Sorry to be asking so many questions my first day on the board! Hoping your knowledge and experience can help guide me in a good direction for my babies! DS8 will be 3rd grade, is good at math, good with mental calculations, gets very bored with too much repetition (just diagnosed with ADHD along with his Tic Disorder, go figure), and happens to love the computer when he gets time on it. I was going off of some things I have read and thought I might use Singapore with Rod and Staff as a supplemental way to get extra practice. However, I just saw Teaching Textbooks, and wowsa! It looks SUPER! It would also allow me to focus on my 1st grader who has some extra academic needs, as well as have a little time to focus on the baby. (I am also a newcomer to everything and feeling a tad bit overwhelmed!) DD will be 1st grade and benefits from "pretty/fancy" things - manipulatives, colored sheets, etc. and also must have repetition. I was thinking Saxon, although it seems a bit "dry;" the repetition would be a good thing I think. If you have any input or suggestions, I would love to hear them. I really want to help my babies to love math, especially my DD, for whom math does not come naturally! Thank you so much! T
First of all welcome! I feel your pain..... We started out with Saxon, my kids have done fantastic with it. Now, that we are getting into a little tougher math (for mom anyway) we are moving over to teaching textbooks. I bought the Algebra and it is fantastic, I love the way the book talks to you. When you read the book its as though the person understands where you are and breaks it down so you understand. Makes me want to do algebra. LOL Saying that, Saxon has brought us leaps and bounds. A lot of people only do every other question in the practice but that is totally up to you. My kids usually whiz through it in 10 or 15 minutes. But, that is my children's strongest subject is math. I sure hope I didn't confuse you more. I guess it depends what you are looking for and how well you are in math. Up till now I have been able to answer the questions. I never considered changing until I purchased TT.
I haven't tried Saxon so I can't comment on that. I do know it's a spiral program. Concepts will be introduced and reintroduced through out the year. My daughter tried TT, I think 6, and we were both unimpressed. It no doubt does the job for some but she and I found that some of the questions were vague and some definitions were debatable. This isn't a huge problem for some, it's probably still a good solid math program but if you've got a son who loves math and is eager to learn I wouldn't go that route. Now Singapore I LOVE. It's cheap, uncluttered and easy to implement. Better yet it's full of challenge, heavy on mental math and getting kids to understand the concepts and I find my kids (and I) get a deeper understanding of math with each level. It's also a mastery program, as opposed to Saxon's spiral, which means one concept at a time and the child is to master it before moving on. I should note that I am tremendously biased as Singapore has taught me a lot about math and really made me love math myself. But I really do think it's one of the very best math programs out there. That it's not expensive is just an added bonus.
We are going to use TT for the third year. In fact Emily has already started it. She is using Pre Algebra now and unless something really drastic happens we will continue using TT. I love it and it frees me up to do other things while she is doing math.
My son's gifted in math. We started with Saxon [too spiral and too boring]. Then, we went to Singapore, which works well for kids advanced mathematically. It worked fine enough, but it got to the point where *I* didn't understand what they were doing; they did the problems in ways I had never seen before and made no sense to me. So, after a couple of years with Singapore, we moved on to TT. TT is also a spiral program; however, my son tested into a grade level ahead. He gets high marks on what he does, but he's had to do some thinking and has slowed down a bit. So, what you might consider is trying your son on the practice samples online in a grade ahead of what you might think. My daughter, who is visual-spatial, needed colorful math stuff in order to do anything. We did all right with Bob Jones for a couple of years [Saxon didn't work AT ALL with zero color or pictures]; BJ was very colorful and had lots of fun pics for her to use. Now, both are on TT. It's working well for each of them, so I'm crossing my fingers that we've found a math that works for a while.
Singapore would be my choice. We switched this year and it has been amazing. It really goes beyond the standard algorithm and teaches the why of math. My math skills have grown too. I was never taught to manipulate numbers in my head. I have to work to keep ahead of my boy's mental calculations and math was one of my best subjects in school. I wish we used it sooner. My son who didn't like math much enjoys it now. As he was going to bed the other night he wanted to be sure we would be doing Singapore math the next day. (We use Singapore about 2-3 times a week). I supplement with drill and conceptual math because my kids are working at different levels in those areas.
Wow, thanks for the insight! I am slowly but surely narrowing down the options, and I *think* Singapore might be right up DS's alley. You all are super - thank you SO much!
Singapore! Saxon can be too repetitive and not enough creative problem solving for a mathy kid. TT does not seem rigorous enough, nor does it contain enough novel problem solving, for a kid who might go on to higher math or science. ETA - Singapore used to have some computer games that reinforced the primary curriculum. You might see if they are still available. They could give you some free time as well! Then when he is a bit older, turn him loose on khanacademy.org or Alcumus on www.artoproblemsolving.com
Once I reached grade 9 I tanked in math, it was one of my worst subjects. But here I am in the same position as you, with growing math skills so that I'm now approaching algebra (we're into grade 7/8) with more confidence then I did in junior high. I think Singapore does as much for parents as it does for the children. Happyfamily (and Embassy if you haven't read it already) - One book I'd really recommend is Liping Ma's Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics. It's a fantastic resource on learning how to really teach the concepts in math and fits perfectly with Singapore. Amazon has it and if you buy your materials from signaporemath.com, they carry it as well.
