Q for those who currently use Singapore Math...

[tammyw]

We are just now starting 2B. I have the Home Instructor's Guide (HIG) and the Textbook. The problem is I've never actually USED the Home Instructor's Guide. Barely even peeked inside. We've just been following along using the textbook. Is that bad? What do you get out of the HIG? I need to know if I should really be digging into the HIG or if others do what we do?

Also, does anyone find they need the workbook? Or would it be too much for most kids? We're doing well with the textbook, but just wondering if sometimes people feel they need the workbook for more "cementing"?

Btw, we are using Standards Edition, if that matters.

ETA: I see some people mention they supplement their Singapore with Math Mammoth. Why? I know nothing about Math Mammoth. How do you align the two?

[moominmamma]

We use neither the HIG nor the textbook. Just the workbook. We own the textbook, so that if we ever hit a stumbling block we have the explanations, but that's rarely happened. I've never owned the HIGs. They didn't exist when we started, and we did fine without them. (I started using Singapore Math about 10 years ago and ordered directly from Singapore. My first three kids finished Primary Math and moved on. My youngest is nearing the end now.)

My kids prefer to use the workbooks to the textbooks because the problems don't need to be re-written and because there are enjoyable cryptic self-checking exercises that vary in format. If your child is mastering the material without also using the workbook, that's fine. Both would be overkill for many students. It would have been for mine.

Miranda

[Mama Rana]

Of the 3, I actually find the TEXTBOOK to be the least useful. The HIG gives me the background to understand WHAT I'm supposed to be teaching and WHY, and gives ideas for getting the concepts across in different ways. I think the scope & sequence chart in the front also gives me a good idea for the timing of the lessons. For example, the chapter we started this week, we're going to spend almost the entire week on just two "lessons", and just a few pages of the TB and WB.
I'm not using the WB much right now because a lot of what we're doing now [1A standards edition] is review for DS. When I think he needs the extra practice, I'll either have him do the WB pages orally, or photocopy just one or 2 pages he needs.

So yeah, for me, HIG, definitely, WB, yes probably, TB, meh, we look at it, but I'm not sure how much we get out of it.

[kittywitty]

There's a guide? We use the workbooks and rarely refer to the textbooks.

[tammyw]

Hmmm, this is interesting. How is the workbook different from the textbook? To me the textbook is useful because it gives a few examples of how to do something then a bunch of problems to solve. I'm curious why others don't like it?

[linclane]

I found the workbook at a book store, and bought it to check it out. I intended to order the text book at some point. But we haven't needed it at this point. The workbook gives a few examples, which we look over together, then ds does a few pages of the math problems each day.

After reading this post, I'm wondering if I'll ever need to order the textbook afterall. Interesting.

[moominmamma]

Originally Posted by tammyw

Hmmm, this is interesting. How is the workbook different from the textbook? To me the textbook is useful because it gives a few examples of how to do something then a bunch of problems to solve. I'm curious why others don't like it?

My kids would rather have one self-contained book they can work directly in, rather than needing separate pages. They appreciate the self-checking puzzles, the "find the mystery word" or "join question and answer to put the animals in their own cages" or "follow the answer to find your way through the maze" type things. They add just enough interest without being distracting. They also like the spare, B&W presentation with plenty of white space in the workbooks. They're friendly, uncluttered and unintimidating.

My kids are pretty quick at figuring stuff out. They don't normally need much explanation. If they do, they prefer to just ask me. Since I understand math in a fairly Singaporean way myself, it's easy enough for me to answer them. They don't need the practice in both the textbook and the workbook; either would suffice. And they prefer the workbook primarily because it's consumable/write-in.

Miranda

[gini1313]

We started with 1b and are now in 2a. Dh has taken over math, but they only use the workbook. Dh is a math guy, but even when I (def not a math person) was doing it, I didn't feel the need for anything other than the workbooks...

[babycarrier]

We used just the workbook through 2a, during 2b a friend was kind and I borrowed her textbook and HIG. For 3a I have been using the textbook to introduce and sometimes the workbook to reinforce an example. Math is not a strong suit of mine and I find the text helpful as the math advances to explain. 3a has presented some of the first challenges for us so far and I think there is language in the HIG and text that helps me convey the foundation in a strong manner.
My youngest is in 1A and we are just using the workbooks again at this level.

[Lisa1970]

I have never used the HIG because it did not exist when I first started homeschooling. Then, initially, they said they wrote it to help those who complained that it was too difficult to teach math and wanted a more scripted program.

