TracyP Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 :iagree: It's hard to predict. (I will say that loving a program doesn't always make it a perfect fit, though. Ask me how I know...DD left AoPS kicking and screaming. Quite literally....well, not the kicking part....As frustrated as it made her, part of her loved the program...it made leaving all the harder...) I know exactly what you are saying. After a lot of indecision on my part, I am sure that AoPS Pre-A was a fabulous decision for this year. I am still not sure AoPS is a good fit long term. Let the angst over next year begin... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 I know exactly what you are saying. After a lot of indecision on my part, I am sure that AoPS Pre-A was a fabulous decision for this year. I am still not sure AoPS is a good fit long term. Let the angst over next year begin... You and me both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I completely understand moving on to another author (I already have Forester's). DS and I discussed it; he really wants to continue with AoPS. I'm hoping algebra will be a continuation of the past few months, not a repeat of the pre-algebra beginning. I have Foerster here as well... and Dolciani. :lol: Part of my reasoning is also that I'll have new baby, so our life will be a little upsidedown for a bit (we've been out of baby/toddler mode for a while). I figure an "easier" algebra will be better. And he's only 10, so two algebra courses is not a bad thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alittlecurious Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I have been really excited to stumble across this thread and read the reviews of AoPS. I always say my DS's native language is math. That's not true for me, although I can certainly do math and teach math. But he gets it in a way I don't. Unfortunately, he's not a wonderful reader, so I'm a little worried about that with this book. I have a question, though. Background--I've been looking for a pre-algebra text I can use next year with both my DD (who will be in 7th and is homeschooled and is like me--can math, but doesn't necessarily know the hows or whys) and my DS (who will be in 5th and is in a small parochial school and lives to math). His teacher is having him do math with the 5th graders this year, and since they don't have a 6th grade at his school, she offered to just do a separate curriculum for him next year. I think she walks on water, and it was a gracious offer--she teaches a combined 4th/5th class, so she has plenty on her plate as it is--so I don't want to make her life harder than in has to be. Most math books alternate between a teaching and a practice section, so I thought maybe I could pre-teach a section at home to both kiddos in the afternoon/evening, and then my DS could work more independently at school the next day, using the teacher as a resource only if he needed it. From what you are saying about AoPS, I'm wondering if this is even possible. It sounds like the student works independently for a while, struggles through to an answer that may or may not be right, and then will need quite a bit of support through the wordy explanations. I'm just worried that it would put an extra burden on the teacher. In your opinion(s), is it possible to process some of the material at home and then practice afterward in a classroom environment that supports independent study? Thanks so much for your reviews, and thanks in advance for your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I'm using AOPS Pre-Algebra with 2 very different kids right now. One is on chapter 14 and the other is on chapter 3. It has been a great choice for both of my kids, but for very different reasons. My older child needs to face difficult problems and learn that it is okay to get something wrong. This program was perfect for that. He has grown immensely in his math skills and his ability to handle getting things wrong. I usually sit down with him and work alongside him for any missed problems and the rest he does on his own, but there have been times when he needed more one-on-one. My other child is very much a whole-to-parts kind of kid and the discovery method is perfect for him. I sit down and read and explain things as he goes and he rarely does math independently. He does it more Socratic-style - at least for now. I did well in math when I was in school, but I didn't enjoy it at all. It was boring! AOPS has changed all that for me. I see the beauty and challenge in math and I love it now. I wish that I had this curriculum when I was in school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 From what you are saying about AoPS, I'm wondering if this is even possible. It sounds like the student works independently for a while, struggles through to an answer that may or may not be right, and then will need quite a bit of support through the wordy explanations. I'm just worried that it would put an extra burden on the teacher. In your opinion(s), is it possible to process some of the material at home and then practice afterward in a classroom environment that supports independent study? Unless this teacher is familiar with AoPS or has participated in competition math herself, this may be an extra burden for her. Ask her if she took the AHSME when she was in high school. Was she on the math team? If she has this background, then yes, it is doable to do some work at home and some work with independent study, having the teacher pop in occasionally to provide explanations or feedback. Better still, he could do the work at school, and come to you with any questions he has. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 In your opinion(s), is it possible to process some of the material at home and then practice afterward in a classroom environment that supports independent study? Do the work examples (problems) at home. He can do the exercises and review problems in school independently, If he is stuck at a problem at school, he can just post-it and keep the problem for discussion at home later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 alittlecurious - My ds did the Prealgebra text after school, at home, in 4th. It worked out well. He did a little bit at school but not much. His teacher was aware and on board - he didn't have additional math to do in the classroom. I agree w/Arcadia - try doing the lesson problems (in the colored boxes) at home and then exercises at school. FWIW, we tried this way with Intro to Algebra and muddled through for quite a while. I bought an extra copy of the text to stay in ds's desk at school. Ds's teacher wasn't really available to help (well she was available and smart/mathy but he didn't really ask her). How well it works will depend on your student. My student became unmotivated and eventually we moved to having him do most of his math work at home (5th grade; for completely unrelated reasons, we bounced around a bit between texts and eventually he had a bit of a hiatus from math but is making his way back now in 6th. We are considering signing him up for the on-line algebra 1 course very soon - he is concerned that it'll be too fast but he already went through those chapters in the book, albeit loosely. I'm reminding him that we can cancel after the 2nd class if it doesn't work out. I think he'll like it if I can get him to try it! Here's hoping!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 This is spot on for my daughter, too, except that she is also doing Dolciani. At the beginning we were alternating chapters and she preferred Dolciani. Now she prefers AoPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alittlecurious Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Thank you for all your responses. I went ahead and ordered it; I figure I'll definitely use it for my DD at home, and we will try the suggestion about doing the practice problems at school for my DS. It would not be a bad thing for him to learn to "post it" if he has a question, let go, and move on. He could use a little more flexibility in his life. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen. Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I agree with ErinE's review. I'm going through the Prealgebra book before I try it out with my oldest next year. I've only finished Chapter 1 and the beginning of Chapter 2. I feel smarter just touching the book - that's so funny to think :) I would not recommend this book for everyone. I think most could get through this book. It's more a question of are you a just-get-it-done person or a got-to-solve-this-even-if-it-takes-all-night person. Surely math abilty would help, but I think it's more about the interest level for problem solving. I have other math books that are simple and to the point, but somehow this book is like a puzzle begging to be solved. ErinE keep us updated on you son's progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest puff Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Nice review! My DD is now at the end of the last chapter tackling the last few challenging problems. Looking back, I also think that the first few chapters are the most difficult. The book is certainly much more difficult than other standard text books, as it also prepares students for contests like AMC8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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