Elementary math from the AoPS folks

[Crimson Wife]

Also there is a concept called rep-tiles. Repeated congruous shapes. Can you decide if a certain shape is a rep-tile. Interesting spacial problems that I don't remember from singapore. I didn't do CWP3 however.

 

Tessellations are in Singapore but not 3B. It's in chapter 8 of 4B Standards, but I want to say that the corresponding chapters of IP & old CWP are in one of the 5th grade books.

[Rivka]

Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. The samples posted online remind me of Cyberchase, which my daughter enjoys. She's quite skilled at math and especially at math-and-logic puzzles, but resists doing math and claims not to like it. I think something high-interest and story-oriented like this might actually bring her enjoyment in line with her skill.

 

We've just started MEP 2b, which means that we'll be doing multiplication tables and three-digit addition and subtraction this term. I expect that she'll probably finish around March and be ready to start MEP 3a. I don't know if it would make sense to go ahead with 3a and then come back to pick up Beast Academy 3... I hope they publish the scope and sequence soon so that I can compare.

[Beth in SW WA]

Thanks! That confirms my impression that AoPS is more challenging! :lol:

 

Then my girls can do Beast along with Sing 4/5. I hope it has a strong TM.

 

Sing 3B deals w/ area/perimeter -- but not to the extent of this:

Questions like... "Can a rectangle whose sides are all whole numbers have a perimeter of 13? If so draw it. If not explain.

 

Also there is a concept called rep-tiles. Repeated congruous shapes. Can you decide if a certain shape is a rep-tile.

 

I am drooling over these samples. They look delightful.

[Create Your Ritual]

Anyone willing to share their sample chapter via mail when they are done? I'm not sure if that violates anything, and frankly you might not WANT to part with it, but I thought I would ask. I'd love to work on it with my 3rd & 5th grader.

[Spy Car]

Roadrunner and Bill,

 

just to make sure I understand: you both plan on finishing SM 3A and B and will then start this new program at 3th grade level? The samples are that good?? :svengo:

 

I could not get a sample, I'm not in the US, and I have been :banghead:, because my dd7 is doing SM 3 now, but if it is that good.....

 

Speaking for myself, I can't imagine not using these books when they are released. I'm enthralled by the sample chapter.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

btw Bill, I emailed them to ask what other books for little kids they recommend and the man who wrote back recommended Marily Burns' books (Math for Smarty Pants and I Hate Math Book) -- I read these as a kid so I definitely have them for my kids. I love those Little Brown School Books. He also recommended Aha! Gotcha by Martin Gardner. Which I also own. But if you haven't seen these, I recommend trying to take a look. In fact, at all the Little Brown books you can get your hands on. They too cover material that is not generally covered in school in a fun way.

 

Thank you, I am not familiar with these. You are always such a good source of interesting materials.

 

Thank you for sharing!

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

I believe parameter and area is covered in SM 3B. If anybody has it at home, can you please give us a simple comparison between SM and AoPS approach to this topic?

Thanks!!!!!

 

It make take some time (we are dealing with a family medical crisis) but I have the 3B Primary Math books and am curious myself. I can't imagine Singapore with come close to touching the depth of Beast Academy.

 

Bill

[onaclairadeluna]

Bill, there is also the Number Devil. I am pretty sure that this is appropriate for our kids (My son checked it out of the library years ago, it is a pretty good little math story.)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Number-Devil-Mathematical-Adventure/dp/0805062998

[Spy Car]

Then my girls can do Beast along with Sing 4/5. I hope it has a strong TM.

 

Sing 3B deals w/ area/perimeter -- but not to the extent of this:

Questions like... "Can a rectangle whose sides are all whole numbers have a perimeter of 13? If so draw it. If not explain.

 

Also there is a concept called rep-tiles. Repeated congruous shapes. Can you decide if a certain shape is a rep-tile.

 

I am drooling over these samples. They look delightful.

 

Beth, the teaching (based on the sample) is in the "Guide" (this is the comic-book like Textbook). There is a separate "Practice Book" that looks much more like a standard (but advanced) math text with problems based on the skills learned in the "Guide". In the back of the Practice book the problems have a full solutions guide. Some "easy" questions have pretty basic notes, but the more challenging problems have very extensive solution guides. It is pretty brilliant!

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

Bill, there is also the Number Devil. I am pretty sure that this is appropriate for our kids (My son checked it out of the library years ago, it is a pretty good little math story.)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Number-Devil-Mathematical-Adventure/dp/0805062998

 

I love this one. We read it last year, until the point when it got ahead of my then 6 year old. Thanks for the reminder, it is a good one.

 

Bill

[nmoira]

This thread has turned me into Veruca Salt.... "But I want it nowwwww!"

 

Note to self: Must unsubscribe.

