Math Sequence through High School?

[....]

Does anyone have math planned through high school? Or do you have a math sequence that you used with a graduated student? I would love to hear your plans.

 

Thank-you for taking time to post your sequence! I just looked at our math, realized my kids will hit algebra in middle school and have now realized that we have absolutely no long-term math goals.

 

Off to drink more coffee, step off the window ledge and :chillpill:. Thank-you for your replies!

[jcross222]

Here's mine:

7th g: pre-alg

8th g: alg

9th g: geometry

10th g: alg 2

11th g: pre-calc

12th g: calc

 

I plan on using Lial's for 7th and 8th. I haven't researched texts beyond that yet. There is a strong possiblility that 11th and 12th will be at local comm college.

As my kids get further along in the plan, things may change. If, for example, they have no interest in a college major that requires calc, I may have them do consumer math and stats instead. We will see. :)

[....]

Thank-you. I have never heard of Lial's. I'm going to look that up. :001_smile:

[Jenny in Florida]

It's nearly impossible to assign grade levels to my daughter's homeschooling experience. What I can share is what she did her last few years at home:

 

Algebra I

Geometry

Algebra II

More geometry

 

We had trouble finding an appropriate math class for that last year at home. She tried statistics, which she hated and with which I was not able to help her enough. Then, she spent about a week in precalc before we decided that wasn't right, either. She ended up using a text from Key Curriculum Press called Advanced Euclidean Geometry. We called it "Geometry II" on her transcript.

 

Afte that, she jumped to an early entrance college program. She did fine in the required math courses for her major.

 

My son is starting a full high school course schedule next year. He has already had algebra I and geometry. This year, he's doing "Liberal Arts Math" as a review.

 

He wants to aim at finishing high school in three years.

 

Here's my loose plan for him, which is highly subject to change:

 

Year 1 - Art of Problem Solving: Introduction to Counting and Probability plus the first half of Crossing the River with Dogs and Other Mathematical Adventures (Key Curriculum Press)

 

Year 2 - Art of Problem Solving: Introduction to Number Theory plus the second half of the KCP book

 

OR - He might take algebra II through Florida Virtual School.

 

Year 3 - FLVS algebra II

 

OR - If he does do algebra II in year 2, he would go ahead into their precalc class.

 

He's one of those kids who is very good at math but really hates it. It does not look like he is likely to go into any math-heavy career. So, my goal for the next few years is to keep him moving forward but not push him through higher level math just for the sake of having it on his transcript.

[Princess Peach]

We are using Teaching Textbooks and DS is a year ahead. He's doing TT7 this year. So his sequence will be:

7th grade: Pre-algebra

8th grade: Algebra 1

9th grade: Algebra 2

10th grade: Geometry

11th grade: Pre-calculus

12th grade: ??? I haven't figured that out yet. :001_smile:

 

You might want to look up the high school graduation requirements on your state's Dept of Ed site. My state requires 3 credits of math, which must include algebra.

[AngieW in Texas]

What I would have liked to have done if all of these programs were ready when my kids needed them is to have used Kinetic Books for everything from Algebra I on up. The sequence would have been Algebra I - 8th, Geometry - 9th, Algebra II - 10th, Precalculus - 11th, Calculus I - 12th.

 

Unfortunately, Kinetic Books is still being developed, so what actually happened for my oldest was:

7th - Algebra I in ps, but they actually didn't learn algebra at all, just how to use a graphing calculator

8th - repeated Algebra I at home with Jacobs

9th - Jacobs Geometry

10th - Kinetic Books Algebra II

11th - Larson's Precalculus

12th - one semester of statistics and one semester of trigonometry at the cc

 

What has actually happened for my middle dd

7th - Jacobs Algebra and Kinetic Books Algebra I spread out to last two years

8th - dropped Jacobs and just did Kinetic Books Algebra I for this year

9th - Jacobs Geometry

10th - Kinetic Books Algebra II

11th - plan to use Lial's Precalculus

12th - probably Lial's Calculus I

 

My youngest isn't advanced in math and I've had to really search a lot to find programs that work for her and when I do find a program that works for her, it doesn't work for her long-term and I have to switch. She's in 7th grade.

 

Now Kinetic Books has Prealgebra, Algebra I, and Algebra II. They should have Geometry ready for next schoolyear (it's listed as available soon). I don't know what they're working on next. They could be working backward to do a level below prealgebra or forward to work on precalculus. Unfortunately, they won't have any more programs ready at the right time for my middle dd. They have a lot that my youngest could use, but she won't have anything to do with math on the computer, so I can't see that happening.

Edited April 25, 2011 by AngieW in Texas

[meet me in paris]

Here's mine:

7th g: pre-alg

8th g: alg

9th g: geometry

10th g: alg 2

11th g: pre-calc

12th g: calc

 

 

This is our schedule, too. dd12 just finished MUS pre-alg, and we are moving back to TT for Algebra 1 when the new version is released in July (we need more practice problems, and I like the automatic grading on TT). MUS and TT don't have Calc 1, so I think we'll plan on going to community college for that.

[....]

