Two LoF Questions

[emmsmama]

I currently have LoF D&P, Fractions, and Pre-Algebra and have read both books cover to cover and worked several of the problems. Two things I've noticed are that:

 

a) There are no detailed answers for a lot of the questions. Some have quite a bit of detail, and for others it's just the answer. Are detailed solutions given in the BA and AA books, with each step of the problem worked?

 

b) Some things were easy to figure out because I already have an understanding of decimals, percents, and fractions, but when reading some parts I was left thinking there was no way my daughter would just "get it" without a thorough explanation. Is there enough explanation of the whys is the BA and AA books so that kids who are new to algebra can understand not just an algorithm, but why it works the way it does?

 

I'm still planning on using the D&P, Fractions, and Pre-Algebra books because I think the stories are funny, love the word problems, love how many of the questions make you think, and think it will be a nice change for dd and since she already knows fractions, decimals, and percents fairly well it will be a good review for her and I don't think she will get bogged down.

 

I am, however, trying to plan ahead what we will do after those three books and am debating whether to go with BA and AA or not. I'm thinking also of maybe doing Videotext and then during the summer do LoF BA and the VT and the LoF AA. Dd is going to be in Gr. 6 this year, so these are questions to help me plan for Gr. 7, but I like to have a rough idea of where we are headed. I know this is the High School section, but since many kids don't take Algebra until High School I figured I might get more answers in this section :)

[LanaTron]

 

a) There are no detailed answers for a lot of the questions. Some have quite a bit of detail, and for others it's just the answer. Are detailed solutions given in the BA and AA books, with each step of the problem worked?

 

When the concept is first introduced, yes. Later in the book, when review problems are given, not always.

 

b) Some things were easy to figure out because I already have an understanding of decimals, percents, and fractions, but when reading some parts I was left thinking there was no way my daughter would just "get it" without a thorough explanation. Is there enough explanation of the whys is the BA and AA books so that kids who are new to algebra can understand not just an algorithm, but why it works the way it does?

 

 

I think that Fred is excellent at showing how you would use the algebra to solve every day problems. I'm not sure if my ds understands exactly why factoring solves a quadratic equation, but he is starting to understand what type of real-life situation could use a quadratic equation to find a solution. That's way more than I ever got in high school!

 

But BA is much harder for my ds than the fractions and decimals/percents books were (which makes sense because algebra is harder than basic fractions or decimals/percents ;)). He sailed through those--he had studied those topics in Singapore math, so that probably helped. I am now sitting with him each day and going over the lesson, working a few or sometimes all the problems with him.

 

For the record, I am NOT using LoF at all with my dd. My dd started the LoF fractions book and just didn't get it at all, even though she was doing fractions in Singapore, too, like ds did. She got very frustrated with it, and I let her drop it and just do Singapore. I'll most likely use Lial's Algebra with her. My younger two dc...I'll have to wait a little longer to see about them.

[TravelingChris]

For many of the questions, the answers are given long explanations. They can be long enough that my girls just skip it (sometimes to their detriment since there can be new learning in the answers). For some of the problems there aren't detailed answers. The first time I couldn't figure it out was in one place in Advanced Algebra in the logarithm section. Since I really didn't learn logs very well in my education, I had to ask my dh (a physicist so with much more math background than me). Whether I would use this program in later grades depends on your family. My two girls like it. The older one is not a math child, but I certainly wouldn't say she is math deficient. Going over the books with her one on one is working very well. MY younger is a math child and she gets it all very easily. I just help if she has a question but more just because she is a perfectionistic extrovert who wants lots of social interaction and frequent reassurance.

[emmsmama]

Thanks for the info. Based on these answers I don't think I'll use it as my main course for dd for 7th grade, but will start with VT for 7th and 8th and then go with LoF for 9th as a good recap if she's still homeschooling (it's a decision we take on a year-by-year basis, but I'm pretty sure we are going to hs until at least gr. 8). I LOVE how in the three LoF books I have right now there are plenty of word problems and real-life (or mabye I should say silly-life) applications of how math is used, but I need detailed steps and answers for each question when we get to Alg. 1&2.