[stripe]

Thank you, I am not familiar with these. You are always such a good source of interesting materials.

 

Thank you for sharing!

 

Bill

 

Sorry, I meant Marilyn Burns. You'll like them.

 

My son also likes Johnny Ball's math books. But don't be like me and buy both Why Pi? And Mathmagicians. They're exactly the same inside. Bleh.

[Beth in SW WA]

Beth, the teaching (based on the sample) is in the "Guide" (this is the comic-book like Textbook). There is a separate "Practice Book" that looks much more like a standard (but advanced) math text with problems based on the skills learned in the "Guide". In the back of the Practice book the problems have a full solutions guide. Some "easy" questions have pretty basic notes, but the more challenging problems have very extensive solution guides. It is pretty brilliant!

 

Bill

 

Great news! Thanks for sharing.

 

Any idea of co$t? :)

[Spy Car]

Great news! Thanks for sharing.

 

Any idea of co$t? :)

 

Not the foggiest. The books (based on the samples) are high-end. I can't imagine they will be cheap.

 

Bill

[LMD]

I'm excited, should come at just the right time for my oldest too. Summer 2012 she should be mostly through singapore pm 3a, we can finish singapore 3 in 2012 and start beast academy 2013! Is through the website the only way to buy AoPS stuff? I don't mind paying for quality but $50 international shipping? :svengo:

[SnegurochkaL]

Hi, For those of you who received a sample chapter for review:

Do your kids or you like the color textbook itself?

 

I showed my 9 years old and my 4 years old sample pages posted on Beast academy website.

My kids told me that they didn't like the look of the textbook, because it was too " color busy". They decided they like beasts because they looked friendly. I was also told that they would rather use a workbook only.

Now I am wondering if I can just use a workbook on its own. I hope it will be two option to the textbook: color or b&w. If I had a choice, I would pick b&w edition.

[LittleIzumi]

Yeah, her title "How to get boys to like math." I think is pretty spot on. Anyone else out there with a girl? My little girl could not relate to the monsters at all. As a matter of fact when I opened the book she pointed to every monster and said. "I don't like that one, I don't like that one..."

 

Once the math got interesting she stopped complaining about the cartoons.

 

My daughter BTW is happy to be an Eladrin and fight Orcs with her big brother.

 

I will let you know in a day or two. :D

 

(Your daughter's Eladrin should get together with dd's Dragonborn Shaman & fight things, lol.)

[Spy Car]

Hi, For those of you who received a sample chapter for review:

Do your kids or you like the color textbook itself?

 

I showed my 9 years old and my 4 years old sample pages posted on Beast academy website.

My kids told me that they didn't like the look of the textbook, because it was too " color busy". They decided they like beasts because they looked friendly. I was also told that they would rather use a workbook only.

Now I am wondering if I can just use a workbook on its own. I hope it will be two option to the textbook: color or b&w. If I had a choice, I would pick b&w edition.

 

My just turned 7 year old loves the color "Guide" (textbook). He wants be to tell the artists, "Good job!"

 

As to using the Practice Book without the Guide? It would entirely miss the great way the concepts are taught (and teased out in a way that makes the children problem solve) in the Guide. One would really need both to get the full value of of the program IMO. The level of depth is considerable and the Guide goes a magnificent job of getting some pretty challenging concepts across.

 

I suppose some may try using the Practice books alone, I would not dream of doing it that way.

 

Bill

[Tress]

Is through the website the only way to buy AoPS stuff? I don't mind paying for quality but $50 international shipping? :svengo:

 

Maybe we can petition Christianbooks to start carrying AoPS materials? I have no idea if that will work, but it can't hurt to try.

[Annie Laurie]

If the sample chapter on "area and perimeter" is representative of the rest of the series (as I strongly suspect) there is so much depth to the topics that most children will benefit from using it even if they are technically using it a level behind.

 

My son, also 7, is a rising 2nd Grader but is working a year plus ahead in Singapore Math. I feared that by next summer's release he might be beyond the Level 3 Beast Academy books. That "fear" has pretty much vanished after working through the sample chapter.

 

They are teaching things that are simply not taught to children in any math text I've ever seen. I think we all have something to which we can look forward with enthusiasm. I can't wait!

 

Bill

 

That's good to hear!

[Annie Laurie]

Hi, For those of you who received a sample chapter for review:

Do your kids or you like the color textbook itself?

 

I showed my 9 years old and my 4 years old sample pages posted on Beast academy website.

My kids told me that they didn't like the look of the textbook, because it was too " color busy". They decided they like beasts because they looked friendly. I was also told that they would rather use a workbook only.

Now I am wondering if I can just use a workbook on its own. I hope it will be two option to the textbook: color or b&w. If I had a choice, I would pick b&w edition.

