MarkT Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Moxie, can you call and ask what algebra text the school uses? I would just go ahead and buy that one and start using it alongside MUS, so your ds will be very prepared for next year, without being overwhelmed with a ton of extra work this year. The last thing you want him to do is feel burned out on math, or worry that he won't do well in his new school next year. I guess what I'm saying is not to let him think he has gaps in his education, but rather that you're giving him a head start on next year. If you're not totally confident about teaching him, buy a copy of the teacher's manual for yourself, too! :) Great suggestion and use a couple of days out of each week next summer as a part of your catch-up plan (when not on travel, etc). I caught up my son this past summer from his weak Algebra I class and he thanked me for doing it because Algebra 2 is now going smoothly for him (1 month in). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 sorry I have never seen MUS exercises and probably will not - my observation was about math courses in general - so I guess there are three levels out there: weak/remedial average/standard honors Does Foerster have enough honors level exercises/problems? They don't have to be AoPS challenge level. If so, I might get his Algebra 2 text for my after school math supplementing. I would definitely consider Foerster's an honors level but not an AOPS level class. It is a rigorous algebra 2 suitable for students intending any major. Quite honestly I think your list should have 4 options -- light, standard, honors, and super-honors. Super-honors would contain courses like AOPS and a few of the '60s era textbooks that still survive -- also calculus textbooks like Spivak's and Apostol's. These courses go far beyond what an honors class at most universities would cover and serve as excellent preparation for mathematical sciences majors or as a great challenge for students who really like math, but are too much for a student who doesn't LIKE math to be expected to wade through no matter what they want to major in. Honors would be courses like Foerster's which are demanding, rigorous courses suitable for students regardless of intended major. Light courses, on the other hand, would be suitable for struggling learners who are prepared to move beyond middle-school material, but not really ready for the level of abstraction needed in a standard course. They would also be a great middle-school or earlier preparation for young, accelerated students who have thoroughly understood arithmetic but are not yet prepared for the rigorous level of thought in an honors or super-honors course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Super-honors would contain courses like AOPS and a few of the '60s era textbooks that still survive Do you have example titles for these 1960s era high school textbooks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Do you have example titles for these 1960s era high school textbooks? The specific ones I'm thinking of are Allendoerfer and Oakley's Principles of Mathematics (intended for college freshmen with 2-3 years of high school math, but covers pre-calculus), the Elements of Mathematics series, and possibly the Unified Modern Mathematics series someone recently posted -- I'm not sure about that one yet because I have yet to have a chance to read through it. There are others that I've heard mentioned, though, but haven't seen -- Frank Allen's Algebra texts, Moise + Downs Geometry. While I'm thinking about it I'll add Solomonovich's Geometry (which is more recent and can actually be obtained new) to the list as an extremely rigorous, probably too rigorous for most students textbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Kiana, where would you put Jacob's on your scale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 The specific ones I'm thinking of are Allendoerfer and Oakley's Principles of Mathematics (intended for college freshmen with 2-3 years of high school math, but covers pre-calculus), the Elements of Mathematics series, and possibly the Unified Modern Mathematics series someone recently posted -- I'm not sure about that one yet because I have yet to have a chance to read through it. There are others that I've heard mentioned, though, but haven't seen -- Frank Allen's Algebra texts, Moise + Downs Geometry. While I'm thinking about it I'll add Solomonovich's Geometry (which is more recent and can actually be obtained new) to the list as an extremely rigorous, probably too rigorous for most students textbook. Found CO Oakley on the open library but not that particular text. https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL1872437A/Cletus_O._Oakley Google said it was digitized in 2006 so there may be hope. found some Allen here: http://www.hathitrust.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Found CO Oakley on the open library but not that particular text. https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL1872437A/Cletus_O._Oakley Google said it was digitized in 2006 so there may be hope. found some Allen here: http://www.hathitrust.org/ That text (and similar) are listed under Allendoerfer's name. Kiana, where would you put Jacob's on your scale? The thing about any scale like this is that it's not absolute categorization and many texts can fit into at least two groups based on choice of word problems. I would definitely classify Jacobs (and Foerster) as suitable for honors classes but both are also suitable for 'standard' or 'average' classes based on judicious omission of challenging problems and less necessary sections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Can I tag along on this thread and ask which recommendations might be good for STEM students who don't respond well to AoPS discovery methods? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Kiana, where would you put Jacob's on your scale?I don't have the books in front of me right now as I'm not at home, but I would say that Foerster is harder than Jacobs in certain areas, both for word problems and for coverage of a few random topics that Jacobs doesn't include. My ds has not used anything from the second half of Jacobs though, so I am not sure how fair my comparison is - it's been a long time since I've looked at it. I really like Frank Allen's algebra text but I can't find the student edition. I have taken a chance on amazon three times and come away with the teacher's edition all three times. Long story, but I'm in a quandary myself in that one ds11 will finish up algebra 1 in his classroom, by working through a text with the teacher but I get to choose the text and what needs to be done. He has done good bits of AoPS, Jacobs and Foerster but needs review as he has been on hiatus for some time. I think he will probably use the classic Dolciani Structure and Method Course 2 for alg 2 two years from now, though I anticipate having input into that text choice as well if he can get it done then in 8th. Without me teaching (there is no way around this at the moment), I am leaning toward Jacobs, and then filling up the rest of the year with C&P or something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Can I tag along on this thread and ask which recommendations might be good for STEM students who don't respond well to AoPS discovery methods? Foersters is without a doubt the number one recommendation on these boards for non-AoPS STEM level math. There are lots of other good choices, but it has to rank 1st. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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