Category: Middle School Math

5th Grade, Curriculum, Homeschool, Math, Middle School Math, Reviews, S.T.E.A.M

Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 Review!

Little Learner and Mom

I received Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 from Timberdoodle Co. in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Hey, homeschool moms, it’s that time of the year when we are slowing things down and just relaxing. Here is the question do we really shut down? We all know the homeschool mom’s brain never shuts off entirely. We are always thinking about the next homeschool year or just reevaluating the current year. Right before we started our school year we were sent Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 by our friends over at Timberdoodle Co. In all honesty, we were still working through our current math curriculum and I wanted to finish it out. We finished his math curriculum in October and we picked up Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 as our review and started our journey.

Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 is being used as a review until we jump back into our spine in February. We received Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 Homeschool bundle that includes:

  • Homes Instructor Guides 5A & 5B
  • Student and additional practice books Grade 5 A & B

We aren’t new to the latest release from the Singapore Math family, we completed Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 4B over the spring/summer as a math review. My son really liked the colorful pages and the flow of the curriculum. If you aren’t familiar with the newest release let me tell you how they differ from traditional books. The new books are published by a different publisher in the US and the curriculum features all new material that aligns with the U.S. common core standards. Through my research, the curriculum is on grade level and will help students who are struggling in math or those who need a quick review. Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 can be used for students on all grade levels, students using grade 5 will transition easily to the next book which is Dimensions Grade 6. teaches the concepts but takes them to a more in-depth understanding.

How it Works

Let’s talk layout each student book has 6 chapters, and within those chapters, there are 1-4 lessons that follow this progression:

  • Chapter Opener
  • Task ( includes recall activity)
  • Learn (Teaches how to solve the task)
  • Activity ( encourages further understanding of a concept through hands-on activities and problem-solving)
  • Learn Together (helps student gain confidence with concepts with parent support)
  • Practice on Your Own (students work independently )

You can find full sample pages, placement test, and scope and sequence on the Timberdoodle Co Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 page.

The recall activity in my opinion is very important for your student to complete before starting the new material. The recall will alert you if your student hasn’t mastered the previous chapters before moving on. I wouldn’t skip this section. The chapters also include a chapter practice which in my opinion is like a chapter test, as well as:

  • Performance Task ( apply chapter skills to real-world problems)
  • Steam Project Work
  • Solve! Heuristic ( helps children learn how to solve problems in multiple ways)

I do like that there is a substantial amount of word problems within each of the lessons. In the student book 5B, the entire chapter 8 is solving word problems. At the end of the chapter practice, students will have the opportunity to reflect on how they fill they did on the chapter. At first glance, you would think there isn’t a lot of practice for the student but I assure you there is a lot of practice and instruction.

The homeschool instructor guide is a new feature for Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 the homeschool instructor includes:

  • Chapters Pathway
  • Singapore Math approach
  • Informative breakdown of the student book
  • Digital Manipulative (you receive this code when you purchase a home instructor guide)
  • Detailed Instructor guide for teaching the lessons
  • Answer Key

The home instructor guide in my opinion is one the most detailed guides I have ever seen, it doesn’t miss anything. It really guides you through each chapter’s lesson so you feel confident about teaching your student. I love all the extra hands-on activities and extra resources they alert you to in the other books such s the additional practice, mastery and beyond, and teacher assessments. The only con I would have would I would like to have the actual lesson my son is working on in my home instructor guide because it is a little bothersome to have to share his book just to see what he is working on. I have the answer key and how to help solve the problems but I would like the actual page.

The chapters average 10-20 days, it all depends on your student I personally wouldn’t recommend trying to cram more into one day than instructed unless you are confident your student has mastery. We are at the end of chapter 2 in 5A this chapter was 20 days and I added 3 days to that because I had him do the additional practice pages for a few lessons. I really like having those additional practice pages because it really let me know that he knew what he was doing. I also noticed while he was working through Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 that he was more confident about his learning and I saw him apply some of the skills he was learning in his lessons when he was playing online math platforms.

My observation these last 2 months has given me a lot of insight into our upcoming term. What I have noticed he is eager to learn and use the textbook. I also recalled these observations during the summer of how much he enjoyed using grade 4 Primary 2022, which has this mom wondering if we need to continue to use this for the rest of the term. Even as I write this review I am thinking more about this decision because I want my son to be excited about what he is learning. I feel like Primary 2022 is helping him review and introducing him to a new way to do the math. I actually printed out the spine curriculum we were going to start in January and compared it to Primary 2022 Grade 5 and I am seeing some of the same concepts being introduced.

