:iagree: I have my children do light math over the holiday and summer breaks. This holiday we are using Singapore Math Intensive Practice and informal Math Games like Blokus Trigon and Yahtzee. I also have the RS Math games. I consider it less formal, but I still like to have them do some math most days that are not holidays nor weekends outside of our regular school days.

I am sorry you are experiencing this with your son's teacher. Many math problems have multiple ways to solve them. Creativity is something that should be rewarded. When I taught math (at University level), I told my students to show their work. If a student shows no work, I can give no partial credit if their answers are incorrect. I would be impressed if they could show me a different way to solve problems.

:iagree:with Charon. I did not find Lockhart's article convincing. In addition, he offers no realistic alternative to the way mathematics is taught now. One can find beauty and art in math without removing the rigor.

Have you considered Singapore Math? It has excellent word problems...some of the best I've seen for the primary age group. The books Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems are excellent for expanding thinking ability. Good luck :)

My daugther LOVED the Lego house (with the red roof) so much that she already built it this afternoon. :thumbup:

Did he notice your reaction when you received your gift? If not, I'd tell him how it made you feel.

:grouphug: If it makes you feel better, one year my husband bought me a Yoda t-shirt for my birthday. Although I like Yoda, and I respect The Force, I did not want to wear a picture of Yoda around all day. ;) Sometimes it helps to give a hint...and this year I received some hardware for my computer.:D Much better.

We like Saxon, too. We combine with Singapore. :)

That is nice to hear. My son loves the Saxon pattern blocks and would ask if he could play with them when lessons were done. I say let her play...:)

Thanks for sharing. Singapore Word Problems are in a league of their own. ;)

If it is (x^2-x-6)/(x^2-4) then... since x>2, you don't need to worry about the undefined points at x=2, nor x=-2.

The original post asked for a comparison of "great maths", so we are not far off topic. A great math would prepare a student for a broad range of things and this is what we seek. I wanted to add that one of the best ways to develop the skills for mathematical proofs is too immerse yourself in them. Read books written by mathematicians as this really helps one to understand mathematical thought and notation. Think through the logic. Take the time necessary to master one proof before going on the the next.

I understand what you are saying. A student could develop in interest in math in a program like Saxon, and get the necessary proof building skills in college as well. There are several, like Foundations of Mathematics and Logic courses that one can take at the undergraduate level. All is not lost if it is not done in high school. I think one way to address what your brother is talking about is to look for books written by mathematicians, like Dolciani's or Gelfand's to supplement with Saxon or Foerster's or Singapore's NEM or whichever. Dolciani's could be done on its own, but I understand that Gelfand's does not cover all the Algebra topics of a typical Algebra course. Another is to do an introductory logic course (one that focuses heavily on mathematics). I will share with you that in my experience the students that struggled the most with graduate school math were the American students. That said, America has some of the best universities in the world. It would be nice if there was some sort of an outreach from the American universities to the American students. Perhaps there are.

We use the CWP at the same level as well. I recommend the HIG, and I highly recommend the IP for extra practice. The IP helps solidify what was done in the workbook. I give my daughter the IP as review right before her exams. She usually does well, and her exams seem easy to her after a trip through the IP topic.

I think I follow what you are saying. Engineering type math would include the introductory college level calculus sequence (Calc I-IV), differential equations classes and the like. It may not be a bad idea to take the Calculus sequence at the school of choice from the start to avoid "holes" in the curriculum. Pure math would include rigorous calculus (rigorous being a math term here, not a general term) such as advanced calculus, abstract algebra, real analysis, complex analysis, topology and similar courses. One thought I wanted to add was that the study of engineering type math does not hinder you from learning pure math. I think exposure to both is good. It is sometimes helpful to see a simpler version of something before trying to comprehend a complex version. I really enjoyed Calculus. It was like learning about a magic trick, but the magic was in the numbers and seeing the applications of the ideas. This eventually led me to real analysis and above. It did not hurt me to see it in its simple form, but rather inspired me to want to understand it more. :)

Singapore is actually mastery, but I understand that some of these definitions are a bit vague. "Singapore’s texts also present material in a logical sequence throughout the grades and expect mastery of the material before the move to the next level. In contrast, mainstream American math texts and curricula frequently rely on a “spiral†approach, in which topics are revisited and reviewed." http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/3853357.html

Saxon is incremental. Singapore is mastery. My children use a combination of the two. No forgetting here.:D

I understand now. Thank you, Jann.

Jann, Would you tell me why you don't recommend Saxon Math for higher levels. I am curious. I have not yet reviewed it myself, but I am working on reviewing Pre-Algebra and above for my daughter. Thanks.

This is exactly my point. The girl looking ones don't seem to have much building to them.

When I went to the Lego website, I was looking for a big (pretty) castle my daughter could build. I found the Taj Mahal, and I considered that - until I looked at the price. Some of the boy ones are interesting to me, but I think most of them are such that my if daughter were to unwrap them as a present, she would think that she opened a gift intended for her brother. :D

My daughter likes the more architectural looking sets, like the Taj Mahal. They don't have to be pink. I don't really think some of the boy sets they have now are very appealing to her. I'm not referring to legos decades ago.

I liked the town scenes as well. The Taj Mahal was neat, but pricey!

Yes ~ one of the ones I got her is a house. I think that is one of the better choices for a girl.

Is it just me, or are the lego selections for girls a little on the weak side? I bought my daughter some boy oriented sets this year, because the girl choices don't seem like there is much actual building to them... Anyone else notice this, or am I not finding the right sets?