Blog – Page 8

Word Problem Wednesday – Rae’s Oranges and Apples

July 5, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

Summer’s here, but you’re missing your math? Don’t despair – we’ve got you covered. Check the site each week for one whopper of a word problem that’s sure to challenge!

This week’s problem comes from Fan-Math i-EXCEL Heuristic and Model Approach Primary 5 by Li Fanglan, published in 2008 by FAN Learning Publications.

Rae bought 100 oranges and 46 apples. After she used an equal number of oranges and apples for making fruit juice. The ratio of her remaining oranges to apples became 5:2. Find the total number of oranges and apples she used.

Submit your solutions and we’ll post all interesting strategies next week.

Last week’s problem and solution:

117 children took part in an art competition. 2/7 the number of girls is equal to 1/3 the number of boys. How many girls took part in the art competition?

How did you do?

Filed Under: Math Resources, Singapore Math Problems, Word Problem Wednesday Tagged With: Singapore Math word problems, Word Problem Wednesday

Throwback Thursday: If I had a million dollars, ok $1000…

June 29, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

Over the summer, We thought it would be fun to run some of the most popular posts from the past. When I re-read a post from the past I always take away something different because I am in a different place with my own experience. Perhaps you are as well!

I updated the cost of the materials to current 2017 prices (in bold) for the US Edition of Primary Mathematics, which are higher but include shipping on orders over $50. That puts us over the original $1000 threshold, but not bad…

For students that struggle, I would now recommend a recently published series: Visible Thinking in Mathematics with A & B titles at most grade levels that run from $12.80 to $14 each.

If I had a million dollars, ok $1000…

Originally published 6/20/2013

Recently, I received a question from an excited teacher who had just received a grant to spend on her classroom: “If you had a $1000 dollar grant and taught second grade, what would be the most important pieces of Singapore Math you’d buy?”

If I had a million dollars, ok $1000… here are two scenarios.

#1 Using the curriculum in 2nd grade as your main curriculum

A classroom set of the 1B & 2A textbooks @ $9.00 each, so if you had 24 students + 1 for teacher: 25 x $18 = $450 ($735)
Possibly a set of the 2B textbooks: 25 x $9 = $225 ($367.50)
A Teacher Manual for 1B, 2A & 2B: 3 x $21 = $63 ($88.50)
A workbook for reference and problem ideas for 1B, 2A & 2B = 3 x $9 = $27 ($44.10)
Challenging Word problems level 1 & 2: 2 x $8.50 = $17.00 ($29.40)
Intensive Practice: 1B, 2A & 2B: 3 x $8.80 = $26.40 ($38.40)
Process Skills in Problem Solving L2: $10.70 ($12.80)
Math Sprints Masters, Levels 1 & 2: 2 x $31 =$62 ($68)
Elementary Mathematics for Teachers by Parker & Baldridge: $29 ($33)
Place Value Strips: $12.50 ( $13.95)

That’s $625.80 (Currently: $1430.65 including shipping)

I’d spend the rest on linking cubes, base-10 blocks, place value disks or other manipulatives and containers to keep them organized.

Keep in mind that for Number Disks/Place Value Disks you’ll need about 20 each of ones, tens and hundreds disks per student or pair of students sharing. Many companies sell these:

Place Value Disks, 100 Ones Disks

Place Value Disks – 100 Tens Disks

Place Value Disks – 100 Hundreds Disks

#2 Using Singapore Math to Supplement another core curriculum:

Start a library at your school with one set of the textbooks and workbooks for every grade level at the school as reference (4 per grade level) x $9.00 each book – k-6 would be $36 x 7, k-5 would be $36 x 6 ($14.70 x 4 per grade level for grades 1 – 4 and $15 x 4 for grades 5 and 6)
A Teacher Manual for each level: $21 each book, 2 books per grade level = $42 per grade level ($24.50 – $31.50 each)
Challenging Word problems are $11 each and there are 6 levels (1-6) ($14.80 and $15.20)
Process Skills in Problem Solving vary in cost from $10.20 to $12.80 – levels 1-6 ($12.80 – $14.80)
SpeedMaths Level 1 – 4: $8.20 each (no higher than level 4!) ($12.80)
Math Sprints Masters, Levels 1 -5: 5 x $31 ($34)
Elementary Mathematics for Teachers by Parker & Baldridge: $29 several copies for staff ($33)
The Singapore Model Method for Learning Mathematics: $29 for grades 5 & up ($32)
Teaching of Whole Numbers by Dr Yeap Ban Har, Singapore’s renowned math educator, $30.50 ($32)
Bar Modeling A Problem-solving Tool also by by Dr Yeap Ban Har, for lower elementary. $30.50 ($32)
Place Value Disks: get plenty of ones, tens and hundreds. $15.95 per 100 disks ($7.95 per 100 disks)
Place Value Strips: $12.50 and other manipulatives (if you don’t already have them on campus). ($13.95)

What did I miss? Are there any books or tools that you consider “must-haves” in your Singapore Math classroom?

