Singapore 6A/6B or Principles of Mathematics Book 1?

[creekmama]

My son is twelve and is going into the seventh grade. We are halfway through Res to Ref and almost finished with Singapore 5A/5B. I'm leaning towards going with Principles of Mathematics Book 1 in the fall when we complete 5A/5B. He is stronger in reading than in math, but his test scores have improved this year. (He scored in the Well Above Average and High Level ranges on the Terra Nova.)

He has learned well with Singapore. It's the only program we've ever used. I think he understands math concepts much better than I did at his age, and his computation has improved significantly. My reasons for considering a change are these: He's tired of Singapore and thinks the cartoons are babyish. I'm hoping the biblical worldview of the new program will spark his interest. He loves history. And he is my child who wants to know why, why, why!

So I 'd love to have some input from those who have started using it. Also, is there a teacher's manual available?

[Nealewill]

My oldest finished 5A/5B this past year and did RestoRef as well. We always do a little bit of math over the summer no matter what and we chose to move to Principles of Mathematics for 7th grade. I chose to do so because I wanted her to do both books 1 and 2 before going into Foresters for 9th grade. I am so far VERY happy with my choice. The books are interesting. My dd is learning a lot more than just math as well. And I like how it approaches a lot of the topics. For me, my other reason was a bit selfish, but I wanted her to start being able to do math more independently. I like that is it has a real live text book. I found that with Singapore, I would have to sit next to her a lot and explain things or find youtube videos that explained them. I didn't really mind to much but sometimes it was a drag.

There is a draw back though to this switch. The books is written to be completed over 36 weeks and written for 5 days a week. It can make for a long year! And I think the lessons are taking her close to hour some weeks because of the increase in reading. When she did Singapore, I felt like she got done in about 30 min or less each day most days.

I really weighted the pros and cons and am glad to be doing Principles in Math this year and feel like it is a great fit for her.

[my3sons]

You could definitely do either, depending on your son's needs. Singapore 6A/6B is harder than Principles of Mathematics Level 1. Carrie is in the process of writing a schedule for each of these, but they will not be out for awhile as she has her plate full with other writing projects that have pending deadlines. I am doing Principles of Mathematics Level 2 right now with my son Riley, and we are pleased. We are omitting the quizzes and the study days for the quizzes, and that is shortening up the guide nicely. So far, he hasn't needed those extra days. With my last son, I'm going to try to have him complete through 6B, as he has done Singapore since the beginning, and I think it is an outstanding math program. If he can't hang with it though, I'll have him do Level 1 of Principles of Mathematics instead. I am sure I'd like that as well! Both are excellent choices. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[Nealewill]

We are omitting the quizzes and the study days for the quizzes, and that is shortening up the guide nicely.

Very great to know. I was sweating the length of the schedule a little bit LOL.

[my3sons]

We are omitting the quizzes and the study days for the quizzes, and that is shortening up the guide nicely.

Very great to know. I was sweating the length of the schedule a little bit LOL.

Hope you are having a good summer!!! Hello from SD to you and your family!!! I'm so glad to hear you are enjoying Principles of Mathematics Level 1. It's great to hear feedback about this, as it's one of the resources I haven't gotten to use yet. I value your opinion - thanks for sharing!!!

In Christ,
Julie

[Nealewill]

Hello to you too.

We are having a great summer. I decided to let my kids do Swim Team and Tennis near my house. This gives them something to do while I work most mornings. We try to spend several afternoons at the pool or my kids get to play with their friends in the neighborhood. A few evenings a week we (my husband and I) have been training for obstacle course races with some friends of ours and the parents who are not competing have been playing with all the kids. My kids (and I) have been having a blast. This is probably the most busy but enjoyable summer yet.

I hope you and Carrie aren't too overwhelmed right now and have had time to enjoy your summer break as well! I am loving these sneak peeks. I haven't been online much these past few months since I have been so busy but I am drooling over each new resource that gets listed. I am also getting ready to set up my shelves for next year and can't wait to snag a few of my kids books - I just love reading them because the books are so wonderful!!!!!

[Mom2Monkeys]

We are using and loving POM1 for my 7yh grader ! I use the daily lesson plan Included with the two book set. He's learning so much and is really enjoying it. I didn't know what to expect but it's beyond what I could ask for. Definitely a winning choice. Singapore is strong too and I love it as well. POM is just also so interesting and I love the worldview included.

[funkmomma71]

We also have used Principles of Mathematics I (after finishing Singapore 5a/5b) and now are onto Book 2. My daughter didn't skip the quizzes, but we did cut out of all the study and blank days from the schedule, did it 5 days a week and got done in less than 34 weeks. I feel my daughter needs a 5 day a week schedule for math no matter what, so this worked beautifully for our family. For anyone looking to do Book 1, the author is producing a video course to go along with it, so that could help your students if they need a little more hand holding. I wish they had been available for my daughter, she would have definitely benefitted from the visual lessons. Oh, well. Overall, I LOVE the God centered-ness of the curriculum, it's not just slapping a verse here and there or using bible stories to teach, but rather it shows how math declares God's glory. I'm also glad to have a found a pre-algebra course that's S-L-O-W, it's allowing the concepts to sink in.