Alg.2 or Geom?

[Shelly in IL]

And if you chose Alg. 2 after Alg. 1 would you go with Chemistry?

 

If you chose Geom over Alg 2 would you go with Bio?

 

I was also looking in Apologia's cat. and they suggest Bio for 9th grade and chem for 10th. Would this impact you if we are talking about a 9th grade boy?

[ereks mom]

And if you chose Alg. 2 after Alg. 1 would you go with Chemistry?

 

If you chose Geom over Alg 2 would you go with Bio?

 

I was also looking in Apologia's cat. and they suggest Bio for 9th grade and chem for 10th. Would this impact you if we are talking about a 9th grade boy?

 

From Apologia's website:

 

"Your student's math level should drive this time line, especially if the student is science-oriented. When the student begins Algebra I, that's when Biology begins." They list Algebra 1 as a prerequisite for Chemistry.

[FaithManor]

We did the algebras back to back with dd. The plusses were that the algebra 1 was so fresh that we were able to skip the review chapters and not having a gap really cemented the concepts.

 

The drawback was that her algebra 2 text assumed that she'd had geometry first and so we had some geometric concepts that we had to teach sporadically in the text because the story problems were combo algebra 2/geometry questions.

 

Ds13 is going to be natural and will likely hate algebra. So, that's a real problem because giving him the break in between would be good for his mental, but by not doing the algebras together, I worry about retention.

 

Faith

[AngieW in Texas]

Most chemistry courses assume that you've had Algebra I. Algebra II isn't necessary. Most of the biology courses go really deep into biochemistry at the start and that's really tough without having chemistry first.

 

I'd do Algebra I - Geometry - Algebra II for math and Chemistry - Biology - Physics for science.

[Hunter's Moon]

This is how I did it.

 

I did Algebra I in 8th grade.

 

9th:

Geometry and Intro. to Physics

 

10th:

Algebra II and Biology

 

For 11th I will do:

Pre-Calc and Chemistry

 

and for 12th:

Calculus and Physics or Advanced Bio or Marine Biology

 

I would suggest Geometry first because towards the end of Alg. 2 when they start talking about Trig., basic triangle skills and theorems are needed. If you aren't too worried about that though, then choose whichever you think would fit best with your sciences. I believe Alg. 1 is a pre-requisite to Chem., but that is it. I don't think Biology really has a math pre-requisite but if they did it would probably be Pre-Alg.

 

HTH!

[Shelly in IL]

With Videotext, their order is:

Alg 1

Alg2

Geom

Trig.

PreCalc

Calc (which they don't offer)

I talked with them at length yesterday and ds will probably be taking with Alg1 and 2 next year as he has already done Alg 1 and it will just be a refresher/learn their style/rules/review. He will also be a freshman. You've convinced me to leave him signed up for Bio at our co-op (looking for an excuse to drop it - it's heavy)

[krstbrwn]

It's been suggested to me to do Geometry after Algebra 1, because there are texts that give review of Algebra 1 skills with Geometry. So, with the right text, you won't "lose" your Algebra 1 skills.

We've done Chemistry, and you definitely need Algebra 1 skills and you'll be fine.

My two cents:).

Kristi

[hoosiermom]

In the public school where I used to teach math, the sequence was Alg 1, Geom, Alg 2. I taught Alg 2, College Alg/Trig, and Calculus. After I left the school, they changed it to Alg 1, Alg 2, and then Geom. The reasoning was that students needed more alg before they began taking the graduation qualifying exam as sophomores. I prefer the former sequence so that students go directly from Alg 2 to College Alg. I've tutored many students going from Geom to College Alg, and it seems like they've forgotten a lot of alg skills.

 

My dd will be in 9th grade. She did Alg 1 in 8th, will do Geom this year, and then Alg 2 in 10th.

[LoriM]

In the classical Christian school where I teach upper school math, we will teach the sequence:

 

8th Grade: Algebra 1, Logic

9th Grade: Algebra 2, Physics

10th Grade: Geometry, Chemistry

11th Grade: Pre-Calculus, Biology

12th Grade: Calculus, Science Elective (Adv. Bio or Adv. Physics or CC dual-enrolled course)

 

HTH,

 

Lori

 

PS (At home, we just did math as we got to it, so we did algebraic geometry and geometric algebra! And then we did science agressively, so we had units of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy every year of high school.)