SM question

[Truscifi]

Ds5 is working through 2A - we just started it last week. He was excited to start a new book, but he told me yesterday that he is bored and he didn't want to do the lesson. When I explained he needed to do the lesson to be able to do his workbook exercises he said he already knew that, then proceeded to do all the exercises for that section without any help. He has mentioned that mulitplication comes later in the book a couple times now as well, so I think he wants to skip ahead to that. My concern is that he might be missing some of the mental math tricks if I don't go through the lessons with him, which could make things harder for him later. So my question is: do I make him do the lessons and be bored, or just let him skip through doing the exercises on his own as long is he is getting them right? We are not supplementing with any other programs right now, just drilling math facts with flash cards.

:bigear:

[Blessedfamily]

My dd is strong in math, but I taught the lessons at that age because the Singapore approach and way of illustrating is solid. Then if she comprehended, I only required a couple of problems and we moved on. IOW, I kept it short.

[Truscifi]

I have been doing that, going through the lessons but only making him do a couple of the problems on each page of the workbook. But he likes the exercises, especially the ones that are set up as games. He wants to do them all. He just doesn't want to do the lessons. :glare:

[zaichiki]

When the kids show that they understand the textbook lessons (if they get all the practice problems in the text correct with no help from me), I'm willing to be flexible about whether or not they do the workbook. Alternatively, if they happen to jump ahead in the workbook and I see that they're doing the problems the way the textbook was teaching them, I see no reason to go back and do the coordinating textbook lesson.

If they get bored in a particular section I'll skip around in the book.
Example:
alternating days: Monday - a geometry lesson from that section near the back of a book and Tuesday - multiplication lessons from the front.

Or... if they want more we'll sometimes we'll do both lessons that day. It breaks up the monotony.

Have fun!

[Dana]

Are you doing the Intensive Practice books? The questions there are at a higher difficulty level and you may work with those instead...

[abbeyej]

Are you doing the Intensive Practice books? The questions there are at a higher difficulty level and you may work with those instead...

I agree. You could still go through the textbook (briefly, but to make sure he gets the instruction), but then assign Intensive Practice instead of the workbook. It's the same type of questions, but they're definitely more challenging.

If 2a is *really* too low a level, then you could just fly through the *textbook* portion as quickly as he wants to go (and if he's really getting everything right and understands the information, I see no reason not to do that), and skip the workbooks completely for now. Then whenever it gets a little harder, you can add the workbooks or Intensive Practice books back in.

[Blessedfamily]

Yes. We substituted the IP for the workbook completely. We didn't need to do all of the problems in IP, but they were more challenging than the workbook. It was perfect for dd.

[Truscifi]

I have not tried IP but I think based on where he is now I will go ahead and get it. I thought about not doing the workbook at all, but sometimes I'm not sure he really gets it just from talking about it. I like the security of seeing him do the problems himself so I can be sure. :tongue_smilie: And I know there are topics coming up that he doesn't know so I don't want to skip ahead. On the other hand, dh is a math geek and they do math for fun when dh is home with him, so maybe he does know it already. I guess I'll just play it by ear.

Thanks for the advice. :)

[Spy Car]

Have you considered adding MEP? There is no cost for downloading these outstanding materials (aside from the cost of printing them).

The methods are similar enough to Singapore to make it complimentary, but different enough to be a challenge. And the exercises, to my mind, require more creative thought/critical thinking that SM, so bright children therefore seem to respond well to MEP.

Bill

[Jen in PA]

I have been doing that, going through the lessons but only making him do a couple of the problems on each page of the workbook. But he likes the exercises, especially the ones that are set up as games. He wants to do them all. He just doesn't want to do the lessons. :glare:

This sounds like my dd. I am trying to stretch out our current books until we take a break at the end of next month, but she keeps seeing activities in the workbook that look fun, and she wants to keep going. Once we have worked on a concept in the text and/or workbook, I try to find extra practice pages with the "fun" activities either online or in workbooks I have picked up. I think we definitely jumped around in 2A and 2B just to keep things interesting, and it was not a problem.

