Chalkdust Precalc after Alg 1?

[Bells]

Hello. My almost 13 yo daughter is about to finish her second year of Algebra 1. She has worked through a 1963 Dolciani, NEM 1 and is about to finish the first half of an Art of Problem Solving Alg 1 class. She wants to move on - I really think the Dolciani went well into what is now included in most Alg 2 books. I've recently been shown Chalkdust and I like what I see. Have any of you moved from Alg 1 to Chalkdust's Precalc? (Their Precalc is a combo of College Algebra and Trig.) I think most of what is offered in their Alg 2 class will be review for her - all but the last 3 chapters. I'm not crazy about buying the class just to use 1/4 of it. If I order the College Algebra, I might as well just order the Precalc and save about $300. Any advice out there?

 

Thanks,

Bells

[regentrude]

I do not know the Chalkdust, but I know AoPS - and I see a LOT of math between algebra 1 and pre-calculus.

 

In order to understand trigonometry, it is essential to have geometry of triangles. (And in order to later understand calculus, one should have a full geometry course, be introduced to mathematical proofs, analytical geometry etc.) I would not consider skipping geometry a wise decision.

 

After my DD finished AOPS Alg 1 (which is about ch. 13 of the Intro to Algebra book), I had her complete the book. Simultaneously, she began working on geometry and is now on the AOPS Intermediate Algebra.

Only when she has finished this I consider her ready for precalculus.

[Kathy in Richmond]

I do not know the Chalkdust, but I know AoPS - and I see a LOT of math between algebra 1 and pre-calculus.

 

In order to understand trigonometry, it is essential to have geometry of triangles. (And in order to later understand calculus, one should have a full geometry course, be introduced to mathematical proofs, analytical geometry etc.) I would not consider skipping geometry a wise decision.

 

After my DD finished AOPS Alg 1 (which is about ch. 13 of the Intro to Algebra book), I had her complete the book. Simultaneously, she began working on geometry and is now on the AOPS Intermediate Algebra.

Only when she has finished this I consider her ready for precalculus.

 

:iagree:

 

I personally wouldn't skip so much. Why not stick with AoPS curriculum? I'd recommend finishing the Algebra I book and moving on to their Intermediate Algebra text (which goes with their Algebra 3 online class). The material is plenty challenging! And have her complete a geometry curriculum before precalculus, too. When I taught college math, I found that the kids who had rushed through high school math often had the most trouble in calculus and above.

 

~Kathy

[Bells]

Thank you both. Excellent points. I've been told by some highschool math teachers that doing Geometry after Alg 2 or 3 is better than between Alg 1 and 2 - as it takes a more logically-developed brain. Your opinions about this? I hadn't thought about it being necessary for Precalc - now I understand why it is.

 

I'm not crazy about AOPS because of the text-based platform. My daughter hasn't had any trouble with the Alg 1 content or the pace (except for growing tired of waiting between the teacher's question and the students' answers to be posted). She thinks the AOPS book explains algebra nicely but I think her real strength comes from her Dolciani background. I'm not sure she'd learn more advanced algebra concepts - or geometry - so well in that forum the first time around. Thinking she'd do better w/ a Chalkdust approach. The other reasons I'm not a huge fan of AOPS: it seems that a lot of the AOPS class time is spent teaching students how to spot an undefined problem; and I'm not sure I like the "race" to answer the questions.

That said, I think her teacher (DanZ) explains things clearly, motivates the students, and is exceedingly patient. Wish we could see and hear him.

 

My plan was/is for her to finish the AOPS Alg 1 book and then do more algebra before adding geometry. Maybe I have it all wrong.

 

Perhaps she should finish the AOPS Alg 1 book, do AOPS or Chalkdust Alg 2 supplemented w/ Dolciani's Alg 2, then AOPS or Chalkdust Geometry and then work in Precalc and so forth.

 

Thanks for your help.

Bells

[regentrude]

I'm not crazy about AOPS because of the text-based platform. My daughter hasn't had any trouble with the Alg 1 content or the pace (except for growing tired of waiting between the teacher's question and the students' answers to be posted). She thinks the AOPS book explains algebra nicely but I think her real strength comes from her Dolciani background. I'm not sure she'd learn more advanced algebra concepts - or geometry - so well in that forum the first time around. Thinking she'd do better w/ a Chalkdust approach. The other reasons I'm not a huge fan of AOPS: it seems that a lot of the AOPS class time is spent teaching students how to spot an undefined problem; and I'm not sure I like the "race" to answer the questions.

 

You don't have to use the class for AoPS; my kids are just using the textbooks - which would eliminate the things you are not happy about.

[Kathy in Richmond]

I've don't have a strong opinion on whether geometry or algebra 2 comes first. I did it one way with one child, and the opposite way with the other child. Some kids take more to algebra, while others visualize better (like my daughter) and find geometry easier. You need to have geometry under your belt before SAT/ACT testing, but with a young child like yours, that's going to happen regardless of the order you choose.

 

Since AoPS didn't have the introductory courses when my kids were ready, they studied algebra one and geometry from other sources (combo of Dolciani, Jacobs, and NEM). It served us well, too. My son also worked through Dolciani's algebra 2 book, and I'd highly recommend that if you want to move away from AoPS.

 

When my kids moved on to AoPS courses, they sometimes used the online classes and sometimes used only the texts. You might want to give text-only a try, especially given the fact that your daughter says that she likes their presentation. Their solutions manuals are comprehensive enough to make it feasible.

 

The online AoPS class format can be frustrating at times, but the real value of the online classes for us were the graded challenge sets, the online schedule which kept the kids moving along (to say the least:tongue_smilie:), and the friendships formed with the other students (my dd especially went out of her way to "meet" the other kids and work with them online).

 

I think that they appreciated sometimes working out of the AoPS texts alone at home so that they could go at less than breakneck speed.:)

 

Oh, and Dan Z is a favorite around here. My kids have had him as a real-life classroom teacher at their summer camps. He's awesome in person!

 

~Kathy

[regentrude]

I've been told by some highschool math teachers that doing Geometry after Alg 2 or 3 is better than between Alg 1 and 2 - as it takes a more logically-developed brain. Your opinions about this?

 

I don't think this is necessarily true. In DD's German public school last year, they did congruency theorems for triangles and some geometry proofs in 6th grade.

My DD started AoPS geometry after algebra 1 and was certainly ready for it; however she got bored of all the constructions and proofs, so after chapter 7 abandoned geometry in order to work on algebra 2 which she found more fun. She is now working on geometry and algebra 2 in parallel, alternating between topics as she pleases.