Struggling with Singapore.

[eandg81]

We are doing LHFHG with the 1st grade options and we school year round. My son loves school and has really enjoyed HOD so much except for the math. He begs me not to make him do it. We are starting subtraction and he likes that much better but it seemed like he didn't really get the addition. Is it ok if I have to help him or do I need to work on it until he can figure it out for himself? Should I switch to a different program? Singapore K is too easy for him but for some reason the addition in this book has him so confused. He can do anything that is laid out like 5+6=11 but not when they do it backwards like it is in Singapore. Does anyone else struggle with getting their kids to think the problems out since it's so different from what they are used to?

[pjdobro]

So are you using Singapore 1A and what are you using, the textbooks, workbooks, hands on in Beyond? The hands on activities that Carrie wrote that are in Beyond really help dc to get a good hands on feel for what is going on. Especially when dc are young, the hands on activities are really helpful for them to understand the concepts. If you can share more, then maybe we can help you figure out what's not working for your ds.

[eandg81]

We are using the textbook and workbook 1A and the hands on activities in Beyond. It's really hard for me to explain because I'm not quite sure what it is he isn't understanding. He has issues with the problems that give the answer and 1 number and then you have to figure out what to add to it. Like if he had 1+5 = ? he could answer that but he can't get 1+?=6. Even when I try to explain to him and show him to use the different things from beyond like the cotton balls it's like his brain shuts down and he gets so confused. He is so smart but for some reason he zones out. I'm really wondering if it's more of an attitude problem or if he really doesn't get it.

[mamabeavabjo]

If I can give you any encouragment or advice, I will say stick with it. I have a degree in math, and I think that Singapore is more difficult for some children because they have to actually think and understand the concept instead of just memorizing or counting on (as in your example of addition). My oldest dd who is now 8, had difficulty in finding the missing numbers in the number bonds, but now that we are a few levels ahead all of the information is assimilating and she is catching on very quickly. If you aren't comfortable with math, the home instructor guide will give you a nice explanation as to what the goal is and how they are teaching it as well as some additional activities. Hope this helps and keep up the good work!
In Him,
Steph

[pjdobro]

I would try to hang in there keeping your attitude as encouraging and upbeat as possible. I would spend as much time as you need with the hands on so that he feels comfortable with concepts even repeating the hands on for a few days if he needs it and then do the workbook page. You shouldn't need the textbook at all when using the hands on in Beyond plus the workbook. I would continue to help him if needed as well. So if given the problem 1+?=6 frustrates him, I would help him by demonstrating this with manipulatives. Work through several examples showing him how to figure it out with the manipulatives then let him try some. That being said though I really wouldn't worry about moving onto subtraction. I think it is likely that he will have an "aha" moment while doing the subtraction that will help him understand 1+?=6. Because he will begin to see that 6-1=?=5 so it will be easier for him to fill in the missing component. It will all continue to build his number sense and seeing how the functions relate to one another. The type of problem that you are referring to really is algebraic thinking, and it doesn't come naturally to many people. It might seem strange to be working with this sort of thing early on, but I think it really gives dc an advantage for later on. By the time they have come through the ranks of Singapore primary math they will have great conceptual thinking that even has them thinking algebraically though they aren't doing algebra. We haven't gotten there yet, but I really think algebra is going to be a breeze for my dc after learning how to think the Singapore way. They'll already be able to think about unknowns so when they are required to put it into algebraic language, they will be more than ready. By your signature, your ds is still pretty young too. I've heard others mention how 1A is typically started in Singapore when children are 7 so don't feel badly at all if you want to slow down the pace of 1A and take it at 1/2 speed. IMHO, Singapore is a great program and the hands on activities with HOD make it doable so I would try to hang in there.

[3sweeties]

To encourage you, my second DS also struggled with that same concept in EB 2 this past year in K, so you are not alone! He will probably get confused again when we get to it in 1A/1B this coming year. I agree with the other ladies to keep practicing at it! Maybe for a week, do some of those type of problems with manipulatives before your regular lesson, just to review the concepts with him. I found I had to do this with my older DS with multiplication and division this past year and it helped!