[Cera]

What is MEP?

[EKS]

For 3A (which I think is like 2A in that it's a lot of straight arithmetic), I combined lessons and had my son do the practice set in the textbook instead of the workbook. Let's just say that that approach made 3A go really fast.

[Spy Car]

What is MEP?

MEP is the Mathematics Enhancement Programme. It is a British adaptation of a highly regarded Hungarian math program, and is aimed at improving maths education in the UK.

They allow home educators to use there materials without a fee.

The materials are notable for challenging students to think critically. And this seems to really appeal to bright kids. We love it as a supplement to Singapore, but it could easily be used as a "stand-alone" math program.

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm

Bill

[Jen in PA]

For 3A (which I think is like 2A in that it's a lot of straight arithmetic), I combined lessons and had my son do the practice set in the textbook instead of the workbook. Let's just say that that approach made 3A go really fast.

:iagree: 3A is the level I'm struggling to stretch out right now. Even doing it 4 days a week and supplementing with various things, I can't find a way to make it last much longer:D Some levels of SM just seem to go that way for us.

[Harmony]

Hi,

What is MEP? What is IP?

Thanks,
Harmony

[Spy Car]

Hi,

What is MEP?

I'll quote myself:

MEP is the Mathematics Enhancement Programme. It is a British adaptation of a highly regarded Hungarian math program, and is aimed at improving maths education in the UK.

They allow home educators to use there materials without a fee.

The materials are notable for challenging students to think critically. And this seems to really appeal to bright kids. We love it as a supplement to Singapore, but it could easily be used as a "stand-alone" math program.

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm

Bill

What is IP?
Thanks,
Harmony

IP stands for "Intensive Practice" and is a component part of Primary Math (Singapore). The IP books are more challenging than the "workbooks" at the same level. To my knowledge the IP books are not available yet for the newer "Standards Edition" (the one we are using) so we are using the IP fom the earlier US Edition.

Bill

[Truscifi]

MEP is the Mathematics Enhancement Programme. It is a British adaptation of a highly regarded Hungarian math program, and is aimed at improving maths education in the UK.

They allow home educators to use there materials without a fee.

The materials are notable for challenging students to think critically. And this seems to really appeal to bright kids. We love it as a supplement to Singapore, but it could easily be used as a "stand-alone" math program.

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm

Bill

When you use MEP as a supplement, do you just add it to SM or do you substitute some of the MEP exercises for SM ones? How would you plan a lesson using both?

[Spy Car]

When you use MEP as a supplement, do you just add it to SM or do you substitute some of the MEP exercises for SM ones? How would you plan a lesson using both?

I'm a very bad "planner." So I improvise. And mix things up a lot. But we do some form of math every day. Sometimes it is activities or games, some days it is lessons from one program, sometimes its mixed lessons from MEP, Miquon, and/or Singapore. Often I make up my own lessons based on ideas I've gleaned or invented.

I do think a great deal about what I'm trying to teach and make clear (and make fun) so there is "method" to my madness, but no master-plan anyone else could follow.

I feel that as long as the concepts re-enforce one another it's good to attack math from different angles anyway. The methods in MEP at this level are perfect for us, in that they are sympathetic to those in Singapore, but are different enough to be...well...different.

It is notable to me how very subtle differences in how a "problem" or equation is set up can change a child's ability to think the problem through.

8 minus 3, may or may not be understood the same way as "if there are eight cars" and three drive way, how many are left." To give but one small example. MEP and Singapore, and Miquon through Cuisenaire Rod work all get the children to think of numbers as values that can be re-composed. Singapore through the use of "number bonds" and MEP though inequalities (that include the "difference").

I also find the difference in the approaches keeps the enthusiasm up, and MEP particularly challenges children's thinking skills. Thus eliminating the "this is too easy" factor common at this level. And children tend to find it "fun". Like solving puzzles.

Bill