Singapore Math Review and Buying Guide for Parents
Detailed Singapore Math review, with all the information you need to decide whether Singapore Math is right for your homeschool. It includes a FAQ, tips on choosing the correct edition, kindergarten options, and if you want more information you can visit this website.
Why Singapore Math?
Singapore is smaller than Rhode Island, and there are fewer people there than in Wisconsin.
Is it really necessary to use math books from this tiny foreign country?
When Singaporean children wowed the world with their first-place score on an international math test in 1995, people began talking about Singapore’s math success. A husband and wife team decided to bring the Singapore Math textbooks to the United States so that American children could also benefit from them. As a result, the original Primary Mathematics series and its spinoffs are used around the world in classrooms and at home. Singapore math comparison is one of my top recommendations for homeschool math curriculum–but that doesn’t mean its right for every child or parent. Learn more about this amazing math curriculum, its features, FAQs, and buying guide to decide whether it’s right for your family. Dimensions Math is a comprehensive math curriculum for children from PreK through 8th grade. Developed by educators with extensive experience teaching Singapore-style math, the books are intended to be more familiar and accessible to American parents and teachers.
Singapore Mathematics Buying Guide
The Singapore Math homeschool math curriculum is available in several different editions and with supplemental teaching books. In this section, I’ll help you wade through all the options so you can figure out the best choice for your homeschool.
Step 1: Placement test
You should have your older child take the placement test if he or she is switching into Singapore from another country. Singapore’s scope and sequence is quite a bit different than other programs, so it’s perfectly normal if your child places lower than her grade level.
Step 2: Choose an edition
Parents have four different Singapore Math versions to choose from for grades 1-6. (See the FAQ above for details on kindergarten.)
- U.S. Edition Original adaptation of the Singaporean books, available for grades 1-6. Textbooks are in color through 2B, then two-tone after that. Includes cumulative review.
- Standards Edition Created in 2007 to meet the then-current California standards, grades 1-5. All textbooks are in color. Includes cumulative review. (Note that the Home Instructor’s Guide is nearly identical to the U.S. edition. Some parents prefer using the Teacher’s Guide because it offers more scripted and detailed lessons, but the Teacher’s Guides are much more expensive than Home Instructor’s Guides and have to be tweaked for home use. )
- Common Core Edition Newest edition, created to meet Common Core standards, grades 1-5. All textbooks are in color. No cumulative review. These editions are also somewhat longer and more expensive.
- Dimensions Math Singapore’s newest program. You can read more about it in my Dimensions Math review.
I personally prefer (and have used) the U.S. Edition, because it’s time-tested, focuses on the most important concepts, and covers them thoroughly.
Once you’ve chosen your edition, you’ll need the Home Instructor’s Guide (or Teacher’s Manual), Textbook, and Workbook for your child’s level, for both semesters.
Step 3: Choose supplemental books
If you’re just beginning Singapore Math, I recommend putting all your energy into fully using the three main components of the program (home instructor’s guide, textbook, and workbook) before adding on any other components. But, if you feel your child needs extra work in a particular area, Singapore Math has extra books to meet your child’s needs. Corresponding to each level of the program.