? Just curious... Melissa in St Louis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3byzaz Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 I just wanted to chime in and also sing the praises of CLE--especially the Math. It is outstanding and we have used quite a few other ones. It is excellent for all the reasons already mentioned. I have not used Singapore, though. 1) How long do you spend per day with CLE Math? (we will be doing 2nd grade) *My 4th grader takes 30 min to do a lesson and the drill in the back. My 1st and I spend about 15-20 min or so. 2) If a child is breezing through Singapore 1b, will they be "good" to start CLE 2nd grade in the fall? *Don't know, but you can do the placement tests. At this level, you might be able to just teach the things that he/she hasn't had. There is a detailed scope and sequence available on the yahoo group if you join that. It will tell you what was covered in 1st. The first LU of every grade is a review of the previous grade. 201 will review the 100 level...that might help too. 3) Do you supplement CLE with anything? *No, I do not and I am a 'supplementer' - is that a word??? 4) How would you feel about sticking with Singapore and implementing the drill work CLE offers in addition to that? Would that be the best of both? Just curious... *Again, don't know. CLE's word/thinking problems are very good too. That seems to be the strength of Singapore. You could always do both and drop if you don't need it anymore?? Hope this helps! Maureen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samba Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 My dd9 has been through RightStart Transitions, then C-D, then switched to BJU 4. My dd is not a math whiz but she has never needed lots of review...until this year. We started BJU 5 and she just needed more repetition of the skills. We added in CLE Math 5 along with BJU 5 and it has been a perfect fit. We've dabbled in LOF Fractions and Hands-On Equations but I believe CLE has been the reason math has gone so smoothly this year (the transition to a hardback, non-consumable workbook was a big deal). My dd went from saying "What are they talking about? I don't remember that." to just DOING it every day (priceless :001_smile:). I still rely on BJU for teaching the concept but I rely on CLE for the practice and repetition. My issue with the other BJU support materials is that they seemed to be mostly focused on the new skill being taught rather than the earlier skills that my dd became prone to forget. Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBC Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 4) How would you feel about sticking with Singapore and implementing the drill work CLE offers in addition to that? Would that be the best of both? Just curious... CLE has a wonderfully organized flash card system. The addition/subtraction cards come with a system that gives you step by step instructions on what to do each day in order to master the facts in a year. I haven't ordered the multiplication cards yet, so I can't comment on them. I'm committed to having my youngest learn her facts, and for me it works better to have them included in her program. With four children to teach, math drill tends to get missed around my house. If you think you can do it alongside Singapore, I'm sure it would work well. My dd was half way through Singapore 2A when I switched her to CLE. I decided to start her with CLE 201, since I wanted to spend time on the addition/subtraction facts. A lot of it's review, so she's covering two lessons a day by skipping things that she knows well. If you're not sure about where to place your student, you can look at the scope and sequence on the CLE website, or do the placement tests, which are also available to be downloaded from the website. One of the great features of CLE math is that the first LightUnit for each level reviews the concepts taught in the previous level, so 201 would review all of the concepts that you may have missed in level 100. Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 (edited) Agreeing with the others on placement test, and that the -01 sections are all review. Also if you want to move more quickly through a level because it's just review, you can skip the two quizzes and test that are included. And finally, CLE is a complete program-I didn't mean to imply it needs to be supplemented; we're just adding Singapore because I think ds will like it! :) And dd takes about 30 minutes with level 3. Edited April 7, 2009 by HappyGrace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 1) How long do you spend per day with CLE Math? (we will be doing 2nd grade) My three daughters are using 300, 400, and 500 level of CLE, and they all spend about 30 minutes as long as no one is having an attitude issue. I have one that is a bit of a perfectionist, and if she gets something wrong she can pout about it for half the morning. I digress. 2) If a child is breezing through Singapore 1b, will they be "good" to start CLE 2nd grade in the fall? I would take the diagnostic test. They are now available in a pdf file that you can print on your own printer and test right away. http://www.clp.org/store/results?query=diagnostic+test 3) Do you supplement CLE with anything? No, we do not supplement with any other program. We do make use of some drill games on the computer, but that is about it. One of the reasons I like CLE is that there is no need to drag in some other book, workbook, etc. to fill in gaps. 4) How would you feel about sticking with Singapore and implementing the drill work CLE offers in addition to that? Would that be the best of both? Just curious... I wouldn't, but I don't like to overcomplicate things. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in St Louis Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Thanks so much for all the great responses! It really seems like this is a great program! :001_smile: I'm going to continue along with the Singapore book we are in right now and then plan on buying CLE at a confrence in the summer. It will be super to actually look at the whole product -- so far though, I'm sold! :001_smile: Thanks ladies! Melissa in St Louis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulcindy Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 I am another one who made the jump back to CLE. We do use LoF Fractions but only because my dd enjoys it. We tried TT Math 5, and Math Mammoth, but nothing really "clicked" with my 10 yo. We should have stayed with CLE. We had to back up to the 400 series because it is more advanced then some programs. It introduces concepts a lot sooner. You do not need to supplement at all, and it is better then Singapore, IMO because it includes drill, while still teaching the "why's of math. And it is portable, and not expensive!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elm in NJ Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 My 2nd graders love CLE Math. The constant review has been great for them and they are breezing through it. They are finishing up CLE maths 309. All the pros GVA has mentioned and the cons also. We did Singapore Early Bird Maths in grade K, and since the first 4 LUS looked liked review, we started with CLE 105 in grade 1. We do math in the summer also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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