Singapore Dimensions Math Teacher's Guide vs Home Instructor's Guide

[@hecketisa]

this was very helpful - thank you! i love your delivery too. i hate when people talk too slow to stretch out their video. you were clear and efficient! i was able to get my answer before the kids pulled me away

[@HunterHomeschool]

I spent hours and hours studying this. Thank you for this video simplifying this issue!

[@ThisIsLovelyLaura]

I love the idea of splitting activities from lessons and using them as fun games and not "school time." We plan on using Singapore with my son, who is a little on the younger side, and your strategy is the best advice I've heard from all the Singapore videos I've watched. Thank you for sharing all your wisdom 😊

[@simplycece]

Any time! Splitting the lesson from the activity is key for us! I actually did a lot of the first grade activities while we were doing related kindergarten lessons since my son is young but had already mastered the kindergarten content. Now he’s actually in level 1 and is pretty independent with most of the workbook. We do the textbook completely orally since it is all review.

[@DejaDrewit]

This video was so insanely HELPFUL!!! Im new to all these curriculums and overwhelmed with choosing one let alone which books to order. Thank you!

[@pixelated23-b9z]

You are a gem

[@Vanessa-te2cs]

Absolutely loved your video! Thank you for going through a whole lesson step by step.

[@simplycece]

You’re welcome! It really helped me to see them side by side also :)

[@colleenwall4311]

This is SO HELPFUL!! Thank you for taking the time to do this!

[@simplycece]

You’re welcome!

[@martinbernard6898]

Exactly what I needed to make a reasonable decision on Dimensions Guides...super job on this video!

[@simplycece]

Thank you! I’m so glad you found this helpful :)

[@eabrock9013]

Awesome review!! I needed to see the difference before making a final purchase between the two.

[@simplycece]

@@eabrock9013 glad it helped! Which one did you decide on?

[@eabrock9013]

@@simplycece got the teachers guide! My daughter already did a lesson and I feel like it went so smoothly!! Very happy with it. ❤️

[@angelajudetv]

This was very helpful and thorough. Thank you for your detailed breakdown!

[@mymalayaper3766]

Thank you! This is so helpful. Great comparison . Great explanation and modeling of the games. ☺️

[@PrttyMxn]

thank you for this! I was ready to order but then saw the guides were different and didn't know what to choose! now I'm scared to even choose this math curriculum though LOL I have a 5th grader who is above average in CA math public school, but not sure if this math style would still work him. I feel like this is the best math out there though so I really want to use it.

[@GenJenandJuice]

So glad you pointed these things out bc I was ready to try the home educators edition bc I felt like it must be better for homeschooling one student. I think I will stick with the teachers guide ❤

[@simplycece]

You won’t really go wrong with either! I can see a preference for the HIG if a kid or parent is “over” the games and activities and just wants to get to it. :)

[@amberdunigan7550]

Thanks for showing the difference

[@knowledgebynature8480]

Nicely done! I favor the teachers guide, but would love if it was shrank down some also!

[@anabelpacomartinez1773]

I really wanted to give this curriculum a try but I have no time to prepare for the lesson ahead of time. I love how the good and the beautiful is open and go. your video was very helpful, thank you!

[@hannamaria5618]

We are just going through the workbooks without needing the guide at all. It’s so much better than the good and the beautiful - it really builds on itself and is so clear, and the good and the beautiful is much more confusing. I really recommend just buying the textbook and workbook only over doing the good and the beautiful - you’re missing out on all the amazing depth and the method, but it’s still better than just the good and the beautiful.

[@anabelpacomartinez1773]

@hannamaria5618 would it be too late to start my son on level 4?

[@simplycece]

You could use it just as a workbook. The Singapore method is based on a progression from concrete (hands on) to pictorial (the images in the book) to abstract (just the numbers), but some students can get it just from the picture. Because the pictures are PART of the method, I think they’re more thought out than any other workbook. I personally think JUST the dimensions s textbook and workbook are far superior teaching method to TGATB as long as your kid doesn’t absolutely need hands on manipulatives for understanding and that they also don’t need a spiral curriculum for retention. I think if you want a great curriculum in between TGATB and Dimensions, where your child could still have hands on but be open and go for you, I would highly recommend Kate Snows math with confidence. Level 4 is being finished and will be available by June, but preschool through 3rd grade are available for purchase and the 5th and 6th grades are being piloted right now, so are in the works for summer 2025 and summer 2026 releases. It is a great comprehensive curriculum with built in spiral review, mastery-topic based teaching, and an open and go script for the parents. It is really top notch. It lacks challenging problems, but so does TGATB. My son is very academically advanced so he thrives with challenging problems, but I don’t even personally think that’s necessary for a great elementary math curriculum.

[@simplycece]

I also want to add that if TGATB is actually working for you and your child, then that’s great! No need to rock the boat :)

[@reyjordancruz]

you're amazing! Thanks for your content, it is so helpful!

[@irenescotti4687]

thank you so much for doing this video! super helpful :)

[@JayAlexis30]

thank you! I needed this as I am about to order :)

[@simplycece]

You’re welcome! Which did you choose?

[@JayAlexis30]

@@simplycece teachers guide :)

[@shannonbarbour522]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@katebee945]

Really helpful, thank you!!!

