#core knowledge sequence

(Brainstorming: Writing from the top of my head)

As most who have been following my homeschool planning posts know I am using Core Knowledge and Charlotte Mason as the Spin of our Curriculum this year. Part one of my homeschool planning series will be on the topic at hand, Math. Since we are coming from Doman method of education the way we use Core Knowledge What your _ grader needs to know book will be utilized differently from a family who hasn’t used Doman method in early education. Most of the math our son will be tackling this year will be will advantaged with room for scaffolding what he has learned in his infancy. 

At the Evan Thomas Institute, A K-8 school, an Institute Advancement of Human Potential school, uses Singapore Math entitled Primary Mathematics Textbooks, edition  date 2003 and Core Knowledge proudly announced in a blog post that Singapore Mathematics is Their secret weapon. Following the direction of  Institute Advancement of Human Potential and  Core Knowledge we will be using Signapore Math, the Primary Mathematics edition. They way we will use Singapore math will be rather different than how other homeschoolers use this math curriculum. First we will be using Singapore math in a playful manner.Math games will be played as away to teach the math  concepts in each book, no lecturing or board writing. This is much of how the Signaporian and Japanese teachers teach math concepts in their countries, through play, First.Completely opposite approach in how math is taught here in the United States. This is how I will teach my younger children but I eldest doesn’t need or acquire this, he is an independent and self taught learner. Our fifth grader will be reading his Primary Mathematics 4a and complete the four series and go straight into the next series even if he wants to complete learn a top instead of complete a whole series book. which brings me to the second way we will utilize the Primary Mathematics books. We all will work on the Primary Mathematics textbooks consecutively. This format of teaching mathematics for us, comes directly from The Institute Advancement of Human Potential, Evan Thomas Institute’s Math for Mothers Books. 

Third, we will tie in math with history. We will use Singapore Mathematics meets Core Knowledge. This book touches on teaching Singapore mathematics concepts and content is a Core Knowledge history frame. To supplement this approach to Singapore Mathematics and Core Knowledge I will add Living Math Curriculum and Math readers. Living Math focuses on the history of math with reading a variety of math readers. 

Fourth, Since Singapore Math Primary Mathematics books are on and utilizes Jerome Bruner teaching methods and approach, we will note take using the Interactive Notebooking  approach. TCI curriculum uses Howard Gardner and Jerome Bruner  approach and methods and Interactive Notebooking is utilized with this curriculum. We will used glued notebooks that are three whole punched so that they can easy go into his three ring binder. We will see how this goes. 

The fifth and final way we will use Singapore Mathematics is using Win Wenger’s Modern Socratic Approach to math. Win Wenger’s approach is self explanatory. This method, well a similar approach, is noted in Glenn Doman’s How to teach your baby math. In the appendix of the Book Teach your bath math, Glenn Doman and Janet Doman, writes about an after school program that does the Socratic approach to math instruction.

 Math Curriculum and Grade Break Down 

(Please note my children will not stay in this grade levels long)

Grade 5/Year 5

Singapore Math Primary Mathematics books 4a-6 series

Finish student workbooks by himself

Complete a Math Interactive Notebook

Engage in Socratic question catered to math problems found in the Primary math student workbooks

Grade 3/Year 3 

Singapore math Primary Mathematics books 1a-6 series 

Finish student workbooks by herself. (This will be accomplished after playing math games for a while. We will not be getting this math workbook for quite some time. We will have gone over all the concepts in good length by time we get this books.Math instructions will be using Doman Math dots, pennies and the Evan Thomas Institute Teacher manuals entitled “Math for Mothers Books 1-3 and other math Manuals from IAHP. Some concepts covered in Math for Mothers can be supplemented with CIMT math, a math program freely offered from the UK that is a Hungarian math program. CIMT Math has been compared with Singapore math in the Homeschool Community.)

Complete an interactive notebook. This is more up her aisle. She is arty but loves math. 

Engage in Socratic questions catered to Math problems founded in the Primary math student workbooks.

Grade 1/Year 1 

Singapore math Primary Mathematics books 1a-6 series

Finish student workbooks by himself. Same direction of instruction will be used. I will be using the same materials. I will also teach basic math concepts farther that isn’t in Teach your baby math and Math for Mothers by looking at description outline in Little Giants math program.

Preschool

For our one year old, I will use Doman’s Teach your baby math and Math Bits Of Intelligence.