R&S vs. Singapore Essential Math K

[Jweishaar]

I know there are tons of math discussions on here...I have both Rod and Staff and Singapore Essential Math A and B for kindergarten. In looking through both of them, it seems like R&S moves into addition much more quickly than Singapore. I also noticed that the R&S book is labeled as first grade. My son is very math minded, but I don't want to rush him. Has anyone experienced R&S being too much too soon? Is there a reason a first grade book is used for K? I want to take my time and build a really solid foundation. Has anyone used the Singapore books instead of R&S?

[Colomama]

One thing to keep in mind is the pacing. MP uses just book one for kindergarten, then book two for first grade.

Having owned and used Singapore a and b before finding MP, I would use R&S without a doubt. I think I may actually have that half used book B in the attic "just in case". I've never felt compelled to pull it back out with the three younger kids.

The key is the teacher guide. It's being consistent with flashcards. And remember, you're going half-paced in kindergarten, so there's lots of time for review and skill development.

[Jweishaar]

Colomama, would you mind sharing why you liked R&S so much better? What was it you didn't like about Singapore?

[momgineer]

R&S doesn’t have kindergarten. MP chose to break 1st grade into two years. I’ll let them speak to why. I haven’t used it so I can’t compare.
i have used Essentials three times now. It is a K book and as such focuses on understanding number identity and relations and doesn’t work in fact memory. That comes in 1st grade. The K books are meant to be done with manipulatives or pictures. We rarely use actual manipulatives but we do use the pictures. It has a lot of counting on for addition and crossing off for subtraction. They really want the student to grasp what it means to add and subtract before they start memorizing facts. We go on to use Primary Mathematics US edition through 6B and then use Discovering Mathematics 1 (now rebranded Dimensions Math 7) as pre-algebra then we use the MP books for algebra and up. I’ve been using these books for 13 years with 7 kids. I know how to teach these and when we came to MP 9 years ago they didn’t have cores with math yet. When they added R&S I saw no need to switch from what works for me.
R&S focuses on fact memory and method memory. PM focuses on number relationships and understanding why the method works. It requires fact memory but the fact drills aren’t built I to the daily work like with R&S. You have to use flash cards, speed drills, or computer games for fact memory. So R&S will ensure they can calculate quickly. PM will require the teacher to ensure they can calculate quickly.

[Mrs Bee]

I have loved Singapore Essential Math K! With my first child I did Seton K Math, and I thought it was abominable. He's very much a math-minded fellow, and moved into Singapore Primary Math 1 with no trouble, but I was determined to do things differently for my second child. With her, I first did some of the the R&S "color" series: Adventures with Books, Counting with Numbers, Do It Carefully, and Everywhere We Go. They're a nice mix of handwriting, math, and beginning phonics. Then I moved to Singapore Essential Math K, which she completed more rapidly than I expected, and with great enjoyment. We both found it very intuitive, with a clear goal for every lesson. I liked it so much that I went ahead and bought it for my then-baby, who will start working on it this fall. I can't compare it directly with R&S 1 because I've never used it.
I think for you the choice will depend on what you plan on using for the years ahead: if you do R&S, starting K with R&S 1 done slowly might make sense.

[Mrs Bee]

R&S doesn’t have kindergarten. MP chose to break 1st grade into two years. I’ll let them speak to why. I haven’t used it so I can’t compare.
i have used Essentials three times now. It is a K book and as such focuses on understanding number identity and relations and doesn’t work in fact memory. That comes in 1st grade. The K books are meant to be done with manipulatives or pictures. We rarely use actual manipulatives but we do use the pictures. It has a lot of counting on for addition and crossing off for subtraction. They really want the student to grasp what it means to add and subtract before they start memorizing facts. We go on to use Primary Mathematics US edition through 6B and then use Discovering Mathematics 1 (now rebranded Dimensions Math 7) as pre-algebra then we use the MP books for algebra and up. I’ve been using these books for 13 years with 7 kids. I know how to teach these and when we came to MP 9 years ago they didn’t have cores with math yet. When they added R&S I saw no need to switch from what works for me.
R&S focuses on fact memory and method memory. PM focuses on number relationships and understanding why the method works. It requires fact memory but the fact drills aren’t built I to the daily work like with R&S. You have to use flash cards, speed drills, or computer games for fact memory. So R&S will ensure they can calculate quickly. PM will require the teacher to ensure they can calculate quickly.

This is a very good description of Primary Mathematics! We have followed your same path, momgineer. I loathed the math manipulatives I was forced to use as a kid, and I was greatly relieved to see my kids didn't need them to understand math!

[Jweishaar]

Thanks for all the input! I had planned to just use the R&S for K and then switch to Singapore but the more I looked through the lesson plans it was just seeming like too much, too soon, especially once I compared it with the Singapore books I had on my shelf (I bought those before I decided to use MP).

[tanya]

Hello.

Rod & Staff doesn't have a kindergarten, so we use the first part of their first grade math in kindergarten and the second part in first grade. It has worked out well and is on a perfect level for k students.

Tanya

[Fireweed Prep]

I just went and bought some R&S at the second hand homeschool shop today; I'm cobbling things together for us this year. We have used Singapore Kindergarten. It's colorful and fun. She enjoyed it. I think that in K, and then R&S1 in first, would be totally fine. My daughter is moving on to R&S 1 now. She's memorized her math facts on her own through "5" so we are starting with book 2.