I like that the Singapore Math Primary 2022 Grade 5 helps me review what I already know while challenaging me to learn new concepts. I also like that it teaches new ways of doing math!

Jai-10

What I am looking for in a curriculum is not only teaching procedure but also the why and presenting several ways to solve. One great example of this is Chapter 2 The Four Operations with Whole Numbers. I was shocked to learn that he preferred using area models for long multiplication. He told this method made more sense to him than the traditional way of cross multiplication, and he also he better-understood complex order operation problems. Now can I just be completely honest my child has been doing long multiplication since the 3rd grade and it takes him a few minutes to do problems. This kid was running through the problems in record time, I went to start dinner he had 8 problems to do and I was sure he was going to be working on those for 15-20 mins. I looked over my shoulder and he was closing his book in victory!

Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 is a new math curriculum being offered by Timberdoodle Co. If you order from Timberdoodle Co you also receive 100 linking cubes, 250 transparent circles, and fraction circles. The bundle again also includes the home instructor books for both student consumable books 5A & 5B as well as the additional practice books. If you are looking for a more holistic way of learning math that is colorful, rigorous, and multifaceted I highly recommend it. You are getting that same Singapore Math method teaching but redeveloped for U. S aligned common core standards that are also friendly to the homeschooler.

I am still undecided but I think as we work through Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 for the month of January I think we will come to some sort of decision in regard with we are going to continue with Singapore Math Primary 2022 Grade 5 and finish it out or move back to our spine. I am almost sure my son’s vote is to stay with Singapore Primary Math 2022 Grade 5 .

Until the Next Time,

Mom and J

6th Grade, Education, Family, Homeschool, Middle School Math

Brilliant: Premium Subscription!

Little Learner and Mom

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Ok so I am in the 40+ club and I try to keep my brain sharp by working on logic games and puzzles. So when presented with the opportunity to review Brilliant Premium Subscription I thought this would be perfect for me. Well, I was wrong…my husband who was laying beside me became curious about what I was doing and took over.

Brilliant is a digital way to bring STEM to your family designed to provide daily math courses in areas of

  • Mathematical Fundamentals
  • Pre-Algebra
  • Geometry Fundamentals
  • Geometry 1
  • Algebra 1
  • Algebra 2

Brilliant is designed to help your student think logically in areas of math, science, and computer science. The program is for students in grades 6th – Adult. What is unique about Brilliant is students will move along a learning path as they work on areas of interest. My student is a rising 6th grader, but he really enjoys working at Brilliant. I think what caught his attention was one exercise with balance beam math, he instantly recognized the concept and enjoyed reviewing this in a digital form. I really enjoy the logical parts of Brilliant my husband and I take turns solving them. I also like how Brilliant will send you emails of new challenges and reminders to log in.

Brilliant exercises take about 10-15 mins to complete, if your student needs to break from the course the progress is saved until they are ready to work again. Students can toggle between math exercises, logic, science, and computer science fundamentals. There are over 60 + courses in the Brilliant Premium Subscription which is such a great variety of STEM learning opportunities that your homeschool is covered when using the Premium Subscription. Brilliant is downloaded to all of our Apple devices and we all are working on learning paths. My husband and I are in steady competition over who can complete the new challenges first. Our son has sometimes beaten us to challenges, but it is okay because I love the benefits we are getting from Brilliant.

If you would like to read more fabulous reviews on Brilliant Premium Subscription be sure to check out the Crew’s reviews by clicking the banner below.

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6th Grade, 7th Grade, Curriculum, Education, Homeschool, Middle School Math

TabletClass Math: Pre-Algebra Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

As we move through our current school year my mind is always focused on the future of upper-level math for my son. We are pretty much set for this school year for math curriculums, but I have been wondering if we are on the right track for Algebra. I was given the opportunity to review TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra.

TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra is an online math curriculum with pre-recorded lectures. There is a student and parent portal, student portal is where your student will do their coursework. I really do like the parental portal it gives you an in-depth understanding of the curriculum along with answer keys. Once the student completes the course student you can print out a certificate. The parent portal is easy to use and gives you a pacing guide which I really love because it shows you the different levels of pacing from slower, average, and accelerated. Having this pacing guide will allow you to use TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra as it best works for your family.

TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra is a little long and reminds me of a traditional classroom lecture. Mr. Zimmerman opens the class by him teaching the lesson on a whiteboard, I really like this method of teaching because it encourages students to take notes. We are working on taking notes in our other curriculums and I am always on my son about taking accurate notes in his current math curriculum. I like how Mr. Zimmerman uses highlighting as he teaches the lessons, my son loves to highlight. I had my son watch a few of the videos and asked him what he thought of this teaching style, and if would it be something he would like to try, and he did point out to me that lessons are long, but he likes how Mr. Zimmerman writes great notes and teaches slowly each of the steps. I totally agree with his observations, and for this reason, I will pull this out when we are really struggling with a concept.

Parent Portal

How to Complete a Lesson

Students will take notes from the instruction video, I highly recommend you encourage your student to do this. After they watch the instruction video students will then work on the example problems, which are available to print out or students can work in a notebook. Once the student completes the first set of examples problems, they can go to the video that is marked for that section of problems and check their answers or correct the problems they didn’t get correct. I love this self-correcting option because Mr. Zimmerman walks them through the steps of each problem and your student can see what they did wrong and make the adjustments accordingly.

Student Portal

There are sixteen chapters in TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra currently out of those sixteen chapters I can honestly say that my son has had exposure to each of the topics covered. Now I said exposure not mastery, so with that being said will start from chapter one. One of the things I really enjoyed was Mr. Zimmerman’s tone of voice/pace, visual aids, and bits of humor in the lessons. I felt like he was having a conversation with the students rather than talking at them and rushing through the concept. My son watched the first video and instantly caught on to the concept being explained and didn’t feel overwhelmed.

What I found different about TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra is they really concentrate on those pre-algebra concepts that I remember in 8th and 9th grade. If your students don’t have the proper foundation for basic elementary skills, you will know right away once you start TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra. My son is almost 10 years old and works at a 6th-grade math level he had no problem looking over the topics we previewed, so I highly recommend you make sure your student has basic and early middle school math skills nailed.

Overall Review

I really like TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra it gives me that old-school way of learning upper-level math. Notetaking is a huge plus in my opinion because it is setting your student up for success with math and independent learning. The self-correcting alongside Mr. Zimmerman is also a plus because it not only helps your student to see their errors but also allows the parent to help students. The self-correcting also helps support your student with the organization. I don’t know how many times I have to tell my student to show his work in his current curriculum and have to explain why he needs to make this a habit. Mr. Zimmerman wants your student to show their work so they can review and better understand.

We will defiantly be using TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra once we finish our last 10 lessons in our current math curriculum to bridge the gap until we start our new curriculum in January. I would love to fit it into our rotation now, but I want us to finish these last 10 lessons first. I highly recommend this curriculum if you are looking for pre-algebra support. TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra also works well for those independent learners and for those families looking to help transition their students to independent learning. TabletClass Math Pre-Algebra tests and exams are also a big plus for me. I know some homeschoolers aren’t big on tests and exams, but I do like to have something that reflects that my student understands what he has been learning and use these results to help me with lesson plans and for his portfolio.

Be sure to check out the other crew member’s reviews of TabletClass Math by clicking the banner below.

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Curriculum, Education, Homeschool, Homeschool Family, Math, Middle School Math

CTCMath Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

I think the CTCMath is one of my favorite reviews to write for the Homeschool School Review Crew! We received a 12-month family membership and we absolutely love CTCMath it is a must-have for our homeschool resources.

CTCMath is an online complete math curriculum for grades K-12 grade. The online math platform comes with:

  • Instructional Videos
  • Customizable Printables
  • Parent Dashboard
  • Task Manager
  • Lesson Tracking and Self Grading
  • Record Keeping
  • Award Certificates
  • Fluency Games

This year we approached CTCMath in a different way, I decided to make the program a part of our weekly math rotation. Previously we used it as a way to supplement when my son needed help with concepts he was learning in his spine curriculum. This year we are starting from the beginning of the 5th-grade concepts and we are going to work our way through all the concepts in order from start to finish. I decided to do it this way this year because I want to pinpoint and find holes. So far he has been progressing very well and we have only hit one hole I am making sure we review this concept and have it reviewed.

