Virginia Heather Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 And if so, which one? Ds (12yo, 6th grade) will complete Singapore 6b this spring, and I'm trying to start planning now for next year. He's me oldest, so I've never traveled this route before... should I consider a pre-algebra course (he's done very well with Singapore), or should I plan on jumping straight to algebra? And please-- how do I decide?? Jacobs, Chalkdust, LoF, Videotext, Saxon... and on and on and on. Help! If anyone has had success w/ a specific text after a successful run with Singapore, please share!! I covet your input! And thanks~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 My daughter went straight from 6B to Foerster Algebra with no issues whatsoever. I like Foerster tremendously. It is thorough with excellent explanation of concepts, and it provides many application type problems for the student to do. There are many threads on this topic (high school board) that may help you determine the best program for your dc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I've done this transition twice so far, but my dc were even younger than yours, lol. I think SM prepares solidly for Algebra, but Algebra is a *lot* more work for my dc than SM was and also requires a high degree of accuracy (sloppy mistakes doom you). . . so I like to buy some time if I can before taking the plunge as my kids have been in 4th ish grade when they completed 6B. I muddled around with my oldest a while before going to Thinkwell's Int Alg for 6th - 7th gr, which worked out fine. My most recent child to do the sequence was my now-6th grader, who'll finish Algebra this year. After he finished 6B in 4th gr, I had him do 6 IP for a few months, then Thinkwell PreAlg for a school year (easy), then on to Thinkwell Intermediate Algebra for this year (solid, challenging, a LOT of material as it includes most/all of Alg 2 in along with Alg 1). If I didn't want to do a PreAlg program, I might use an Alg 1 book as opposed to TW's Int Alg, b/c Int Alg is just a lot of quantity of material. My youngest is zipping through SM even faster than the first two (having the benefit of a mother/teacher who learned what to do with her older sibs, lol) and I am going to be really flailing to figure out what to do with her between 6B & Algebra. I really believe that SM prepares them solidly for Algebra, but a young child may or may not be ready for the increased work load & precision/accuracy needed to succeed in Algebra. Again, I think it depends a lot on the child. For Algebra, they need: + mastery of the SM stuff + high degree of accuracy (very few sloppy errors) + readiness for increased work load of Algebra + maturity to handle the more abstract math concepts in Algebra (this hasn't been an issue for us. . . I think SM trains them in abstract concepts early, so perhaps is less of an issue for those of us using SM than those who used other elem. math programs) ** If they have all the points above except the readiness for workload, you can choose TM Beginning Algebra (and plan a second year of Algebra later) as opposed to Int. Algebra, or take more than 9 mos to complete the Algebra program. (Or choose an easier text, which isn't my preference.) HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I agree with Stephanie's statement about maturity and readiness for workload. My daughter was 10 (5th grade) when she completed Foerster. She was ready to handle a more rigorous workload. What I intend to do with my son, who has the emotional maturity of his age, is let him work at that level at a relaxed pace. There is no need (at a younger age) to do HS level work at a HS pace. What I will not do is give my children busy work when they are ready to move forward. I also refuse to foist a HS workload on an elementary or even middle school child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I agree with Stephanie's statement about maturity and readiness for workload. My daughter was 10 (5th grade) when she completed Foerster. She was ready to handle a more rigorous workload. What I intend to do with my son, who has the emotional maturity of his age, is let him work at that level at a relaxed pace. There is no need (at a younger age) to do HS level work at a HS pace. What I will not do is give my children busy work when they are ready to move forward. I also refuse to foist a HS workload on an elementary or even middle school child. :iagree: My child finished 6B last spring (as a 3rd grader) and is now using Singapore NEM 1 for 4th. This is a challenging and rigorous curriculum! However, there are some days we just do a few problems and call it a day. It might take us some time to get through, but we'll get there. He really was ready for new concepts. The concepts are not a problem at all. It's accuracy with multistep problems that require a bunch of arithmetic. I'm actually seeing huge strides in accuracy and patience this year. Not sure if that's just age or if working slowly through this hard math is help or maybe a little of both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Let me share a story re: a great conversation I recently had. My oldest finished Singapore 6B at the end of his 6th grade year. He is quite competent in math, but it is certainly not his love. The kid eats and breathes history and writing...and has always wanted to become a historical writer/professor. Anyhoo, I have always dreaded teaching upper level math, as I just managed to pull B's in HS, and hated every minute of it. Not wanting to pass this attitude on to my son I decided to hire a tutor for him. I know a young lady who graduated last year with a degree in astrophysics. Yep. She's a smart cookie, especially in math. She was homeschooled for her whole life and guess what? She followed a traditional math sequence in high school: Algebra I/ Geometry I/Algebra II/ Pre-Calculus. She used BJU math K-12. She was accepted at every school she applied to. She was adamant that there was no reason to race through math. She helped me to really understand that acceleration for acceleration's sake is detrimental, especially down the road. So I guess you need to ask yourself