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Alcumus


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Is there a way to increase the number of problems Alcumus throws at kids? My son just completed the exponents section in under an hour and moved on to new a new section. Honestly, this kid has never encountered a negative exponent before, so I know for sure, he hasn't mastered this material. He did watch a video and then figured out the problems on his own. At the rate he is going, he will be done with all of preA alcumus long before we even manage to start the book. I want to achieve mastery, but I don't know what to do. Should I dump all the other math books and just into AoPS full force? Or should I go with original programming and complete all of SM 5B and JA and Beast 4C before letting him go into the preA book? I thought I had a plan, now I am not sure. 

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We're doing every problem in the book, and Alcumus at the slowest possible rate.  No, mastery will not be there.  Normally, kids don't master any course the first pass through.  It's the subsequent courses that review and build upon the previous years which develop mastery.  AoPS Introduction to Algebra will repeat the concepts, as will the majority of the follow-on chapters in the pre-algebra book.  If you plan to chase those with AoPS Intermediate Algebra and then AoPS Pre-Calculus, do you start to feel a little sense of security?

 

On the other hand, I really don't think Alcumus by itself will suffice, because it doesn't hit the theory quite like the book does.  Your son will probably get by as well as any other kid taking pre-algebra, but that's probably not a proper goal for your child.  Our DS8 (just had his b-day!) blows through the Alcumus problems at an alarming rate, as well, but not so much with the book -- he has needed the full two weeks for the early chapters.  So, we do all the problems in the book and discuss the tougher ones in depth, just to drill in the theory, and only then do we allow him to do Alcumus. 

 

In short, if you do all of both, you should be in fantastic shape.  Just don't slow down - momentum is very important!

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If he's doing well with Alcumus, why not just start the PreA book?  If it's too much, you've got plenty of other things to pull out for breaks!

 

For us, JA was a really good bridge, but if he's finding it easy (particularly the last 3 chapters) then maybe he doesn't need a bridge, maybe he's ready to jump in!

 

We use Alcumus as a mastery test after she's covered the topic, because it throws more challenging problems at her.  I feel like if she's done a section on a topic, and masters it on Alcumus, then it's actually understood, not just pattern-matched.  It's hard to fake out Alcumus.  But I agree that using it all by itself without covering the material in any other way is unlikely to lead to lasting mastery.

 

I know I shouldn't be giving math advice on this board!!!  I have a totally different kid.  And I don't want to stress anybody else out . . . but since I feel like you started JA because of my suggestion, I just wanted to say, just because it was so great for my kid doesn't mean it's necessary for yours!  

 

The path meanders, and there aren't walls on either side - you can always take side trails, KWIM?  There's no one way to get there.

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Do you mean "high review rate" under settings? I have it on high, but still, very few problems per topic. 

 

That's what I meant.  I'm not sure, but it might also require more problems per topic if the difficulty setting is on "easy."   I would not rely on Alcumus alone - I'd definitely use the text too.

 

Eta, wait, why are you trying to get through Alcumus before starting the text?  If he has the prerequisite knowledge (e.g. negative numbers), then I would just start the text already.  The only thing about the online class is that time can be an issue - IIRC, the pace is roughly two classes per chapter but the chapter length varies in the beginning, so if you were trying to time the text with the class, that may make for more difficult logistics for the longer chapters.  I think it makes sense to get a head start in the text before starting the class (get through, say, ch 2 before starting).

 

FWIW, I think the text problems are often harder than Alcumus (except for the geometry sections, though that may have changed).

 

eta, as for the typing skills, until he's more proficient, maybe you could sit with him during the class and type for him?

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I don't know what I am doing with this kid.

 

Rose, JA was a great suggestion. Yes, it's easy, but very well written. I am glad we are working through it before AoPS.

 

Why I am working through Alcumus before the book? Excellent question. :) I was thinking to use if as a bridge to preA as well, to get some familiarity with the way program works.

 

I am going back and forth about the class. Yesterday we were "forth," now the mention if the exponents chapter is rocking me "back."

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Option #437.  Split the baby - do the book alone for the first half, then add the on-line class for the second half, Prealgebra 2.  (That's what my dd did, FWIW.  My boys did the book alone.)

 

Eta, if you do the book alone, then you have more control over which and how many challenge problems you assign (I tended to use the challenge problems as review, not immediately at the end of the chapter but later on).  The on-line class, on the other hand, includes a weekly problem set that includes a couple of challenge problems as a requirement (and unlike the book, you don't have the solutions to those until afterward :))

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Option #437. Split the baby - do the book alone for the first half, then add the on-line class for the second half, Prealgebra 2. (That's what my dd did, FWIW. My boys did the book alone.)

 

Eta, if you do the book alone, then you have more control over which and how many challenge problems you assign (I tended to use the challenge problems as review, not immediately at the end of the chapter but later on). The on-line class, on the other hand, includes a weekly problem set that includes a couple of challenge problems as a requirement (and unlike the book, you don't have the solutions to those until afterward :))

Is the second half of the book more manageable in a class format?

I like option #437. :)

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I don't know what I am doing with this kid.

 

Rose, JA was a great suggestion. Yes, it's easy, but very well written. I am glad we are working through it before AoPS.

 

Why I am working through Alcumus before the book? Excellent question. :) I was thinking to use if as a bridge to preA as well, to get some familiarity with the way program works.

 

I am going back and forth about the class. Yesterday we were "forth," now the mention if the exponents chapter is rocking me "back."

 

Don't worry about that chapter - embrace it.  If you do chapters 2 and 3 without cheating, all of algebra will be easier.  Those chapters are the prize-winners of the book.

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Is the second half of the book more manageable in a class format?

I like option #437. :)

I chose this option as well. I didn't plan it that way but was just checking out the website and reading some BTDT reviews here. DD was interested in attending an online class, and we were already almost done with chapter 7. Also, it was an experiment to see if DD could keep pace. First half is slow due to the nature of the book, the jump from elementary program to not just any pre-A but this particular book, the beginning problems that were way harder than most of the problems we've encountered. There is always a period of adjustment, so it's just easier if your child doesn't have to follow someone else's schedule for chapters 1-7.

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  • 1 month later...

Sooooo, I seem to not be able to stop worrying. It shows that my education is in liberal arts and I am out of my element. :(

We finally decided to give preA a try. In a month he completed the first 2 chapters. It was not a big deal at all. I should be breathing a sigh of relief, right? Well, I am worried about the lack of repetition. Will the skills he is learning (take exponents for example) be practiced again as he progresses through the material? Should I add something else for practice (Alcumus only gives 6 problems per concept)? Is this enough? PreA doesn't seem to have too many problems. I guess I need some experienced folks to tell me I am getting all I need out of a single book, or not.

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To me, what chapter 2 offers is enough, now that we are about done with Chapter 5 of Algebra. I wasn't sure at that point, but exponents appear throughout the Pre-A book and of course again at the beginning of Algebra. If you have Dolciani, you could take a few problems there to make sure all the rules are ingrained as some kids need more practice.

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