laughing lioness Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 My dh was tutoring Saxon Alg I with my ds. Since the fire it's been homeschool chaos. The Alg book is long gone and my dh is swamped so all bets are off with tutoring. I need a pick up and go math book for my smart but not in love with math ds. Saxon is off the list for a couple of reasons. Thoughts? Opinions? Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I'm sure you've read all the different opinions on this board about TT. The point of trouble seems to be the scope and sequence for algebra, that you really have to finish TT pre-calculus to get a full algebra course, and that the problems aren't as challenging as in other programs. That said, TT obviously works well for a lot of students and their families. We are not using TT for algebra, but for geometry (at this point anyway). For geometry, I am satisfied with it. We chose it in part because of a medical situation in the family when I realized Jacobs wasn't working for us. TT is straightforward and is workin well. I will soon be in the hospital with another dc for a week and then go through her long recuperation, but I am not worried that her math won't get done. I will have her do the lesson, check answers (I usually do that part), and try again on anything she gets wrong. As a last resort, she will have access to the solution CDs. She is reliable so I know I can trust her with this. I don't know what we would do without TT. She might have a problem and would feel like she couldn't proceed without my help. Math might not get done and my stress level would increase considerably. I don't need that now. This might be more than you needed to know, but since you are also dealing with your own special circumstances right now perhaps the details are helpful. I can't comment on life of Fred. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4wildberrys Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I would say for real 'pick up and go' I would say TT over LOF, as those are 2 you mentioned. Yes--TT is different scope and sequence and not quite as challenging as other programs---but you do get teaching and solutions on a CD--and so basically CD IS the teaching tutor. LOF is a good program, but not, IMO, as completely pick up and go as a conventional program. LOF doesn't have as much practice or explanation. Personally, I see LOF as more of a fun supplement for mathy kids than a stand-alone program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I need a pick up and go math book for my smart but not in love with math ds. Saxon is off the list for a couple of reasons. Thoughts? Opinions? Any help would be appreciated. We didn't last in Saxon long enough to reach algebra.,. My dd used Singpore for the past several years and began Fred's algebra this year. Reasons I chose Fred over TT: The cost. If Fred didn't work, it wasn't that much of a loss. My dd would be more reluctant to learn math on the computer. I preferred her math to be a little more accessible to me. A few friends expressed concern that their children had missed vital concepts in TT but that the parents didn't realize this until several months down the road. Surely not true for everyone, but knowing my family, this was important to me. TT looks so busy that even seeing the cover of the book would overwhelm her every single day. (Maybe it would just overwhelm me.) Dd would appreciate the story aspect of Fred, along with the short lessons. We are halfway through algebra, and it's gone well. My dd does not care for math but doesn't mind this. And she gets it--that's obviously paramount of me. Although written for the child to do completely independently, she will ask for help when she's skimmed through the lesson too quickly. I definitely would recommend the additional hs book which provides lesson plans. There are just over 100 lessons in the algebra book, so I initially planned out 3-4 lessons per week. We were both challenged by Ch. 4(?), which many here said was the toughest chapter, so we repeated that one chapter and grasped the concepts much better the second time. (Yes, I had to learn this to guide her through it.) We have every intention of continuing with Fred next year, moving into algebra II, as the author suggests alg II before geometry. Love Fred here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrscopterdoc Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 We have used both. We started off with Algebra TT. All was fine until about lesson 20. We hit a wall, there were tears and so I found LoF. It was like night and day. DD "gets" it. The only downfalls are I have to read along with her because some of the problems she needs help figuring out. Another downside are a few problems he only has the answer, it is not worked out and there is nowhere to go to get "help" on specific problems. That aside, dd loves it so much we are going to stick with it. The cost is affordable. It is not as "scary" as other math books. It is not as hands off as TT, where you assign a lesson and then just check the answers. But as another poster mentioned, they may miss some concepts with TT and you might not know until too late. We use LoF as a stand alone program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 WE are using LOF as a stand alone problem for my mathy girl. We also have the extra homework book which has the course scheduled for 104 lessons or maybe 102? ANyway, dd is in chapter three of Algebra and finding it easy. WE haven't gotten to the infamous chapter 4 but the program works very well for her as a stand alone program at this time. If she ever needs extra, I have plenty of books with problems to supplement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Robin E Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 We switched from Saxon to LoF. I have 2 dd's who excel in math and are self-taught, and a ds who struggled horribly in math. DD14 is using Beginning Algebra, and ds13 and dd11 are using Fractions and then Decimals and Percents. I chose LoF mainly for my son who retains more through reading. Since the math is in the story, he is finally learning math and is now self-taught. At the same time I also needed a math program that was more challenging for my girls. There are few problems, generally 5-10 per lesson, but they are thought provoking problems. You learn the concept and then apply the concept to a variety of problems. Other plusses of LoF are the cost, 30-day money back guarantee, and if you do get stuck the author is available by email or phone. I did look at TT briefly. Personally, I don't like using cd's or dvd's to teach my children so that was a big turn off as was the cost. There also wasn't enough math IMO for children wanting to pursue mathematical careers. HTH, Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 We just switched from Lial BCM to LoF Algebra and dd13 is in love with it. She likes the quirkiness and the way it's structured. She says it's still math but it's more appealing to her. I wouldn't consider her mathy but she doesn't hate math either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted January 9, 2010 Author Share Posted January 9, 2010 Ya'll are awesome. I am off to do more research....THANK-you all for the input!!!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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