SierraNevada
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Posts posted by SierraNevada
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Anyone used them? Feedback? Seems like they have a great selection of courses.
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Depending on what side of Australia you are on and/or if you want to get up that early, she could do the online class with online book. Overall more money but you don't have to pay to ship the books and you get a teacher for it.
We have used LoF, DS reads through Zaccaro Algebra for fun ( but doesn't work through it as a curriculum), and currently use Aops.
I would think the Algeba would be a fine place to start. The Pre/Post tests on their site are much easier than actual class material. I think they are more designed to test if you have had the basic math areas covered, but not in the Aops way or depth. We only did LoF Pre-A, but to compare Aops Pre-A was much much harder.
If I were in your boat I would probably skip buying the books for now and just do the online Alcumus-free database of problems. If she really falls in love with that style of math and wants to drop the others, then I would do it.
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I'm considering doing math (Algebra 1) through the WTMA (assuming it's not too late to register). DS is finishing up Pre-A through Aops live classes right now. It's gone well, but he doesn't particularly pay attention to the text only class. Since Pre-A has been a review for him this hasn't been a huge deal. The class, more than anything, has just taught him how to set a goal and get x amount done each week. But as he starts to move into more unfamiliar math I think the instruction piece will be valuable. However, the Aops text based class is just hard for him to pay attention to. It sounds like WTMA will move slower-which is no big deal. He could take either pace fine. I just want him to have a firm footing. We are not in any hurry to finish anything as we are plenty far ahead. He loves math but not so much so that he wants to be doing assignments for hours a day. I like the idea of having tests and more feedback than he gets in the Aops classes.
Any reviews of how these WTMA classes go? I guess if they spend the whole year only covering half the Algebra 1 book, then we will have to go back to Aops to do C/P and Number Theory.
I didn't see those classes listed. Also it looked like they didn't go higher than finishing the Aops Algebra 1 book? How are the teachers? Any info would be great.
The clock is ticking. The neighborhood kids went back to public school yesterday and I'm still struggling to decide what we are doing in the fall.
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My son also needs to move constantly when his imagination is fired up. The only thing that I have found that works so far is exercise. Right before he needs to sit down and do seat work he needs to get in an equal amount of hard physical labor--Running/jogging, fast bike riding, aerobic work, etc. It does wonders for attention. If I skip it, (which I usually do in the interest of time, planning to do it after everything gets done) then little gets done. I'm just starting to clue into how this is the only way to focus his mind and body. I need the mindset that nothing in the day is as important as getting exercise in.
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Never mind. Just figured it out with son tonight. He misunderstood what we were asking him to do. He thought he was supposed to mentally flip the letter if it was reversed and identify any errors with the way it was formed- like bad handwriting analysis. Haha. He had us all stumped there for awhile. He flew through a workbook we were given to work on it to prove to me he can do the task just fine. He was like, Jeez mom, give better directions next time. Haha.
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The other day Ds was evaluated by COVD for second time after 8 weeks VT. First time Ds was given a test that the assistant botched-administered wrong on one section. It was a paper that had random letters and numbers flipped right or left and you marked the incorrect one. He got 50/50 first time because she first said circle the incorrect one. Then said circle or cross out the correct one after he started. I was confused which it was supposed to be as well so I took his results as meaningless. 8 weeks later same test was given and I watched as he really struggled to know which was which. Does a 7 face left or right? Same with S, 4, and a couple others. How could he not know? He has only ever reversed 2 letters-b and d but recognizes it and fixes the second he does it-and always has. But he still does it at 8 yrs old. He has never reversed other letters or numbers when he writes, even when he was 3-4 yrs old and new to writing. I don't think it's all muscle memory because he doesn't have consistent form. He reads perfect, doesn't transpose numbers when writing down math problems. I see no evidence of this issue in day to day work. He knows left from right, not super fast, but not terrible. So this issue only seems to come up when asked to pick out the incorrect symbol. He had no issue reading different fonts, cursive, etc. What in the world could this be? Eye Doc was stumped too and was going to call some colleagues. I should add he is profoundly gifted so his brain is wired different on a lot of fronts and his giftedness could be masking this strange deficit.
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The is a Great Courses Plus lecture series from Jeremy Sillman that is wonderful. You can get a month free trial and in that time watch the whole series.
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Periodic Videos YouTube channel
The Royal Institution chemistry lecture series--can find on you YouTube.
go React - app
The Disappearing Spoon --maybe as an audio book or to read in print.
Short History of Nearly Everything-also as an audiobook or print. Has large Chem section.
Uncle Tungsten-audiobook or print
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Mine finally came in the mail today. :)
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I'm still waiting. Tested through Numats. Don't know if that matters because results come directly from ACT, right? Maybe the late mail run this evening will have them.
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Personally for us, recorded would not be worth it. DS likes the interaction. He would find it rather non-engaging if he couldn't be on live. But we do know someone who does it recording only and they are fine with it that way. It depends a lot on your child's personality and if they like to participate in discussion or just listen.
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Just wondering if anyone whose child took the test in February has gotten results back yet?
