Aconnolley Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 It seems to me the consensus around here is that Khan Academy is just not enough for a core math curriculum. This is exactly what my daughter would like to use for pre-algebra though. This year she completed MM 6 through the last chapter and then used Khan Academy for the teaching part of that chapter before completing the MM chapter review and test. She is pretty motivated and does well with math in general, though she found some of the MM explanations to be confusing. She really enjoys Khan Academy. Sometimes she uses the videos and sometimes just the hints to learn how to do the problems. It really seems to click for her and does provide some review with the mastery challenges. I am a little concerned about a lack of problem solving practice/conceptual understanding. If I added Zacarro Real World Algebra to Khan, would it be enough? Has anyone tried this? If I could use a program she really likes, that would be nice! Thanks! Angela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 I think you are on the right track - if she likes Khan, it's a good reason to include it, but it probably doesn't offer enough challenging problems. My dd loved Zaccaro Real World Algebra as PreA, after doing most of MM6. It's a nice followup, and a nice introduction to Algebra, so I don't think it's a bad idea. I don't think it will take her a whole year, though. Since she seems to like online learning, why not have her do Alcumus in addition to Khan and ZRWA? It's definitely challenging! She can use the free online videos if she gets stuck, just as she uses the Khan videos. It might add some challenge & definitely some problem-solving, while sticking with a format she enjoys. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherOfBoys Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Wow, I really like this idea of Khan, Zaccaros, and Alcumus. Following to save idea for the end of next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aconnolley Posted May 30, 2015 Author Share Posted May 30, 2015 Yes, thank you! I messed around with Alcumus once, but it started out very simple, and I didn't take the time to really see what it had to offer. I will spend more time investigating. 😊 Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Yes, thank you! I messed around with Alcumus once, but it started out very simple, and I didn't take the time to really see what it had to offer. I will spend more time investigating. 😊 Thanks! It gets pretty challenging! I feel like if a kid can get - and keep - those progress bars blue, they actually understand the concepts and can apply them to novel problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 It seems to me the consensus around here is that Khan Academy is just not enough for a core math curriculum. This is exactly what my daughter would like to use for pre-algebra though. This year she completed MM 6 through the last chapter and then used Khan Academy for the teaching part of that chapter before completing the MM chapter review and test. She is pretty motivated and does well with math in general, though she found some of the MM explanations to be confusing. She really enjoys Khan Academy. Sometimes she uses the videos and sometimes just the hints to learn how to do the problems. It really seems to click for her and does provide some review with the mastery challenges. I am a little concerned about a lack of problem solving practice/conceptual understanding. If I added Zacarro Real World Algebra to Khan, would it be enough? Has anyone tried this? If I could use a program she really likes, that would be nice! Thanks! Angela I'm wondering if you went ahead with this plan? We are finishing Horizons 6 and I also was considering the Khan Academy and Zacarro Real World Algebra combination as our Pre-Algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aconnolley Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 I'm wondering if you went ahead with this plan? We are finishing Horizons 6 and I also was considering the Khan Academy and Zacarro Real World Algebra combination as our Pre-Algebra. Sorry about the delay. I responded to your post on my phone, but it apparently didn't work. We used the Khan Academy/Zacarro combo for the 1st half of the school year. My daughter liked parts of it, but we decided to go a different direction for the second semester. She did like Khan, except she felt the need for more structure. Without having a specified amount of work to cover each day (one lesson a day etc.), she always wondered if she was covering enough. Her progress showed more than 50% of pre-algebra completed and some algebra topics, but she still just wasn't comfortable. The only problem with Zacarro is that it didn't always provide a detailed solution for every problem. It was frustrating to get stuck on one of the more challenging problems and not be able to figure out how they came up with the answer. She didn't want me to sell the book, however! lol She will still probably do a little bit of it here and there. We decided to try Videotext algebra. My daughter enjoys learning the "whys" behind everything, and I am hoping Videotext will be a good fit. I did feel that Khan/Zacarro was a good combination, but wanted my daughter to feel confident that she didn't have any gaps and that she wasn't "missing" something. In our case, it may have been more a personality issue than the curriculum not being sufficient or through. Angela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Thank you for taking the time to give your thoughts on how that combination went! I appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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