mamato4girls Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Would love to hear some recommendations, the good and bad, for Algebra I. We used TT this year for 8th grade, and I do like it, but sort have mixed feelings of it. I do like that I am not the one teaching it. I am wondering if there is anything comparable to it. I was also thinking of an online class or something with DVD's. My dd is NOT a math person. She will most likely not go into a science/math field but will go onto college, so what to use.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pip Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 We like TT here. But my other choice would be Chalkdust. Maybe Ask Dr. Callahan, but it is a little too silly for us. Finally, Thinkwell, but that tends to be a little more for the gifted student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassoonaroo Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 We are really enjoyng Life of Fred math. Standalone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 If you want something that is mostly self-teaching, then check out Kinetic Books Algebra. My middle dd is almost done with Algebra I and my oldest is almost done with the beta version of Algebra II. It's done on the computer. The practice problems all have immediate feedback and some of them even have stepped help. There are enough practice problems, that your dc should definitely know what she's doing by the time she gets to the pencil&paper problems at the end of each unit. The answer key for end of unit problems is only for the odds, but the odds are more than enough problems to work. I sometimes cut the assignment down to every-other-odd. The only complaint I have is that their scoring feature could be improved. Right now, you go to the chapter you want to see scores for and then click on "score." You see a bar graph for each unit that displays a bar for "tried" and for "earned" points, but it doesn't give you any actual numbers. Then you can click on the name of one of the units and see bar graphs for each page that had problems on it, but you still don't see any numbers. To get the actual scores, you have to go to each and every page that had a problem on it and write down the number of possible points and the number of earned points. I just used the end of unit problems for scoring rather than mess with checking for the scores on every page. It would be really nice to have number scores on the bar graphs and it should be an easy feature to add. They have it on sale right now. The web access version is only $34.95 for a full year of access or you can buy the cd-rom for $39.95. The cd-rom works for one user only. It can be installed only one computer for one user. They have a multiple use cd-rom for $69.95, but it only allows one user at a time. http://www.kineticbooks.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda in NM Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 We used TT in 8th grade, but it was awfully easy. We used Videotext Algebra (modules A, B, C, corresponding to Algebra 1) in 9th, and it was "just right." My son really likes the way the curriculum is designed and delivered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly K Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 We have been using Videotext Algebra and have found it to be great. My son really enjoys the teaching dvds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 To add another option, Math Relief. All video taught, 3 semesters of Alg. I which includes "Advanced Alg." Mr. Firebaugh isn't very firey, but he knows his stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 If you are interested in Chalkdust, you can look for the identical DVD's of Dana Mosely without the Chalkdust label, for much less. I got the whole Precalculus set for about $40, and the Alg II set for about $70. Here are the ISBNs to search for Algebra I, courtesy of Pongo, http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89513&highlight=chalkdust&page=2 Elementary Algebra is the same as Algebra 1Student textbook put out by Chalkdust ISBN-13: 978-0618107742 Student textbook for less… ISBN 9780618753536 (doesn’t say Chalkdust) Solution Guide by CD ISBN-13: 978-0618107773 Solution Guide not by CD (cheaper) ISBN: 9780618388196 Videos ISBN-13: 9780618388233 (Make sure you get 6 videos). Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 To add another option, Math Relief. All video taught, 3 semesters of Alg. I which includes "Advanced Alg." Mr. Firebaugh isn't very firey, but he knows his stuff! Yes, he's a Mr. Rogers sort. But he is gifted in teaching algebra! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kloumc Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 I would highly recommend Math-U-See's Algebra I. They've recently made some nice changes to their program beginning with Algebra I. I used their older Algebra I with my girls, which was great, but I'm excited to use the new and improved edition with my rising 8th grade son. Math-U-See really does make it easy to teach and easy to understand. We've used it from the beginning and haven't changed programs. My kids love it. My daughter did really well on the SAT Math portion (690), so it does work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 A lot of people local to us use Derek Owens for math classes -- but he also has a distance learning option that might be useful to you... http://derekowens.com/0910/index.php We'll be using the Algebra 1 book he uses (current Dolciani) this coming year, with the thought that we may need his classes within a couple more years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamato4girls Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 Thank you for the reviews- I went to a local curriculum sale today and saw a Saxon Algebra Set with a full DVD, not the DIVE but something published by Saxon. I didn't buy it, since we were 'on the fence' but I am going to check that out, and the others mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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