Each week I assign my son 3-5 tasks a week and when he finishes those tasks I assign the next set. I decided not to do the diagnostic assessment when we first started because I really wanted to work through the 5th-grade concepts, just in case, the assessment placed him higher because this homeschool year we are focusing on mastery of foundations.

Since I have made CTCMath part of our routine math lessons I am sure to include them in my lesson plan and my son’s checklist. I set the task to expire in 7 days so he has all week to get them completed and I have his pass grade set at 95 percent and 3 attempts. My son likes to spread his task out but he knows to get them done before the week is over.

What I really like about CTCMath is how easy it is to use, the lessons adapt to your students, the instructional videos are clear, and give excellent step-by-step examples. Sometimes I will print out the instructional lesson and place the examples in his math folder so he can reference them back. I really like the flow of CTCMath because it is straight to the point and not boring. If you are looking for a lot of graphics and huge amounts of math gaming CTCMath has very minimal.

CTCMath provides extensive reports of your student’s progress that can be easily printed off and slid into a student portfolio. I also enjoy the 5th-grade checklist you can also print out and track your student’s grades.

CTCMath is an affordable online math curriculum it has won many awards and remains to be one of the Homeschool Review Crew member’s favorite online math programs. It can be used as a supplement or a full math curriculum. Students can do their lesson digitally or they can print it out. Highly adaptable students have access to all grade levels on their dashboards. With individual student logins, this is great for multiple families.

I highly recommend CTCMath for all students it is worth the cost and I really love how it has grown with my son over the years. Be sure to check out the other Crew’s reviews by clicking the banner below.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctcmath/
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ctcmathyoutube

Curriculum, Education, Homeschool, Math, Middle School Math

Math Essentials: Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2

Little Learner and Mom

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Have you ever found that one resource that was your #1 go-to when needing to supplement a subject? Well, Math Essentials is my #1 go-to for all things supplemental for math. When all as fails I know for sure that any of my Math Essentials books in my homeschool arsenal will get the job down. There was no doubt I was completely on board when the Homeschool Review Crew was given the opportunity to review the Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 I was definitely wanting to be a part of this review.

There are 8 chapters in the Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2, this newly revised 3rd edition is designed for middle and high schoolers. The Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 is perfect for my rising 5th grader because we are currently working on middle school math in his spine curriculum. Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 covers:

  • Whole Numbers
  • Fractions
  • Decimals
  • Geometry
  • Percents
  • Integers
  • Charts & Graphs
  • Word Problems

Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 can be used as a full curriculum or as a supplemental. Practice takes an average of 20-30 minutes a day with each lesson with a corresponding video. The company recommends you use the book daily for math success. There are 8 steps to completing lessons:

  • Review Exercises
  • Speed Drills
  • Work through review problems
  • Introduction to new material
  • Helpful hints & sample problems
  • Daily exercises
  • Correct problems

You don’t have to follow this layout, but I will tell you that it will make the lessons go by smoother if do.

How We Use

We use Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 as our daily math warm-ups or we use it on Fridays as our math skills review. The only difference is I work the review exercises on the board. My son and I play this game in which he works on his book and me on the whiteboard and then we check each other’s answers. I purposely sometimes get the answers incorrect so he can check my work and show me he understands the review. Sometimes I let him watch the lesson videos and other times I teach the lesson and then he works on the problems and I check them and help him with any problems he has incorrect. I do also correlate Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 with my son’s spine math curriculum for extra practice.

Final Thoughts

Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 is a great math review book, perfect for prepping for those end-of-the-year assessments and SAT/PSAT prepping. The lessons sequence nicely together so there is no worry about students developing holes in their math. I like that the lessons are short to the point and there are video lessons.

A great amount of problem-solving and logic activities. Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 is available in Spanish and Bilingual. If you are looking for a math supplement for your middle or high school student I encourage you to check out Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 from Math Essentials. If you are interested in checking out Math Essentials Math and Algebra platform code CREW2022 and try for free for 3 months.

Be sure to check out the other Crew’s reviews on Math Essentials by clicking the banner below.

