Oh, I get it! I just look at the books and they all look...well...ancient! :lol: I will definitely schedule in some more high-interest reads!

Thank you, cbollin. One more question, are there *parts* of AHL that are kind of fun or somewhat interesting for the student? The reason I'm wanting to insert some other Literature is b/c it looks a little dry.

I am bumping this to ask a question about MFW AHL...I'd like to take one of the books out of the course to add in a favorite or two. I've been told that the Iliad is the one that MFW recommends we can skip but I'm wondering if that leaves a skill gap at all that I may need to replace. Storygirl -- thank you for giving your suggestions for Literary Analysis. It seems easy enough to add Figuratively Speaking for a book or two. It's very helpful to hear from an English teacher about this program since I'm a science person teaching a liberal arts bent gal and feel a little over my head. :)

Thank you all for the help! Yes, I think she just can't see the big-picture with Foerster at this point. We are midway through, well into Ch 7, where application begins. Now that there is a certain equation given -- the student is asked to solve for x or y (using the quadratic equation or the y-slope-intercept formula or by simply looking at the equation to see if it can be easily solved by isolating the x or y). She just stares blankly at me like "what for/why?" and "how?". You know, I think that Foerster's actually lacks in this department when it comes to 'why am I doing this?'... maybe that's where Jacob's does a better job. I'm looking over the Jacob's Alg book (yes, I do have it!) and though it doesn't explain the lessons as well (in my opinion), it does explain WHY and WHERE you would use these a bit better. I can see how one compliments the other quite well. BUT, I admit that Foerster Lessons are very well explained!! In terms of MWB: I have MWB teaching thumb drive videos and hmmm... He teaches the lesson and then ups the ante. The graphing ones really had my dd confused. We only used his videos recently when we seemed to hit a brick wall and she begged for me to just find a tutor. Fortunately, dh came home, spent a few minutes with her and was able to explain the particular lesson easily by reading through the Foerster explanation. DD and I were just in a tail spin and neither of us were understanding...in hindsight, I think the y-slope-intercept formula could have been back-filled a little with better precursory explanations but that's another story. ;) Saxon: well, we used CLE 7 math after Singapore for a very brief time. She was so frustrated by the spiral method. I'm fairly certain that won't work, but I do think she needs brush-up and Saxon could easily provide that. Jacobs: As I look over the text, I know that she would actually have some fun with it. I'm noticing, though, that Ch 2 of Jacob's hasn't been covered (or just a little) in Foresters at this point. I'd love to switch things up and let her enjoy that text for a change but I'm afraid I might be in for a scheduling nightmare. Since I'm thinking ahead to Geometry: can you tell me if the Jacob's Callahan Dvd's are any better than the Algebra ones (I don't find the Alg ones particularly helpful -- I borrowed them from a friend and they didn't seem very thorough or well made). Derek Owens: She used his Physical Science and really loved his lectures. I will consider this for Jacob's Algebra since I'm underwhelmed with Callahan vids. Chalkdust: The sheer time commitment of each of Mosely's videos is single-handedly keeping me from looking (well, that and the college text that overwhelms my eyes!). :-) Mosely could be the best teacher in the universe but OH those textbooks! ;-) Again, thank you so much for helping me!

Do you suggest we jump over to Jacobs for Algebra or Geometry? Is Jacob's THAT much easier than Foersters? I'm definitely thinking Chalkdust for Alg 2 (just not sure what to do to finish out this year and then what to do for Geometry).

My dd is a 9th grader and has been a math struggler for years. I've worked diligently with her through Singapore 1-7a and then on to Foersters. I'm calling it quits. She's in Chapter 7 and completely lost. Where do I go with a child who needs to have Algebra, seems to understand difficult word problems, but is lost or flighty when it comes to memory and basic or previously learned algebra and sometimes even arithmetic. I just don't think Foerster is right but I still want her to have a decent enough foundation as she is definitely college bound in the arts.

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I am looking for favorite classes... Also, would anyone care to recommend a French teacher at Landry?

Cbollin, that helps! I know that reading through the OT is part of the plan in AHL. Did you find that at least some of the Bible readings are integrated with the stage in history being covered or is it a stand-alone piece? In my mind, the more integrated I can get subjects, the less actual time spent to cover the needed subjects. Is that even possible? :) I'm just trying to figure how to still use an all-in-one curriculum with a child who probably needs a program more catered to her. I just don't have the confidence to do that.

I know I'm not comparing apples to apples here but I need to make my plan for 9th and I'd like to pick one of these and stick with it for the 4 year cycle. I have a child with some specific (and time consuming) academic interests. I'd like to choose a college prep, engaging, yet least time consuming option. Both MFW and Biblioplan include Literature and History (and nothing more, I think). So, compare just HOD's Lit and History with the others, please. I'm just too unfamiliar with the titles to make a decision. Thanks!

My biggest trepidation with MR is not having a plan beyond it. 3andme, have you used MR and found a good program to move into after finishing the series?