Thank-you for posting your schedules. I glanced at the MFW math sequence and it put my kids in Calculus in 10th/11th grade at the pace we're going. That doesn't seem right, so I think I need to sit down and plan. I'm guessing it's a bad idea to schedule calculus for 10th or even 11th grade. Also, I think I will only follow Singapore until 5b. :confused: Anyway, I need to do some research.

 

Thanks, Everybody!

[....]

What has actually happened for my middle dd

7th - Jacobs Algebra and Kinetic Books Algebra I spread out to last two years

8th - dropped Jacobs and just did Kinetic Books Algebra I for this year

9th - Jacobs Geometry

10th - Kinetic Books Algebra II

11th - plan to use Lial's Precalculus

12th - probably Lial's Calculus I

 

 

 

This actually looks like the schedule I "would have" and it places Calculus in 11th. :confused: 7th: Jacob's Algebra 1, 8th: Jacob's Geometry, 9th: Algebra II, etc...

[Mrs Twain]

I have heard a parent tell that some kids she knows who were very good at math and were ahead of the usual grade level math actually did poorly on the math section of the SAT. The reason she gave is that the SAT only covers Algebra and geometry. These kids had forgotten geometry since they had it years before they took the SAT. We are therefore planning to stick with the traditional ps "advanced" math schedule even though our children could probably skip ahead, which means prealgebra in 7th, algebra in 8th, etc.

[The Girls' Mom]

Ours will be on a slower track for dd14. She has struggled with math, and we are just hoping to get her through the math needed for the SAT and ACT.

 

The twins will be another story. They'll be ready for Algebra I in another couple of years, and will likely go through Calc. before graduation.

[8filltheheart]

I have heard a parent tell that some kids she knows who were very good at math and were ahead of the usual grade level math actually did poorly on the math section of the SAT. The reason she gave is that the SAT only covers Algebra and geometry. These kids had forgotten geometry since they had it years before they took the SAT. We are therefore planning to stick with the traditional ps "advanced" math schedule even though our children could probably skip ahead, which means prealgebra in 7th, algebra in 8th, etc.

 

I couldn't disagree with making a decision for those reasons more. SATs are meant to be a gauge. I would not restrict a child academically based on a preconceived notion that they will do poorly b/c they were too advanced.

 

First, students can take the SAT at any age. If you request it, their scores prior to 9th grade will not be scrubbed (otherwise they automatically are.)

 

Second, I personally refuse to teach to a test. Some kids are good test takers, some aren't. It is simply a tool. Reviewing with a prep book to learn the "tricks" of the test should be adequate review for kids that know the material.

 

Third, it would be torture to hold back kids that really do need to progress quickly through material.

[stripe]

These kids had forgotten geometry since they had it years before they took the SAT.

I have to say, it's not very impressive for someone who's supposedly good at math to forget basic geometry. Whatever else these kids are doing, they shouldn't forget basic stuff. At a minimum, have a review session before the SAT. Better yet, refer to it when studying advanced math.

[Mrs Twain]

The SAT's are one of the few things colleges look at to objectively evaluate homeschooled children. Colleges often don't care about grades that the parents give to their own kids. I think SAT's are important to prepare for if the children are planning to attend college. It is not bad to plan some of the school curriculum to be prepared to do well on the SAT.

 

Other reasons we are not going to go too fast in math:

It takes kids time to develop understanding for abstract things such as math. It is o.k. not to push them too fast in math to make sure they understand the courses well.

 

Also, kids who are planning to go into math/science fields are often required to take certain basic math courses from the university itself because they won't accept community college math courses past high school level calculus. My husband (engineer) and I don't see a need to do calculus before 12th grade unless you are planning to send your children away to college early.

 

There is no problem having your children be ahead in math, but we just don't see the point in it and have seen examples of it being detrimental. If you disagree that is fine. I'm just sharing our perspective and experiences of others who have homeschooled children in college.

[....]

The SAT's are one of the few things colleges look at to objectively evaluate homeschooled children. Colleges often don't care about grades that the parents give to their own kids. I think SAT's are important to prepare for if the children are planning to attend college. It is not bad to plan some of the school curriculum to be prepared to do well on the SAT.

 

Other reasons we are not going to go too fast in math:

It takes kids time to develop understanding for abstract things such as math. It is o.k. not to push them too fast in math to make sure they understand the courses well.

 

Also, kids who are planning to go into math/science fields are often required to take certain basic math courses from the university itself because they won't accept community college math courses past high school level calculus. My husband (engineer) and I don't see a need to do calculus before 12th grade unless you are planning to send your children away to college early.

 

There is no problem having your children be ahead in math, but we just don't see the point in it and have seen examples of it being detrimental. If you disagree that is fine. I'm just sharing our perspective and experiences of others who have homeschooled children in college.

 

I agree with you about the importance of the SAT. I've taken the GRE :ack2:, so I totally understand the timing with standardized testing and the weight put on them.

 

As far as kids retaining information, we should probably review/prep for the SAT anyway.

