I gave my almost-1st grader the Singapore placement test this week and realize just how weak her math skills are. After working through Lindamood-Bell for some reading-based issues, she has come miles from where she was; however, numerical concepts and math skills are weaknesses for her. We will most likely begin a 10-week part-time program at Lindamood-Bell learning center to address the math/numbers. She continues in speech-language therapy for her apraxia and language weaknesses. I am not sure if I should stick with Singapore (my goal was to purchase the kids' math curricula this week for our 1st year of HSing), or if it may be just too heavy for her. She is VERY prone to frustration and shut-down, must have manipulatives (which I liked with Singapore), and I was hoping to use Singapore since my 3rd grader will be using it as well. I am having second and third thoughts about how to best meet her needs. Back to the drawing board...and am so overwhelmed as a newcomer with the many options, even after a month's worth of researching, reading reviews, etc. Any suggestions? I worry I may not be the best thing for her next year Thank you as always! T
Have you tried Saxon? We are having awesome success with it. The repetition is wonderful, it eases them into the concepts and doesn't overwhelm them in the process. Now we do not do both worksheets daily I choose one and do it. My son loves the meeting book each day he has learned so much by doing it. I would not put her in a learning program for math. I would just try a different approach. All kids develop differently and learn at different speeds. Don't worry too much she is still young and will catch up in no time. You are the best things for her! The reason why is you know her best, you know what she can do, what speeds she works best at and you can customize anything and everything you use with her. Just relax and remember she is still young and it will all work out.
I am not much help on specifics because I am new myself, but I wanted to offer you a word of encouragement. I would advise you to take a deep breath and relax. Slow down. This journey is not a race. Personally, I think she is too young to be considered "weak" in anything! I certainly would not invest money in a tutoring program for her age. take a year of working at her level, one-on-one. Try to get comparisons with others out of your mind and focus on mastering ONE concept at a time. If after a year or so, you see little to no progress, then I might consider specialized help. But if she is able to make steady progress with you, (even if she is still considered 'behind' others her age) I would keep going with that! I would not even consider being highly concerned until about 10 years old! I hope this helps!
Singapore is a strong program and it is considered ahead by many people. I gave my kids placement tests last school year in a couple different math programs including Singapore and sometimes the results were 2 years different. So if you received a lower score on Singapore I wouldn't stress over it. It builds a solid math understanding. Many go right into pre-algebra after Singapore 6 which puts a child on pace for Algebra 1 in 8th grade. So if a child is a year or two behind it isn't a big deal. It is also helpful to know that kids in Singapore don't start first grade Singapore math until they are 7.
Singapore is a very strong math program. I have read many times to expect a child to test a grade or two behind their "grade" level for the program. As long as your daughter is working on her math skills and progressing, what difference does it make what "grade" it says she is in. She will learn best at the level she is at.
Thanks for your replies! Part of my hangup with grade level is that if we do return to traditional schooling, I just want her to be prepared and not be behind. As far as the learning center, unfortunately part of her language disorder has affected numerical concepts and processing, so it is more of a therapy in the way of her speech therapy rather than being what we may consider a traditional learning center like Sylvan, which is tutoring. I hope I made sense If we go with Singapore, should I start with the Early Bird, or start with 1A do you think...or maybe start with 1A and if we need to go back, we can? Maybe I will check out Saxon again for her...egads, decisions, decisions!
If the placement test showed she is ready for 1A I would start there. Otherwise I would start with the earlier math. However, if she is struggling with math skills I might opt for the easier one to build her confidence. I haven't used it, but maybe something like Mathusee would fit her better. Maybe a more visual approach would work for now because of the language issues.
Embassy, I had considered MUS...have you used it by any chance? It seems like a significant amount of prep work - would you happen to know if this is the case? I worry - my LO will be walking here soon, and everything I have for my 3rd grader and 1st grader is very hands-on for me. I worry about not being able to have the amount of time to sit down and watch the DVD lessons, deal with overlays, etc. Hopefully I am just overreacting though!
No, I haven't used it. Maybe someone else here has used it that can comment on the amount of prep time it takes.
Don't be worried if your child is weak in math. She is very young. If you consistently teach her every day, she will catch up no matter what level she is at now. My daughter used to be very weak in math - she couldn't even add 2 single digit numbers in her head together when she was 7 years old (for example 5 + 6). But we never gave up our belief in her. She is doing Singapore math. Although it takes her longer than her peers to understand concepts, she is catching up steadily every day. In fact, she can now multiply a double digit number by a single digit number in her head (without using a pencil and paper) - for example 47 x 8. And she is only 10 years old now. It is really amazing the progress she has made. The key is to do math consistently every day and your child will surely ace math one day. Good Luck!
