The Teaching Company High School Math Courses

[SW in IL]

I've been thinking about getting the Basic Math and Algebra 1 set that's currently on sale from The Teaching Company. DS is weak (read behind) in math and is currently struggling with multiplication and division. The funny thing is that he gets it fine if you put the problem into a story problem format... He might not get the right answer but he does at least understand what he needs to do to get the answer. For example, instead of memorizing the multiplication tables he still has to add the numbers to come up with the answer -- not a very efficient method of doing things when you're talking about 2 and 3 digit numbers being multiplied. He has only a very rudimentary idea of what fractions are about and has pretty much no clue when it comes to percents, decimals, and geometry.

 

Does anyone know if the Basic Math set would be appropriate? Also, if you order directly from The Teaching Company, how long should it take to get your order?

 

Thanks,

Sue

[Corraleno]

The Basic Math course isn't really a "course" per se. It's a series of conceptual explanations; e.g. he explains the concept of multiplication or division, rather than teaching it like a textbook would, with lots of practice problems. Murray Siegel is very warm and personable and he explains things very clearly, often with useful analogies. If that's what you're looking for, this DVD set does it very well.

 

I haven't used the Alg I course, but I have read complaints that it basically just teaches how to use a graphing calculator ~ and that the calculator she uses is outdated to boot. I've also heard that there's a huge jump between the Basic Math course and the Alg I course; you can't just go from one to the other without filling in the gaps first.

 

Jackie

 

ETA: You asked about shipping~ Teaching Co ships very quickly, I usually get them within a few days.

Edited September 4, 2009 by Corraleno

[Corraleno]

BTW, I highly recommend the Math Mammoth "Blue Series" topical books if your DS is struggling with the concepts of fractions, decimals, division, etc.

 

You might want to look at these books:

Multiplication Division 3

Fractions 1 & 2

Decimals 1 & 2

Geometry 1

 

They're about 70-90 pages, $4-5 each. Don't let the "grade levels" put you off, MM is very rigorous (comparable to Singapore), but her explanations are VERY clear and they go in small steps. The instruction is written to the student, and then she walks them through the practice problems (e.g. a few problems completely worked, a few problems partially worked, then some easy problems, then more problems increasing in difficulty). There is a lot of practice, but she tends to mix it up so it's not just pages and pages of the same type of problem. And it's very visual ~ lots of models (especially for fractions) and she uses the Singapore-type bar diagram for word problems.

 

You might also consider ordering the comprehensive curriculum (Light Blue series) for 5th grade (her 6th grade curriculum isn't out yet). It's very rigorous, and includes statistics, probability, graphing, and other topics that aren't covered in the Blue Series. It may seem like "going backwards," but if it helps your DS really understand the fundamental concepts of math, it will be worth it and it will make the transition into PreAlgebra & Algebra so much easier. You could also have your DS take the end-of-year test for this level, and then just have him do the sections he needs to work on. Placement tests:

http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/placement_tests.php

 

You can get 20% off using the Homeschool Buyers Coop discount code: HSBC1419 when you check out through Kagi (the link on the MM site). The complete 5th grade program (includes tests, answer keys, etc) is about $24 with the discount.

http://www.mathmammoth.com/blue-series.php

 

My DS is also weak in math (he was stuck at 2nd/3rd grade level all the way through 4th), and Math Mammoth has been a life saver.

 

Jackie

[mama25angels]

I would also like to recommend the Life Of Fred math series if he enjoys math is story format.