ThreeBlessings Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 (edited) Dd is 11 and in 6th grade. She has always been a bit 'behind' in Math, whereas her brother has always been a bit 'ahead' in Math, so they are using the same curriculum. She doesn't like Math and gets easily frustrated trying to understand concepts. That said, she has been making lots of progress this year and last. She is understanding a lot of things better now. I would like to get her as 'caught up' as possible this year, without stressing her out. We are currently using Singapore 4A and 5A simultaneously, as well as MEP level 3 for supplemental review. We will then do 4B/5B. I don't currently own Singapore 6A and 6B, should I buy it? They just finished Math Mammoth multiplication and can either start the division or fractions materials next. We also have Life of Fred Fractions to use this year. What else should I be using, doing? I have went and looked at 6th grade standards for Math, but I'm still not sure exactly what materials I could/should be using to get her 'caught up'. She has been plugging right along and making a lot of progress positively and I'd like to keep it that way. If she is caught up at the end of this school year what curriculum/materials should she be able to start next year? Pre-Algebra? Edited October 5, 2011 by ThreeBlessings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I don't accelerate math unless I think my kid is ready and needing to move forward quickly, kwim? I know many finish the Singapore series in 6th grade, or earlier (even though everyone says it is half a year ahead of most US curricula), but we aren't. My ds is currently doing the final reviews of 6B and is in 8th grade -- he should be starting Singapore's Discovering Mathematics in the next week or so. He did the bulk of 6A and 6B in 7th grade. We have always been in the "slow and steady wins the race" camp for math; other than being prepared for standardized tests, I don't really see the need to push for speed (unless the individual kid needs the challenge). The high school math teachers I asked about sequencing and whether ds would be irreparably behind by starting algebra in 9th all said they would rather have a student strong in the basics and little algebra experience than one who was weaker in basics but pushed to have a year of algebra in 8th. This is jmo, I think I'm in a minority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Just agreeing with the previous poster. As long as she is making progress, I would go at her pace. Speeding up will do more harm than good. In our case, it set us back even more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 In your situation, I would seriously considering switching your 11 y.o. to Lial's Basic College Math to get caught up. 8th grade algebra is now the standard, and the "honors" track is now algebra in 7th. If you wait until 9th for algebra 1, your child is going to be at a competitive disadvantage for college admissions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeBlessings Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 (edited) I have no intention to push her faster than she is currently going. She is doing very well and progressing right along in the materials I have. I want to be prepared for what to do with her next. As long as she is relatively happily scooting right along I want to help her by having materials available to use. I really think she could be 'caught up' by the end of this year or mid next year. Math before last year she just wasn't getting easily. We spent a lot of time grounding her in the basics last year and she really gets a lot now she didn't before. I purchased a lot of manipulatives we didn't have before and they really helped. Edited October 5, 2011 by ThreeBlessings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeBlessings Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 In your situation, I would seriously considering switching your 11 y.o. to Lial's Basic College Math to get caught up. 8th grade algebra is now the standard, and the "honors" track is now algebra in 7th. If you wait until 9th for algebra 1, your child is going to be at a competitive disadvantage for college admissions. Thanks, I will take a look at the book rec. Amazon has the 7th edition used cheap. Does it matter which edition and would you suggest the Solutions Manual? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Thanks, I will take a look at the book rec. Amazon has the 7th edition used cheap. Does it matter which edition and would you suggest the Solutions Manual? I think in your situation BCM could be a very good idea. A slightly older edition would be fine (the one with a boardwalk cover is good). Since it's mostly basic math, I wouldn't think the solutions manual is necessary (the answers to the odds are in the back of the student book) - but you can also get one inexpensively if you felt the need. The solutions manual becomes much more needed when you get to Algebra and more multi-step problems, where the answer alone isn't always as helpful as you'd like. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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