sahm99 Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 I realize that quite a few families are using Saxon above grade level (1st grade Saxon for the K-year, etc.). I am wondering how you are dealing with this in the long run... Do you slow down at one point or do you start Pre-Algebra in 6th grade??? This seems awfully young to me - even for a "mathy" kid:confused:... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmom25andRN Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 because some children are just not ready for algebra by 7th grade. My oldest did fine, my second daughter is doing pre algebra now in 7th grade. I would say that you will know they are ready for algebra when they have thoroughly mastered pre-alg. I would say that there are many of us saxon users that have had to slow down at times. Angela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 My dd will be 9 in Dec. and we are using 5/4. I do plan to stretch this out for more than one school year. I don't want to push her too quickly, so I've come to the decision to move a little slower this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 (edited) My oldest couldn't handle math at an advanced level but we didn't use Saxon from the start. With my middle one, we used Saxon almost exclusively. I'm not! a math lover nor are they. pk K K 1 1 2 2 3 - slowed up to concentrate on math facts then used another program (Rod and Staff cuz it was just soo exciting sounding on the boards. Not!) All was going well, I just got tired of the same program EVERY day. 3 most of 3 again (kicked in the pants, if we just stayed with Saxon...) 4 5/4 (thought we were ahead, lol) 5 6/5 6 finishing 6/5 (Now I panic because I read they're supposed to be in 7/6 at this point. She's still cementing fractions and decimal issues though so we're not skipping ahead, I've btdt with older boy only to go back later) then to 7/6 (hopefully by Christmas). Note: we skip NO probles, math takes us forever, she dislikes it, but is only missing one or two per lesson, I love that. plans for 7 finish whatever is not done from 7/6 then evaluate for pre-algebra (we'll probably go to Chalkdust because I was highly frustrated by Saxon in algebra, so was older son) We could not, in any way, be doing pre-algebra in 6th grade. I see the adolescent fog creeping in for her that did my son in around this age. They just have a hard time (most kids) adjusting physically then to add pre-alg I think is too much. My advice, don't make any plans or look to the right or left. Eval where he/she is that year, find what works at their current level, do your best to cement facts, then repeat the process next year. Crazy times those middle school days! HTH others will vary. As an aside, I've read until they grow hair, they're not ready for abstract math :) Edited October 3, 2009 by momee too early to sound smart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I realize that quite a few families are using Saxon above grade level (1st grade Saxon for the K-year, etc.).I am wondering how you are dealing with this in the long run... Do you slow down at one point or do you start Pre-Algebra in 6th grade??? This seems awfully young to me - even for a "mathy" kid:confused:... Well, my middle ds used Saxon and I did a year of Abeka and Teaching Company Basic Math to slow him down. Then he switched to MUS, because that's what oldest ds and our tutorial was doing. Oldest was doing geometry and middle ds ended up doing his work, too. So, he did MUS Alg1 and Geometry in 7th and MUS Alg2 in 8th. This was nice because this past year when teenage boy fog hit he was able to just do a year of review. He used LoF Geometry first semester and TT Alg2 second semester. Then, this July he began going to a tutor who is taking him quickly through TT Alg2/ Glencoe Alg2 and some ACT prep. Next semester and over the summer he will do TT PreCalc. Next year the plan is for him to take Pre-Calc at the cc and then Calc his senior year. This will be a normal mathy point to graduate from high school for a child interested in engineering. If I had it to do over, I would have gotten him a tutor sooner and had him take separate years to cover Alg1 and Geometry with more rigorous texts rather than just using MUS to follow the crowd. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I realize that quite a few families are using Saxon above grade level (1st grade Saxon for the K-year, etc.).I am wondering how you are dealing with this in the long run... Do you slow down at one point or do you start Pre-Algebra in 6th grade??? This seems awfully young to me - even for a "mathy" kid:confused:... 6yo ds is using Saxon65. I have no idea what we will do with him. We are playing it by ear and meeting him where he is. Fortunately, he also goes the Kumon center for math. At the center there are numerous accelerated students and the owner of the center has been a wonderful guide to all of them. Some of ds's buddies from the center are as young as 10yo doing linear equations with more than one variable. And all of these little guys are working at least 2 grades above grade level. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 My 8th and 5th graders started with Saxon 5/4, and now they are in Algebra 2 and 8/7. They're doing just fine. We haven't made any effort to slow down, but we have always been the slow and steady type - we homeschool year round, and it always takes the kids an entire calendar year to finish a Saxon book. They read the lessons themselves and work every problem, correcting any they've missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Dd is in 6/5 in 4th grade. So far, it is not challenging, but of course we are still in the review portion. I'm finding Saxon to be kind of weird, in a way. Although I really, really liked K-3, starting in 5/4, it just feels different. I know it's written by Saxon, whereas the K-3 aren't. I don't know whether we will stick with it or not. She seems to thrive with Saxon, and I don't want to change that. I guess we'll just slow down if we need to. I like that there are supplemental problems for most lessons in the back of the book--they practice only the concept taught that day, not like the regular problems in the actual lesson set. That, for us, is a good way to slow down--just doing those, in the back, and then the next day, doing the lesson's actual set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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