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Secondary Mathematics and Additional Mathematics Mathematics
  1. In Singapore, students attend Primary school for 6 years, then Secondary school usually for 4 years, and then can attend junior colleges for 2-3 years. Grades 7-10 in the U.S. is roughly equivalent to Secondary 1-4 in Singapore.
  1. Where does Additional Mathematics fit in?
In Singapore, some students do a second math class in Secondary 3 and 4 called Additional Mathematics. The books we sell with Additional Mathematics in the title are used for these classes over a 2-year period. Since these books cover pre-calculus and calculus topics, they could be used after the Secondary 1-4 books.
  1. How do these books correlate with the math sequence in the U
  2. Why are the books for grades 7-10 labeled 1-4?
  1. .S.? Which is pre-algebra, algebra 1, geometry and so on?
These books have an integrated approach. They progress sequentially through various topics in algebra, geometry, and some trigonometry, with minimal review of earlier levels. Please see the scope and sequence. As a rough comparison:
Secondary 1: pre-algebra, some algebra 1 and geometry       
Secondary 2: algebra 1 and geometry
Secondary 3: some algebra 2, geometry, some trigonometry
Secondary 4: some advanced topics and review
Additional Mathematics: first half is mostly pre-calculus including trigonometry, second half is mostly calculus.
  1. How does the format of these books compare to Primary Mathematics? How do the workbooks correlate with the textbooks? What is the structure of a lesson in the textbook and how long does it take?
The textbooks contain both the lesson and the practice, instead of having the practice in a separate workbook. The workbook is now a supplementary, non-consumable book with additional problems that can be done after each chapter. The lessons include some activities that are similar to the learning tasks in Primary Mathematics, but there are also more worked examples with solutions provided and more written explanations. Some lessons are meant to take several days, with exercises only at the end of the lesson.
  1. Do you have placement tests?
We have assessment tests for some levels. Click here: Placement test. These tests cover the material in the level indicated on the test.
  1. Do you have a scope and sequence for these books?
Yes. Click here: Scope and Sequence.
  1. Do you have a list of contents? Sample pages?
Yes. In the list of products, click on the picture of the product or on the words 'more info'. Then click on the tab that says Contents_Sample and scroll down. There are links to sample pages for each book.
  1. Are there teacher's guides available? Tests? Answer keys? Solutions?
All secondary level textbooks and workbooks have answers to most, but not all, of the problems at the back. Depending on the series, there are various teaching resources available with additional answers or solutions. See the chart below for comparison between the series. However, none of the teacher guides have detailed, already prepared daily lesson plans.
  1. Which series should I use?
It depends on your preference. New Elementary Mathematics is an older series and less modern in its format, but it is more challenging than the others. Discovering Mathematics is the only series with complete fully worked solutions for all levels including the workbook problems. The scope and sequence is a bit different in New Elementary Mathematics compared to the other two series.
  1. Can I switch between series?
It is better to use one series than switch between series, particularly in levels 3 and 4, because the sequence differs a bit. It is, however, possible to go from New Elementary Mathematics 1 or 2 to levels 2 or 3 respectively in another series, though.
  1. If my student is not able to easily answer all the problems or get most of the problems on reviews or tests correct, does that mean the program does not teach the material well?
The problems have a range of difficulty level to allow all students to work to their maximum potential. If all the problems were easy, then the student is not working to his or her full potential. Some of the problems in the exercises are simply practice, but some are truly problems that allow a student to gain more depth of knowledge by reasoning through them and applying concepts in new ways. Also, in Singapore most students are expected to score between 50% and 75% on tests. Only better students will be able to score above 75%. If your student can answer all the problems easily, he or she would score well on such a test, but not being able to answer every problem easily does not necessarily indicate lack of understanding of the concepts. The grading scale in Singapore for the secondary level is:

A1: 75% and above
A2: 70% to 74%
B3: 65% to 69%
B4: 60% to 64%
C5: 55% to 59%
C6: 50% to 54% (passing grade)
D7: 45% to 49%
E8: 40% to 44%
F9: Below 40%
  1. What if I have more questions or need more help with the content or choosing which books to get?
Please visit our forums and post your questions or concerns. You can also email the curriculum advisor.
  1. It says in the chart below that some activities use Geometer's Sketchpad. What is that and where can I get it?
Geometer's Sketchpad is a dynamic geometry software program produced and sold by Key Curriculum Press. (We are not associated with Key Curriculum Press and we are not responsible for any purchases made with this company.) You can use other dynamic software programs for the same activities, but the steps will be different.

New Elementary Mathematics (NEM) Discovering Mathematics (DM) New Syllabus Mathematics (NSM)
Publication
date		 First published 1991. New edition in 1996. This is based on the syllabus used prior to 2001 and is one of the texts used by students taking the TIMSS international test. This series is no longer used in Singapore First published in 2008. First published 1982, fifth edition 2001, sixth edition in 2007/2008.
