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Cindyz

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    Which Pre-Algebra to bridge SM6 to Foerster Algebra I? (Or, which prepares best for Foerster?)

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted

    We went from Singapore 5 to AOPS Prealgebra and then to Foerster.   AOPS was a challenge, but we got through it in a regular school year.  We started Foerster a couple of weeks ago and it's all way too easy after AOPS Pre-A.   Based on our experience, I tend to agree with those who say going to Foerster's after Singapore 6 wouldn't be too big of a leap.

    What do I need to know in preparation for high school math?

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted · Edited by Cindyz

    My son is half way through 6th and will be starting Algebra 1 this month after finishing AOPS Pre-Algebra.  

     

    My plan is:

     

    middle of 6th grade - Foerster's Algebra 1 - I expect him to fly through this and probably finish before the start of 7th. 

    7th grade - geometry and possibly AOPS Intro to Algebra online,

    8th grade - Algebra 2/Trig,

    9th grade - Precalculus,

    10th grade - Calculus  

    11th & 12th grade - community college math  (Running Start in WA state)

     

    This is just a general outline.  I will do as I have done from the beginning and continually evaluate where we are and go with what's working for us as each progression comes before us.

    Mosdos Press Jade Schedule?

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted

    I just look in the front of the Teacher's Guide where it lists the units and the selections.  Count those up, and then decide how many you need to do each week to finish in the number of weeks that you school for the year.  It lists the workbook pages that correspond to each selection there as well.  You could just decide that you'll do X number of workbook pages per selection and choose the ones that resonate with you the most when the time comes.  There's most likely no way to do it all.  Pick and choose what works best for you.  

     

    I see 6th grade has 76 selections compared to 39 in 5th.  The workbook has more workbook pages per selection than 5th had.  It looks like we'll be working double time, but there will obviously be many workbook pages we won't do. Personally, I'd rather leave out workbook pages in favor of the discussion from the side panels and analytical questions from the teacher's guide.    

    • Like 1

    Mosdos Press Jade Schedule?

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted · Edited by Cindyz

    We did 5th grade Coral and this was our schedule:

     

    Day 1 - Lesson in Literature & vocabulary 1 & 2

    Day 2 - Background Bytes & Read the Selection - verbally answer questions at the end of the selection

    Day 3 - Close Reading 1/2 of the selection & 1 workbook page - This is when we go over the information in the side panels of the teacher's guide.  I also focus a lot on the analytical questions.  We do this verbally, and usually have a very lively discussion. After our discussion, he did the 1st workbook page (comprehension questions) typed in google docs so that he could give adequate answers because there usually weren't enough lines in the workbook itself, and he could do it faster.

    Day 4 - Close Reading 2nd 1/2 of the selection & 2nd workbook page which was usually some kind of graphic organizer.

    Day 5 - Writing assignment - He could choose from one of the writing suggestions from the focus, or creating and writing section in the book at the end of the selection, or the One Step Further question in the workbook.  After going over everything closely throughout the week, he's usually quite prepared to write something intelligent at this point.   ;)  He also liked having the choice to pick the writing assignment that interested him most.

     

    I found most of our learning really took place on day 2 and day 3 when I would point out things from the side panels of the teacher's guide and really analyze what we read with the analytical questions.  I didn't really bother with the literal questions.

     

    This would take us through one section per week, and there were 39 selections

     

    I'm about to start planning for 6th grade.  I have the books, and the workbook is THICK (it has 500 pages!!).  I'm not sure how my 5th grade schedule will translate.

    • Like 1

    Parents of early risers

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted · Edited by Cindyz

    My son is 11 and still getting up anywhere between 5:30 - 6:00.  I'd really like to get up at about 7:30.  He has a grace digital wi-fi music player set up in his room connected to my computer which contains many audio book recordings.  He also has a well stocked book case in his room.  We tell him he can read, write, listen, draw or think.   ;)  On Saturdays and Sundays if he's finished all of his lessons for the week, he can get the ipad as long as it's AFTER 6:30am.  At one point we realized he was getting up at 4:30 or 5:00 on Saturday and Sunday mornings to play the ipad so we had to place a time restriction on it.  I'm not sure if he will ever sleep in?

    AoPS Prealgebra-Does your kid write out the problems?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted · Edited by Cindyz

    We have the same issue.  I also have the same rule about if you get it wrong, you need to write it out.  The problem is that when I say it's not correct, he will say, "Oooh yea, it's actually .... X = correct answer."  

     

    There's some excellent advice from Lewelma in this thread on the topic.  

