Kim,Kim Schroter wrote:My 2nd grader is using Singapore math this year. Math is not her strength so we started with 1A. She has been doing great and we are so pleased with Singapore.
HOWEVER, we are at the end of chapter 6 and she is in tears and my brain is not comprehending this method. We put it aside for a week and did no math at all. I was talking to our neighbor who is a 1st grade teacher and she asked if we were using a number line for adding and subtracting. We went back through chapter 6 and used a number line instead of their method and my daughter is smiling and flying through the workbook. She said "Mommy, this is how I do it in my brain."
So now I'm left wondering... can she continue in Singapore without using all of their methods? (This was the first thing we encountered that didn't work for her.) Or are those methods the basis for the rest of the program and she'll continue to struggle? Any advice?
Kim
How wonderful that you took a break, sought out new ideas, and started again fresh!
I've not done Singapore 1, but to me the strength of Singapore is that it offers many ways to look at a problem. There is no formula to memorize, but instead a broader understanding of the functions of math. So I don't see any problem in using a different way to look at a problem.
I do know we used number lines at the beginning of 4A to illustrate estimation. I believe we used them earlier in Singapore to illustrate subtraction. Number lines are part of the "counting on" method of solving a problem, where to add 7 + 3 you can start with 7 and count on for 3 more (or reverse for subtraction). I'm not sure what level this is introduced at, but it is connected to the bar diagrams that Singapore will use to solve word problems. So don't worry that number lines will confuse your child at all!
However, in general, I believe that there are plateaus in learning math, where all of a sudden it all seems impossible to the child. But the next week, or the next month, once they have gotten past that spot, they laugh at how easy it all really is. It is very difficult to watch, for us moms who feel so responsible in every way. But most of us can't avoid it altogether.
It looks like you are handling this very well!
Julie