Singapore Math vs. Math U See--Need help for a struggling 3rd grader

[mindytom121]

My dd is struggling with Math U See. I can ask her what 6 plus 1 is and sometimes she just can't answer. I think she is confusing the concept with just doing it. The whole idea of using the blocks to be able to build what she is doing is overwhelming and confusing to her. We have used Math U See for the past three years and she is still struggling--she can't do any mental math or word problems. Multiplication seems a little easier because we have not used the blocks and have just memorized the facts. So I am thinking that we need to change to something else. I have noticed that many people use the Singapore Math and would love to hear more about it.

[Sue G in PA]

I don't know a bunch about Singapore except I like their word problems! MUS is very manipulative-heavy and is great for those kids who NEED that. Some do, some don't. Some are like your dd and just get confused. Perhaps just do what you've been doing and memorize the facts w/out using the blocks? You could get a Singapore Challenging Word Problem book to supplement the word problems. That's what we do for Saxon and MUS. I'm one to try and make a program work, pretty much trying everything I can, before ditching it. I did that w/ Saxon 54 with my ds9 before moving to MUS, which he loves. I hope somebody will chime in w/ Singapore info.