 

I'll have to show it to my 9 yr old dd and see what she thinks. She likes comic books has a whole monster world she invented.

[scrapbabe]

The books are adorable! My 11 year old and 6 year old loved them. I couldn't get them to put it down. My boys like comic booky things though. I didn't think it was too color busy.

[HejKatt]

Maybe we can petition Christianbooks to start carrying AoPS materials? I have no idea if that will work, but it can't hurt to try.

 

For those of you who plan to work through the series (whether you'll start from Elementary or Pre-Algebra), where do you plan to purchase these?

 

The only two places I've seen carrying AOPS materials are the AOPS store itself, and Rainbow Resources which carries the books for Grade 6-10 except Pre-Algrebra. They are priced about $50/topic (text + solutions) and given the range of topics, the cost goes up rapidly.

 

It's OK to tell me that I should stop being Veruca Salt (I want it nowwww) - I'm amassing quite a math collection as it is :glare: . But I'm curious if anyone else is collecting these books without breaking the bank. :tongue_smilie:

[wapiti]

For those of you who plan to work through the series (whether you'll start from Elementary or Pre-Algebra), where do you plan to purchase these?

 

The only two places I've seen carrying AOPS materials are the AOPS store itself, and Rainbow Resources which carries the books for Grade 6-10 except Pre-Algrebra. They are priced about $50/topic (text + solutions) and given the range of topics, the cost goes up rapidly.

 

It's OK to tell me that I should stop being Veruca Salt (I want it nowwww) - I'm amassing quite a math collection as it is :glare: . But I'm curious if anyone else is collecting these books without breaking the bank. :tongue_smilie:

 

If you don't need them now, why not wait and buy them used? The upper level books are non-consumable.

[HejKatt]

If you don't need them now, why not wait and buy them used? The upper level books are non-consumable.

 

Perhaps because it's been recently discussed, the FS threads with AOPS go really fast. :001_smile: And with shipping costs, picking up a book here and there soon averages out to the cost new.

 

But I hear you, thanks for the reminder to be patient. :001_smile: Somedays I want to fill in all the gaps of my math education now, and AOPS's approach is actually antithetical to that - it forces me to work it out, which is a good thing.

[LittleIzumi]

The Sponge (dd) likes it. She loved the format & the colors & the comic style & the monsters & the explanations worked well for her. I didn't do too much today (we're sort of deschooling for the week after pulling her from PS already), but she liked it until she felt overwhelmed by all the new concepts at once. (She is not quite at the level for this yet.) We'll visit it again soon.

[boscopup]

The only two places I've seen carrying AOPS materials are the AOPS store itself, and Rainbow Resources which carries the books for Grade 6-10 except Pre-Algrebra. They are priced about $50/topic (text + solutions) and given the range of topics, the cost goes up rapidly.

 

$50 is pretty cheap for a high school level math text with solutions. It's also cheaper than a year of Singapore Primary Math.

[Tress]

I do think the price of the Algebra books is good, the books are nonconsumable too.

But.....the 50$ shipping *and* the customs taxes (which can easily be another 50$) are making me :svengo:.

 

Now we are discussing the price :D, on the website of Beast academy it is mentioned that there will be an online component to the books. Anyone want to guess if that will be included in the price of the books? I'm thinking 2 books a year *and* some kind of online license....$$$$$. Probably totally worth it, but I might need to start budgetting now.

[boscopup]

But.....the 50$ shipping *and* the customs taxes (which can easily be another 50$) are making me :svengo:.

 

Unfortunately, USPS shipping is AWFUL for international stuff. I recently priced shipping something to Europe, and it was going to be $40 for 5 lbs and about $60 for 10 lbs. They just don't have cheap shipping options anymore. :(

[HejKatt]

$50 is pretty cheap for a high school level math text with solutions. It's also cheaper than a year of Singapore Primary Math.

 

:001_smile: Good point. I think it's harder b/c I can find Singapore texts used more easily, and I'm not used to the topical breakdown of high school here, so it feels like I need all the texts at once.

 

But I'm sorry to have hijacked the thread.. may I say that I'm with the PP who really looks forward to AOPS's new offering! :lurk5:

 

I do think the price of the Algebra books is good, the books are nonconsumable too.

But.....the 50$ shipping *and* the customs taxes (which can easily be another 50$) are making me :svengo:.

 

Now we are discussing the price :D, on the website of Beast academy it is mentioned that there will be an online component to the books. Anyone want to guess if that will be included in the price of the books? I'm thinking 2 books a year *and* some kind of online license....$$$$$. Probably totally worth it, but I might need to start budgetting now.

Tress, I greatly sympathize! Any chance of having a friend or relative visit the US, and bring some over? Overseas trips are the bulk of how we get our Chinese and Swedish books.

