I like having the Teacher's Guide. It isn't very open & go, but it does have some additional presentation ideas, some additional notes about the topics (more in depth addressed to the teacher), common misconceptions, and some websites for further investigation. It also has the answers to the activity book and textbook questions.

I'll be a dissenting voice. :D I'm getting my son a calculator to use with word problems only next year. He'll only be able to use it when I allow it (either all the CWP or only the challenging ones and on the challenging ones in IP). I envision using it when the focus is on exploration rather than computation. It won't be allowed for the textbook or workbook.

Thanks for posting. I wish more people understood the difference between a food allergy and an intolerance (or a simple dislike).

Thanks. I'll check those out.

You didn't link! (Or computer ate link...)

Rough explanation.... Everything before calculus deals with a static system. For instance, with algebra you can find the slope of a line. This shows how fast what you're measuring is changing. But in reality, things don't change at a constant rate (or very rarely). The concept of a limit lets you figure how something is changing in a given instant rather than over a static period of time. For instance: What was your average speed on a trip? (algebra) How fast were you driving at a given point of time? (calculus) In calc I, you generally cover the idea of a limit, differentiation (applications including related rates and maximum/minimum problems), antidifferentiation (the integral), and the definite integral (where applications include finding the area under any curve, so you aren't limited to just the basic area formulas; volume of any figure; length of any curve). I believe trig used to be used (and may still be) in surveying. Laws of sines/cosines are good for finding all relationships between a triangle. This can be used in navigation. I think it also is used in forestry (calculating height of a tree for instance... had students do a project once on that). Economics uses calculus for predictions. Marginal cost, marginal revenue, marginal profit: calculus describes what these are. A max/min problem would show what you should price something at to get maximum profit for instance. (Of course, the big question then in the real world becomes how accurate the mathematical model is!)

Threads I could find... and check any tags... think I tried tagging some as MPH when I was picking resources. Wish search feature were back. :glare: http://dev.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173522 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199612 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/tags.php?tag=mph+3%2F4 (tag may be really helpful)

I want to have my son do a writing project next year where he interviews his grandparents and then writes a brief report of the interview. I'd like to tie this in to a book he reads first that has a story with the relationship between a child (ideally a boy) and his grandparents. I'm not coming up with book ideas. :glare: Reading level isn't an issue. Fiction or nonfiction is fine. Thanks for any suggestions!

I want to have my son do a writing project next year where he interviews his grandparents and then writes a brief report of the interview. I'd like to tie this in to a book he reads first that has a story with the relationship between a child (ideally a boy) and his grandparents. I'm not coming up with book ideas. :glare: Reading level isn't an issue. Fiction or nonfiction is fine. Thanks for any suggestions!

:grouphug:

With my son, it was a dairy allergy. :( I had to cut dairy out of my diet and that helped. Even so, he didn't sleep well until he was over 2 years old. I mention it only so if other things you try don't help, you may want to consider food allergies. Hope it's something simple. I used the sling some, but a Baby Bjorn seemed to work well for me feeling more secure.

There was a thread titled Our Friend posted this week with an update.

In this state, yes, they do count 3 credit hours as a year-long hs course. From what I've seen, the developmental algebra we teach at the cc is pretty much a typical algebra I course, intermediate algebra is algebra 2. Does make you question why students who are recent high school graduates test into developmental math. :glare:

I've used the CAT from Bayside (former homeschooling family) and the ITBS from Triangle. I have been very pleased with both experiences.

Wii or XBox Kinect both can get you moving (with some games). There's also just running around in circles - which we've definitely done some days!

Adding to the queue. Thanks for the links too! :)

Yeah... But look how that one turned out. I'd rather be taped in the box. How many numberwang episodes are there?

