Math Question

[alexfam]

My son has been going to a public school Kindergarten this year. After school son has been doing a little bit of work at home at his academic level. We have been doing Abeka Math grade 2. We will not be putting son back into school next year and will start homeschooling him. I want to use Singapore Math. My question is where do I start son. Since he is finishing Abeka grade 2 math should we start Singapore grade 3A or should we do 2A & 2B since it is a different program and new techniques?

Kathy - tx

[Charon]

My son has been going to a public school Kindergarten this year. After school son has been doing a little bit of work at home at his academic level. We have been doing Abeka Math grade 2. We will not be putting son back into school next year and will start homeschooling him. I want to use Singapore Math. My question is where do I start son. Since he is finishing Abeka grade 2 math should we start Singapore grade 3A or should we do 2A & 2B since it is a different program and new techniques?

Kathy - tx

Take the placement test. Don't be shocked if it is 2A or lower.

[Karin]

Agreed. But the "catch up" phase doesn't have to take a long time, either. I have one who did two grades of Singapore Math in one year because she was having fun with it. She's gone back to one grade per year, but that's fine with me. However, more than anything, make sure that your son understands it and can think it through, as that's more important. I was good in school when I was little, but I wasn't a math standout until I was about 11, after I'd learned all the math facts (in gr. 4) and then was switched to new math (totally different that the plain arithmetic I'd done for 4 years.) But, of course, I lost my math passion in public high school due to a crazy system, so I'm glad to see you're pulling your son out.

[WendyK]

Yes, go for the placement test. I don't think Singapore is more difficult, they just approach the order differently. For one thing they introduce all operations in the first year. We are currently on 1B and we just finished multiplication and will be moving onto division soon. I don't think they do that in most public school classes in first grade (I could be wrong though!).

[StephanieZ]

I'd buy 1A-2B to start with. You may get through all 4 books in a few months. It will seem easy, and will establish the thought patterns needed throughout the series. There are a lot of unique mental math techniques that are established early on in the series and I think it would be easier to just do it all than to try to go back and pick out the tricks/techniques that were important.

The books are so cheap; I'd just buy the earlier ones even if they are so easy that you end up skipping many of the problems. (Feel free to do evens or odds or whatever if it's totally review!). It will at least act as fact review/practice which is always handy at this age. Once you get to an appropriately challenging level, your child will slow down to a reasonable pace. Meanwhile, he can just zoom along for a few weeks/months.

NOTE: as you are zooming through, make sure to read the text sections before allowing dc to do the workbook. Make sure to use the assigned techniques until the child understands the approach to the problem and can use it. You will need these techniques later, even if your child could easily solve the problem using some alternate technique. Shortcutting these methods will cause grief later!

[alexfam]

I had son take the placement test for 1B. He got 80% correct. Some where just simple mistakes but other like Multiplication and division where haven't covered. Althrough I was impressed b/c he did get a few correct. The website says that with 80% he can move onto 2A, but we have decided to to 1B as a review and to also get the techniques down that Singapore uses. Then we will start with 2A. I have looked at what 2A covers and with some sections son will zoom through and with other it will be new. Thank you everyone for your replies.

Kathy -TX