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We're going to be starting Singapore 3A soon with my oldest. The teacher's manual (Bigger) doesn't have the activities for math at this level so we need to get the textbook with it, right? Does the textbook explain the concepts? I'm not a math whiz and I've seen the textbooks for the lower levels. They seem to be just more problems without much explanation. We've been fine at the lower levels but I'm wondering how it will be as things get harder. Maybe it's me.
Thanks,
Kristen

I think from level 3 up, HOD recommends using the textbook and there are no more hands on explorations in the TM. I have found the Singapore textbooks to be good in their explanations, but I am a math person. So I don't know how someone who isn't keen on math would feel about it. Singapore does offer a home instructor's guide that you can get if you feel you need it. I'm not for sure if HOD carries the home instructor guide and can't find it in their store. I haven't used it before myself, but I have seen it recommended. If I were you, I would get the textbooks, workbooks, and answer key that you need first. Look them over and see how you feel about them. Then if you feel you need more, you could see about getting the instructor's guide. You might find that you do fine with just the textbooks for quite a while.

From level 3A on, you'll use the textbook and the pictorial examples in it. No more hands-on activities written in the guides. (But a few of the textbook pages tell you to actually do something to illustrate the concept. ) We've used level 3A & 3B this year, and I thought the examples did a great job of helping my son "see" the problems and why we're going to do what we're going to do. The pages lead you through several example problems. We followed the schedule in the appendix and it worked great for us!

Kathleen

Ditto to what's been said here. We have also found the textbooks to be fine for 3A on up. I find it is important for me to work through the textbook portion side by side with my ds, and then let him do the workbook portion on his own . It has been key for me to teach the problems the way the textbook does, as the problems then parallel that in their workbook. When I've gotten "off" and shared my own little way of doing things is when I've gotten my son "off". He gets it - completely the way the textbook describes. He loves math, and my middle ds doing Singapore does too. Short, to the point, lots of ways to solve problems, mental math - so many things to appreciate about Singapore. I think you'll find this too!

In Christ,
Julie