Filed Under: Math Resources Tagged With: materials, place value, Singapore Math resources

Word Problem Wednesday – Art Competition

June 28, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

Summer’s here, but you’re missing your math? Don’t despair – we’ve got you covered. Check the site each week for one whopper of a word problem that’s sure to challenge!

This week’s problem comes from Classroom Maths Problem Sums 4 by Casco Publications Pte Ltd

117 children took part in an art competition. 2/7 the number of girls is equal to 1/3 the number of boys. How many girls took part in the art competition?

Submit your solutions and we’ll post all interesting strategies next week.

Last week’s problem and solution:

3 pears and 4 oranges cost $3.80. If 1 pear and 1 orange together cost $1.10, find the cost of 1 pear.

How did you do?

Filed Under: Math Resources, Singapore Math Problems, Word Problem Wednesday Tagged With: Singapore Math word problems, Word Problem Wednesday

Throwback Thursday: Top 10 Tips for Using the Singapore Math® Curriculum

June 22, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

Over the summer, we thought it would be fun to run some of the most popular posts from the past. When I re-read a post from the past I always take away something different because I am in a different place with my own experience. Perhaps you are as well!

Top 10 Tips for Using the Singapore Math® Curriculum

Originally published 9/3/2014

I get LOTS of questions from teachers and administrators with questions about the Singapore Math® program. Recently, several fellow trainers have reached out to seek my advice (Wow!). One asked:

What would you are say the biggest 10 things to consider when using/implementing a Singapore Math curriculum?

Here’s my response. Did I miss anything?

Top 10 Tips for Using the Singapore Math® Curriculum

1. This isn’t the math most of us were raised on. It looks different and teachers cannot rely on their knowledge of themselves as elementary students. As such, the Teacher’s Guide is your math bible. You don’t have to read the lessons out loud as you teach, but you need to follow the sequence and pedagogy.

2. And that pedagogy includes Concrete, Pictorial, AND Abstract. Teachers are usually darned good at the abstract but above grade 2, not so hot with the concrete and pictorial. Yes, I know your students can solve the 3rd-grade word problems without the pictorial bar model, but if you don’t teach the bar model with content they know, you certainly can’t do it with content they don’t know.

3. Placement tests assess content knowledge. Keep in mind that a score below 80% on the Singaporemath.com Placement tests does not mean a student is not bright or capable – it does mean that they haven’t been taught the content yet. The Primary Mathematics materials are generally one year ahead of current U.S. materials and even bright students can’t just skip a year of content and expect to be successful.

4. When teaching Concretely, the SmartBoard is not enough. Students must actually use the manipulatives. Yes, they can work with partners, but students must use them, not just the teacher. Buy or make place value disks for whole numbers and decimals if you want your students to understand the content.

5. The equations are written horizontally to de-emphasize the process (that algorithm you’re so good at!) and focus on Number Sense. These mental math strategies are challenging for teachers as they were usually taught procedures only. Expect to practice the strategies yourself. Embrace the mental math!

6. Textbooks are not a curriculum. The teacher is the most important component of the curriculum. If you don’t understand the math in a lesson, how will the students? Read the Teacher’s Guide and prepare lessons. (See #1 – and below)

7. Get your own copy of the workbooks and work every problem as you expect the students to work them. It’s true that the Teacher’s Guides have the answers. You need the solutions to know if a student’s thought process is on target. In Singapore, 50% of elementary teachers have a 2-year degree – they aren’t math specialists either! The textbooks are designed to help teach teachers the math they need to know. (Same with any placement test you give: you work the problems first.)