If your child already mastered the material and you are just going over the textbook for review, then I would not worry about the textbook. However, you are talking also about supplementing with Math Mammoth. If you need to supplement, you should first use the workbook intended to go with the program. Then if that is not enough, then add something else in.

I do want to throw serious caution out to you. Others warned me when I started homeschooling, and I did not listen. My child quickly headed for burn out, and we had to change. I know all the programs look so great. And when you cannot decide between two programs, it seems so tempting to cut one or both short and just use both. This does NOT help your child. This will burn out your child, plus, they never truley get the full use of either program. I tried Singapore Math textbooks with Horizon math workbooks when I first homeschooled. Big mistake. In the end, now, after many years of homeschooling, I have learned that while you may find many wonderful looking and tempting programs out there, you just need to settle on one and go with it. If you do not, you will burn yourself and your children out. They will end up hating the subjects, you may give up homeschooling, or you will change to adapt.

I have heard here many times over that Math Mammoth is supposed to be great. If you want then, just use that. Seriously, if you try it for a year and don't like it, you can always switch then. Not like you are committing for the rest of forever, even if it feels like that. Trust me, I know what it is like to be very curious about multiple things or wanting to try multiple things. But the absolutely best thing you can do is decide which you like best and go with it. Do the Singapore Math program with the workbook, or the math mammoth, but don't try to piece them together and skip a bit in each.

[tammyw]

Lisa - thanks for your post and insight. Fwiw, I've never really felt we needed more math than what we've been doing with the textbook, but since Singapore offers Teachers Guide, Textbook, and workbook (and since we're only using textbook), I figured I'd better ask if we're missing out on something, or that I might not be doing it "properly". I never found a good guideline on specifically what to order when we were first shopping (other than people said they only used the workbook if they felt they needed more, in which case most people said they didn't need the additional work). So I figured I'd better ask.

Same with Math Mammoth - I know nothing about it honestly, and don't have any desire to add more to our curriculum, yet I see posts ALL the time about people doing MM in addition to Singapore, I figured I'd better ask - I felt kind of in the dark, lol!

[AAK]

We generally use the workbook only. I have the textbook because I want my kids to also learn "how to learn" from a math textbook. As they get older, I use it more and more. I first have the kid read the text and try to understand, then we do it together and they get to ask questions, work problems in front of me, etc. Then they do the workbook.

I do supplement with Math Mammoth. I don't try to do both curriculums completely. But, for example, my oldest needed more practice with long division. She actually just need straight forward practice--she got the concept well but as the numbers got bigger she couldn't use her own method very efficiently so I grabbed the math mammoth division book.

I also like the real math stuff from the math mammoth site.

amy

[UlrikeDG]

I'm currently using 2A with my 3rd child (so I've used 2B twice already, and will be using it again soon), and we just use the textbook, not the workbook. I haven't missed a teacher's guide. There have been maybe a handful of times where I've looked something up online (e.g., the term "cuboid" the first time they introduced 3-dimensional shapes), but really, it's elementary math, not brain surgery.

I did buy the workbooks for 1A & 1B when my oldest was at that age. I found them unnecessary and didn't bother after that. My kids do some of the practice problems from the textbook (out loud or on paper), and that's plenty of repetition for them.

[craft_media_hero]

We are on 2A and went through 1A and 1B last year. We did not use the TB at all last year, just the WB. This year we have referred to the TB once or twice when dd needed a little clarification on concepts. We have the HIG this year and I will probably look through it just for different ideas, though we haven't needed it yet.

I think you can get by without it, but the HIG may be very helpful in understanding the Singapore Math method, not just answering the problems.

[umbrella]

We use just the textbooks (which look like what I'd call workbooks, and they are consumable). I've not felt the need for the guide or additional problems.

[Britishmum]

I have all the books, but only ever really use the workbooks. Even after three kids, the HIGs sit in the cupboard unopened. Same goes for the textbooks.

I did find that when we reached the 5th grade books we needed to supplement with something else, but really because there was nothing new or challenging in the 5th grade, just more of the same. The kids often whip through a grade in a fraction of the time that it is supposed to take, and also get bored with the same old stuff over and over, so I try to vary it a bit with other schemes.

We do also use the Challenging Word problems, which I like a lot, although I wish they'd alter the subjects of the problems to make them more modern and kid-friendly. Like, why not calculate numbers of toys rather than stamps or buttons or hair ribbons or chicken satay, even if just occasionally?

[phathui5]

I did read the home instructor's guide, but I never actually used it.