Quiver0f10 Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 My son will turn 13 in July and enter 8th in the fall. He finished CD pre-algebra this year but didn't do wonderful with it. I am not sure if it was his attitude or if he was not yet mature enough for the algebra concepts. I am trying to decide if I should have him repeat the pre-algebra in 8th or move into Alg I. So, my long winded question is what math will or did your 8th grader use? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Mine is still working thru PA, and will move into Algebra 1 when she is done. I am in no rush at the moment in this area - i'd rather make sure she "gets it". ETA: we are schooling year round - so that is different, and she didn't start PA till January. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Jean, I think if my son didn't do well with pre-alg in 7th, I would have him retake it with a different curriculum in 8th. I wouldn't rush it. ;) You're going to get a variety of answers to your post, from kids in 8th doing basic math all the way to alg 2 and possibly beyond. It's really not something you can (or should) compare your ds to, KWIM? Some kids are just very mathy, some are very average, some are slow learners. I think it's best to place your son where he needs to be. :D I know that if it were up to me, and what I want, my ds would be doing pre-alg next year for 7th. But, he's not ready. He does well on his tests and his daily math, but the questions he asks, and some of the confusion he still has, proves to me he needs one more year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted May 30, 2009 Author Share Posted May 30, 2009 Jean, I think if my son didn't do well with pre-alg in 7th, I would have him retake it with a different curriculum in 8th. I wouldn't rush it. ;) You're going to get a variety of answers to your post, from kids in 8th doing basic math all the way to alg 2 and possibly beyond. It's really not something you can (or should) compare your ds to, KWIM? Some kids are just very mathy, some are very average, some are slow learners. I think it's best to place your son where he needs to be. :D I know that if it were up to me, and what I want, my ds would be doing pre-alg next year for 7th. But, he's not ready. He does well on his tests and his daily math, but the questions he asks, and some of the confusion he still has, proves to me he needs one more year. See that's what I am wondering, if I should use a different curriculum or not? I know it's hard to tell if what works for one is going to work with another. I just don't know where to place this child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 My oldest was in ps for 7th grade and took a class that was called Algebra I, but was actually "How to use a graphing calculator." When she returned to hs for 8th grade, she did Algebra I with Jacobs Algebra. My middle dd started Algebra I in 7th grade using a combination of Jacobs Algebra and Kinetic Books Algebra - her choice, she wanted to do two programs. She has taken two years to finish Algebra, but has learned it thoroughly. My youngest probably won't start Algebra I until 8th or 9th grade. She's one semester behind where my middle dd was at this age. Math isn't nearly as easy for her as it has been for my other kids. She will need to do a pre-algebra course before algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 My son will turn 13 in July and enter 8th in the fall. He finished CD pre-algebra this year but didn't do wonderful with it. I am not sure if it was his attitude or if he was not yet mature enough for the algebra concepts. I am trying to decide if I should have him repeat the pre-algebra in 8th or move into Alg I. So, my long winded question is what math will or did your 8th grader use? Thanks! My son will be an 8th grader next year. He turns 14 in December. Math is his strongest subject. This year, we did MUS Algebra + LoF Algebra. He did fine with MUS and not so good with LoF. I know part of it had to do with raging hormones. I wonder if part of it had to do with maturity. The plan right now is to do Foerster's Algebra next year. I feel bad because I feel like I am failing him, but I am trying to take comfort in the fact that many younger students do well with Algebra over 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaOz Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 I recently had my 8th grader take the Saxon placement test because we decided to switch to Saxon (we are still in the first semester of our school year here in Australia.) She tested into Algebra 1 but while we were waiting for the book to arrive, she got stuck into Life of Fred and really likes it. So, even though the Saxon book arrived weeks ago now, she is just working through the first LOF Algebra book and loving it. I figure she has plenty of time to work on the Saxon later, and it is giving her a good start. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in PA Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Jean, My dd (non-math kid) started TT Algebra I this past fall (8th grade). She had completed TT pre-algebra in 7th grade. She did fine to start but by the time she reached polynomials, she hit a wall. I just do not think her brain was ready for those concepts yet. Sooooo we scrapped TT (she said she didn't like TT and the wordiness) and I pulled out the Lial's Introductory Algebra and started over with chapter 1. We completed Chapters 1 and 2 before we finished schooling for the year. We will complete the text next year in 9th grade. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Thanks everyone! I have decided to keep him in pre-algebra and start Alg in 9th. I am thinking of LOF, but I am not 100% sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in IN Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I wanted to chime in quickly because I am in a similar situation, dd13 will be going in to 8th grade. I have been banging my head against the wall trying to decide which math to put her in. We have spent the last two years doing Pre-Algebra with LOF, TT, and Key-to's. None of them have made me feel dd is ready for algebra. One of the biggest mistakes I made was not doing more hand holding with her. She seems to need me to really walk her through some stuff and she need constant repitition. She gets things fairly well but will forget what she hasn't used. For instance, I asked her the other day about a "prime" number and she replied "Wait ... what is a prime number again?" I wanted to cry .... So back to the drawing board. I pulled out the Lial's BCM that I had been resisting because I hated the way it looked. I know silly ... right? Ii is just so busy and distracting to me. Well, it seems to be doing the trick. So we are going to plug through that untill I think she has a firm grasp on all arithmatic. I am also considering doing a little MUS, I think that kind of thing would really help cement some stuff for her. Now, I don't want to discourage you about LOF because I know many others LOVE it and SO DID I, but for my daughter it was just not a great fit. She seemed to be doing fine and telling me it was going good but really there was not enough problems or review FOR HER. She also says now that she did not like the way the teaching is in the story and some is even in the problems. She really needs a just-the-facts-ma'am and lots of practice and review approach ... with that hand holding. I only have two kids so doing that is obviously easier for me then for you. Like I said, I think LOF is great, but I would just be cautious and very watchful while using it. It may be perfect for your son. One other example, I wanted to share is a good friend of mine used CD Pre-Algebra and then Jacobs and she said she thought the CD pre-algebra was tougher the Jacobs algebra and if she had it to do over again she would have skipped CD and just started the Jacobs as it contains a lot of review at the beginning. Something to think about ... David Chandler of Math without Borders advised me to use this list to diagnose areas of weakness in arithmetic and then do Algebra over two years, if needed. I hope this is helpful to you. I know how frustrating finding the right math program can be especially for a "non-mathy" child. There are many wonderful programs for math but finding the right one for your child can be daunting. Blessings, Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Thank you, Beth. Very helpful post and that checklist is great to have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 That is a neat checklist. I downloaded it too, as I need to brush on my pre-algebra skills so I can attend graduate school. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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