[eandg81]

Thanks so much for all of the responses. It really helps just knowing that others have been there. We school all year but we like to take a little time off once the pools open and it starts getting nice out here and I think we are all due for a break. Frustration levels are getting pretty high all around so I think we are going to take the rest of the week off to go to the pool and the zoo. He really likes to make a number line with chalk outside instead of inside with tape so we'll probably do that again and some of the other hands on things and skip the workbook for a while. Thanks again I really appreciate all of the feedback.

[Carrie]

The ladies are doing a terrific job of helping you talk through what to do! I agree so much with their wise advice.

I'll also add some clarification that may be of help to you as you ponder. One thing that is important to remember when using Singapore math is that the 1A/1B books do not correspond to first grade as we would typically call it here in the U.S. This is because kiddos begin first grade in Singapore when they are age 7. So, in Singapore 1A/1B is used by incoming 7 year olds.

With this in mind, I'm wondering if your son is experiencing frustration in math overall, or if it is more just this particular concept that has him struggling? It is not uncommon to struggle with new material, but it is uncommon to struggle in general with math if a child is placed correctly. So, if your son has been struggling in math for much of this year, I would definitely back him up to the 2B Earlybird Kindergarten Workbook and begin there, using the hands-on activities in the LHFHG guide. Then, I would move up and redo 1A. I wouldn't rush him, but rather do a lesson a day, because you wouldn't be "catching up" but rather be accurately placing him.

The Earlybird K books look easy in appearance but there is much more foundation laid within them than meets the eye. I just want to be sure that you haven't rushed ahead and will always be in over your son's head if you continue on this path. Math should not be a subject that brings groans. That is usually a sure sign that a child is placed too high. So, it's important to weigh whether the frustration with math is recent, as in this one concept, or whether it has been a year-long concern.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Jessi]

We used Singapore for both K and 1st. My daughter also struggled heavily at times in 1A & 1B (though mostly 1A). Number bonds are a pretty foreign concept in the US so it teaches math differently than most of us even learned. I love Singapore but my daughter really struggled with it and would cry often. I tried mutiple ways for her to get it and they just didn't stick. Plus Singapore (in my opinion) doesn't encourage memorization of addition/subtraction facts. By the end of first grade she was still having to mentally add and subtract even small numbers the good old fashioned way. Math took so much time.

So next year we are using R & S math for 2nd grade so that it will solidify the math facts for her and then we will move back to Singapore after that. I want her to have the lower addition and subtraction memorized to cut out on all the time we spend frustrated at math. The other issue she really struggled with was that almost all problems were written out horizontally. She is a visual learner and had a very hard time lining up place value that way. R & S math is mostly vertical which will help her gain confidence in learning her facts.

But I will say we are going back to it. Singapore is the best math out there. But my daughter needed a little more hand holding at this stage. I am disappointed we aren't using it next year and hope we aren't hurting the process but feel that it is the right move. Since Singapore doesn't start 1A/1B till kids are 7 I feel like we are nearly a year ahead. We didn't want to rush her headlong into the next level when she didn't have the number bonds down.

Anyway that's what we are doing. If sticking with it will work as it has done for all these ladies then great!! If you think you might need a change, that isn't necessarily a bad thing either. Good luck!!!

[MomtoJGJE]

It really really helped my oldest to understand better when *I* calmed down, realized that she had never seen this stuff written down before, and I let her use manipulatives. Whatever was handy, but we also got centimeter cubes. SO, in a problem like 1+ ? = 6 I'd give her 6 cubes, and have her split it into two groups, 1 on one side and then count the remaining. It took her two times of going back through those problems after going to something else and then the third time she suddenly understood. Her thing is that addition and subtraction both almost confuse her. She has multiplication and division down pat! But don't be afraid to let him use helps at 6.... he will not continue throughout his years with Singapore math because he'll see the patterns and just learn it. More importantly he'll understand it.