Foerster Algebra 1 - How do you assign the work?

[swimmermom3]

Please remind me again how those of you who are experienced Foerster users, how you assign the work. Swimmer Dude is down to the last 15 chapters in Saxon 8/7. Those topics are covered about mid-way through Foerster. Math is now taking too long here and I thought I might rotate days between the two programs to ease some of the load. Much of the first part of Foerster will be review. I know we've talked before about how much to assign, but I forget...:tongue_smilie:

[swimmermom3]

Never mind. Duh! If I had read the Teacher's Guide instead of just plowing into the text, I would have known the answer. Carry on and I will go start my next pot of coffee which I obviously need.:D

[ChemMommy]

in our house, we assign 30-35 problems per day. If the assignment has a lot of problems and they seem easy, we do half of them. If they seem challenging, we do them all, over two days. For the word problems, we try to do 15-20 per day.

 

Pay attention to chapter 6 (the one with graphing). There is a TON of material in that chapter. You might not want to skip that one!

 

We love Forester's here, btw!!

[swimmermom3]

in our house, we assign 30-35 problems per day. If the assignment has a lot of problems and they seem easy, we do half of them. If they seem challenging, we do them all, over two days. For the word problems, we try to do 15-20 per day.

 

Pay attention to chapter 6 (the one with graphing). There is a TON of material in that chapter. You might not want to skip that one!

 

We love Forester's here, btw!!

 

Thank you as this is very helpful. He did the odds in the first lesson as suggested in the guide and it took under 10 minutes. This was a relief to him since Saxon is currently taking close to two hours.:tongue_smilie: I like the idea of spreading the more challenging problems out over two days. We aren't in a hurry to get through Algebra 1 and will continue to work in geometry like Saxon does.

 

For the word problems, do you mean that once you have covered the material, you divide up the word problems over the next few lessons so they are practicing them every day ?

[8filltheheart]

Well, I am a cruel Draconian alg teacher, so you might not want to replicate my approach. ;)

 

We go through 1 sec/day (usually odds or every other odd for the easy problems and more of the harder ones) until we reach the word problems. Depending on how many there are, we spend 3-5 days on those, typically 3-5 problems/day. And, I make do every single word problem (with the exception of the ones requiring Basic. ;) )

[Sunshine State Sue]

I took 8FillTheHeart's advice. 1 section a day (we actually generally combined the first 2 sections of a chapter like the TM says) working odds or evens, but ALL the word problems. The sections that had all word problems, we took several days to finish.

[swimmermom3]

Well, I am a cruel Draconian alg teacher, so you might not want to replicate my approach. ;)

 

We go through 1 sec/day (usually odds or every other odd for the easy problems and more of the harder ones) until we reach the word problems. Depending on how many there are, we spend 3-5 days on those, typically 3-5 problems/day. And, I make do every single word problem (with the exception of the ones requiring Basic. ;) )

 

Swimmer Dude is in need of Draconian methods so I think this advice will work well.:D Numerous word problems are good as all of my children have been known not to read carefully. That is why if they miss a word problem due to carelessness, they get to fix that one and do an extra one.

 

I took 8FillTheHeart's advice. 1 section a day (we actually generally combined the first 2 sections of a chapter like the TM says) working odds or evens, but ALL the word problems. The sections that had all word problems, we took several days to finish.

 

Sue, I couldn't find where the TM said to combine the first 2 sections and I know you can't check your books;). Do you mean for example, that in Chapter 2, you would do sections 2-1 and 2-2 on the same day?

 

Thanks to both of you for your help. Swimmer Dude and I have looked forward to this curriculum change since we made the decision months ago.

[8filltheheart]

Swimmer Dude is in need of Draconian methods so I think this advice will work well.:D Numerous word problems are good as all of my children have been known not to read carefully. That is why if they miss a word problem due to carelessness, they get to fix that one and do an extra one.

 

 

 

Sue, I couldn't find where the TM said to combine the first 2 sections and I know you can't check your books;). Do you mean for example, that in Chapter 2, you would do sections 2-1 and 2-2 on the same day?

 

Thanks to both of you for your help. Swimmer Dude and I have looked forward to this curriculum change since we made the decision months ago.

 

I agree with Sue about the 1st sec. I think it was probably meant to be used for "quiet time" while other students finished their exams on the previous chpt. The first sec in each chpt is extremely short and easy.

 

FWIW.....do not judge by the TM about how many days to take to cover each section. I had never owned the TM until I had 2 kids taking it together and I needed to buy an extra textbook and got the TM with it. I was looking at the pace trying to figure out how they would finish the book in 1 school yr and figured out the number of required days was something over 200 (I can't remember now, but something like 220??)