I'm thinking about making an Algebra switch over to TT Algebra or MR. Please share what's not working with TT! Math Relief is on my list of possibilities but I'm pretty sure Alg 1 & 2 must be used to cover many typical Alg 1 topics. I'm okay with that but still in the pondering stages. I love how MR seems to start at the beginning and fill in any gaps. :) At this point, I'm not 100% sure where the gaps are that's keeping my student from being successful with the current curriculum.

nm

Are there activities in this guide or are hands-on activities phased out in high school?

We tried VT in 7th grade after Singapore 6B and it was a complete bust. I kept it and one year later tried it during 8th grade. It's been a complete success. I really believe age had everything to do with our later success. Basic math skills are much more solid after a course in Pre-Algebra; and, VT Unit 1, which was so difficult one year ago, is now very simple. Also, review hasn't been problematic because, just as most Algebra texts have little review, dd is older now and the skills are just building on themselves and thus being continually reused/reviewed. This lack of systematic review would have been a problem in 7th grade. I'm guessing that if we took a poll, the majority of kids successful with VT are either extremely high achieving younger middle school aged kids or more average to above average upper middle school/early high school aged kids. :) HTH!

Key to Algebra booklets 1 & 2 are a perfect Pre-Algebra review! My dd LOVED doing this after she finished Singapore 6.

Oh, boy. This sounds like a conversation we have had many times out our house. Interesting but Hard Math (Singapore) vs. Easy but Tedious Math (CLE or TT). I've been trying to find the perfect balance this year between the two for Pre-Algebra. Have you considered Foerster's Algebra? I've spent time reviewing it and it has step by step instruction to help with the balanced (and complex) word problems. I think we've settled on that one. You are not alone!

We tried just what you are describing during the fall of this year. We went from 6b to MUS Pre-Alg. My dd was very confused by this transition. I do not like the way negative numbers or order of operations are taught at-all! We finished to lesson 18 then switched to Derek Owens Pre-Algebra. It is much easier than 6b but dd needed some time to mature into Algebra and also needed some encouragement. MUS actually made her feel like a bad math student after doing very well all of the way through Singapore. I would stay with DO for Algebra if I could purchase the course out-right (instead of monthly instructional costs). I trust this instructor and Pre-Algebra has been really great at making sure all of the bases are covered mathematically after US Ed of Singapore. I'm really, really glad we did Derek Owens Pre-Algebra and we've been able to breeze through much of it making us finish by July and ready for an Algebra course in time for 8th grade. I'm sorry to discourage you in your planning but I'd stay away from the Singapore to MUS route.

Oh...I see what you are saying. We did the lesson portion together (interactively) so if there was a problem worked incorrectly or one that needed explanation, I did that with my child. Same goes for the actual lesson work. I did not use TT as an independent subject. I agree that you cannot hand the TT text to the student and get the same result as the CD program. I assumed that the OP would be an active participant with the math lesson.

"the TT workbook (I wouldn't call it a worktext, personally) would be sufficient for learning the basics but would be unchallenging" Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that the TT Text includes all of what is on the lecture portion of the CD!

For extra practice with computation...but wanting a Pre-Algebra program, I'd consider two interim curricula. Standards versions of Singapore 6A (this is definitely Pre-Alg) or Derek Owens Pre-Algebra. I might also consider Videotext for an older student doing Pre-Algebra since it combines Pre-Alg with Algebra and you could stay the course with this program. I wouldn't use: BJU (requires a studious/pleaser student--at least in my experience :) or TT Pre-Alg (it will bore a child after something like Fred). If he liked Fred, he's probably got a strong LA background and would enjoy the entertainment and informative nature of D.O. lectures. My 2 cents.

Yes, TT can be done without the CD's. I was looking for an interim program between Singapore 6b and Algebra and used the TT Text for several months just fine. I believe that dd stayed focused better without the CD lecture. Having me discuss the material in a conversational way and having her interact with me, a real person, was exactly what she needed. BTW, we moved on to Derek Owens Pre-Algebra after using TT for a time. I much prefer the lecture style to TT Pre-Algebra. I think it would be much better than AOPS for a bright math student with a low frustration threshold. That describes my child to a 'T'.

Derek Owens starts out gently but ramps up after the first 5 weeks or so. You must look beyond the first few weeks to get a full picture of the rigor of the course. My dd did very well with all of the old (review) material in the first chapters but struggled when new material was added in. There are some conceptual leaps for a young student to master but I'm sure an older, stronger student would do much better. It is a very strong course but limited thus far in terms of word problems and review. It reminds me of U.S. Edition Singapore in terms of amount and frequency of review. I would recommend the course for a strong 7th grade math student or an average 8th grade math student. The lectures are plentiful and clear and dd LOVES the note-taking aspect of the course.

We just finished lesson 2.9 of Pre-Algebra. Dd loves Derek Owens' lectures and notes. We did have a rough spot from 2.7-2.9 and have had to slow way down and really understand what is being taught. I think a lot of it was just slowing down in general and learning to write everything out when substituting letters for numbers in algebraic equations. My only concern at this point is the lack of any systematic review outside of unit tests. Because dd is so young, I worry that we need to be doing more review work.

Sue G...Thank you so much for your review. I have Rev to Rev purchased for 7th grade next year but I was getting cold feet (uncertain of the history spines --I like SOTW in MFW-- but excited to hear that they worked well at your house!).