[@amberhernandez6193]

Thank you for your video! I am using kindergarten Math with confidence for my daughter right now. She loves it! She catches on so quick and feel that she could handle a bit more of a challenge. I have been considering Singapore dimensions for 1st grade. Figured to try it to see if its a right fit for her and if not we will go back to MWC. Your video has been helpful. I did have a question... do you reference both guides, for extra ideas, or simply sticking to the teacher guide? It seems that each had different activities/games for the same lesson?

[@tamaramarie3076]

Very helpful!

[@amies8203]

This video is fantastic, thank you!!

[@simplycece]

You're so welcome!

[@amies8203]

@@simplycece I forgot to ask where you purchased the wooden ten frams from? Thanks!

[@simplycece]

@@amies8203 Amazon! If you search “wooden 10 egg holder” something that looks identical to mine pops up in the first few results.

[@amies8203]

@@simplycece I found it, thank you!

[@zoe0abundant]

This was an extremely helpful video. Thanks! Where did you get your wooden ten frames? I think a few of my kids would enjoy using those more than the paper ten frames. They look kind of like Mancala boards.

[@simplycece]

They are wooden egg holders from Amazon. We really enjoy them more than printed sheets of paper where the counters slide around. Search “wooden 10 egg holder” and there is currently something very similar for ~$12.

[@davinakrause7674]

I’m thinking about using dimension maths video subscription- do you know if the videos basically go over the teachers guide for you? Thank you for this video! Very very helpful. I like things from both books! I wish they could combine and just make one “instructors guide” with all the best of both 😅

[@simplycece]

Unfortunately I don’t have any experience with the dimensions math videos. The website says the videos do not replace the guides, but I don’t know if that’s true in practice.

[@AislinnMarin-h3o]

Another big key difference is that the home instructor guide does not include the textbook pages. You can buy the teacher guide without the textbook and save some money

[@hollyboisvert9453]

This was a really helpful video thank you! Where did you get the wooden ten frames from? and what size are your cubes? Also, do you have the homeschooling printouts too? Do they work exclusively with the Home Instructor's Guide, or could they be used with the Teacher's guide?

[@simplycece]

1. Ten frames are from Amazon. I used the search term “Wooden ten egg holder” 2. These are 2cm cubes “edxeducation” is the brand from Amazon. I like these because they are easy to snap and unsnap for really young kids but they also don’t accidentally disconnect. 3. Either works, maybe not 1-1 but it’s all close enough for the activities. The HIG printouts have the mental math fact practice sheets and the TG printouts don’t, so I printed out all of those ahead of time. Both are free PDFs and I have an eco tank printer, so I just print from either guides online resource if I don’t have a similar manipulative on hand.

[@A-G5518]

Is the number bond thing a common core method? I've never seen that between my own schooling and having homeschooled my son through 6th grade thus far 🤔

[@simplycece]

@@A-G5518 it’s a Singapore math strategy. When Americans came up with the common core standards, they poorly adopted and implemented many strategies, including some from Singapore, like the number bond system. The two countries have continued to get very different learning outcomes despite now sharing some strategies. A student can definitely learn elementary math just fine without learning number bonds, but number bonds and bar models are a key part of the Singapore math system that I prefer to use with this child. I have a physics degree with a minor and math and experience as an engineer and teaching high school math, but some elementary math curricula still teach me brand new ways of doing very basic things (like rightstart math). There are many ways to approach mathematical problems. Maybe if you tried it, you’d find it interesting. For some students, this is too abstract to start out with and they’re better served with more tradition “drill” type math like Rod and staff or Saxon.

[@A-G5518]

@@simplycece thank you so much for that response!

[@Hemlock66]

I wish the home instructor guide was as colorful as the teachers guide.

[@kllawrence]

This video was great! I will definitely use the teacher guide vs the homeschool guide.

[@roxanaguerrero5995]

This was so helpful and detailed! You broke it down beautifully. I wasn’t sure which one to get for our homeschool. Thank you! Do you still use Dimensions for your math curriculum?

[@simplycece]

@@roxanaguerrero5995 yes! My son has been doing it since the preschool level and he starts level 2 in the fall and it’s currently his favorite math (over rightstart, math with confidence, or beast academy). He asked me to pack his dimensions math books to his most recent trip to grandmas :) I think it’s the right level of familiar practice problems AND fun challenge problems for this particular child.

[@armani6860]

*Promo sm* 😥

[@clicklenora]

Thank you for this video! It is so helpful! How often do you use the Home Instructor's Printouts or Blackline Masters that are apparently referenced in the Teacher's Guide? Does the Home Instructor's guide or Teacher's Guide have many activities with these printouts? I'm debating whether or not to buy or download them. Thanks!

[@simplycece]

The mental math (fact practice sheets) are only in the HIG printouts, so I print all of those. It’s all in black and white and I have and ecotank, so it’s not an issue). I also have a lot of hands on manipulatives and the entire rightstart math manipulative set, so I usually use real stuff from my stash rather than the printable versions of things in the black line masters. I occasionally will want to do something else, like the games from the teachers guides printouts more than other stuff from the home instructors guides. I’d look at their downloads for your level and see what you think is needed to actually print.

[@clicklenora]

@@simplycece This is helpful! Thank you!

[@devonraney5170]

Very helpful! Thank you!