I'm really excited and curious to know how DS did. This having to wait five weeks has been hard. I don't understand in this day and age why things can't be graded almost instantly. When I took the GRE 15 years ago-I walked out with my scores then and there. So this is just a wait with me thread for all those who are checking the mail daily now.
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We are doing the AoPS Pre-A right now. I have been thinking of trying the Wtm for Algebra, simply because DS doesn't love the text based portion of class. He'd prefer to have it at least audio if not video based. And it is not because it moves too fast, it's because the text based moves so slow for him.
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I agree with EoO about having a run through of pre-a before doing AoPS, especially with a younger crowd. It has made the transition so easy. We used JA for that and even though it was easy (and personally I didn't feel like there were too many problems at all--to me it felt light on problems) I feel like it made a great Pre-AoPS intro. I also wouldn't go from the JA series into AoPS algebra. I think it could be done and has been done. But with younger kids I think letting them have that soft intro to AoPS where they are already familiar with the topics and really just have to learn to stretch in the way AoPS stretches, it is best.
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I would imagine any day. We took the test Feb 2oth and were told the last week of March.
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My Ds feels he is bad at everything he is good at as well. For him the problem is that he sees what a master of that subject is doing and figures that because he isn't at that level he must be terrible at it. It doesn't matter for him that he is six years ahead, or whatever, of age mates--to him it matters that he hasn't mastered the subject perfectly. It's a terrible case of perfectionism coupled with a very unrealistic viewpoint. I have no idea how to deal with it.
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I would edit out the exact test questions from
your post. It is not looked on kindly to leak any info that is on the IQ tests.
I have heard that gfired programs sometimes just run certain subtests and not the full thing in order to save time and to narrow it down to the "type" of gifted kid they are screening for. I think gifted programs tend to cater more toward verbal giftedness more than Visual spatial--which may be why they didn't bother with those subtests? And yes, information is part of the VCI and part of what they call crystallized knowledge and it is heavily "g" loaded.
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Okay we are registered for the final time slot ever for the Explore. Sad they are retiring it. :(
Now, I will have him practise with a bubble sheet before hand so he knows how they work.
But for those of you doing this with young kids..do you have them do an actual practise test?
Or is the idea to see how they do without test prep?
If the question is why are we doing it---the answer is
because it is now or never and I want to know where DS scores.
Ideally I would like it to track through the years how he grows
But since it is discontinued that may not be realalistic depending on what they replace it with?
So, do we test prep or take it cold (beyond bubble filling prep).
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Thanks so much. Any thoughts on how younger kids taking it do with the scantron. DS will have never seen one before and I can't imagine it being easy for him to fill I the bubbles--he is very pencil averse. :)
Any chance they will be coming out with a computerized version in the next few years. How about the ACT--I hope by the time he takes it it will be available on the computer.
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Can anyone help me figure out if the Explore test is a pencil and paper scantron or a computer based test? Thanks!
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Okay. I'm not worried about the pace. Ds has already been through pre-A Jousting Armadilos and done quite a bit of alcumus. He is very strong in math. If I were putting him in Alg 1 right now I might want the slower paced WTM class. What is the quality of teacher like at the WTM. I know he lives the AoPS videos and that style. And do they only start August at the WTM--we need something NOW. Thanks for all your great responses so far.
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The time has come where I think DS would be better served taking math from an outside person. I know there are other aops threads on here--but I can't seem to find what I'm looking for.
Approx. how much time per day is there in homework? How many problems per day? Are assignments graded by the parent or actually turned in to the teacher? Are there tests and a final grade given? Any other info you can give that might help make this decision easier? The class is live right?
I know that AoPS is the right program for DS--I'm
Just not sure if the actual live class is the way to go yet.
Thanks!
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Thanks all. We did go to an OT over a year ago. They looked at his writing and said he had an odd grip but that nothing beyond that out of range for his age. He was given a lot of exercises- which he balks at doing. He does have low core strength. They said nothing about dysgraphia but said it "could" be minor dyspraxia at the time. Also some some minor verbal apraxia. But they gave no official diagnosis. Is it worth tracking down an official diagnosis? Does it matter if we call it dyspraxia versus dysgraphia? He seems to be very coordinated they said, but just lacks some motor planning or motor mirroring skills. His gross motor skills are all fine. What tree should I be barking up?
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No, the problem sets are not required. I do have DS do them and I check them myself. (Answers are provided by teacher). If he needs help he could ask teacher, but I just either show him myself or have DH do it. I'm surprised at the lack of output for all Athena classes. This is out first time doing them and while we like them, they are very low output. But it is more quantitative then any other first physics courses I have seen. But I don't think a child would need more than solid pre-a to handle it.
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Comparing homework amount (AOPS vs WTMA)
in Accelerated Learner Board
Posted
I'm still wavering between doing Algebra 1 through Aops online and taking it through the WTMA-Aops based. As I'm trying to fit more classes into DS's schedule I'm thinking the slower pace of the WTMA (taking the whole school year verses one semester) will allow us to do that. But with the slow down do they actually do less homework or are there more problems but they just don't move on so fast? From the looks of it WTMA seems to be run more like a traditional school with tests, quizzes, etc. So I'm
thinking they may actually have a lot more homework.
Anyone out there who has done both and can comment on the time commitment required?