Thanks, all! Kris, what an inspirational little girl you have! Sounds like she has a great teacher, too Thanks for your story
I just want to second the endorsement for Saxon. I have heard that Singapore is very good, but I think for students who do not grasp math concepts easily, the repetition of Saxon is excellent. It is frustrating for those who have a natural mathmatical mind, but it provides a very strong foundation for the rest of us! Saxon presents each concept several different ways so if she doesn't understand it the first time, she will on the second, third, fourth or fifth presentation.
My only caution with Saxon would be if your daughter needs color/pictures to learn [i.e. she's a visual learner]. We tried Saxon in 1st grade with my daughter who struggles horribly with math...well, algebraic math anyway; she rocks geometry. Anyway, Saxon doesn't use colors or pictures because they see it as a distraction; I believe they call it 'visual pollution.' And, I'm sure for a lot of learners, it is. However, if your child is a visual learner, it's a nightmare not to have it. I actually liked Saxon for myself, but it didn't work with either of my kids. My advanced son needed something more challenging, and my visual learner needed something more colorful with pictures. So, I shifted my son to Singapore for a couple of years and my daughter to Bob Jones for a couple of years as well. However, if your daughter doesn't need visuals, I'd Saxon would be a good choice. Being a spiral program, it repeats the concepts over and over and so helps cement the learning.
Thank you, Shelley! That might be the one thing to really deter me from Saxon then right now. I have been looking into Right Start Math, and am thinking we may try this one. It sounds rather similar to Singapore, but perhaps a bit more "gentle?" At least I have my son's curriculum chosen, but am feeling the pressure to just settle on something for my poor little girl! I think I am also driving my dear husband crazy at this point!
Okay, first of all stop worrying she is in K! That means only starting out she should not have any "math skills" yet! YOU ARE TEACHING HER THESE THIS YEAR IN FIRST GRADE! SO STOP stop stressing okay? I get a bit upset when just because the media claims we need to push our kids to read at infancy people start to think they are behind before they start! IF you try to force math on a child they will rebel! When they are ready they will dive in and really enjoy it! DO NOT PUSH a K-1 to become math genious let them work with M&Ms and legos and block math tiles as they learn too! that hand to brain stuff is amazing okay? Sorry if I am yelling at you but its important.
I did try MUS and for me it was too much prep. Not tons but you're supposed to watch the videos and I had to construct "place value houses" posters for some lessons. I generally don't like program with too many components. Others are right telling you not to sweat it. Stick with Singapore and you'll be fine. The only thing I'd suggest if you want to try something other then 1A to start then give Miquon a try. It's heavy on real understanding of concepts and is a perfect foundation for Singapore. Use it exclusively for a year or two then switch to Singapore for 1B or 2A and maybe use Miquon as a supplement for a bit. Further on the Key to series (by the same publishers as Miquon I believe) makes another excellent supplement to Singapore if you ever feel the need to supplement. Honestly, it's what I wish I had done with my two and it IS what I will be doing with the third when he/she is of age. Between those two programs I think ANY kid would come out with a deep understanding of math beyond that of most of their peers. Hope this helps!
I looked at RS and it looks excellent. The only things that stopped me at the time were price and all the different components. Too much for me to organize and juggle I think. Again, I think Miquon would fill the same slot RS occupies but much cheaper and with less pieces. Other then that, TeacherMom is right. Stop stressing. Do lots of patterns and sequences by stringing beads, learn volume and fractions with baking, do jigsaw puzzles, mazes and dot-to-dots, play Cribbage and Math War...Your child will have fun, see how math applies to real life and come out ready to conquer Singapore with an understanding to rival Miquon AND RS.
Hope this helps![/QUOTE] I am sorry but I don't understand what kind of prep work am I not doing with MUS? My son watched the video, then did the work sheets, only prep work was making sure he had a pencil and a note book. and once a week or twice a week I checked his work. Singapore? isn't that just a text book? that would be more prep work to me. You have to teach it and work with them right>? with the MUS we just sat and watched video together incase he had questions and I helped explain a few problem areas he had. I am confused sorry.
Thanks for helping me see the big picture, tee hee! I am working hard to ensure that she is getting what her traditional school peers are getting, since there is a chance we will be switching back to traditional schooling in the future, so just feeling a lot of pressure, as well as very overwhelmed I suppose. I especially like the suggestion of baking...except my hips might not like it as much, hee hee! Maybe I will check out Miquon again. At this point I have checked out so many programs that I cannot keep them all straight without referring to my tons of notes! Heck, maybe I will just stick with Singapore, ensuring we have the manipulatives and plenty of fun, real-world examples of math. I *will* make up my mind before Monday night. I *will* do this!
