MommyThrice Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 My 12 yo middle son just completed Saxon 76 (all 2nd ed.). He made it through & understands the material, but it wasn't easy for him. I have an older son that hit a wall with Alg. I (at age 13) so I'm re-thinking Algebra in 8th grade. Should I add a year or 87 for 7th grade and Alg. 1/2 for 8th? Is that too much repition? I've never looked at 87. This child will be 14 in 8th grade, so maybe he'll have an easier time of Algebra. Any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 My understanding is that 87 is designed for those that had more trouble with 76 and need more review, and that Algebra 1/2 is for those that don't need as much review. By the end of 87 and Algebra 1/2, I think you are at the same point and ready for Algebra 1. fwiw, I had one do Saxon from 5/4 through 7/6, but I don't care for Saxon myself. She's the kind of student that could learn math regardless of method, but I think if yours struggle with it, you may wish to consider moving to something else before Algebra. Sometimes the method you use can make all the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyThrice Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 This child probably does need the review. Any suggestions on something to use for just one year of review before starting Alg 1/2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 If you want to stay with Saxon, I'd do the 8/7. If you want to review with a different program to see if that helps (I like doing that) then there are a variety of options. Does he struggle with everything or in just some areas? In our house there are usually only struggles in one or two areas, rather than math as a whole. But sometimes they can affect a lot of math. My ds struggles with long division but he's just 9. My 11 yo has struggled with remembering all the rules for fractions. In those cases, I'd just tackle the one, two or three tough areas rather than redo all of math. After seeing the Beginning Algebra for Life of Fred, if your ds struggles with fractions and/or decimals, I'd recommend LoF Fractions or Decimals. There are also the Key to books many like. I didn't care for them, but my dd did review the two Keys to Fractions books that covered multiplication and division of fractions and enjoyed them. MUS can also be helpful for many who struggle with math. I like it, although it isn't meaty enough for my dc in their stronger areas of math and I thought the word problems weren't the best. However, I thought that about Saxon, too. MUS is not graded, and each one emphasizes one skill, although there is review of everything else previously taught. It's very visual and does use the rods, although my dd quit using them by the time she was in Epsilon, with the exception of the fraction overlays she used a few times. Some people really like TT. It wasn't our favourite, but it was also only used by my eldest (14 yo) who tried it for Algebra 1. It was too easy, in her opinion, but she's very mathy. TT might be a way to help solifiy skills if you like that approach. Honestly, we're big Singapore Math users. If used the Singapore way, it's very visual and teaches you to do fairly complex problems with simple math, but I'm not sure if it's a review type course. My eldest did SM 6A and much of 6B in between Saxon 65 and 76, but ended up hating it. But I wasn't yet familiar with the model method, etc, that helps make the program work. Perhaps others will chime in with their experiences. I do think it's very important to do a review year to make sure your ds is solid in his math skills before moving into Algebra. You might even be able to combine review with pre-Algebra such as Saxon 87 does. My 11 yo is reviewing math with a Russian Math program from Perpendicular Press. Some of it is review, but some of it has really challenged her because it's presented differently. Also, sometimes she is given information and has to write her own problems (I don't mean a word problem, I mean a number of facts are given and she has to write the word problem and solve it.) This has been good for her because she is very vs and has had difficulty with the linguistic aspects of math. The linguistic aspects become very important with Algebra and later with Geometry, particularly when it comes to proofs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Can you give your child the placement test for Math-U-See and see if he has a weakness with a certain type of problem. If you find that he's weak in a certain skillset like fractions you can spend a couple of weeks working on just fractions -- maybe picking up some of the Keys to.... workbooks and see where he is then. I'm working with some homeschooled siblings and one had started Saxon 87 and was really getting stuck. Turns out that he was weak in fractions and decimals and now that he understands them he's moving through the 87 book pretty well. I'm hoping he'll be in Algebra 1 within a couple of months. He and his mom are working hard to make it happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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