 

I have managed to finish the textbook every time using the 1 sec/day + several days for word problems approach.

[Sunshine State Sue]

Sue, I couldn't find where the TM said to combine the first 2 sections and I know you can't check your books;). Do you mean for example, that in Chapter 2, you would do sections 2-1 and 2-2 on the same day?

 

Hmm. I must have sold my books to you. At the start of each section in the TM, the daily assignments are in blue in the margins. It says how many days each section should take. Yes, generally, 2-1 and 2-2 can be done together on the same day. I generally gave ds the option to do the first section's exercises orally.

 

FWIW.....do not judge by the TM about how many days to take to cover each section...I was looking at the pace trying to figure out how they would finish the book in 1 school yr and figured out the number of required days was something over 200 (I can't remember now, but something like 220??)

 

:iagree: There's no way to complete the book in a school year using their pacing options.

[Storm Bay]

Dd, who is also 12, does the odds the first day & the evens the next day no matter how well she does. She only has to do the odds unless she has trouble, but she's not in a big hurry to be finished & I didn't read that part of the teacher's guide. I'm not planning to put her into Geometry before 14 and she's doing to do Algebra 1 again with an different text at 13.

[swimmermom3]

I have printed out everyone's suggestions and put them with my math planning notebook. Thank you for saving me from serious irritation down the road.

 

I spent the afternoon with my teacher's edition and I have two more questions. What is the lab worksheet mentioned on p. 18? Also, is there a test booklet like Saxon uses? I know there is an end of chapter test. However, pp. 22-24 mention a test to be given after sections 1-5 in Chapter 1. If I need a test book, where do I get one?

[Storm Bay]

I have printed out everyone's suggestions and put them with my math planning notebook. Thank you for saving me from serious irritation down the road.

 

I spent the afternoon with my teacher's edition and I have two more questions. What is the lab worksheet mentioned on p. 18? Also, is there a test booklet like Saxon uses? I know there is an end of chapter test. However, pp. 22-24 mention a test to be given after sections 1-5 in Chapter 1. If I need a test book, where do I get one?

 

 

At a used booksale I purchased a package of used Foerster's Algebra 2 boks that includes a Skills Practice workbook, a graphing calculator lab manual & a Computer Program manual. I'm guessing that there is smoe type of lab manual for Algebra 1 a well. We don't have that and I have no plans to buy it. I got this set, which includes a teachers manual for the text as well as one for the lab manual, for a great price or I probably wouldn't have bothered with all of these.

[Catherine]

I am only assigning a few problems a day. And even with that, ds is taking forever to finish. He needs to light a fire, IMO.

 

You have inspired me to make him work harder. Thank you.

[ChemMommy]

For the word problems, do you mean that once you have covered the material, you divide up the word problems over the next few lessons so they are practicing them every day ?

 

 

That's a good idea. No, I meant that we just parked on that lesson for a few days. But, I may use your idea instead. So, thank YOU!

[Rebecca VA]

Gee, I'm so un-methodical about it. If the lesson is short and easy, she does all the problems that day. If there are many complex problems, she takes more than one day. Either way, she ends up doing all the problems in a section before going on.

 

Algebra I is almost over at our house!! Just one more chapter (eight more sections) to go!

[Sunshine State Sue]

What is the lab worksheet mentioned on p. 18? Also, is there a test booklet like Saxon uses? I know there is an end of chapter test. However, pp. 22-24 mention a test to be given after sections 1-5 in Chapter 1. If I need a test book, where do I get one?

When I looked for used materials, I often saw a workbook or lab book, but I never used it. I imagine there are tests to be had somewhere, but I just checked at the Prentice Hall sight, if they offer tests, it was not easily recognizable. I used to call Prentice Hall all the time about Science Explorer. I always found their representatives very helpful, so you could try them if you really want to know what is available.

[swimmermom3]

When I looked for used materials, I often saw a workbook or lab book, but I never used it. I imagine there are tests to be had somewhere, but I just checked at the Prentice Hall sight, if they offer tests, it was not easily recognizable. I used to call Prentice Hall all the time about Science Explorer. I always found their representatives very helpful, so you could try them if you really want to know what is available.

 

Sue, if you or 8FilltheHeart or any of the other posters on here didn't feel compelled to use them, then I am not going to worry about it.;)

[Sunshine State Sue]

Sue, if you or 8FilltheHeart or any of the other posters on here didn't feel compelled to use them, then I am not going to worry about it.;)

I didn't want to tell you what to do, but I'm glad you came to that conclusion. ;)