8. Follow the maxim: Go slow to go fast. All teachers do not have to be on the exact same lesson at the exact same time. Sometimes you need to slow down and ensure that your students are understanding the content. In grades 2-4 it seems as though it takes f o r e v e r to get through the “A” books. Then applying the skills mastered in the “B” books is a breeze. (In Kindergarten and Grade 1, the “B” book will slow students down. In Grade 5, the books seem more evenly paced) Knowing what your students know and can do means you must be constantly informally assessing your students.

9. Rethink your Home Enjoyment. One big difference between the Singaporean and U.S. cultures is on the emphasis of mastering basic facts. Parents in Singapore believe it’s their job to do this. In the U.S.? Well, it’s the schools’ job. Just as we expect students to read very night to improve their reading fluency, so too should they practice math facts every night to improve fact fluency.

10. This isn’t your parents’ math either! (See #1) Many schools hold a Singapore Math night to introduce the new curriculum to the parents. Share with parents how the curriculum differs from what they’ve seen before, samples of the materials, some strategies, a couple of word problems and you’ll fend off weeks of questions and email.

Filed Under: Implementing Singapore Math, Math Resources Tagged With: adopting Singapore math materials, Singapore Math curriculum, Singapore Math resources, tales from the classroom

Word Problem Wednesday – Pears and Oranges

June 21, 2017 by Cassy Turner 2 Comments

Summer’s here, but you’re missing your math? Don’t despair – we’ve got you covered. Check the site each week for one whopper of a word problem that’s sure to challenge!

This week’s problem comes from Challenging Problems in Primary Schools – Intermediate by Dr Y H Leong, published in 2004 by SNP Panpac Pte Ltd.( Intermediate is for students in Primary 4 and 5.)

3 pears and 4 oranges cost $3.80. If 1 pear and 1 orange together cost $1.10, find the cost of 1 pear.

Submit your solutions and we’ll post all interesting strategies next week.

Last week’s problem and solution:
Gavin has 356 cards. He has 286 more cards than Howie. How many cards must Gavin give to Howie so that they both have the same number of cards?

How did you do?

Filed Under: Math Resources, Singapore Math Problems, Word Problem Wednesday Tagged With: Singapore Math word problems, Word Problem

Throwback Thursday! Successful implementation: Buying books is just the first step

June 15, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

Successful implementation: Buying books is just the first step

Originally published 12/17/2010

Schools considering Singapore Math programs in their schools frequently ask me what the biggest challenges are when adopting the curriculum. Let me give you an example from a third-grade classroom I visited recently.

The math period started with a mad math minute type of activity of either addition or subtraction, depending on where the students were working. For the lessons on multiplication and division by 8’s and 9’s, the teacher chose to list the tables from 8 x 2 through 9 x 9 on the whiteboard and have the students copy them down, like this:

Next, the teacher had the students make flash cards and quiz each other. Finally, in a class of 27, they played around the world. The game where two students compete against each other to see who can get the answer to the problem on the flash card faster.

The lesson in the textbook does include some multiplication charts. The textbook was open on the teacher’s desk and she did refer to it at least once during the lesson:

Primary Mathematics 3A Textbook, U.S. Edition:

Notice how the textbook draws out a student’s prior knowledge to show the patterns behind the computation?

The 3A Teacher’s Guide includes a more comprehensive lesson based on a deeper understanding of the number 8 and it’s multiples. I couldn’t find the Teacher’s Guide in the room.

(Click to enlarge)

Can you see the difference in the depth of a student’s understanding after the Primary Mathematics lesson?

Note that the subsequent three lessons are:

Multiplying a 2 or 3 digit number by 8.
Dividing a 2 or 3 digit number by 8.
Word problems that require multiplying and dividing by 8.

The sequence of lessons follows the same pattern for the number 9.

When I asked the teacher about the lesson, she essentially said, “Well, I didn’t think to look at the teacher’s guide. I’ve always taught this way.” She’s new to the school and only had about 2 hours of training.

Back to the original question. One of the biggest challenges for schools adopting the Singapore Math curriculum is the need for adequate training. If teachers don’t understand what makes Singapore different or if they lack content knowledge, they’ll continue to teach the way they always have. Effective training will give teachers an understanding of Singapore Math’s philosophy and approach and leave them with confidence in their ability to teach it.

Buying the curriculum is the first step. Successful schools invest in content-based training.

Filed Under: Implementing Singapore Math, Math Resources Tagged With: conceptual understanding, Singapore Math curriculum, tales from the classroom

Word Problem Wednesday – Gavin and Howie

June 14, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

Summer’s here, but you’re missing your math? Don’t despair – we’ve got you covered. Check the site each week for one whopper of a word problem that’s sure to challenge!

