Singapore Primary Math

Textbooks
An Overview

Richard Bisk
Professor and Mathematics
Department Chair
Worcester State College

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

 Questions

1. What is the most important question in a math class?

2. Why are people interested in Singapore Math?
3. Why am I interested in Singapore Math?
4. What’s different about Singapore Math?
5. What are its key characteristics?
6. What is mental math?
7. What is model drawing?
8. What do the books look like?
9. Do teachers like it?
10. Is there evidence that it’s effective?

wwwfac.worcester.edu/smip
copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk
But first … some math questions

9÷0=? And why?

Compute mentally: 13 x 98

David spent 2/5 of his money on a

storybook. The storybook cost $12.
How much money did he have at
first?
copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk
 TIMSS 2003 – Average Mathematics Scaled Scores by Country

Fourth grade Eighth grade

Average Average
Country score Country score
International average 495 International average 466
Singapore 594 Singapore 605
Hong Kong SAR1,2 575 Korea, Republic of 589
Japan 565 Hong Kong SAR1,2 586
Chinese Taipei 564 Chinese Taipei 585
Belgium-Flemish 551 Japan 570
Netherlands2 540 Belgium-Flemish 537
Latvia 536 Netherlands1 536
Lithuania3 534 Estonia 531
Russian Federation 532 Hungary 529
England2 531 Malaysia 508
Hungary 529 Latvia 508
United States2 518 Russian Federation 508
Cyprus 510 Slovak Republic 508
Moldova, Republic of 504 Australia 505
Italy 503 United States 504
Australia2 499 Lithuania3 502
New Zealand 493 Sweden 499
Scotland2 490 Scotland1 498
Slovenia 479 Israel 496
Armenia 456 New Zealand 494
Norway 451 Slovenia 493
Iran, Islamic Republic of 389 Italy 484
Philippines 358 Armenia 478
Morocco copyright347
2007 Dr.Serbia
Richard Bisk
3
477
Tunisia 339 Bulgaria 476
Additional countries with 8 grade scores below Bulgaria’s are included in the complete study
th
In 1983, prior to implementing this
curriculum, Singapore ranked 17 out
of 26 countries tested in eighth grade
Mathematics.

Just twelve years later, in 1995,

Singapore ranked number one out of
41 countries tested at that level and
remained number one in both 1999
and 2003. copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk
 Professional Development

• “I never realized that I do not

understand math until I had to
teach mathematics from the
Singapore textbooks.”

Teacher quoted in A.I.R. report prepared for

U.S. DOE

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

 The Big Issue
“How vs. Why”
In our professional development
program, we use the texts to help
teachers develop a deep
understanding of math so that they
can teach for understanding.

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

What are the key characteristics
of the K-8 Singapore books?
• Depth emphasized over breadth: More
time is spent on each topic. Fewer topics
are covered in a year. Greater focus on
mastery. 

Topics emphasized are consistent with the

new NCTM Focal Points

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

 Depth versus Breadth

Grade 1 Grade 3 Grade 6

Textbook Number of Avg. pages/ Number of Avg. pages/ Number of Avg. pages/
Lessons lesson Lessons lesson Lessons lesson

Singapore 34 15 42 12 24 17

Scott- 157 4 164 4 158 5

Foresman

Everyday 110 2 120 2 113 4

Math

(Source: American Institute for Research – “What

the United States Can Learn From Singapore’s
copyright System”)
World-Class Mathematics 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk
What are the key characteristics
of the K-8 Singapore books?
• Problem Solving Emphasis: Model
drawing diagrams are used to promote
understanding of word problems and
provide a bridge to algebraic thinking.
• More Multi-Step Problems: Problems
often require the use of several concepts.
• Mental Math: Techniques encourage
understanding of mathematical properties
and promote numerical fluency.

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

• Absence of Clutter and Distraction: Presentation is
clean and clear and uses simple, concise
explanations.
• Coherent Development: Topics are introduced with
simple examples and then incrementally developed
until more difficult problems are addressed.
• Teacher and Parent Friendly: Since mathematical
content is clear, it is often easier for teachers to plan
lessons. Parents can read the books and help
children.
• Review of concepts is not explicitly incorporated
into the curriculum. Students are expected to have
mastered a concept once it has been taught.
• A high level of expectation is implicit in the
curriculum.

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

Stress on Developing Conceptual
Understanding: Students and teachers
learn to focus on “why” not just “how.”

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

 MENTAL MATH

Emphasizes an understanding of
place value and the distributive,
commutative and associative
properties

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

Compensation

99 + 28 = 99 + (1 + 27)
= (99 + 1) + 27

---------------------------------------

72 – 59 = 73 – 60
Add 1 to each

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

 MENTAL MATH
Multiplication facts with meaning

7 x 6 = (5 x 6) + (2 x 6)

8 x 6 = 2 x (4 x 6)

9 x 6 = (10 x 6) – (1 x 6)

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

 PROBLEM SOLVING WITH MODEL
DRAWING

The model drawing approach takes students from the concrete to

the abstract stage via an intermediary pictorial stage.
Students create bars and break them down into “units.” The units
create a bridge to the concept of an “unknown” quantity that must
be found.
Students can learn to use this strategy in the primary grades and
continue with it through the middle grades.

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

 Bill has 7 cookies. He eats 4 cookies.
How many cookies remain?

Cookies ? 4

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

 Maria has 10 cookies. Bill has 3
cookies. How many more
cookies does Maria have?

?
Bill
3

Maria
10

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

Ali has $10. Joe has $2 more than Ali. How
much do they have altogether.

$10

Ali
?
$2

Joe

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

Example (grade 3): The sum of two numbers is
36. The smaller number is one-third of the larger
number. Find the two numbers.

larger ?

36
smaller ?

4 units = 36

1 unit = 9 The numbers are 9 and 27

3 units = 27
copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk
Example (grade 4): David spent 2/5 of his
money on a storybook. The storybook cost
$12. How much money did he have at first?

Solution

David's
Money           ?

│-----12----│

2 units = 12 5 units = 30
David started with $30.
1 unit = 6 copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk
Example (grade 5): Jill and Bob share
$80 in the ratio 3:2. How much money
did Bob get?

Jill
$80

Bob

5 units = 80 2 units =32

1 unit = 16 Bob gets $32
copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk
 TEACHERS COMMENTS
• “I never realized that I do not understand
math until I had to teach mathematics from
the Singapore textbooks.”

• “Topics are taught for mastery. Fewer

topics taught in greater depth. Review is
usually done in the context of a new topic
or through use of word problems.
Emphasizes logic and visualization.”

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

“… mastery of basic algorithms is expected in
the early grades…. The students also learn why
certain formulas are used rather than just learn
how to apply the formulas. The most valuable
aspect of Singapore Math is that the program
encourages active thinking and emphasizes the
communication of math ideas.”

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk

American Institute for Research Report Comparing
US and Singapore Math Education Systems

• Table 7-1: Outcomes of Pilots Studies

•
http://www.air.org/news/documents/Singap
ore%20Report%20(Bookmark%20Version
).pdf

• Page 146 of Adobe document.

copyright 2007 Dr. Richard Bisk