Actually, the 30XIIS uses the same keystrokes (just about) as the TI graphing calculators. So if your daughter will be needing a TI later on, it may be worth it to learn on the 30X. The exponent is just the ^ (diagonal left from the 7). Three to the second power you'd type as 3^2. It handles negatives and exponents correctly: -3^2 = -9 (correctly). You can use the parentheses if you wanted the base to be negative: (-3)^2. The earlier example with scientific notation can be done in the way Angie mentioned, but most calculators have a way to handle scientific notation and that's with the EE key. On the TI, it's above x^-1. What you do is type the decimal number, then the EE key, then the power of ten. So in the previous example, 3.7 X 10^4, you'd type 3.7 EE 4. It's weird as you get started, but it lets you do arithmetic with numbers in scientific notation without worrying about the parentheses and order of operations, so it's useful. I like the 30XIIS as a basic calculator. The two line display does a good job of letting students see where they may have mistyped something.

Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series. I think Wee Free Men is the first. Note: it is about a witch.

I fixed the link & the part you found in bold was exactly what I was referring to. :) (I'm still figuring out how to copy/paste with the iPad.) Kalanamak's response also goes to what I was saying. There have been times here where people dismiss the Standards edition just because it's CA standards and not for considered reasons. Saying "I don't like the standards because of when they introduce negative numbers" or "I don't like the standards because how the book works with my child" are considered reasons. "I don't like the standards because they're from CA" is IMO a cop out. It's lazy thinking. I was in grad school (math education) when the TIMSS study came out (back when it was the Third International... rather than Trends in International... ). If you look at Singapore's listings here, their numbers have dropped slightly since the switch to 3rd edition rather than 2nd. I don't think that necessarily means the 2nd edition is better than the 3rd, but it is another interesting point. I've been teaching math a long time. I've been at the cc since the mid 90s and I see students who have a shaky math background. I want my son to have the basics with a rock solid foundation. I want word problems to be routine for him rather than something he hyperventilates about (and unfortunately I have seen students who will almost go into a panic attack in class when we do a word problem). I've been impressed with Singapore. The Standards edition had just come out when I started teaching my son, so I started with the US edition. I didn't think it had enough practice (even using IP and CWP). After what I've seen with my students, I'm in the overlearning category. I made the switch to Standards with 2. I need to add in less extra practice (although for some topics we still do additional work), I like the reviews, and I like the extra topics. I'd actually prefer negative numbers earlier and I've worked with my son on them already. The bar model approach is very strange to me, so this year I've had to work the CWP in advance of my son so I can help him with the set up of the bar models. I can see how it leads into a perfect set up for algebra. The more I work with the Singapore materials, the more impressed I have been with them. I don't think I have had to tell my son, "Well, that's not quite true." I did cover up the shortcut for multiplication with fingers for the 9s in 3A and told my son not to look at it because I want him to be FAST with multiplication. I think it's great that parents have as many choices of good math programs as they do. I would love to see all children have a solid math foundation and I think there are many ways to get there. A nerve was just hit the other day with me reading the post as "CA, yuck", especially given prior complaints about CA.

No problems making the switch :001_smile: The general recommendation is to switch after a B book rather than in the middle of a level. We did US 1A and 1B, then started 2a standards and have been very pleased. We use the US IP books and it matches up okay... But sometimes we needed book B when we were in A and vice versa.

My understanding from the Singapore site is that te Standards edition is closer to the 2nd edition of the texts that were being used when the TIMSS studies were initially done. See point 11 here. I see people dismissing the standards edition for the sole reason that it's CA. I think that's shortsighted.

I think reading traditional cursive is a separate subject. We've been using GD handwriting. My mother writes letters to my son that he reads (under duress). I probably should type up some things using a cursive font so he gets more practice reading, but I don't see many people use traditional cursive.

I used the US edition for 1 and switched to Standards for 2 and 3. I'll stay with standards. IMO saying you disagree with CA Standards as a reason for avoiding the texts is a cop out. If you read the Singapore info, the standards edition has everything that the US editions have (although in some different orders) and some additional topics. The Standards edition has some more review as well.

I spoke with one of the authors at a convention this year. He said it isn't necessary to go in order. So when your kids start stating some dissatisfaction with their work, jump to the next level. In your case, you may want to start with 4-6 book 1 and see how it goes. For the younger one, I'd stay in the k3 books. Same goes with jr high. It seemed to be an age/maturity issue primarily.