     

    http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/579528-need-to-get-dd-to-slow-down-and-write-neatly-inst-of-mental-math/

    Aops Prealgebra 1 and Prealgebra 2 Back to back?

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted

    We don't use AOPS online, but we have always continued with math through the summer.  We might not be as intense as during the "regular" school year, but I have found that it's best for us to just keep on going.   I have heard that the AOPS online classes are intense though so I guess it will depend on your plans for the summer?  While we do math all throughout the summer, we do enjoy taking a week off for vacation or a summer camp, etc., and I personally wouldn't want to be tied to an online time schedule during that time.

    How early is too early to teach typing?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    My son learned around 5 or 6 using read, write and type.  I'm so glad we did it early before bad hunt and peck habits formed.  He learned quickly and has enjoyed the freedom of being able to quickly type emails, do internet searches and communicate with friends online.  I didn't let him start typing his writing assignments until this year in 5th grade.  Right now we're about half and half with writing assignments.  I can honestly say there wasn't one downside that came out of him learning to type early.

    Latin Help

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Do you know if they are phasing out their DVDs?  I really hate streaming curriculum here (our internet is a bit spotty), so I'm tempted to order both DVD levels if there is a chance they are changing their format.  I saw something on the website that made me wonder if they were moving to streaming only.  

     

     

    I'm not sure if they are phasing them out.  The online lessons just go over (almost word for word) the printed lessons.  They definitely aren't needed.   We don't use any of the games (we use Quizlet). We do use the pronunciation recordings.  

    Latin Help

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted · Edited by Cindyz

    We are using Lively Latin A & B and then will move on to Visual Latin.  We started Lively Latin A in 4th, and finished half way through 5th.  I'm guessing we will finish B by the end of 6th so should start Visual Latin in 7th.  My son has always enjoyed it and it seemed smack on for the grade levels we have used it with.  Also, once you buy the online/pdf version you can use it over and over for your up and comers.

    AoPS vs Lial's for Pre-Algebra

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted · Edited by Cindyz

    We have both books and just started last month.  I agree that they are very different.  We did Singapore K - 5b before starting Pre-algebra.  If you ask him, my son says Lial's is "baby math", and AOPS is "Monster Math".  If I assign him anything in Lial's it takes very little thought on his part.  It doesn't seem to help him with the AOPS concepts at all.  They are that different.  AOPS is pushing him and causing him to think deeply about the concepts.  I originally bought Lial's so that if he got stuck on something in AOPS, I could give him something from Lial's for reinforcement, but it's been almost impossible for me to find anything in Lial's that compares to what's going on in AOPS.  To me, Lial's feels like surface, and AOPS is depth.

    • Like 4

    Need to get dd to slow down and write neatly inst of mental math...

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted

    It is actually way more serious than that.  Every single kid that I work with has a major disconnect between primary school maths and secondary school maths.  Because they are taught to do everything as mental maths, kids never learn to convert word problems into actual mathematical equations.  For a word problem asking them to subtract 128-32, they will stepping stones, so add a 100 to get up to 132 and then subtract off 4. When you ask them to show their work, they will make some sort of number line.  The problem is they are never taught to differentiate between the mathematical operation they are trying to accomplish and the mental tools they use to solve it. They have no idea they have just subtracted, and it is even worse when it is a two or three step word problem -- they can get the answer correct, but they confound the different mental tools for each mathematical step and have no sense of proper mathematical thinking. So when they get to algebra and have no numbers to work with, they cannot convert a word problem into algebra to solve. The experts mumble in the news about why the NZ Pisa scores for high schoolers dropped so much in mathematics, but no one asked me! (-:  It is a pretty straight forward problem that they have created for themselves, and not easy to fix.

     

    Thank you for putting into words EXACTLY where we are.  We are days from beginning prealgebra with AOPS, and my son doesn't write anything down.  It's obvious to me that the mental math has become so automatic that he doesn't really know how he got from one place to the answer.  

     

    Now that we're here, how do we fix this?

     

    I try things like 4blessingmom suggested with, "Let's show how you did that on paper," or "jot that down before you forget," but he resists and doesn't do it.  I think it's because we're back to the fact that he may not know how he got there.

     

    Do we go back to the simplest letting him know that the whole purpose of the exercise is to write them out and work quickly from there?  I'm not a math person myself so it's difficult for me to work away from curriculum.  I can follow along and figure things out, but he is like lightning compared to me (which frustrates him because I have to go step by step and he's *snap* done).

    • Like 2
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