Matryoshka Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 My dd did DM1 last year, and has also done over half of AoPS Number Theory. This year she wanted a "lighter" math year - she's also doing Algebra-based Physics, which is math-heavy, and DM did suck up a good part of her day last year - and is doing Foersters Algebra I. She was going to do AoPS Algebra, but then changed her mind at the last minute - she thinks it's going to take up too much of her day like DM, and she's decided she doesn't like the wordy explanations. Foersters is soooo easy for her. She is finally learning some new stuff (we just started Quadratics), but it still seems so plug 'n' chug after Singapore and AoPS. I kept hearing what great word problems Foersters had, but after Singapore they seem very lightweight. I suggested that I give her some of the AoPS problems from time to time to keep her math-brain from turning to sludge, but they teach some things in an odd order and I'm not sure how easy it would be to just pick some out (I did go over negative and fractional exponents with her, as they're right in chap1 of AoPS - and nowhere to be found in Foersters). I'm going to make her do the section on radicals in AoPS Chap. 1 (sooo much more in depth than the cursory treatment in Foersters!), and I think that might be enough to assign her some problems from the first few chapters. Anyone familiar with AoPS know if there's anything else in there that's not typically taught so early in Algebra I should look out for? Or, is there some great, meaty, AlgI supplemental problems book? Would that Zacarro Algebra Problem Solving book be at all useful? Any other ideas? I think one brain-stretching problem every day or two should do the trick... but where from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSDCY Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 If you already own AoPS algebra, your best bet is to pick some problems from there. I know their chapters don't line up well with Foerster's, but if you flip through AoPS's book it's not that hard to find something for her to work on. Another option is to use AoPS's Alcumus. We are doing Jacobs Geo this year, and I have my son do Alcumus 2-3 times a week to keep his algebra skills sharp. It covers pre-algebra, algebra, counting & probability, and number theory, but you can change the setting so they only give you algebra problems. The down side is you can't choose which problem to work on, but the up side is that they give you several tries if you don't figure it out right away and they give you a full explanation of the problem at the end. BTW, I am interested in what physics you use because I am in search of a good physical science book. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted November 12, 2011 Author Share Posted November 12, 2011 If you already own AoPS algebra, your best bet is to pick some problems from there. I know their chapters don't line up well with Foerster's, but if you flip through AoPS's book it's not that hard to find something for her to work on. Another option is to use AoPS's Alcumus. We are doing Jacobs Geo this year, and I have my son do Alcumus 2-3 times a week to keep his algebra skills sharp. It covers pre-algebra, algebra, counting & probability, and number theory, but you can change the setting so they only give you algebra problems. The down side is you can't choose which problem to work on, but the up side is that they give you several tries if you don't figure it out right away and they give you a full explanation of the problem at the end. Tell me more about Alcumus. That's online? Do I just go to the AoPS site? Is it free, or do I have to pay or enroll somewhere? Otherwise, I think you may be right that the AoPS is my best bet. I'll just have to drag her through the Radical lesson. :tongue_smilie: BTW, I am interested in what physics you use because I am in search of a good physical science book. Thanks! We're using CPO's Physics: A First Course, which is for 8-10th grade. I am very happy with it. I was a bit concerned about how fast and heavy the formulas seemed to come, but the girls are handling it fine - even my math-averse one. She says the applied math in Physics "makes more sense" than her Lial's book. Go figure. I find the supplemental Skill Sheets, available free on the CPO website, to be fantastic. They explain each concept in additional detail, and offer a wide variety of practice on each one. CPO Earth Science was a bit of a dud last year (we really liked CPO Life Science which we did the year before, though), but they both say the Physics is more interesting and they like it better. CPO also has a number of Physical science books which have less Physics topics than the book we're using and more Chemistry and some also Earth Science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 HI Matroyshka!!! :D Did you ever consider Conceptual Physics? If so, why did you choose CPO PHysics a First Course instead? Capt Uhura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 Did you ever consider Conceptual Physics? If so, why did you choose CPO PHysics a First Course instead? Hi!! I think I chose the CPO because at this point I was really familiar with CPO - it's our third year using it. The text is well laid out with plenty of white space. CPO specializes in Physics, and the texts are written by physicists. Is Conceptual Physics at all math-based, or is it purely conceptual? I'm finding that the math is helping with the concepts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 My friend said that there is quite a bit of math in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 My friend said that there is quite a bit of math in it. I had a feeling it was Algebra-based, but the title makes it a bit confusing. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSDCY Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Has this turned into a physics thread:tongue_smilie:? Matroyshka, thanks for the info, I'll look into it. Yes, Alcumus is completely free, but you do need to create an account to use it. What's so neat about it is that you can go onto your child's account, pull out the account history, and see what she did right, what she missed, which level she is on, how many problems she attempted on a certain day. You can change the setting to make problems easier or harder, and you can activate or deactivate a certain topic. For example, I deactivate number theory and counting & probability for now because I want ds to focus only on pre-algebra and algebra topics for the time being. They also tell you where you rank out of all the Alcumus participants, and there is a forum just for Alcumus where you can ask questions or if you just want to discuss math with someone. It's a great tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSDCY Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I forgot to mention, you can find Alcumus at AoPS's website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I will second Alcumus! And best of all, it is free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted November 15, 2011 Author Share Posted November 15, 2011 Thank you guys! I signed her up for Alcumus, and I think it will be perfect. How many problems a day do you have your kids do on this? I was thinking of telling her to spend 10-15 min a day, however problems that ends up being? Now I just need to find something like this for Spanish grammar practice/review... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSDCY Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I have ds do 10 problems 2-3 times a week and that's about an hour each week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 If you already own AoPS algebra, your best bet is to pick some problems from there. I know their chapters don't line up well with Foerster's, but if you flip through AoPS's book it's not that hard to find something for her to work on. Another option is to use AoPS's Alcumus. We are doing Jacobs Geo this year, and I have my son do Alcumus 2-3 times a week to keep his algebra skills sharp. It covers pre-algebra, algebra, counting & probability, and number theory, but you can change the setting so they only give you algebra problems. The down side is you can't choose which problem to work on, but the up side is that they give you several tries if you don't figure it out right away and they give you a full explanation of the problem at the end. BTW, I am interested in what physics you use because I am in search of a good physical science book. Thanks! Thank you so much for the Alcumus recommendation. Ds and I decided after playing with it, to add it to our Fridays when we don't typically have math. What a great supplement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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