Singapore Math

[CindyK]

I will be doing BLHFHG with my 2nd grade son this coming year. I did Little Hearts with him this past year. We also did Singapore Math 1A and part of 1B. We seem to be struggling with Singapore though. I'm just wondering if this is usual and there will be a break through or if I should go with something else for math. We did Horizons K and he did fine with that. Singapore type math is new to me so I'm not sure what to expect. I thought we started out okay in Singapore but then in 1B I wasn't so sure he was really grasping what I was teaching. I really do want this to work for us but want to change if it would be best for him. I have Horizons 1 math books and thought I would let him go through some of that this summer...not sure if I should continue on with Singapore 1B this summer or not. With Horizons I basically explain and he understands and does the work. In Singapore I feel I'm guiding the whole way. Any thoughts on the subject would be very helpful!

Thanks!
Cindy

[netpea]

I'm not sure what to reccomend. My DS has been in Singapore from earlybird math through 5A. He struggled going from 1B to 2A. That seemed to be more difficult for him, so we took a break and worked through a 2nd grade math workbook from Walmart called Total Math then went back to Singapore 2A. He was fine after that, I think he just needed to slow down and back up for a bit.

[my2guys]

We just finished 1B about a week ago and after reviewing some things with ds and taking a look at 2A, I've realized that there are a few things he needs to work on before he can move on. So I've purchased the level 1 word problems and the extra practice book and we'll be spending some time on those over the summer, along with working through some of Rightstart B. He really needs to cement number bonds in his head and get those math facts down. He also needs to get more comfortable with word problems. I'm afraid if we just jumped into 2A in the fall without extra review, he'd barely be keeping his head above water. So we'll see where we are at the end of the summer. If we need to keep working on level 1, we'll just start 2A later on in the year. It seems from what I've read that 1B to 2A is stretching for many kids, so this is not unusual I'm guessing. And ds is my "mathy" kid, so I didn't expect to have to slow it down for him, but it turns out that I do. Which is the beauty of homeschooling!

[MomtoJGJE]

We went through 1B this past fall a second time to solidify the skills for DD1.... she would not have been ready to go into 2A, but after about 6 weeks of review she was good.

[CindyK]

Thanks for your responses! That does give me more hope. I'm wondering if getting the extra practice books would be helpful. When I hear so many others successful in using Singapore I really want to keep trying. Maybe give him a break from it for a bit as well as getting extra books for practice. Do many of you feel your children need the extra practice books?

I know most people don't need the HIGs but I'm thinking of also getting them just to make sure I'm presenting things right for 2A & 2B. Maybe after that I'll feel more confident without using them.

Cindy

[Mom2Monkeys]

Thanks for your responses! That does give me more hope. I'm wondering if getting the extra practice books would be helpful. When I hear so many others successful in using Singapore I really want to keep trying. Maybe give him a break from it for a bit as well as getting extra books for practice. Do many of you feel your children need the extra practice books?

I know most people don't need the HIGs but I'm thinking of also getting them just to make sure I'm presenting things right for 2A & 2B. Maybe after that I'll feel more confident without using them.

Cindy

I was going to suggest not switching, but considering the HIGs. It will give you extra presentation ideas in addition to the activities Carrie plans. Her ideas are great so be sure you don't skip those!!! But, I know sometimes, kids need to see things in many, many (many, many, many ) ways before they "get it"... and the HIG's could give you ideas WHEN NEEDED. I am rather uncomfortable with Singapore math as well, and I switched, but am coming back. But, this time, I'm getting the HIG for my own peace of mind. I was just not confident and wasn't capable to put into words what I needed to. Math isn't intuitive to me, and I sometimes just need that extra boost to know how to explain something that should be so simple, that I seem to just make difficult for my kids! For summer practice and review and challenge, I'll let them do some of the Intensive Practice and CWP from whatever level they have completed...i.e. We are starting 1B and 3A this fall, so we are using IP 1A and IP 3A. Once they get done with 1B and 3B, I'll let them do CWP 1 and 3...this isn't a necessary addition, but I like to continue math to stay fresh without moving forward too much in the summers. So this will serve us well.