concerns about Singapore math

[Bramble]

I had a short experience w/ Singapore 1A and 1B.
For those of you who have used it longer, do you find that it works to only use the workbook (and textbook later), not using any of the supplementary books put out by Singapore? I have read that Singapore is meant to be successful when all parts are used. So I'm scared to go without them, I guess. (considering Singapore 1 for my 7 yo) I know HOD is not the only company to recommend just the text, workbook, (and maybe some drill.) I also know that Carrie includes activities at the younger levels, which I'm looking forward to!! What about the older levels? Is there more info in the textbook of those levels? or do we use the HIG?

Thanks!!!

[lmercon]

When my ds started with 1A, I did purchase the challenging word problems wkbk. and the intense practice wkbk. They both lived up to their names! There is also an extra practice wkbk. The HIG has blackline masters in the back that also provide extra drill practice. My ds is very bright in math and rarely needs much explanation, so I didn't purchase any extra books or the HIG for this year when we did 3A and B. Since I was a year ahead of the schedule, I did purchase the HIG last year. I really liked it. It gave interesting ways to start the lesson, reinforcement games, and additional practice. It isn't necessary, but helpful, especially if you are a year ahead of the HOD guide. The extra workbooks are great. They are not spendy, so if you think your dc could use more practice, I'd go ahead and get them. You can always use them for summer work, etc.
hth,
Laura

[water2wine]

Ok I am clueless. What is the HIG? Is that the teacher manual?

[momofgreatones]

It's the Home Instructor's Guide. I don't have one, I just know what it stands for!

[my3sons]

Here is portion of a past post in which Carrie commented upon the Singapore HIG (I'm just putting in bold because it was harder to read in italics - not trying to over-stress it or anything!) :
While you can easily choose to use the Home Instructor's Guide, if desired, you may wish to give the HOD plans a try as written first as we don't see the need for the Home Instructor's Guides until level 5A/5B and 6A/6B, and then only as a reference. Your level of comfort may vary. The Home Instructor's Guides are actually written by Sonlight, so you aren't missing a part of the Singapore program or methodology by not using them. They are simply Sonlight's version of a teacher's helper and are not a part of the Singapore program itself. If you have questions about the Home Instructor's Guides, you may ask on Sonlight's forum. We also do not use the new Standards edition of Singapore math, so our plans are not compatible with that version.

After teaching many other math programs to my oldest and then using only Singapore for my next kiddos I can see a definite difference in my kiddo's math education and level of mathematical thinking and reasoning. However, it does take time to see the beauty of the Singapore methods.

As always, you can always use whatever math program suits your children best without affecting the overall flow to your HOD guide.

Here is another portion of Carrie's comments in regard to other components of Singapore:

The actual Singapore program does not require additional components to be added to it, as it works well as written. The extra practice books and Home Instructor's Guides are things that have been written by U.S. based companies to add-on to the Singapore program to make it more supersized friendly (like we like our math to be here in the U.S.) While you can easily add any of these components that you feel your kiddos need, we've enjoyed doing math purely the Singapore way and have found it to produce excellent mathematical reasoning and amazing mental computation ability.

Here is another past post about using the HIG with Singapore:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4896&p=35879#p35879

So, while you can certainly add to Singapore, HOD's general advice would be to try it as it is first and then add the HIG if you feel you need it. Adding other components of Singapore is not recommended, but again, you certainly may do so if you so desire. As always, you can choose any math you'd like to do and be able to fully enjoy HOD still. I hope that helps as you ponder math!

In Christ,
Julie

[Bramble]

Thanks for all that great info. I thought for certain that I had read the "Singapore" way was more than just the textbook/workbook. I am always happy to keep it simplified!!