Blossom'sGirl Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 I am just looking at these for next year (7th grade) after Singapore 6B. Thinkwell seems to be more visually appealing but Chalkdust seems to have more scope. Any reviews of either? I realize that both are going to be a lot of review of what he has already learned but I would like another year of reinforcement before stepping into Algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langfam Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 We used CD prealgebra last year after Saxon 7/6 and loved it. It's been an easy to move into Foerster's Alg 1. I read that many go from Singapore 6B to Jacob's Elementary Algebra or Foerster's Alg 1. I don't know if you'll need prealgebra. Maybe just take 3 semesters to finish Alg 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merylvdm Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 All 3 of my kids went straight from 6B to Algebra and had no problems. Doing pre-algebra may just be a lot of busy work. Meryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom'sGirl Posted September 29, 2009 Author Share Posted September 29, 2009 OK, IF we slowly move into algebra, what algebra seems to be real user friendly? I don't need to have a video program for algebra (it's my favorite math) but I despise geometry and will want it there. I know this has been discussed to death but I would like to see some updates on how happy homeschoolers are with their math decisions for this year. I do have the Aufmann pre-algebra book so we could skim through that first to see if he has all the basics down. My initial reason for wanting a video course is that I tend to rush at explaining things and I thought an unhurried video teacher might help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 In your case I might pickup a copy of Lial's BCM, do the chapter reviews (looking for any holes that need filling), fill the holes, and then move on to Algebra. We're doing that here, although we're using CD to do it (we already had it--I wouldn't buy it just for review). My dd does the chapter review, watches the video for and completes any section she was weak in, and does the chapter test for good measure to be sure she got everything. We've been doing it this way for about 6 weeks, and she's halfway through the book. I imagine we'll be ready for algebra in 6-8 more weeks. We originally planned to do CD prealgebra for math this year, but when I got the book it turned out to be all review (we did Lial's last year), which is why we are using it the way we are. By the way, we are using the "Cheap Chalkdust," which Pongo so generously introduced us all to. It's really, really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Youngs Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 By the way, we are using the "Cheap Chalkdust," which Pongo so generously introduced us all to. It's really, really good! We are too, my son is almost finished with it after 6 months. He did Saxon through 76 and is breezing through pre-alg, which is nice for him and builds his confidence before he starts high school math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom'sGirl Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share Posted October 1, 2009 I scanned through the Aufmann Prealgebra book and I do see a lot of review but I also see some things where we need to practice more. I ordered a 2nd hand solutions manual. This book seems so busy after getting used to the layout of Singapore Primary. I don't think the dvds will be necessary. I know this has been asked a lot .. but why would I do Lials BCM instead? I wish I had the courage to do Singapore Discovering Math. The layout and scope seem more user friendly but I am not sure how it would prepare him in comparison to a traditional math sequence (in case we have to send him to school and he has to take the NYS Regents and PSAT) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langfam Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 (edited) I have both Lial's BCM and Auffman Prealgebra. I used the Lial's for ds who's not mathy. It moves slower and it is great for filling in gaps. DS who is mathy I used Auffman because it moves faster and is more challenging. As far as Alg 1 texts go. I used Jacob's with the non mathy child and he struggled with it in 8th grade. That year we did Lial's BCM and Keys to Alg. In 9th grade, he did CD Algebra 1, and though he did well, the text was difficult for him at times (college text). So this year, with my younger ds in 8th grade, we are using Foerster's Alg 1. I really love this textbook the best of all the Alg 1 texts. It's straight forward and very age appropriate for an 8th grader, with many challenging word problems that a child that age can relate to. The Jacob's text we find too "wordy". The stories are distracting, but I know this factor appeals to many others.....just not for us. Edited October 1, 2009 by langfam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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