Textbook organization Textbook pages are black and white. There is one textbook for levels 1 and 2, and two (A and B) for levels 3 and 4. Lessons in the textbook consist of explanations, worked examples, and occasional class activities which allow students to learn through discovery. At the end of each chapter there is a summary listing the concepts learned in the chapter, but not a review exercise. Each chapter  is followed by an optional "Challenger" and a "Problem Solving" exercise. After 3-4 chapters there is a set of 5 short cumulative review exercises, and an optional Miscellaneous Exercise and Investigation  for exploring some concepts in more depth. There are two practice cumulative assessments at the end of each textbook. Textbook pages are more visually attractive than with NEM and in color. There are two textbooks for each level, A and B. Lessons in the textbook consist of explanations and worked examples. Each worked example is followed by a similar question (Try It!) that students can do to see if they understood the example. Many lessons include one or more class activities, which allow students to learn through discovery. Some of these use Geometer’s Sketchpad.. Each chapter is followed by a summary listing the major concepts , a review exercise, an open-ended Extend Your Learning Curve problem, and one or two questions for journal writing. At the end of each textbook is a list of problem solving heuristics with some examples corresponding to the topics for that level. There are no cumulative review exercises or assessments. Textbook pages are in color. Lessons in the textbook consist of explanations, worked examples, and sometimes explorations, which allow students to learn through discovery. Each chapter ends with a summary, some review examples, and a review exercise.  After every 3-4 chapters there is a set of 5 cumulative review exercises.
Exercise organization Exercises vary in length and tend to be long so it is possible to select problems rather than do all of them. The type of problems depend on the lesson; some exercises are all computation or skill problems and some are all word problems. More challenging problems are marked with an asterisk. Exercises are a bit shorter than in NEM. The problems in each lesson's exercise are divided by difficulty level into Basic Practice, Further Practice, Maths@Work (application) and Brainworks (challenge). he cheaper review exercises are not divided by difficulty level.  In general, exercises are shorter than with NEM an shorter and more frequent than DM. More challenging problems are marked with an asterisk and are generally the last few problems. 
Answers to the textbook problems. There are answers to the regular exercises, the periodic Miscellaneous and Review exercises and the Assessments at the end  in the back of the textbook. Answers to the class activities, Challengers, Problem Solving, and Investigations are only in the Teacher's Manual.  There are answers to the Try It! problems in the lesson, the lesson exercises except for Brainworks section, and the reviews at the back of the textbook. The Teacher's Guide has answers to all problems, including class activities, and Brainworks, but not to the open ended and journal writing questions at the end of the chapters. There are answers to the regular exercises and the  reviews at the back of the textbook. Answers to the Enrichment and Just for Fun are on the Teacher's Resource CD. There are no answers to the Explorations.
Teacher resources and fully worked solutions The Teacher’s Manual has a weekly schedule and fully worked solutions for the Challengers, Problem Solving, and Investigations. There is a separate solutions manual for only NEM 1 and 2 with fully worked solutions to the rest of the exercises. There are no worked solutions for the regular exercises for NEM 3 and 4 and no Teacher's Manual for NEM 4. The Teacher’s Guide for each level has a weekly schedule, brief notes for the teacher, and fully worked solutions to all problems in the textbook, including class activities, but not to the open-ended Extend the Learning Curve or "Write in Your Journal" activities. There is a Teacher' Resource CD that has documents with a weekly schedule, brief notes for each chapter, and questions that can be used for tests. It does not contain fully worked solutions.
Workbook The “workbook” is supplementary and contains additional problems for each chapter, practice test papers every 2 chapter and 2 mid-term and final term assessments. Only the test papers have room in the book to work the problems. Answers are in the back. There are no fully worked solutions. There is one supplementary "workbook" for each level. It has a set of problems for each chapter divided into Basic Practice, Further Practice, Challenging Practice, and Enrichment (even more challenging).  Answers are in the back.There is a separate Teacher's Edition of the workbook with fully worked solutions. The “workbook” is supplementary and contains additional problem for each chapter, and a review exercise for each term and semester. Answers are in the back. In addition, there are exploratory worksheets or investigations, some of which use a short interactive program on the enclosed CD. There are no answers to these.
Tests There are two practice tests at the end of each textbook and practice test papers for every 2 chapters, midterms, and semester test in the workbook. These are quite challenging, as the workbook is somewhat for enrichment. The workbook has mid-year and end-of year sample tests. There is a separate Question Bank book for each level with test questions arranged by difficulty level. Questions will have to be selected, copied, and transferred to a test paper, since answers are included on each page. The Teacher's Resource CD has documents from which test questions can be selected.