Singapore Math Help!

[Candice]

Hi All!

We have been using Singapore Math per HOD's recommendation and are very happy with it so far. My dd is just five so, we have been making our way through the Earlybird Series with great success. I would love to continue on with Singapore throughout the years, right along with HOD, but I have one issue that I need to address. Math is my weakest subject area by far and I fear that SM may not be able to give me adequate direction (aka, hand-holding!) as we move through the grades. I am super-duper okay with LA and all other subject areas, but when it comes to math, I am shakin' in my boots!
Does SM have a reputation for providing teacher guides that will effectively equip me to teach and explain math to my daughter?
As a safety net, I have been using BJU Math along with SM in the event that I get lost along the way with SM. BJU offers a really thorough TM and it has been wonderful, but I would love to just select one math program and shed the other.
Do you think SM will work for us given my deficiencies????

P.S. My daughter loves SM and she seems very talented in the area of math...so relieved that she is not following in my footsteps, but rather her Daddy's talents!!!!

Thank you for helping, I appreciate it!

Candice

[dolphingirl]

The activities that Carrie has included for Singapore 1A/1B in Beyond Little Hearts and 2A/2B in Bigger Hearts are wonderful. If you feel like you would like even more guidance, the Home Instructor's guides published by Sonlight are well-written and helpful. You might be particularly interested in these once you hit 3A/3B and there are no longer math teaching suggestions in the HOD guides. They give you detailed instructions about how to teach each lesson, background information about the "why" of using their teaching methods/way of thinking as well as answer keys. Hope this helps!

[Candice]

That does help Kristin, thank you!
I will check out the Home Instructor Guides as you mentioned.

Candice

[Tansy]

I understand how you feel! But singapore actually helped me understand some concepts in math I never understood before! You may be surprized.
Lol
Tansy

[Mom2Monkeys]

I need the handholding as well with SM and I'm just ordering the HIG from Sonlight for 3 and up

[Carrie]

Candice,

I agree that the activities in the HOD guides will go a long way toward helping you teach the Singapore way. We've found that we don't need the Sonlight Home Instructor's guides for Singapore until around 5A/5B and even at that point they are more for reference than for daily teaching. So, at HOD we begin carrying the Home Instructor's Guides at 5A/5B.

Of course, if you desire more hand holding, you can easily order the Home Instructor's guides from 3A on up, however I just wanted to clarify that we've not found them necessary. You'll also want to make sure if your do order the guides to get the "Home Instructor's Guides" not to get the "Teacher's Guides" (as those are the classroom versions and are very overwhelming both in font size and in content)!

Blessings,
Carrie

[Candice]

Thank you, Carrie.
I will "play it by ear" as we move through the different levels of SM. If I notice that things are getting a bit bumpy/confusing (for me!), then I will certainly order the Home Instructor's Guide that HOD offers for sale. Thanks for the heads-up between the two types of Instructor's Guides. I appreciate your help, this board is the most helpful place.

Candice

[my3sons]

Candice - I just want to encourage you that I do think Singapore gives shorter, clear examples, and fewer problems overall as well. I have learned so much from Singapore about how to "think about math" rather than just do the next step. You can always get the Home Instructors guides if you'd like, but I'd just check out the textbooks first. Sometimes, MORE is just MORE, and not all that helpful, if you KWIM. More can sometimes just be overwhelming. Only you can know if the Home Instructors Guides will be a help or if they will give you a "too much" feeling. We're finishing 3B this year, and the textbooks have given enough information so far. It is nice to know there is more guidance out there though if we want it.

In Christ,
Julie

[LeAnna]

Are you on that Singapore rollercoaster again, Candice! Just kidding. I just wanted to pop in and say "hi"!
We have had our up and downs, with Audrey, and Singapore. But, just when I thought she wasn't getting it, she turned around and got it! I am going for year two with it! We will see how it goes!

LeAnna

[Candice]

Candice - I just want to encourage you that I do think Singapore gives shorter, clear examples, and fewer problems overall as well. I have learned so much from Singapore about how to "think about math" rather than just do the next step. You can always get the Home Instructors guides if you'd like, but I'd just check out the textbooks first. Sometimes, MORE is just MORE, and not all that helpful, if you KWIM. More can sometimes just be overwhelming. Only you can know if the Home Instructors Guides will be a help or if they will give you a "too much" feeling. We're finishing 3B this year, and the textbooks have given enough information so far. It is nice to know there is more guidance out there though if we want it.

In Christ,
Julie

Thanks Julie!
I have a habit of focusing on the worst-case-scenario instead of focusing on one day at a time (or one page at a time in this case!)!
After all of the helpful responses with my concerns about SM, I truly feel confident that we (I) will be just fine with the whole math issue. And yes, I want to stay away from MORE just being MORE. I was a bit confused as to what the various teacher guides/textbooks offered as far as teaching and helping me to implement, and now I understand that the textbooks may be enough to get me through. Thank you for clarifying.

Candice

[Candice]

Are you on that Singapore rollercoaster again, Candice! Just kidding. I just wanted to pop in and say "hi"!
We have had our up and downs, with Audrey, and Singapore. But, just when I thought she wasn't getting it, she turned around and got it! I am going for year two with it! We will see how it goes!

LeAnna

Hey LeAnna!

You know me too well!
It's interesting, Danielle is plowing through the concepts and even at this early stage, she is pointing out things to me! I am confident that she will succeed with any math program, I am worried about me! I love being able to voice my concerns on the HOD Forum though, everyone is so genuinely helpful. Feeling okay with SM now!

Hope you and your family are doing well!

Candice

[moedertje]

I agree with you and it's good to read this post since math was not my strongest subject in school and teaching it was my greatest fear. My ds loves SM so we decided to go with it, with the encouragement on the board. We are in book 1B and when we hit an area that needs more attention we just take a few days to do the hands on activities and I will have him teach things back to me. It's great when they take what they learned with the hands on activities in HOD manual and they apply it to real life. That is when you know they got it! This is the first time I heard about the difference in TM and HIG so I will keep that in mind.