Why choose Singapore Math Live?
 
1. Flexibility: Most of us homeschooling parents choose the Singapore Math® curriculum because of its excellent reputation for teaching math concepts while also building critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This is done by offering a wide range of difficulty level in the problem sets and by providing many, many word problems. As a homeschool parent, I know that I am not limited by that which a classroom teacher is limited by, and so I prefer to not limit my children to a "lower ceiling" in either quality or quantity of problems.
 
The set of books that Singapore Math Live recommends, which is the same as all four of my children used, includes Textbook, Workbook, Intensive Practice, and Challenging Word Problems.  Having this set of books offers maximum flexibility. There are plenty of problems for those who need repetition and practice, but the amount of problems assigned can vary based on the individual needs of each child. The depth and rigor of problems will allow every student to go as far as they are willing/capable. With the support that Singapore Math Live offers, students have access to visual/verbal solutions that help them learn how to solve even the most challenging problems. Students can be challenged to try problems that are beyond their comfort level because the solutions recordings are available when they need assistance.
 
2. Proven Excellence: As I worked through these books with my children, I was amazed.  I have a BS in Mathematics and my pre-homeschooling experience was teaching upper-level high school math, so I was thrilled to observe how the curriculum demonstrates, in a concrete/pictorial way, the concepts that my high school students struggled to understand. It is amazing to see, with an eye towards high school level mathematics, what is built into the set of books that SML recommends. I have a lot of first-hand experience with this set of books.  I'm extremely confident that completing them will give students a great foundation for success in upper-level math courses and will greatly enhance their critical thinking and reasoning skills.
 
3. Problem Solving: Word problems are a crucial part of the Singapore Math curriculum. The Challenging Word Problems book is considered by many to be an excellent source of word problems. I love the fact that this book can be completed by doing two word problems each day. I would strongly encourage all families to incorporate this book in order to have daily practice in completing word problems. Families who use SML support can ask their children to attempt the problems for an appropriate amount of time and then view the SML solutions recordings to see Singapore math methods applied to the problems. Frequently the solution is much easier than it seems when the correct strategies are utilized!
 
 
4. Cost-Benefit Analysis:Each edition of Singapore Math curriculum has support for teachers/parents and most parents utilize support of one type or another. For some, a written solution is enough. For others, having access to visual/verbal explanations is helpful. Singapore Math Live offers that level of support and the pricing is “homeschool friendly.” If your family follows the program that SML recommends, the total cost for your first child to complete Primary Math 1 through 6, including books and support, is $1025 (as of April, 2020.) Then, because of the re-registration discount and the ability to re-use the non-consumable Textbooks, the cost for each of the other children in your family, including books and support, is $510. As a parent of three college graduates/students, each of whom earned significant academic scholarships, I am confident that an investment in math education will open many doors in college admissions and in scholarship opportunities.
 
5. Results:Two of our children scored in the upper 99.5% of all students who took the PSAT exam and were designated as National Merit Scholars. Each of our three college students/graduates earned significant academic scholarships. They did not all choose STEM careers, but their options were not limited by their math achievement.  SML began offering support in 2015 and many parents report that SML support allows them to provide excellence in math education to their children. (See the “What Others Say” page on the SML website for those comments.)
 
 
Singapore Math Live equips parents to offer an excellent math education. SML provides students with instruction as well as visual/verbal solutions that model the strategies and methods of the Singapore Math curriculum. What if you knew you could provide your children with all of the necessary tools to have unbounded success in mathematics? The Singapore Math Live program is uniquely suited to help homeschooling parents to succeed in this endeavor.

I looked up those pages in the CWP book and I know why you're beat! Those types of word problems are exactly why I consider Primary Math 6 (when IP and CWP is used) to be an honors level Pre-Algebra curriculum! 

You're giving your child such an amazing gift by training them to think, to organize information, to see problems from a different perspective that allows them to solve each one. But the difficulty level of these problems is exactly why I made the IP / CWP Solutions Recordings. I sincerely hope that you are utilizing those videos to help you solve and explain the concepts in the simplest way possible. I went through the curriculum cover to cover with each of my four children before I felt like I was really ready to help others to see the best way to solve the word problems. So many times they are easier than they first appear, but it takes time to develop the ability to see the simple solution. 

What suggestions would I have... 
1. Set a time limit for how long to try the word problems before you use a solutions recording. Maybe you (and your student) just watch the first few moments to figure out how to get started. Maybe you (and your student) watch the whole thing and then turn it off and try to do it again on your own. Maybe you watch it alone and give your child hints. Maybe you allow your child to watch it on their own and then come and explain it to you. There are lots of ways to use it. And it's not cheating to watch the recording! I'm modeling thought processes that you can learn and apply in the future.  We want to give our kids the best and most efficient tools to do the job of solving word problems. Those tools are demonstrated on the Solutions Recordings. 

