4th grade DD places in 1A or 1B Singapore

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MomtoJGJE
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Location: Gastonia, NC

Re: 4th grade DD places in 1A or 1B Singapore

Post by MomtoJGJE » Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:02 am

I don't know the difference between spiral and mastery and whatnot, but I can tell you how it goes with my DD if I just stick with HOD's instructions :) (Julie, we also have our biggest issues when I try to teach her a shortcut... I'm mathy too)

First she'll be introduced to a concept, she'll kind of get it and kind of struggle with it.... she'll get it with the hands on, but not the written, or vice versa (which is weird to me) Then we'll move on to a different concept, totally different, like from adding 35 + 7 to counting money or telling time. She'll get that with NO PROBLEM... then it'll do another concept that she may or may not get....then there will be a review and it will cover the original thing and she'll fly through it.

So whatever type of program that is...

She still probably cannot tell you basic math facts by rote memory.... but she the other day wrote out a math book where she did 1+1=2, 2+2=4, 3+3=6 and on and on until the page was literally full.

daybreaking
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Joined: Thu May 20, 2010 12:21 pm

Re: 4th grade DD places in 1A or 1B Singapore

Post by daybreaking » Thu Aug 12, 2010 6:22 am

Mumkins wrote:Wow. I want to bury my head in the sand. I just went and checked my order history and I did indeed order 1A and 1B textbooks only. :oops: No wonder we couldn't make it work for us! We'd do the HOD activity, then look at the book and think there was nothing to do. :oops:

I have no idea why I was certain I got the textbook and work book. Perhaps I thought I ordered 1 work book and 1 textbook. And I thought it made no sense even further because flipping from one book to the other for text and workbook didn't line up.

How did I miss that?! I think I have officially made my biggest HS blunder. :? :oops:
Don't feel badly! We've all made mistakes like this at one time or another! I have a homeschooling friend who ordered a certain book three times, because each time she forgot she had already ordered it. :oops:

Wife to one amazing husband and mother to two precious blessings from above:
ds21 & dd16

daybreaking
Posts: 312
Joined: Thu May 20, 2010 12:21 pm

Re: 4th grade DD places in 1A or 1B Singapore

Post by daybreaking » Thu Aug 12, 2010 6:40 am

Mumkins wrote:Would you recommend I spend time getting her to master her addition through 9+9 and subtraction through 18-9 and then retest her?

The Singapore I bought looks just like the stuff here, I purchased it through SL. It suppose to be the exact same stuff.
In my experience (I'm a former math teacher), as important as conceptual understanding is, mastery of the facts is absolutely essential to success in math. However, because of the way Singapore is designed, mastery of the facts is not needed when just beginning 1A or 1B. My recommendation would be to test her for where she stands right now and just begin Singapore at that level, while at the same time working on mastery of the facts on the side. If I were in your shoes, I would probably set up a 5-10 minute "flash card drill session" during the school day, working by families (i.e., the 7 family would be 1+6=7, 2+5=7, 3+4=7, 4+3=7, etc.) Once she masters one family, I would add in the next family. An alternative option would be to purchase a CD that drills the facts on the computer.

Wife to one amazing husband and mother to two precious blessings from above:
ds21 & dd16

Mumkins
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Re: 4th grade DD places in 1A or 1B Singapore

Post by Mumkins » Thu Aug 12, 2010 10:41 am

So should I just work on straight facts then and not use MUS? I like it because they had little tricks, like "9 it wants to be a 10" song. Where if you were subtracting 9, you'd think "subtract 10+1" You use the same principal with 8. Or doubles plus 1 for 5+6, 6+7, ect. But they've been through them before. Maybe we should just do flash cards. Subtracting is really hard for my oldest, even at a level like 7-3.
7 awesome kids!

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daybreaking
Posts: 312
Joined: Thu May 20, 2010 12:21 pm

Re: 4th grade DD places in 1A or 1B Singapore

Post by daybreaking » Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:59 pm

Mumkins wrote:So should I just work on straight facts then and not use MUS? I like it because they had little tricks, like "9 it wants to be a 10" song. Where if you were subtracting 9, you'd think "subtract 10+1" You use the same principal with 8. Or doubles plus 1 for 5+6, 6+7, ect. But they've been through them before. Maybe we should just do flash cards. Subtracting is really hard for my oldest, even at a level like 7-3.
I'm not well-versed in MUS and each child is so different, I hesitate to say there is only one way to learn the facts. For some children, the tricks are great and really help; for others, the tricks make it more difficult, as it's just one more thing to remember. For our family, we have found great success using Rod and Staff, which is a very traditional drill program, as our core program, and then Singapore as a supplement. I like the challenge and strategies provided by Singapore, but I've also loved how Rod and Staff has given our son "automaticity," speed and accuracy with the facts, skills I wanted him to have. I'm not suggesting you switch to Rod and Staff, but simply wanted to give an example of how a mixture of pure drill, along with Singapore, could be effective. I know many other families (Carrie and Julie are two) who just use Singapore and feel that is sufficient. Another factor to consider is that Singapore has it's own set of tricks, such as a number plus 98 is the same as the number plus 100, minus 2, and you might find two sets of tricks to be confusing to your dd. Just my two cents! Hope it's helpful. :)

Wife to one amazing husband and mother to two precious blessings from above:
ds21 & dd16

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