 

However, I think I'm leaning towards the "wait until 12th grade for calculus". If I plan calculus for 12th grade, we'll have an extra year where we have no math planned. :confused: Should I slow them down? Add an extra math class in high school like statistics or consumer math? :001_huh: A review year? Are there other math electives?

[....]

I couldn't disagree with making a decision for those reasons more. SATs are meant to be a gauge. I would not restrict a child academically based on a preconceived notion that they will do poorly b/c they were too advanced.

 

First, students can take the SAT at any age. If you request it, their scores prior to 9th grade will not be scrubbed (otherwise they automatically are.)

 

Second, I personally refuse to teach to a test. Some kids are good test takers, some aren't. It is simply a tool. Reviewing with a prep book to learn the "tricks" of the test should be adequate review for kids that know the material.

 

Third, it would be torture to hold back kids that really do need to progress quickly through material.

 

 

From your signature, you've definitely BTDT. Would you mind posting your math sequence? Also, do you have any other advice on planning middle school/high school math?

 

Thanks again for the replies.

[8filltheheart]

From your signature, you've definitely BTDT. Would you mind posting your math sequence? Also, do you have any other advice on planning middle school/high school math?

 

Thanks again for the replies.

 

The majority of my kids have done:

 

K-6 Horizons

7th--MUS alg/geo as pre-alg/pre-geo

8th--Foerster's alg 1

9th--geo (Larsons or Alexander/Koeberlein)

10th--Foerster's alg 2

11th--pre-cal (Larson's or Foerster's)

12th--dual enrollment cal

 

My current 9th and 6th graders are on a faster track. My 9th grader's has been:

K-6 Horizons finished in 4th

5th-MUS alg/geo

6th--Foerster's alg 1

7th--geo (Alexander/Koeberlein)

8th--Foerster alg 2, AoPS Intro to Counting and Probability, AoPS alg 3

9th--AoPS pre-cal

next yr he is taking AP cal BC through PAH along with working through the AoPS cal book at home.

After that, he'll probably take EPGY's multivariable cal and diffEQ http://epgy.stanford.edu/courses/math/univ.html unless we get him involved in a local state university's math program. He won't be taking any math at a CC.

 

My 6th grader completed MUS alg/geo this yr and is working through AoPS alg 1 right now. Most of what we have covered is review so far, but she is not a lover of math like her brother and does not like to spend hours solving math problems. I am thinking that next yr we will probably spend most of her time with Foerster's and incorporate AoPS challenge sets periodically. She will probably complete the same sequence as the rest of my other kids except with AP statistics thrown in there since she is a yr ahead of their schedule. If she wanted to pursue a math or engineering degree (or a field in physics like ds), I would add in some of the other interesting books like number theory that AoPS has. But she is interested in ornithology/natural science and while she is good in math, it is just there to her.

 

If you have a child that loves math, I would also recommend looking into math camps for the summer. They spend time on exploring the topics out of the normal high school sequence and get to do lots of theoretical stuff. Kids that love math eat it up and the mental leaps they make is astonishing (at least to a non-math mom like me!!)

[....]

The majority of my kids have done:

 

K-6 Horizons

7th--MUS alg/geo as pre-alg/pre-geo

8th--Foerster's alg 1

9th--geo (Larsons or Alexander/Koeberlein)

10th--Foerster's alg 2

11th--pre-cal (Larson's or Foerster's)

12th--dual enrollment cal

 

My current 9th and 6th graders are on a faster track. My 9th grader's has been:

K-6 Horizons finished in 4th

5th-MUS alg/geo

6th--Foerster's alg 1

7th--geo (Alexander/Koeberlein)

8th--Foerster alg 2, AoPS Intro to Counting and Probability, AoPS alg 3

9th--AoPS pre-cal

next yr he is taking AP cal BC through PAH along with working through the AoPS cal book at home.

After that, he'll probably take EPGY's multivariable cal and diffEQ http://epgy.stanford.edu/courses/math/univ.html unless we get him involved in a local state university's math program. He won't be taking any math at a CC.

 

My 6th grader completed MUS alg/geo this yr and is working through AoPS alg 1 right now. Most of what we have covered is review so far, but she is not a lover of math like her brother and does not like to spend hours solving math problems. I am thinking that next yr we will probably spend most of her time with Foerster's and incorporate AoPS challenge sets periodically. She will probably complete the same sequence as the rest of my other kids except with AP statistics thrown in there since she is a yr ahead of their schedule. If she wanted to pursue a math or engineering degree (or a field in physics like ds), I would add in some of the other interesting books like number theory that AoPS has. But she is interested in ornithology/natural science and while she is good in math, it is just there to her.

 

If you have a child that loves math, I would also recommend looking into math camps for the summer. They spend time on exploring the topics out of the normal high school sequence and get to do lots of theoretical stuff. Kids that love math eat it up and the mental leaps they make is astonishing (at least to a non-math mom like me!!)

 

I'm going to google AoPS, because I have no idea what that is. ;)

 

Thanks for mentioning math camps. I don't know why that didn't occur to me.

 

Thanks again for posting your plans!

[ChrisB]

I'm going to google AoPS...snip

Art of Problem Solving