Pre-Algebra Recommendations and Needed Content?

[mygracious]

Hi!

My dd12 is finishing up MUS Zeta this year and slowly working through Sing. 4b (hoping to continue Sing. as a supplement through summers).

 

What do we need to look for in a pre-algebra text for her 7th grade year? What will she need to prepare her for algebra?

 

Trying to decide whether to stick with MUS. She's doing just fine with it...but want to make sure she is adequately prepared for college.

 

I'm not the mathy mom...

 

What is the difference between Lial's BCM and MUS pre-algebra? Any other suggestions?

Thanks so much!

[Carmen_and_Company]

We used a few chapters out of BCM to introduce Taz to English measurement, negative integers, probability, & statistics after completing SPM 6. If your dd received a solid foundation in basic mathematics, fractions & decimals using MUS, then the above mentioned BCM chapters should be enough as a pre-algebra course. If she has not done any geometry topics, then I'd add that chapter, too:

 

Basic Algebra section

Basic Geometry section

Probability & ratio section

Statistics section

 

May I repeat, your dc needs a solid background in the 4 operations, long division, fractions/decimals/percents in order to do well in algebra.

 

Here's the TOC for the edition of Lial's BCM that Taz used:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0321257804/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

 

To fill in any holes, you could also work through Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 by Richard Fisher, beginning now, and then move into a traditional pre-algebra textbook. The Key to booklets are another option. If I were not a mathy type, I'd use Lial's BCM with digital video tutor or Chalkdust pre-algebra.

[Ruth in Canada]

If you are happy with MUS so far, I'd use MUS for pre-algebra and then consider your options. MUS covers topics in a different order than most, so my experience is that the most logical switching point is after you've gone through pre-algebra. We switched to Jacobs geometry after MUS algebra with the first, we'll switch to Jacobs algebra 1 after MUS pre-algebra with the 2nd.

[RoughCollie]

Here's a discussion of many pre-algebra textbooks. If you are interested in any of them, there is an in-depth review of each book on the site.

 

http://mathematicallycorrect.com/books7y.htm

[Ruth in Canada]

I believe "pre-algebra" means a wide variety of things. In MUS, it is not review--the concepts are new. If you stop before you do MUS pre-algebra, you'll need to make sure you cover these concepts in another way.