Singapore Math Overview

Placement Tests

Singapore Math, the curriculum that the country of Singapore uses in their schools with remarkable success, is extremely clear, highly logical and sequential, and has a strong focus on mental math. Students get a good amount of practice without too much repetition. Challenging word problems build thinking skills and help students apply math in a variety of situations.

A few notes:

• MathTacular carries the U.S. edition of each Singapore program.
• Yes, it is written in English (the language of instruction in Singapore).
• Most measurements are in metric.
• Currency (when there are currency problems) is in U.S. dollars.
• The books come in soft cover and are printed on high quality paper.

Pre-K and Kindergarten Math/ Earlybird Math KA/KB Textbooks

Singapore Math offers an Early Bird Pre-School Mathematics series of two books for children starting at age 4. The first book is for children 4 years old. The second is for 5-year olds. Each book contains a wide range of activities designed to introduce children to some of the basic math concepts including color, shape, size, number, length, weight, capacity, time, money, and graphs. The books include simple instructions and short notes for parents and teachers on how to introduce the concepts to the students. Illustrations for the students are simple, colorful and fun. This approach will help students to begin their lives with a positive competence in math leading to lifelong mastery and confidence in that subject.

Primary Mathematics/ Grades 2 through 6

The quality of the Singapore Math program is outstanding. All elementary students in the country of Singapore use Singapore Primary Math. Knowing the high academic standards of the country of Singapore tells us that this program has passed the muster of their best thinkers for their whole nation. It is also adaptable to both classroom and home schooling.

We also offer a unique "Home Instructor's Guide" for the Primary Math programs 2A-6B. These guides bridge the gap between textbook and workbook and walk you through them in a logical, step by step fashion. We lay it all out for you: concepts you'll cover in each unit, pages you'll reference, and numerous exercises to reinforce the concepts you're teaching.

Singapore's system is designed to integrate adult supervision with the independent practice by the students. Their goal is to build a foundation of the thinking into the students that will position them for more advanced math. The way Singapore does this is by first introducing students to key concepts with concrete examples and pictures. Then, the student is led progressively and logically to understand the abstract concept.

Singapore Math is a pleaseing balance between drill and creative problem solving. Those who have compared SM with other math curriculum report that Singapore math moves the students more quickly and rationally toward abstract concepts. Compared to U.S. materials that cover a larger number of topics rather superficially, SM solidly builds the Core math concepts that will best prepare students for higher math. There is an empahisis on homework and practice, and an effective mix of word problems, drills and mental calculation. The workbooks are designed to be completed by the students without adult assistance, but adult interaction will strengthen the process. This style stimulates clarity of thought, communication skill in the language of mathematics, and adaptability to problem solving.

Instruction can be paced to the needs of each individual student. For most students, two to three pages from the textbooks will be sufficient for each day. Then the accompanying section from the workbook should be completed independently by the student.

Click here to see the Primary Mathematics Scope and Sequence.

Required and Optional resources for Kindergarten through 6th grade