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Saxon Algebra I and II over 3 years?


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Has anyone ever spaced saxon algebra I and II over 3 years? Im thinking about doing it for younger DD. It seems logical to me, especially since geometry is intertwined with it. So it really gives 3 credits. She could really benefit from a slower pace because of some learning gaps. Im just wondering what schedule I could use and if anyone has done it before? Thanks.

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I haven't done it, but I think there is certainly room to do that. The geometry credit comes from doing 2nd or 3rd edition Saxon algebra 2 book with the first 60 lessons of the Advanced Math book. This can be titled "Geometry with Advanced Algebra". If you get to lesson 90 of the advanced math book, you can also count 0.5 credit for trigonometry. 

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Saxon Algebra 1, Saxon Algebra 2, and the first 60 lessons of Saxon Advanced Math = 

1 credit Algebra 1

1 credit Algebra 2

1 credit Geometry with Advanced Algebra

 

My daughter started and completed Saxon Algebra 1 in 8th grade.  We reviewed the last half of Algebra 1 (lessons 60+) the first part of 9th grade because I felt that she didn't grasp it well enough.  We are in Algebra 2 right now.  We are taking 2 days for each lesson.  We go over the lesson the first day and she does the even problems.  We go over the lesson again the next day and she does the odd problems.  So, yes, we are doing Algebra 1 & 2 in 3 years.

 

Edited by foofoobunny
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It isn't unusual and used to be more common for PS to have an Algebra 1a and 1b class which covered algebra 1 over 2 years. So one logical way to transcript it would be to do algebra 1a, 1b, 2, geometry (doing the first half of adv math as a senior). The (ps) transcripts I evaluated gave a credit each for algebra 1a and 1b. And I wouldn't worry about making the books precisely match up, just take 4 years to get through all 3. I wouldn't take time off math though (and start in the fall halfway through a book), but rather do something like work year-round doing 1/2 lesson per day. 

 

edit: corrected transposition of numbers

Edited by kiana
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My oldest took 24 months to complete Algebra I and II, and then the same amount of time for Advanced Math. We did math year-round. Mean mom, I know, but I'm a STEM professor and know that math is important. He needed to spread it out for mastery.

 

He did beautifully on the math portion of the PSAT/SAT and is pursuing a math-oriented business degree.

 

I agree that you can't award geometry credit for the Algebra I and II books. Here's what I put on his transcript for high school:

 

Algebra I

Algebra II

Geometry with Advanced Algebra

Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus

 

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  • 2 years later...

I did! Well, sort of.  It hasn't turned out exactly as we planned, but similarly.  Last school year, in 9th grade, DD spent two days on each algebra I lesson.  We did odd numbers one day, and even the next.  At the beginning of this school year, she asked me if she could just start with Algebra II instead since the beginning of it reviews so much of the end of Algebra I.  I looked over both books and agreed.  So we are now about midway through Algebra II, as this school year is ending.  We still follow the odd/even pattern.  We will finish it next year in her 11th grade year, as well as start the beginning lessons of Advanced Math.  

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My dd really got bogged down somewhere along the way is Saxon Algebra II.  If you tire of Saxon by the time you get to Advanced Math, you could easily hit on the remaining geometry topics with my current favorite free resource — Khan Academy.  Then, move on to whatever you want to use for precalculus.

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On 4/10/2019 at 2:02 PM, square_25 said:

 

Another possibility is to skip some things if there's already good understanding... I think sometimes textbooks get so involved with each topic that it's easy to lose track of what you're really trying to learn. What are you currently covering? 

We are finishing up 8/7.  She is a 7th grader.  She dislikes math and dawdles.  But, she gets the concepts easily, it just takes a long time to complete the review problems.  She makes a lot of silly mistakes on those because she just wants to be done.  I do make her correct them all. 

I just purchased MFW's lesson plan for Saxon.  It has the students complete about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the problems.  I am considering using it for Algebra I. 

I was also thinking of doing Algebra I and II over three years.  This would make our math day shorter, we would be able to do ALL of the problems, and she would still be on track.  

Do you think there are drawbacks to doing it over 3 years?

 

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I think it would be fine, assuming that you're going to do the first half (or is it the first 1/4?) of Advanced Math so that she gets her full Geometry credit.  

Saxon Alg 2 is an excellent and very advanced book, and if your dd can slog through it little by little she will have a better math foundation, than if she used something easier or less challenging.  

However, I will say, that it's very hard just on a pure emotional level, to pick up that Advanced Math book knowing you're not going to finish it...my son went straight to community college Pre-Calc and Trig and did great, and spoke with the Dean of the math department who felt he had covered enough Geometry to move forward with math, just after Saxon Alg 2.  The dean was right, my son is now into his third semester of Calc and physics and has never had a single problem with not finishing that last bit of Geometry.  BUT He FEELS like he should have finished.  He tutors at Mathnasium and always asks the other tutors to take the Geometry students because he feels like he would not be the best tutor for them. ...so there's that.