Curriculum, Education, Homeschool, Math, Middle School Math

Unlock Math: Unlock Math Foundations Review!

Little Learner and Mom

Complimentary Product Received!

I have 2 words to say FRACTIONS AND DECIMALS!!! Talk about a major panic button hit for this mama. My son LOVES fractions, but we started moving into higher-level fraction lessons and I started to panic. Just as I am panicking I look over the coming lessons and BAM DECIMALS!! This mama was a nervous wreck until the Squad was offered the opportunity to review Unlock Math!

What is Unlock Math

Unlock Math is an online multi-sensory math curriculum for 6th-12 grade. Unlock Math was created by a fellow homeschool family, which is a major plus in my opinion. If you are like me I am also refreshing myself while my son is working through the lessons. We are working our way through Unlock Foundations. Unlock Math covers six math discipline areas and a foundational course. The five areas of courses offered are:

  • Foundations
  • Pre-Algebra
  • Algebra 1
  • Algebra 2
  • Geometry
  • Pre-Calculus

Students are engaged from the start Unlock Math provides interactive questions with a continuous review for long-term retention. All review questions, as well as tests and quizzes, also provide links for your student to review if needed. There are step by step guidance for each solution if they respond incorrectly. The parent dashboard is comprehensive there is auto-grading, pacing guides, reports, and parent resources. The student dashboard is detailed with guides and a printable math textbook. Unlock Math has fabulous online customer service and math tutoring at no additional cost.

My son is working his way through the Unlock Foundations curriculum. The Unlock Foundations is perfect for us at this time because it is preparing him for pre-algebra and finding gaps and making sure he has a solid foundation of fundamentals skills he needs in order to be successful in Pre-Algebra.

How Does It Work?

Unlock Foundations is divided into thirteen comprehensive units and within those units there are six to thirteen lessons depending on the unit. What I really liked about the Unlock Foundations is that the lessons include an introduction and printable reference notes. As the students begin the lesson they will work through 6 steps:

  • Warm-Up (Material from the day before)
  • Instructional Video (Introduction to new concept)
  • Practice Problems
  • Stay Sharp Exercises (Covers previous lesson concept practice)
  • Challenge Yourself (Stretches their math knowledge)
  • Quiz, Review Test ( Every 2-3 days 5 question quiz, then unit test and midterm)

Our Experience with Unlock Foundations

My son is working his way through the Unlock Foundations curriculum. The Unlock Foundations is perfect for us at this time because it is preparing him for pre-algebra and finding gaps and making sure he has a solid foundation of fundamentals skills he needs in order to be successful in Pre-Algebra. At the time of beginning Unlock Foundations my son was working on decimals in his math curriculum so we started with unit ten decimals. My son has some experience working with decimals but I wanted to see how Unlock Foundations Unit 10 Decimals would measure up with my son’s math curriculum so I had him work on the Unlock Foundations unit 10 decimals lesson first then the next day we worked in my son’s math curriculum. I was pleasantly surprised that my son instantly did really well and used several of Unlock Foundations terminology while doing the lesson. He had no issues with the concept and when comparing the two curriculums Unlock Foundations went deeper into the concept than my son’s curriculum when we got to a certain area in his math textbook he nailed the concept.

For the earlier units in Unlock Foundations, I had my son complete the quizzes first after I reviewed the concepts topics because I didn’t want him to have to work on concepts he had previously mastered. At the time of this review my son has worked on 16 lessons and will continue to work through Unlock Foundations.

In Conclusion

Unlock Math is a comprehensive math curriculum that can be done digitally, hard copy, or a combination of both. You can also use it alongside any math curriculum as well as a supplement. Unlock Math’s multi-sensory approach really appeals to my learning, it is not overly distracting for him and it is to the point and easy to follow. I have used it personally to refresh my math skills so I can better help my student. If my student finishes foundations earlier within our 1-year subscription we can move to another Unlock Math curriculum at no extra charge.

The cost of Unlock Math is $299 per student for the year and you need to select which curriculum works best for you. We will continue to use Unlock Math over the summer for our summer math enrichment as well over the Fall. I highly recommend Unlock Math for homeschoolers and if you have a student who is entering middle school Unlock Foundations is a great way to ensure they have full mastery of skills before moving on to higher-level math.

Until the next time,

Mom and J