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AOPS -- which book for Algebra II?


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DD, 9th grade, did Saxon for many years. She did Saxon's Algebra I last year. I was tired of Saxon and felt like it was encouraging more rote memory and not enough actual thought, so since Geometry is different anyway, we've been using AOPS's Introduction to Geometry this year. It's been hard, but she seems to like it and has said she would like to continue using AOPS.

 

Should I get her the Introduction to Algebra book or the Intermediate Algebra book? I'm seeing things that say both books have typical Algebra II topics. Maybe she needs to work through the second part of Intro and then the first part of Intermediate? (And if so, which chapters for each?).

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DD, 9th grade, did Saxon for many years. She did Saxon's Algebra I last year. I was tired of Saxon and felt like it was encouraging more rote memory and not enough actual thought, so since Geometry is different anyway, we've been using AOPS's Introduction to Geometry this year. It's been hard, but she seems to like it and has said she would like to continue using AOPS.

 

Should I get her the Introduction to Algebra book or the Intermediate Algebra book? I'm seeing things that say both books have typical Algebra II topics. Maybe she needs to work through the second part of Intro and then the first part of Intermediate? (And if so, which chapters for each?).

 

I'd probably get the Introduction to Algebra, as there will be a lot of concepts she'll want to make sure she knows the "why" behind, instead of just the "how." 

Edited by wintermom
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I don't use AoPS currently, but IMO you'd have to get both books and start with the chapter reviews and see where your student is. You would need the Intro book for sure, as I know it introduces complex numbers and IIRC also has quite a bit on functions- exponential, logarithmic, quadratic. Parabolas. All of the Algebra 2 topics are not there, but some are.

 

Some say the first 13-14 chapters are roughly equivalent to algebra 1, but I would still start a little earlier with the chapter reviews and look at it as review of algebra 1, which most algebra 2 books have at the beginning, anyway.

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I don't use AoPS currently, but IMO you'd have to get both books and start with the chapter reviews and see where your student is. You would need the Intro book for sure, as I know it introduces complex numbers and IIRC also has quite a bit on functions- exponential, logarithmic, quadratic. Parabolas. All of the Algebra 2 topics are not there, but some are.

 

Some say the first 13-14 chapters are roughly equivalent to algebra 1, but I would still start a little earlier with the chapter reviews and look at it as review of algebra 1, which most algebra 2 books have at the beginning, anyway.

Okay, that's helpful.  Thanks!

 

According to my dh, a math teacher who also uses math at a very high level in his current job, there are two types of questions:

 

1) pattern recognition - requires memorizing how to deal with the various patterns in the math questions

 

2) problem solving - requires more creative thought, but ultimately you will work your way toward discovering a pattern that you recognize, and then you have to remember how to deal with it.

 

Pattern recognition makes up the vast majority of math. Problem solving makes up a smaller percentage of math. Problem solving questions are a lot harder to make up, though there are a lot of them in various curriculum and Math Olympics-type contests. 

 

AoPS has more of the problem solving questions, but the student still needs to learn pattern recognition and memorize how to deal with the patterns. This requires rote memory.

I don't disagree with this, but I wanted a slightly deeper understanding of the math.  I felt like she was only learning to follow the steps and really was missing the understanding of why, which wasn't necessarily intuitive to her.  When asked if she wanted to continue AOPS or switch to something else for Algebra II, she said AOPS. 

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Okay, that's helpful.  Thanks!

 

I don't disagree with this, but I wanted a slightly deeper understanding of the math.  I felt like she was only learning to follow the steps and really was missing the understanding of why, which wasn't necessarily intuitive to her.  When asked if she wanted to continue AOPS or switch to something else for Algebra II, she said AOPS. 

 

:iagree:   I just started doing AoPS Pre-algebra with my ds 13 and 11 and am finding this out. The 13 year old has been doing Saxon 1/2, and he's catching on very quickly about the deeper understanding of "why." The 11 year old just moved over from Beast Academy 5, and he's reviewing stuff he's been doing for a while.

 

** I changed my post up above.

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Start with the Intro to Algebra book. You might skip to the chapter review and see if your student can do them, or simply pick up in the middle of the book. I think it would be difficult to start in the middle even if you've done the previous topics as usually students haven't done them to the same depth.

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