This week’s problem comes from New Syllabus Mathematics Strategies Primary 3 by Yee Fook Shiong, published in 2007 by Educational Publishing House Pte Ltd.

Gavin has 356 cards. He has 286 more cards than Howie. How many cards must Gavin give to Howie so that they both have the same number of cards?

Submit your solutions and we’ll post all interesting strategies next week.

Filed Under: Math Resources, Singapore Math Problems, Word Problem Wednesday Tagged With: Model Method, Singapore Math word problems, Word Problem Wednesday

Word Problems and Bar Models from Literature

June 7, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

I’ve enjoyed Denise Gaskin’s Let’s Play Math blog since at least 2007! I shared her site when the problems for Mr. Popper’s Penguins were first published.

She has a new book of word problems tied to literature: Word Problems from Literature: An Introduction to Bar Model Diagram

I immediately bought a copy for my Kindle (a steal at only $3.99).

Here’s a sample from the chapter entitled Moving Toward Algebra: Challenge Problems:

Denise provides step-by-step solutions with bar models. Here’s just a teaser of the solution to Han Solo’s problem:

This looks to be a great resource for some motivating and just darn fun problems.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Math Resources, Singapore Math Problems Tagged With: Model Method, Word Problem

Announcing: Jumpstart your Singapore Math® instruction

May 31, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

We are pleased to announce an intensive, two-day workshop for current and potential users of Primary Math and Math in Focus, as well as any teacher interested in incorporating these techniques into their own classroom, regardless of current curriculum. If you are:

new to the Singapore approach to math instruction…
needing a refresher to boost your math teaching skills…
wanting to incorporate the best practices from Singapore into your current curriculum…or
curious about the reasons for Singapore’s remarkable success…

…then this workshop is for you!

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | July 24-25, 2017

Click here to get all of the details on this exciting program!

Filed Under: Math Events, Training Tagged With: Jumpstart Your Singapore Math Instruction

Take a Moment to Pause and Reflect

May 18, 2017 by Beth Curran Leave a Comment

The last few weeks of school can be a challenging time. You might find yourself rushing to finish projects, complete curriculum and bring closure to the school year. In the midst of all of this end-of-year frenzy, many will ask students to pause and think about all they have accomplished and what they still have to learn, as a means of self-reflection.

Shouldn’t we ask the same of ourselves? Wherever you may be in your Singapore Math journey, reflection can be a valuable tool for continuing to improve your practice.

As you wrap up the year, take a moment to reflect on the following.

Celebrate the successes.

Maybe a particular lesson or unit stands out to you as one in which your students made the most progress or you felt the most confident with your instruction. Maybe you were able to reach that struggling student by approaching the concept in a different way or for the first time in recent years, your students enjoyed math. At the close of one of my lessons, I recall a fourth-grade student asking me if all our math classes could be like this one. Her comment caused me to pause and think about what we had done that she found so engaging and fun and I made a point to model more lessons in that way.

Think about how what you did made a difference and plan to do more of that in the upcoming year.

Acknowledge the struggles.

Recognize the areas within your instruction that were a challenge for you. Maybe your students really struggled with a particular concept or maybe you left a lesson feeling like you needed a do-over. Now is the time to pinpoint those stumbling blocks and think about what support you might need to improve your instruction in those areas. It was my first year teaching a Singapore Math curriculum. With hesitation, I approached a lesson on problem-solving using the bar model. It was a complete flop. Reflecting on it, I realized I hadn’t allowed myself enough time to practice with the bar model and develop the confidence I needed to answer student’s questions on the fly. So, I made a plan to practice bar modeling with Thinking Blocks over the summer. (Thinking Blocks is one of our favorite tools for model drawing. Find an interactive desktop version at MathPlayground.com and four iPad apps on the iTunes store.)

Accepting your struggles and using them as a means to grow professionally, will strengthen your instruction and ultimately, improve your practice.

Set a goal for next year.

Did you try something new this year that you would like to incorporate in more of your lessons? Is there an area within the content that you would like to improve your understanding and confidence? Do you have an idea about how to approach a concept differently? Take a moment to imagine what you want the year ahead to look like and set a goal to make it happen.

As you pack up your room and head off into summer bliss, know that you will return to the new school year with an awareness of all that you gained by reflecting on your practice.