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 Singapore math opinions (currently 1,174 views) |
| markandangie |
| Posted on: September 13th, 2005, 2:52pm |
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Does anyone have experience with Singapore math? What are the pros as well as the cons? I'm using Ray's Arithmetic, but I have to come up with a lot of my own lesson ideas. It seems like the Singapore program emphasizes 'mental math' which I like. Does it provide a solid foundation in math? Is it mostly all laid out for you? Thanks for any help.
Angie
Mom to Jackson (6) and Madeline (4) |
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| Admin |
| Posted on: September 13th, 2005, 3:14pm |
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Posts: 1,794
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Angie, I think Singapore math is WONDERFUL, although I have to admit that I haven't compared it to anything else, at least not directly. I am constantly amazed at the kinds of word problems they have, that even at the elementary level make ME have to think a bit, and I'm no slouch at math myself.
Although it doesn't address the earlier grades, you might find the following page, which compares word problems in Singapore with other popular math packages, interesting: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/singaporeword.htm
Here are a few links to earlier discussions of Singapore Math, other math, & science we've had on the board, just so I don't repeat what's already been said:
http://www.abqhomeschool.com/cgi-bin/blah/Blah.pl?,b=1.7,v=display,m=1101858504
http://www.abqhomeschool.com/cgi-bin/blah/Blah.pl?,b=1.7,v=display,m=1089933156
And finally, not to overwhelm you, I'd be happy to show you all the Singapore math stuff I have if you want to take a look. The books are pretty inexpensive to order, only about $30 per year I think, and everything but the workbook would be re-usable for Maddie. |
Elizabeth
Mom to Eric (8 ) and Ruby (4.5) |
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Reply: 1 - 7 |
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| my3kids |
| Posted on: September 13th, 2005, 3:55pm |
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I'm wondering if anyone has switched from Horizons Math to Singapore and how the transition went? I love Horizons but I wish that she would do more thinking and "calculating" in her head, you know more thought prevoking type work. Don't get me wrong, I do love our math I just wish there was more to it I guess. I was never a math kid and I struggled through. I don't want her to go that road because at this point she really seems to enjoy it. She is six and doing Horizons 2nd grade and has not yet been challenged. Nothing seems to stump her, yet, but as I said earlier, it's all book work and not much mental math. Any opinions in this matter? Anyone whose made the Horizons/Singapore switch?
Amy
Katy 17, Mari 6 and Michael 4 |
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Reply: 2 - 7 |
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| Genevieve |
| Posted on: September 13th, 2005, 7:49pm |
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The pros are that Singapore is VERY mathematically sound and will build a fantastic foundation for mathematical literacy (at a day-to-day level) and for future success in higher mathematics.
The "con" is that it takes more thought--though not more time--than crank-an-answer, algorithmic-based curricula, but that's a GOOD thing! If you're at all nervous, there's now a good manual/guide in English for a teacher/parent for the first grade (1A) material and up. Every grade has a workbook and textbook, and there are also additional problem set books at http://www.singaporemath.com for more practice, if needed. Singapore does NOT do a huge number of basic drills worksheets, so you should get your math facts practice through a workbook of drills (which you can get at Learning is Fun, for example), if it's needed. Flashcards, computer games, etc., work, too.
The four Earlybird books are for Kindergarten, but all the material is repeated in the first grade books (with a slightly different focus, though), so the K stuff is really optional.
I've heard from a number of people that the first couple of weeks of switching to Singapore can be a little bumpy until both the parent and child get used to the new format and expectations, but then it is SO much better. *g* |
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| carolynb |
| Posted on: September 13th, 2005, 9:04pm |
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| We love Singapore math! Everyone else seems to have given you some good background information, so I won't stress you with more. Most of our close friends that were homeschooling chose to use Singapore, and after looking at it all, we chose that too. We use the regular textbook, workbook, and also got the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems for Sophie. There is more than enough to keep us busy, and it never gets boring for Sophie, Natalie or me. Good luck on your choice! |
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| Admin |
| Posted on: September 13th, 2005, 9:16pm |
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Angie, regarding whether the Singapore math is "all laid out for you." There's a teacher's guide you can buy, I only bought it once and didn't find it that useful. There's nothing that divides up the work into daily chunks. We just start and the beginning and work our way towards the end, slower in some spots, faster in others. We don't do every problem, selectively skipping when it's clear they aren't needed for understanding. There are periodic reviews that you can do to identify areas where more work is needed for retention. There are extra practice problems in the textbook that could supplement the ones in the workbook.
Amy, the sonlight web site has good overviews of several math choices, including horizon and singapore, that should help you in comparing them. |
Elizabeth
Mom to Eric (8 ) and Ruby (4.5) |
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| wardrus |
| Posted on: September 14th, 2005, 5:27pm |
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Math is my dks favorite subject. We use a combination of Singapore and Miquon. Miquon has helped them think about numbers in a more abstract way and Singapore gives them challenging practice. I could easily go with just Singapore but I found it after I had already implemented Miquon. Miquon uses rods and is more hands-on but I felt that it didn't give them enough practice. They are a good compliment of each other. Some think that a con of Singapore would be that it uses a metric system and not enough of the US measurements.
hth,
Jacque |
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| markandangie |
| Posted on: September 15th, 2005, 8:46pm |
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Thank you all for your input. I placed an order today with Sonlight, and I am really looking forward to using the program.
Angie |
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Reply: 7 - 7 |
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