2. It's hard on you because it's hard on your student - all of the suggestions about modifying the length of the assignments can be helpful to both of you. You don't have to do every page in every book to have a great result. You don't have to do it at the pace that I lay out in the syllabus. If Primary Math 6 is completed at the end of 7th grade and your student starts Algebra I in the 8th grade, they're still on the honors math track that prepares them to take Calculus I as a senior in high school.

3. I remember feeling heaviness about starting again with my next student, knowing what was coming and how much work it would be. (I'm just being honest!) Of course, I didn't have recordings so it was all on me to learn and explain and correct and...it's a lot of work to be a homeschool mom!  But I can tell you now that I don't regret a bit of it. I'm so glad we finished strong, glad my kids have the foundation they have. I've heard it described as second-class fun. It's not always a good feeling to do it, but it is absolutely a good feeling to "have done" it. 

What about 7th grade? Well, you really can stretch it out through 7th grade, slowing down so you have less to do each day and there is longer to sit-and-soak on the different concepts you're learning. Or you can do the same curriculum twice. My guess is that you could expect more independence next time through  but that it would still not be simple for your student.

 
When I was homeschooling my elementary-aged children,  I loved the feeling of knowing that we were completing enough today in order to accomplish our year-long goals. So when I created SML, I started with a Weekly Schedule which lists the pages to complete in each book for each week. Following this plan will allow you to finish the set of books in 34 weeks. It's not broken down by day - just by the week so you can fit it into your schedule in whatever way works for you.

In our house, each day we generally did one exercise, one or two pages in Intensive Practice, and one page in Challenging Word Problems. Although most curricula comes in one big book, doing math out of three books means you can break math down into three bite-sized chunks each day! And I love the fact that students will have exposure to a couple of word problems each day. Over time, that will greatly increase their critical thinking skills and help them learn a lot of problem-solving strategies and methods.  These books provide the rigor that develop the excellent mathematical skills that Singapore Math is known for. But without support, many parents find this curriculum to be too difficult to teach.

Here's how Singapore Math Live can help you:

1. Use the Weekly Schedule to plan which pages to do each day. It's best to do about one Workbook exercise, one or two pages in Intensive Practice, and one page in Challenging Word problem each day.
2. The Class Recordings are a crash course for the teacher. Plan a time each week that you can watch the recording from start to finish or just watch them when your child is stuck on a homework problem in the Workbook or Intensive Practice book. When your children have questions - you'll be prepared to answer them!  
3. Before your child does an exercise in the Workbook, they can watch the corresponding "Student Recording." On that recording, Brenda uses Singapore Math terminology and strategies to teach them the concept. You can watch it together if you like, or you can send them to the computer to finish that part on their own. 
4. If your student gets stuck on a problem in the Workbook or in the Intensive Practice book, use the "Class Recording" for that week to find the help you need. Scroll below the recording to the comment section where the video is annotated so you can find the page you need help with.
   
5. If your student is stumped by a word problem, you can click on the "IP" or the "CWP" recordings for the solutions to all of the word problems assigned in those books. Again, scroll to the comments to find the exact time that each problem is being worked and explained. 
   

Note: The Intensive Practice book is divided into two sections per unit - practice problems and word problems. When your child is doing the Practice Problems, help can be found in the "Class Recordings." When your child is doing the Word Problems or Take the Challenge section, help is found in the "IP" recording. The Intensive Practice book gives more practice, which allows students to master the concepts. But it also provides the rigor that is necessary for a student to have an excellent math education. You won't have the results that Singapore Math's reputation implies if your student doesn't complete the rigorous coursework found in this book. But you will have plenty of help in the support recordings! 

The word problems are my favorite part of the Singapore Math curriculum! They really make you think. Many people write to tell me that although they can solve the problems, they have to resort to using Algebra skills to do so. When they watch the CWP and IP solutions recording, they see how to solve the problems in a much simpler way. The beauty of the word problems is that although they seem so complex, they are solved quite simply by organizing the information and using logic. The solutions recordings help you and your child to solve the word problems the easy way! 

So, at the first of each week, Mom watches the Class Recording and uses the Syllabus to plan the week. At the beginning of each day that has a Workbook exercise assigned, the student watches a Student Recording that corresponds with that assignment. If need help with the Workbook or Intensive Practice problems, use the "Class Recording." 

All of the help you need is at your fingertips! You CAN give your child the best mathematics education available and maximize their math potential!

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