[boscopup]

:001_smile: Good point. I think it's harder b/c I can find Singapore texts used more easily, and I'm not used to the topical breakdown of high school here, so it feels like I need all the texts at once.

 

Oh no, you don't need them all at once. In fact, one book may take more than a year, depending on the child. The Intro to Algebra book covers algebra 1 and part of algebra 2, so you could easily stretch that over a year and a half probably, while still sticking with the traditional "high school schedule".

 

I'm sure it's difficult to get used to the way the US high school math sequence is done! I have a friend who moved to Ireland, and she's having to get used to "Maths" being integrated. :D

[Tress]

Tress, I greatly sympathize! Any chance of having a friend or relative visit the US, and bring some over? Overseas trips are the bulk of how we get our Chinese and Swedish books.

 

Shipping costs are indeed awfully high and while I can (sort of :glare:) understand the need for customs taxes, I find it verrrry frustrating that I have to pay taxes over the cost of the items *and* over the shipping.

 

My husband's company does have an American office, so I'm hoping he will have to go there .... say, a couple of weeks after AoPS has released the new books :D. (And while he is there, he can also get me a BIG stack of books from my Amazon wish list :lol:)

[MeaganS]

Can I just say, sometime I'm glad my kids are so young? There are so many great resources that will be out and completed by the time my kids need them. I just got Kitchen Table Math in the mail and it is amazing. I love AoPS and am completely pumped that I will have it as an option so young. Yay!

[poetic license]

Can I just say, sometime I'm glad my kids are so young? There are so many great resources that will be out and completed by the time my kids need them. I just got Kitchen Table Math in the mail and it is amazing. I love AoPS and am completely pumped that I will have it as an option so young. Yay!

 

:iagree:

 

I'm learning math strategies for myself from teaching DS so I'm excited to go through these Beast texts for my own education!

 

I'm enjoying the comments from those who have the samples, keep 'em coming! :bigear:

[SnegurochkaL]

Hi, My kids asked me to look at sample of on-line textbook pages and decided that they would use it. My 9 ears old said it would be Ok( but I think she will not be using it because of her age by the time it will be released), my 3 years old said that she liked "creatures" and my son decided to vote for it also. It settled the issue of "color busy" for us.:001_smile:

[LMD]

no friends who visit to US to buy for me unfortunately :(

 

It's ok, I have a year to budget them in (though DH just went on strike today! )

 

eta: off topic, SnegouchkaL - can I ask what resources you use for russian? I'm stalking people with russian in their sig, cos I'm almost at a loss as what to use when we start next year... :)

[boscopup]

Got our sample today! :D

 

DS's first comment upon attempting to read the "text" was, "I don't know where to start!" He was confused by the comic book layout. I explained to him to start in the top left, go left to right, and then showed him where the cartoon was sort of split into 3 rows. He did fine with it after that. He finished reading it, but we haven't done the workbook yet. He did ask, "When are we getting the full Beast Academy?" I think it's a hit here! I look forward to trying the problems out tomorrow. I will probably have to read the text to him again, since he may not have fully understood the pirate talk and such. It can be a cuddle on the couch reading math moment. ;)

[wapiti]

I still haven't corralled either of my boys to read through the chapter, but I'm hoping I might this weekend. So far, my initial impression is the same - I really hope they adjust the font in the cartoon bubbles, among other things. I wish the whole series were here now, and I wish I could see the S&S. It's exciting, but it's usefulness for us is a few years away.

 

So, here's a random question that just popped into my head - do you suppose this is fit for, and possibly designed for, classroom use? Or do you think this is designed as a one-on-one curriculum?

[Roadrunner]

We finally got to sit down and do some work! My 6 year old read through half of the manual and let me tell you, I had to forcefully remove it from his hands! He became so engaged with the characters and let's not forget the mention of the "poop deck", which had him rolliing on the floor from happiness. He solved several parameter and area problems and I don't think he even realized how he managed to learn it. It's a marvel of a program! We will do the rest this weekend.

He did have a hard time reading some of the text (the pirate part especially) and figuring out which bubble to read next was a bit diffucult as well, but if I have to read the entire thing to him, I will do it with pleasure! Besides, the book is intended for 3rd graders, so by the time we get there the format may no longer be an issue.

[boscopup]

I just finished working on the rep-tile section myself. I've never heard of a rep-tile! :lol:

[SnegurochkaL]

Today, my big girl asked me if she could do "Beast math". I was really surprised, because she didn't really like the look of it at all. Now she is very intrigued and upset, because of her brother teasing. She was told that she would be too "ancient" to do it in a year or so. Now I wanted to ask somebody if it would be possible to borrow your sample chapter for a short time when you are done with it. I will pay both ways shipping. I just want my daughter to feel good that she tried it before her brother did:).