I will say that my duaghter alternately hates and loves Singapore. That's because it's so challenging. There are times some questions seem beyond her and she gets frustrated. But when the light bulb goes on and she gets something it's a tremendous reward beyond what she with most of her other schoolwork. She really values the work she does in Singapore as opposed to the score she gets. I did recently read that an A on Singapore math tests is roughly equivalent to a 70-75% score. This is because of that challenging aspect. In Singapore the feeling is that if a child can get 90-100% then the work is too easy so do expect to encounter some questions that the two of you might simply throw your hands up at. But for me, that's the great part of it.
We came late to Singapore with my son - we started him on 5b in 6th grade to help him catch up and better understand some concepts. (we came out of Saxon math scarred and burned - did NOT like it at all.) THe problem was, if you do that, you miss a lot of how they teach some concepts, so doing some of the more complex problems can be an issue. They also keep EVERYTHING in Fractions, which was new to me but very neat at the same time. Makes the math quick and tidy! Since there was so much focus on fractions, we combined that with Keys To Fractions that year, and he scored in the 99th percentile in fractions that year. He did 6b and a 7th grade review text and Keys to Decimals for 7th grade, and was able to go right to Pre-Algebra for 8th grade with Teaching Textbooks. I started my girls on Singapore that same year, but they were in 3rd and 1st grade, so they got all the starter concepts, and the math texts are now much easier for my dd grade 6 to understand. She will finish 6a and 6b over the summer and for the start of 7th grade, then we will use TT to test her through 7th grade math to see what we still need to cover before pre algebra. But she seems really strong in math to begin with, so that could also be why the upper level of Singapore are easier for her. I personally like how Singapore is laid out - we use the Text, the workbook, and the extra practice for some more difficult concepts or review. All these systems have placement tests and samples on their websites if you want to browse that way, before you commit. I did that with my son - he does not LOVE TT, but it works well enough, so I though I would have him try the ALEKS program to see if that were easier. Ds HATED the interface and said he preferred TT, so trying before you buy is definitely recommended! Good luck!
Wow, Dan - good to know regarding the percentages! Gwenny, I am happy to hear your experience with it! I feel fairly confident that my math-oriented 8-yr old would come away from Singapore with an even stronger foundation, and hearing your stories helps me to nearly cement that choice. What would you recommend for a 1st grader for whom math does not come easily? I fear she needs the repetition a'la Saxon, though I worry about it being as "dry" and "staunch" as I keep reading about!
We used ABEKA for K-5, and then went to Saxon 7/6 and continued on up. We love Saxon. Yes, it is a spiral program, so there is always review of already learned concept. I happen to like that. We took a break from Saxon this year, and had our kids study math through the Potter's School. They use the Chicago Math curriculum. Hated it. We are going back to Saxon next year.
I didn't read all the replies and I know you didn't mention this one but my son loved Mcruffy math this past year. He was in 1st grade. You mentioned your daughter likes manipulatives and repetition. Mcruffy has both and the pages are colorful and fun. Just thought I'd throw in another option. Good luck in your decision making. I know it's really hard trying to figure everything out.
I'd still do Singapore. It's a challenge for kids that love math and a firm grounding and understanding for kids that are less sure of it. I have two VERY different kids with opposite approaches to math but they bot do extremely well with Singapore. For repetition there are quite a few free math worksheet sites or Math Mammoth complements Singapore extremely well and would make an excellent supplementary program. The other consideration is that you would get really familiar with Singapore if you're using it for all your children and the more familiar you are the better you can teach it.
Well Saxon doesn't have color, but it is awesome. My son has learned so much from it. We did McRuffy last year and well it started off great, but it was just not enough for us. He needed more repetition. Now Horizons has lots of repetition, has color, but you don't really use too much along the lines of manips. I think it moves way too fast in my opinion.
Thank you all! I *think* I am going to go with Singapore for DS8...still between Saxon and Singapore for DS5 (will be 1st grade). Math has proven to be a weak area for my little girl in K this year...in fact, she will be receiving help through Lindamood-Bell Learning Center in the Fall to help with her numerical imagery and math skills. Whether it is time, money, simple addition/subtraction, she is having trouble. I wonder if there might be something easier to start her out on to give her some success and confidence?
I was born in Singapore and so I studied Singapore math although we don't call it Singapore math in Singapore. We just call it maths with an "s". I moved around a lot including Canada and now I have settled down in Malaysia with my wife and 9-year-old twins. Malaysia is a beautiful country with lovely beaches with crystal-clear waters but sadly the public school education is not too good. I love my Singapore education so much that I decided to homeschool my kids using the Singapore curriculum. As Malaysia is just next to Singapore, I visit Singapore almost annually to buy the textbooks and workbooks. My kids love the Singapore textbooks too.
