math for elementry

[sally525]

does everyone use singapore? my children will be coming off progress in mathmatics and abeka(from their previous school) i was looking at horizons but my 8yro had gaps. so i got an abeka math2 to reteach him over summer then will retest. wanted to see if anyone else had this experience?

[mamas4bugs]

We used Singapore for K-3, but then switched. It just wasn't a great fit for either of my boys. My 12 year old uses Abeka and the 9 year old uses Horizons. They both are doing very well.

I will say, though, that the math boxes in HOD are written with hands on activities designed to go with Singapore in the younger grades (I don't remember at what guide that stops). You certainly have the flexibility to use a different program (we do ), but just be aware that the hands on activities might not match your curriculum, and there is the possibility that choosing a different program will add more time to your day.

For us, Singapore added more time to our day because it just didn't fit, but each family is different. If you wanted to use Horizons, could you just place your son at the level he tested into? Just a thought.

[Dustybug]

We will be doing LHFHG in the fall and for MONTHS I haven't been able to decide whether to use Singapore or Horizons. I just feel uneasy about a lot of aspects of Singapore, but many people say that is great. I even already own the Earlybird workbooks for LHFHG, but am still thinking about purchasing Horizons K. I've thought about using Singapore until 3rd since Carrie has the hands on activities and then switching, but I'm worried about that causing confusion.

[sally525]

for some reason singapore intimidates me! i had my big boy test on horizons and he was behind a grade. so i thought i would work with him over the summer and retest. in his school they used progress in mathematics anyone ever use that?

[Larissa]

I've used Abeka, Rod and Staff, Horizons, and Singapore.

It wasn't until we switched to Singapore that a light came on for my son. He would cry every time I broke out the math book until we switched to Singapore. He will now tell you that Math is his favorite subject.

I love how Singapore requires them to think about how to solve the problem. You won't necessarily see a page full of 30 problems that are exactly the same way. The mental math is amazing. Even my young 1st grader can do (what I consider) difficult math problems in his head rather quickly. I love how singapore uses different words to ask the same question, so that the child has to think about how to solve the problem. Both of my sons are doing very well with it and I've never felt the need to supplement it. There is absolutely value to memorizing math facts - and I will have all of my children spend time memorizing the multiplication tables, however, I love that the emphasis is on thinking about how to solve problems. Don't be intimidated by Singapore Math - don't let that be a reason not to try it. Now that I've spent 3 years doing Singapore - and have seen the amazing results - I couldn't imagine switching!

[mamas4bugs]

It's so funny how different kids are! My oldest son cried every time we brought out the math books until we switched from Singapore. My younger son was fine with it--he's very mathy--he just liked the format in Horizon's better.

I think that in Dustybug's case, I would definitely encourage you to try the Singapore. The math boxes in HOD are written with activities that go with Singapore, and that way you can use the guides as written, which makes everything simpler. We had no trouble whatsoever switching either of my boys from Singapore to other math programs, so if you decide Singapore isn't your cup of tea, then I don't think you'll have any trouble switching to something else later (my youngest son went directly from Singapore 3B to Horizon's 4--not a glitch--some of it is review).

Sally525, I will say that I think Singapore is more difficult to switch into the older your kids get, if for no other reason than because the way they do mental math is so different than other programs. Which is not to say you shouldn't try it. I'm just thinking that if Horizons is a good fit for your kiddos, I wouldn't worry too much about your son testing a grade level behind. The latest Horizons program is for grade 7, and it is pre-Algebra, which most programs do in the 8th grade, so even if he is a grade behind in Horizons, that would still put him on track for high school math at the appropriate time. Just my thoughts.

[Mom2Monkeys]

FWIW, we tested out of Horizons 2 into Singapore 2A. Horizons didn't work for us because it didn't teach the WHY of math, only the HOW. My DD isn't good at remembering steps and likes to know the why of everything, so Horizons wasn't a good fit for her, although I did well teaching it b/c that's how I learned. Although, I didn't remember a single thing hardly...like borrowing in subtraction over zeros...oh my! I couldn't remember why a 9 went over one and 10 went over another and all that jazz until we got into using Singapore and Math Mammoth. NOW I know why and I don't forget how to do it anymore! My DD isn't a mathy kid, at all, but using Singapore (the method although not the exact program) has made her a very math-abled child and she has no problem doing the work- tear-free!

