Nakia Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 We use and love R&S math. I was just pondering today. We have a long way to go, but I am bed bound right now, so I have nothing else to do but ponder and wonder. :D I know R&S math only goes through 8th grade. Would the 8th grade program be comparable to Pre-Algebra or Algebra or what? Do/did you stick with R&S math all the way through the 8th grade or do you switch to something else sooner? After finishing R&S, what math program did you/do you switch to? My oldest is going into 4th grade this fall, but she is working a bit ahead in math. Thanks for answering, and anything else you can offer would be great!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Central TX Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I use R&S Math through 8th grade. My oldest & youngest sons work a year ahead because they are strong in math, but my middle son works on grade level. All of them will work through R&S Math 8 and then move to the 1965 Dolciani series of math (Modern Algebra Bk 1, Modern Geometry, Modern Algebra & Trig Book 2, and Modern Introductory Analysis). My 2 boys working a year ahead in math will move to Larson's Calculus of a Single Variable in 12th grade. I think that the R&S series gives a good grounding in pre-algebra in preparation for upper level math. You can view the scope & sequence here: http://www.rodandstaff.info/scope/ As you see, R&S Math 7 & 8 covers order of operations, commutative & associative laws, writing equations, etc. I've been very happy with R&S Math. My boys are very grounded in the fundamentals of math; they generally score well to very well each year on the math portion of the Stanford test. My oldest took the ACT as a 7th grader this year and held his own on the math section even though he had only completed 1/2 of the R&S Math 8 book. My husband did go over some common Algebra concepts like slope & factoring, but overall his score is a reflection of his work over the years in R&S Math. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 My daughter used Rod & Staff Math through Math 8. I was very pleased with the entire program and have no complaints. After finishing with Math 8, I had her work through Dolciani's Pre-Algebra: An Accelerated Course. Much of the material was review for her, but some of it was new. The reason I had her do pre-algebra after Math 8 was because she was a little young (summer after fifth grade) and spacey (she has ADD) to begin algebra. I felt she needed more maturity. She is flying through algebra now and doing very well. I don't regret for a single minute using Rod & Staff Math. (P.S. She did skip the first 18 or so lessons of each Rod & Staff book because it was easy review. In addition, she would skip the chapter review lessons and the review at the end of each book. So she was able to get through each grade a little faster than if she had done every single lesson. However, she never skipped problems within a lesson. We also did math year-round.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 My daughter used Rod & Staff Math through Math 8. I was very pleased with the entire program and have no complaints. After finishing with Math 8, I had her work through Dolciani's Pre-Algebra: An Accelerated Course. Much of the material was review for her, but some of it was new. The reason I had her do pre-algebra after Math 8 was because she was a little young (summer after fifth grade) and spacey (she has ADD) to begin algebra. I felt she needed more maturity. She is flying through algebra now and doing very well. I don't regret for a single minute using Rod & Staff Math. (P.S. She did skip the first 18 or so lessons of each Rod & Staff book because it was easy review. In addition, she would skip the chapter review lessons and the review at the end of each book. So she was able to get through each grade a little faster than if she had done every single lesson. However, she never skipped problems within a lesson. We also did math year-round.) Rebecca - What algebra program are you using? Thanks! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 She's using Dolciani's Algebra 1: Structure and Method, the "maximum" (fastest-paced) track. It's set up very much like the pre-algebra book, so she feels right at home with it. I had planned to put her in the Art of Problem Solving Algebra course, but we found that it was extremely fast-paced -- Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 are covered back-to-back in a very challenging way over seven months -- and there weren't enough problems on each concept. We both liked reading the AOPS book, but she really needed something more structured. I was able to buy the Dolciani textbook, TM, solution guide, and a workbook of extra problems for each lesson directly from the publisher. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 We moved to Teaching Textbooks. It's been okay, but I don't feel that there is enough review. We shelved TT after the first 20 lessons because dd didn't seem to be retaining. I'm not sure if it is the program, developmental readiness, or all the medication dd is taking :glare:. We subscribed to Key to Tracker online and had her spend time reviewing for standardized testing. Now that is over she is starting over from the beginning of TT and also doing Key to Algebra. She recently told me that she wishes Rod & Staff had an Algebra textbook. I thought that was funny since she didn't like the amount of problems in the R&S books.;) Hopefully their Algebra book will be ready by the time my next child needs it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Ds1 used Abeka with Singapore Math up to level 6. We then tried TT pre-algebra (for reasons not related to satisfaction with Abeka or SM) but that bombed. He hated the format and there wasn't enough practice for him. Switched to R&S 8 and he loved it. He said the explanations were much clearer. And he needed the extra practice problems provided. Followed up with Jacob's Algebra and he's doing fine. Cinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 Ds1 used Abeka with Singapore Math up to level 6. We then tried TT pre-algebra (for reasons not related to satisfaction with Abeka or SM) but that bombed. He hated the format and there wasn't enough practice for him. Switched to R&S 8 and he loved it. He said the explanations were much clearer. And he needed the extra practice problems provided. Followed up with Jacob's Algebra and he's doing fine. Cinder A mom in my homeschool group has been using Jacob's Algebra with her oldest, and she loves it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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