Just sharing our journey.  We feel like Saxon gave my son an amazing math foundation, and I was so worried about it all the time, but had not reason to be.

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1 hour ago, square_25 said:

 

Hmmmm. Is there any way to motivate her? Because I would be pretty loathe to add MORE of something that my student hates, especially if she doesn't find the ideas hard. Why do you feel the need to do all the problems if she's getting the ideas already? 

Has there been anything she's enjoyed in math at all? 

 

First, let me correct my error.  😜 She is a 6th grader, not a 7th grader.  I've been working on curriculum and have 7th grade on my brain.  We will be doing Algebra I in the 7th grade.  And since that seems so young I just wonder if going slower would be better AND save some time each day.  

I'm afraid to only do the odds or evens for review.  That's why I purchased the MFW plan.  They say they've had a math teacher go through and reduce the number of problems selectively.  

She would rather read a hundred books and write ten essays than do math.  She just loves reading and writing.  She asks to write paragraphs on things.  She loves vocabulary and spelling.  She loves her latin class.  Math is just uninteresting to her.  She says everyday she's going to be a literature teacher.  

 

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38 minutes ago, square_25 said:

 

Personally, I think making math more tedious for a kid who doesn't find it difficult isn't the right way to go. She already doesn't like math. You don't want her to hate it to an extent that she'd never consider using it for anything, even if she changes her mind on what she wants to do for a career :-).  

Does she like puzzles or problem solving at all? Have you experimented with the less standard curriculums (like Beast Academy) or math contest type problems or pattern-finding at all? 

I have read some about life of Fred and haven't looked at Beast Academy at all.  I don't know the first thing about less standard curriculums and only chose Saxon because I know some about it and have also read good reviews that it is solid.   I want to use something solid and I like the spiraling. 

I have heard good things about Teaching Textbooks, but have also heard that test scores aren't so great after using it.  

 

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2 hours ago, Calming Tea said:

I think it would be fine, assuming that you're going to do the first half (or is it the first 1/4?) of Advanced Math so that she gets her full Geometry credit.  

Saxon Alg 2 is an excellent and very advanced book, and if your dd can slog through it little by little she will have a better math foundation, than if she used something easier or less challenging.  

However, I will say, that it's very hard just on a pure emotional level, to pick up that Advanced Math book knowing you're not going to finish it...my son went straight to community college Pre-Calc and Trig and did great, and spoke with the Dean of the math department who felt he had covered enough Geometry to move forward with math, just after Saxon Alg 2.  The dean was right, my son is now into his third semester of Calc and physics and has never had a single problem with not finishing that last bit of Geometry.  BUT He FEELS like he should have finished.  He tutors at Mathnasium and always asks the other tutors to take the Geometry students because he feels like he would not be the best tutor for them. ...so there's that.

Just sharing our journey.  We feel like Saxon gave my son an amazing math foundation, and I was so worried about it all the time, but had not reason to be.

Thanks!  I know these threads get old but all of the information is still relevant and I appreciate your answers so much!  

 

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If she hates math, and is not planning on any STEM related field, you could use something a little bit more user friendly like Teaching Textbooks 🙂 That's what I would definitely do...Saxon takes a pretty extreme amount of patience, which on top of the hard work and concentration that math usually takes, is a steep hill to climb for no real reason 🙂

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I guess that I'd think of it as ... does she buckle down and do her math? Is she a "just get it done" type of person? Saxon may work. But otherwise, I'd be far more inclined to go with something a little less tedious. Saxon is kinda like digging into a plate of boiled broccoli because you're eating your veggies. It gets the job done, but ... 

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I have also heard of people using Teaching Textbooks and scoring nearly perfect scores on their SAT's....I think a lot of it depends on the child, and what is needed in your home and with your student. It is true that the Teaching Textbooks Algebra 2 doesn't cover enough to give credit, in most states.  You need to also cover the first 4 chapters of their PreCalculus program to give full Algebra 2 credit and/or compare to their peers in public school.  In fact, a lot of people use TT about a half a year ahead because, in general, it moves more slowly than some other programs. 

I think with Teaching Textbooks, it is VERY easy to let the parent let the student go along without checking on anything.  If the student doesn't WRITE DOWN and SHOW all of his or her work, they will not properly practice the skills needed to do well as the math gets more complicated.  The parent has to be very strong willed and consistent, in checking in and making students go back and show their work.  

As a parent that has used TT this year with my kiddo, it was very hard in the beginning to be consistent and really push through the issue of showing work.  My dd does math in her head very well, but I really had to explain that she needs to keep the foundational skills of showing work, neatly, line-by-line for when the harder and more complicated problems come into play, and also for next year in Algebra 2.  We pushed through, and then it was definitely a successful year.

BUT it's definitely pretty impossible not to at least write the problem and show some work, when using a traditional textbook.  So, if you see that that might be a problem for you and your dd, then stick with a traditional textbook.  

 

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