[Tansy]

I Find this a fascinating discussion. I think Mom 2 Monkeys nailed it! My youngest has just done Singapore math. It's amazing how she gets most of the mental math stuff. And she loves it! It was never a struggle for her ok one day this year we had tears. But then I discovered she was running a fever.

Now My older daughter is completely different. I have had a huge struggle with her, Singapore made her think of the why, and we have since found out she has almost no math reasoning ability. This was not! a good fit for her. Math.U.See was fine for a while, but then it got over her head. All the "new" math techniques they tried out in the school I sent her to for 1.5 years only confused her and dropped her down from 2.5 grade lvl to a K.5 lvl. (yes that is kindergarten)

Right now and over the last 2 years we have been using a technique called "Visual Math" it only teaches the "how to" and helpers for when you get stuck. It's perfect for her! Will she ever do Higher math who knows? But Multi sensory memorization is the only way I got her to learn her math facts, Rote memorization did not make them stick. And the Visual Math allows her to do any math problem she will typically encounter in a non engineering life.

Singapore really works but not in all cases The beauty of HOD is that you can add in or take out what is not working for the child.

[my3sons]

We use Singapore and love it, but I do realize it may not be for everyone. Have you given your dc the Singapore math placement test? It is free, and it is accurate as long as you don't help dc with it (this inflates scores). If you go to the following link and click on "placement", you can print the tests. Singapore is considered a year advanced, so most people begin a level or two below their dc's age as a starting point. Here is that link...
www.singaporemath.com

Here are a few threads about why HOD chose Singapore, in case you are interested...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4271&p=31537#p31537
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=112

I think you may as well give Singapore a whirl! You can always change if you give it some time, and it's not a good fit. I hope something here helps!
In Christ,
Julie

[Carrie]

The ladies are doing a great job of helping you, and as you can see again this is not a one-size fits all situation. One thing that we've often found to be true is that those families who started out with Singapore math, doing it without the hands-on math activities we have in our guides, can have some trouble. This is because one of Singapore math's weaknesses in the younger grades is the lack of hands-on activities. We have remedied this problem by writing our own hands-on lessons that truly drive the "why" behind the how in a bodily way in K-2 or K-3 year. Now, all kiddos may not need the hands-on part, but it truly does benefit most kiddos and makes math more enjoyable and less of a "mystery".

Once kiddos get to 3A/3B in Singapore math, we have the hands-on part bow out. This is because at 3A/3B, we move into one of Singpore math's definite strengths which is the visual-pictorial way that the concepts are presented. Once kiddos have had the great hands-on foundation, they are ready to move into the visual-pictorial method next. Then, as Singapore math progresses into upper levels it moves into more abstract thinking as it goes. Those who have the best results with Singapore math are those that have stayed the course with it. I agree that one math program is not going to fit all students, which is why there are many math programs that abound. I have just found with Singapore math that my VERY different learners each find success with it in different ways, and I don't push them to get to higher level concepts too soon, knowing that the higher level thinking is very challenging. It is also a program that I can keep up with on a daily basis with multiple students, as there are not mountains of problems or workbook pages for me to wade through with my child. I say this with all honesty, as with my math switching with my oldest son and also with my years in the public education sector, I have seen more than my share of math programs and seen how they work with a variety of kiddos! There is much to like in the Singapore way of doing math.

When visiting with families at convention who have multiple kiddos, we often tell them that for your older students if your current math program is going well don't switch programs. But, if you have a new 5-7 year old starting out, definitely give Singapore a look for that child as it is easy to start with Singapore and see how it goes. You may love it like we do!

For those families who have older children who are having tears over math each day, we do recommend giving Singapore a whirl even with older children. It can be a breath of fresh air in that case too.

As far as your child goes, if you are making a switch in math anyway, then I would definitely give Singapore a try and base placement on the placement test. In this way, your child will likely be in the window of getting to use the hands-on learning within the HOD guides, which is not to be missed if at all possible.

Blessings,
Carrie