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s/o AOPS: plan for moving past MathUSee ...


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... I realized I might need an exit strategy. :) MUS has been great for Button, with the mastery style, clean pages, etc. but I don't want Algebra Lite for sure. We're just wrapping up Gamma (multiplication), and I'd planned to take him through MUS division and fractions, and maybe the post-fraction level (negative numbers, etc; he does work with negatives now, I just thought we could cement things).

 

The end goal (high school) is through AP Calculus BC, and ideally into linear algebra; definitely statistics.

 

Where would you go from MUS fractions/"pre-algebra"? Straight to AoPS?

 

--I have a strong math background, and my husband has an excellent one.

 

a post-script: I'd planned to start Life of Fred in the next year, Khan the same; and maybe work through Hogben's Mathematics for the Million after MUS fractions. but it's all quite vague ...

Edited by serendipitous journey
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If you plan to move to AoPS I would suggest starting with their Prealgebra program, which is an advanced preaglebra. AoPS is unique among math programs. Some helpful threads from recent discussions:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=310480&highlight=AoPS

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312546&highlight=AoPS

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=308803&highlight=AoPS

 

I believe there are some other threads discussing what to do until a child is ready to start Prealgebra. There might also be some suggestions considering the age of your child. AoPS is very step intensive, it's not uncommon to spend an entire page setting up, writing out, and solving a problem which at times can be challenging for even my eleven year old. There are also pretests available on the AoPS website and they do have some elementary books recommended on their site as well.

Edited by melmichigan
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Thank you so much, Melissa, for the thread links -- I usually search those first, but just plumb forgot to! and for the heads-up RE writing and complex problems. Graph paper can't solve everything :D

 

Wendy, thanks for the reply & for the SM comparison. We're using SM's Challenging Word Problem series as we go so that may help me compare.

 

[gratitude icon :001_smile:]

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Just wondering....if Math U See is working so well, what is the reason for changing?:glare:

 

... AOPS seems so popular with some serious mathies; and also I'd like Button to be able to do a math camp, if he's interested, and the math camp folks seem AOPS-y. Plus, I generally have MUS-insecurity I suppose because it's not often a top choice for the math-oriented. But I don't know what else would have worked for Button, and he loves math.

 

Currently we're doing MUS plus various, changing enrichments; we're wrapping up Gamma and moving onto Delta ... I had been worried about comments that the MUS algebra 1 was "lite" and didn't include, for ex., the quadratic eq'n. However, looking over their scope and sequence today I don't think that'll be a problem b/c Button is moving through the texts quickly, so he'd hit Alg1/Geometry/Alg2 within one year or so and if I consider that sequence to be his Algebra we're fine. I do think we'll try Life of Fred Fractions alongside/supplementing/perhaps supplanting a bit, b/c some of the LOF topic titles look great to me and I'm trying to find something to build general intuition in a way different to MUS ... the other thing I'm thinking of is working through Mathematic for the Millions with him, but haven't read it in a while and think the text may be opaque to him, even as a read-aloud.

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My seven-year-old uses the Khan Academy with good results.

I was recently looking at the state's website which outlines grade standards.

 

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/grlevelcurriculum.asp

 

The state's math practice questions sort of bewildered and bored me simultaneously. In contrast, the Khan Academy is all about user-friendly software meeting good instruction. The concepts are broken down into digestible bits and build on each other logically.

 

Hilary

ds7 Khan Academy for math and science, Writing Analytically by Rosenwasser and Stephen, Greek alphabet with dad

dd1 bites the dog, obsessed with climbing

Sfbay

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