if your child is really ready and eager to move into Algebra now, or if a year or two of Pre-Algebra and other math "stuff" would be more beneficial. It's that old adage, "Just because they can, doesn't mean they should." We decided to spend 7th grade doing LoF Fractions and Decimals & Percents along with the first half of Dolciani's Pre-Algebra. This year (8th) we are completing the Dolciani and doing LoF Beginning Algebra. Next year in 9th we plan to do a rigorous Algebra I course (not sure which). I just wanted to give you a different perspective. My son could have gone on to Algebra I following 6B, but it definitely would have been the wrong choice for him. Good luck with deciding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) My twins finished up 6b last year. I wanted to give them another year before algebra, and lots of practice with negative numbers and variables (barely touched on in Singapore - though maybe that's changed with Standards Ed??) before heading full-on into Algebra. One is using Singapore's Discovering Mathematics 1 (same level as NEM1), and the other is using Lial's Pre-Algebra (not BCM - we tried that and it was waaay to much review! She's much happier with the Pre-Algebra). Then next year the plan is either Foerster's or AoPS for Algebra for the girl in DM, and Lial's Introductory Algebra for the other. Edited January 30, 2011 by matroyshka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I agree with Stephanie's statement about maturity and readiness for workload. I don't understand why algebra is considered equal to a higher work load. Why??? If you're homeschooling, you can go as fast or as slowly as you like and tailor the workload according to the child. My DD was doing 2 hours of math straight when she started alg in 7th grade - whereas DS in 6th can't focus more than 50 minutes. So it is going to take him longer - no big deal. I don't see that there is an inherently larger workload in algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 My eldest finished Singapore 6B at the end of 6th grade. For 7th grade, I started her in Singapore Discovering Mathematics 1. It bombed big time. The way it was set up was not the way this particular child learned. It wasn't like the PM series, but made jumps between concepts. After a couple of months of tears of frustration (hers and mine) I bought the first four books of Keys to Algebra. She's halfway through the third book, understands what she's doing, and likes math again. She's also doing a couple of problems from one of the Singapore CWP books every day. My plan is to start her in Foerster after the fourth book of Keys to Algebra, but she may end up working through more of the Keys books first. That said, I was given a copy of NEM 1 and it looks like it would be much more suited for my dd than Discovering Math was. Sometime soon I'll have to decide whether to have her do Foerster or NEM. I have both books. Decisions, decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 My oldest went to ps after she finished Singapore and did a year of prealgebra there. My middle worked through Math Smart Junior (usually just $0.01 on amazon) and then worked through both Jacobs Algebra and Kinetic Books Algebra for one year. At that point, she decided that she liked Kinetic Books better and just used that until she finished the course. I really like Kinetic Books. Kids who did well in Singapore shouldn't have any problems jumping right in to Kinetic Books Algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 If you think he's solid with the arithmetic, then there is really no reason to do prealgebra. My son did very well going directly from MUS Zeta to Jacobs Algebra. The first 5-6 chapters of Jacobs are what I would consider prealgebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I don't understand why algebra is considered equal to a higher work load. Why??? If you're homeschooling, you can go as fast or as slowly as you like and tailor the workload according to the child.My DD was doing 2 hours of math straight when she started alg in 7th grade - whereas DS in 6th can't focus more than 50 minutes. So it is going to take him longer - no big deal. I don't see that there is an inherently larger workload in algebra. That's just been my experience with the two kids I've had who've made the transition. All three of my dc have found elementary math exceedingly easy. They progress through SM at a pace of about a level each 6-8 months from age 5-up, meanwhile also doing all of Miquon, and some SM IP thrown in for good measure. This is achieved in very little time each day/week. For instance, my dd8 2nd grader will misplace her math books in the depth of her distaster zone room and then we find it, spend an hour doing several exercises, and can get her caught up on a week's work in an hour or so. Easy peasy. The algebra we use is Thinkwell. It is adequately challenging, but the problems simply require more time to work through all the steps at times. Also, there are a LOT of problem sets. My ds who is doing it this year has it scheduled over 38 working weeks, each week with an average of 7ish exercises/lessons each week. It really requires an hour-ish 5 days a week to make it through on time, even if it is going smoothly. If there are rough patches, it could require a lot more. Contrast that with SM PM, that we could catch up a week's work in an hour or less most of the time. It's just my experience that the workload is higher. Of course, you can go slower through the program, or choose a program that has less quantity of work. (TW's Int Alg has an exceptional LOT of content.) However, with TW, you pay for a one year subscription, so you'll pay double if you go past 12 mos. So, we simply take Alg as a heavy math year. . . expecting/allowing the extra time for math that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Heather Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Thank you, thank you, thank you! I truly appreciate everyone's willingness to share (and help!)... you've all given me much food for thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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