Son Wants to Learn Multiplication--Math Mammoth or Singapore or ???

[umsami]

My 7 year old has always found math quite easy. He's not being challenged at all with Saxon 1st grade at all. I think he finds spiraling annoying at this stage because he tends to master things quite quickly. We've done Right Start as well, but at this point, Level B isn't challenging him either and I can't afford Level C at the moment.

He's really interested in learning multiplication. My husband showed him a few things...which he seemed to get...and he wants more.

So, I was thinking of either picking up the Singapore 2nd grade book or one of the Math Mammoth multiplication books.

Have you used either? Which did you prefer? Do you have another favorite resource?

[cbyrum]

We've used MM a bit for multiplication but the only part I've used so far is multi-digit so not sure how they teach the facts.

Something that may interest you guys is http://www.khanacademy.org/

He has some good videos to teach everything along with exercises he can do to practice.

[moominmamma]

I have a lot of experience with Singapore and love it, but I'm not sure it would be an obvious choice for this particular situation. They spend a couple of pages here and there setting up the idea that 5 x 6 means "five of the sixes" or "five groups of six" but other than that there's not much conceptual teaching at that level. After that it's just a question of working through a few pages designed to help with memory work of the timestables ... and that's spread over two grade levels with the upper timestables coming in 3rd grade IIRC. Further conceptual work on the associative and commutative properties of multiplication and how they pertain to multi-digit multiplication and mental math ... that comes later in the 3rd and 4th grade books.

If your ds has a good conceptual understanding of multiplication, then it's mostly a question of memorization at this point, and Singapore doesn't have a lot of repetition. If he doesn't have a good conceptual understanding I'm not sure that Singapore is really set up to teach that properly without working through bits and pieces at the various levels. 

So although I've never used it, I wonder if Mammoth Math might have something a little more suitable. Then again I don't think of multiplication as being very complicated. My kids were introduced to it as kindergarteners through various discovery-oriented manipulative based games in Miquon Math, and they seemed to just develop a natural facility with it. You might not need a workbook or program at all if you just keep following his lead.

Miranda

[AAK]

Since he is specifically interested in multiplication, I would go for math mammoth.  I would do the first subject specific book on multiplication.  She has 3 that cover multiplication.  Multiplication 1 covers the concept as well as fact memorization.  Book 2 covers long multiplication and why that works.  Multiplication 3 also includes some division and does more advance (related) topics like primes and factorization.  The books are about $5.  They include the teaching and the worksheets.  If it works well with him, you can get more later.  I like downloading the books because I can let my dd use/write in them and still use it for future kids or for review.

I have Singapore at home as well.  The multiplication concept is shown, but I think the focus is on the tables and on understanding that 5 x 6 and 6 x 5 are the same.  They do go over the "concept", but I thought it needed a bit of supplementation.  

Amy

[KimPM]

We seem to be having the same issue.  We have Singapore at home.  I've ordered Math Mammoth, but haven't received it yet.  Singapore just isn't doing it for multiplication.  So in the meantime, we've been just winging it and doing our own multiplication activities while we are waiting for Math mammoth.  Nice to know she has whole books dedicated to the various issues regarding multiplication, rather than just keep repeating the concept that 3x4=4x3.

[umsami]

Thanks everybody. I'm going to go ahead and order the multiplication from Math Mammoth. I debated getting her entire 1-3 blue kit--and still might, but I think it's worth the roughly $5.00 to give it a try. If it works for us, then I may go for the whole thing.