Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Late on Math Discussion fo 6 yr old

I tend to focus on my older kids and I know you all have discussed supplemental (afterschool) math for younger ones. On Friday, DS6 told me that he thinks his worst subject is math, and it concerns me. I think his perception is due to working out of a textbook in class that is difficult for even me to understand. What is this tendency to make math a vocabulary labyrinth rather than working problems and mastering a process? It might sound old-fashioned, but is modern math becoming too verbally convoluted?

Anyway, I wanted to see what the current consensus was about Singapore (Intensive Practice books?--is that the recommended one?) vs. ALEKS if I wanted to get something for him for late spring/summer when schools almost stop working with kids. He's about 4th or 5th grade level (I think his text is 5th grade). Your suggestions are appreciated.

I'm sorry about your DS's troubles, cym.

Both Singapore and Aleks are good programs. There are pros and cons to each, depending upon your specific situation.

Does he (and do you) prefer workbooks or computer work? That's a key (and simple) distinguishing feature between the two, I think.

Aleks has a free trial, so that's handy if you want to see what you think of it before you pay anything. It does have a monthly fee, whereas for Singapore you only pay for the books you use, so for afterschooling, I would guess Singapore would probably be cheaper. (For full-on HSing, I think the cost issue would be less of a factor, since we go through the books pretty fast.)

Singapore tends to have a different slant on math than most programs I've seen. More "mental math." Fewer practice problems and less review. That can take some getting used to, but it is probably also good if you're trying to help a kid who is frustrated by the usual approach.

As for which Singapore workbook to choose:
* "Intensive Practice" and "Challenging Word Problems" are good if you want to challenge a child with more critical thinking work and less arithmetic--and sometimes challenge them a lot, because the problems can be downright hard. The arithmetic isn't hard, but you have to do some serious lateral thinking to figure out the solution!
* So if you're looking to push him in the area of problem-solving, then I'd recommend "Intensive Practice."
* If word problems are a good way to reach him, then "Challenging Word Problems" would be my first choice.
* If you just want to make sure he's got the basic math skills, then the regular workbooks are probably better.

If you decide you want Singapore, be sure to check their website so that you get the level of workbook that's right for your DS. 4A is really more like 2nd semester of 4th grade rather than 1st semester. The website tells you what's covered in each book so you don't buy the wrong thing and waste your money.

I know I'm not strongly recommending one thing over another, but that's because your needs and wants are what will distinguish between the curricula choices.

I hope I haven't totally confused you...

While I like Singapore Math, I am having problems deciding which books /levels I should purchase. I have mentioned before that I have bought 5 A and 5 B for DD at the beginning of her 5th grade, and 5A was a total waste of time and money. It would be nice to be able to go to a bookstore and have a look at the books before buying.
Other than that I think they are excellent:-)

On the Singapore website they have placement tests that you can print out and give to your child to determine the appropriate placement.

http://www.singaporemath.com/Placement_Test_s/86.htm

Summer

We are using Aleks for afterschooling to keep DS interested in math. His in class math is sort of a round robin approach of doing 3 or 4 concepts on each worksheet and then just repeating these concepts over and over and over.

The computer aspect makes it "fun" to him since it doesn't count against his normal screen time allowance. I like the presentation style in Aleks and the online tools it provides. You can also print out worksheets and such for additional review. One of the best features to me from an afterschooling approach is that when he signs on,he has to review the topics he did the time before. This is great reinforcement since it is often a couple days between sessions.

I did try Singapore a couple years ago for a summer. DS hated the worksheet approach since it felt too much like more school.

Both seem to be good programs though.

Good luck!

Thanks, all! Guess I didn't realize there's a placement test for Singapore. I'll ask DS to do it and see which level is appropriate.

I'm a little jaded about subscriptions for online programs...it seems like the minute I pay is the minute my kids lose interest. We subscribed to BrainPop, which the kids loved at school, but not at home. Then RuneScape--same thing. I'll have to see about ALEKS--his classroom has it, but they haven't worked on it this year; he's supposed to do it a lot next year.

Our DS8 is using Aleks. I don't have any experience with Singapore, so unfortunately I can't help with that.

Aleks is working well for us. We homeschool, had been using Teaching Textbooks' Algebra I until recently. I found some parts of TT that didn't work for us, and found Aleks when I was looking for a similar (computer-based) math program. Aleks does a lot of what TT did, and quite a bit more. It also addressed specific concerns I had about mastery of certain concepts that our son was having trouble with; in TT, he didn't get much of a chance to work on those before moving on, whereas in Aleks, he *must* master them before moving on, even if that means having to do 20 similar problems.

Also, I like that I can print worksheets and schedule assessements (tests) whenever I want. We live in a state that requires a lot of paperwork from homeschoolers, so it's also nice that Aleks has that end of things covered, right down to mapping what DS can do against our state's math standards. For our son, the whole pie thing is very motivating. One more plus is that Aleks does an initial assessment that is fairly in-depth, so before you even start you get an idea of exactly what concepts your child knows and doesn't know.

Tara

But it says to allow SEVERAL HOURS for secondary level test!
When?

Do any of you actually have at home books for 7th grade and up?
Is it true that they have challenge/word problems already build into them?

I assume you mean for Singapore, right?

We aren't at that level yet. But they do let you see a fairly detailed outline of topics covered in the book, plus they let you peek inside and see actual sample pages of the book. In my experience, the samples are very much what the whole book looks like. There have been no real surprises for me with their stuff if you check the website thoroughly and make use of all the help they give you.

I do know that all the books we have used (5 so far) have some challenge and word problems in them. They're just not as hard as the extra-challenging workbooks.

7th grade starts a new series though, so it might be different. I'd say check the website.