Degree program requires College Algebra OR Math for Liberal Arts, PLUS Statistics. I do not think she will take College Algebra, but I realize she will have to take placement test and place high enough to be able to take it. Math skills are average, but Algebra is just throwing her for a loop. If we can successfully grasp Algebra 1 will that be enough? Or strong Alg 1, weak Alg 2? Or is it necessary to really grasp Alg 2 to pass these tests? Thanks.

We weren't intending to do biology this year but have run across a group getting together to do labs so I want to take advantage of that. I know there is a student notebook with lab pages. Are these specific to Apologia labs or just generic lab pages? Would the notebook be helpful if we are just doing the labs only, but not the text or would something printed off the internet suffice? We used some Apologia in elementary science, but my daughter disliked wading through the "conversational" style to get to the information. Is the high school level still very wordy? Or was that more specific to the younger texts?

Not very solid I am afraid. That's why we are using TT. I am planning on major prep for ACT because of bright futures in FL, but math is her weak subject. I just want to make sure we have at least covered material on ACT and then lots of review. She won't need any higher math than Statistics in college.

Do you think there is enough trig in the geometry for the types of questions on the ACT?

nt

Do they need Algebra 2? Or any higher maths?

Thanks!

It's been 12 years since my son took it and I was wondering if things have changed with technology?

Has anyone put together a 1/2 credit course on career research/planning that would like to share what they did and what resources they used?

Thanks! That looks awesome and she loves her iPad!

Thanks, that sounds good. She doesn't really struggle in writing and grammar so I guess we will probably make those a low priority this year and really focus on math. I don't know if she is college bound - I'm not sure if she will be able to keep up - but I didn't want to close the door either. I was about ready to give up on Algebra though. Thanks for the suggestions.

When you say you worked on mastery, then spiral, how exactly did you do this? Switch back and forth between curricula? Or with review sheets of some sort? ( I don't know how only part of your post on this board) :)

No, I haven't. Where would I even start with this?

The only strength I have really figured out is she does best with visual and auditory at the same time. Just visual or just auditory she seems to lose her focus quickly. That's why I really liked TT. And yes, we switched math curriculum often. Some would click for a while and then it would just fall apart. Thanks for the suggestions.

I love the idea of a math notebook! That might really be what she needs. Okay, I had to look up the word subitzation...I think she's alright in that area. :) I think her computation skills are fine. She just gets so easily confused in the process and what rules apply where. For example she is now learning to simplify rational expressions. She is struggling with the difference of x+y vs. xy even though she knows addition is different from multiplication when there are numbers. But she can't remember when the x touches the y it is multiplication. The letters are throwing her. And she simplified one fraction where everything canceled out on top and insteading putting a 1 there she decided it was 0 and the answer was undefined or infinity ( something leftover in her brain from a lesson a few weeks ago). But she breezed through the lesson on factoring second degree polynomials which I thought was kind of hard. I think she just sees a jumble of letters in a problem now.

I have thought about eval for LD but don't really know how to pursue that as a homeschooler. I did use Jacobs for my son many years ago and it fit him well, but he is such an opposite of her I kind of ruled it out in my mind. Maybe I will take another look at it for her. I can't figure out if I haven't found the right curriculum yet, if she is just not ready, or a combination of the two. Thanks for the ideas.

nt

Edited original post to answer questions. Thanks!

We have been working on Algebra for over a year now (going into 10th grade this year) and it's just not happening. We did Hands on Equations which she seemed to understand. Tried to go to Teaching Textbooks which was just too fast. Next we tried Keys to Algebra, but it is just not sticking. She can get some of the harder concepts, but just keeps forgetting basic rules such as x + y is not the same as xy and I can tell her over and over and she'll have it for a while and then she just forgets. I think the letters mixed with numbers is just too much for her right now. Thinking of dropping it for a while and just working on basic math skills such as exponents, percentage, multiplying fractions, etc. Suggestions for a good high school basic math course? Do they exist or does everyone just keep plugging at Algebra until they get it? Am I making a mistake putting the Algebra away?

I'm not sure what I am looking for but we are failing miserably in Algebra and I need to put it away for a while. Is there some sort of high school math that I can use to cement math concepts such as percents, exponents, multiplying and dividing fractions, etc. that we can work on for a semester? Would this be called Liberal Arts math or is that something different? Edited: We completed pre-algebra successfully in 8th grade using Teaching Textbooks. Spent summer of 8th doing Hands on Equations. Started TT Algebra 1 in 9th and quickly realized it was too fast for her. Switched to Keys to Algebra and worked through first 5 books with LOTS of issues and it's just not sticking. We do work on math through the summer, but as soon as she moves on to the next concept the previous ones seem to disappear. Not sure what her learning style is, but I know she has a lot of issues with memory when it relates to math. She will figure out a solution more easily based on logic vs. remembering steps to work a problem. And she is very limited on the amount of work she can do she just shuts down completely. So I can't really do lots and lots of repetition because she exhaust her math brain before she covers everything. I know there is a disability in there somewhere, but I'm not sure exactly what it is. And I have no idea if this helps, but I thought I would throw it out there. Thanks.

My kid is not strong in math. Did alright in TT pre- algebra. Tried to go to TT Algebra and it was a fail. Someone suggested Hands on Equations to learn algebra skills and she did well with that. Decided to head to Keys to Algebra next because it is supposed to be easier. It is not working well either. She will learn a skill, move on to the next and when she gets to the end of a booklet she can do the harder problems she just learned, but the ones I consider simple she can't remember. She is just not grasping it. Just barely hanging on to what she did the day before. I hate spending money on another algebra, but I don't really know what to do at this point. Other choice is to let her limp through Keys to Algebra, call it a credit, move on and try to pick up Algebra again Senior year is she decides she wants to try to go to college. At most she will be going to a local junior college. Any advice?

nt

My daughter wants to do Astronomy next year but I need something without the math, chemistry etc.

So we did Hands on Equations over the summer/fall and she did well with that. Now we have started Keys to Algebra. Books 1-3 she did alright. We are on book 4 now with factoring out variables with exponents. She has forgotten every math rule she has ever known. Like there is just too much going on in a problem. The exponents being added when you multiply has just thrown her. She is now saying you can factor a 3 out of 5 (because you can factor x to the 3rd power out of x to the 5th power). I thought Keys to Algebra was the easiest Algebra out there. Is there something better? Or is this it and I just need to hang in there? Any extra practice or helpful tips at this stage? Should I look into something like Math U See Algebra or will that just be more difficult? She does NOT do well with reading a lot of instructions.

Any ideas for interesting movies to watch that would go along with MOH Ancient History for a child that has no interest in history? I am trying to make this as painless as possible and I need to add some hours to the course.