Math... is this something to worry about/change?

[bnbacademy]

Looking for recommendations and/or whether changes are needed or not:

 

Background: 7th grade ds has used MUS from beginning, with success until now. Last year he did Lial's BCM for Pre-Algebra practice. I planned on doing fall semester as MUS Pre-Algebra, then start Foerster's Algebra this spring.

 

The problem: Ds cannot get the Honors portion of MUS and we cannot double the pace in our schedule as hoped.

 

What to do?: Do I finish the course without doing the Honors sections? Or do we continue them, which essentially means going over all Honors ?'s together? He can do the Pre-Algebra main course well, just not the Honors. How important is the Honors section?

 

I hoped to be farther along by now and am frankly partly grieving that my ds is not the Mathy kid I thought he was. Our plan for him is to enter HS in 9th grade to do Algebra 2 by then.

 

Would really appreciate success stories from those who have completed MUS programs. I am worried about the math curriculum for younger ds and am planning to supplement with Math Mammoth, since 2 programs MUST be better than one, right?

 

TIA,

[DB in NJ]

The best thing you could do is adjust your expectations and work with him where he is. You want him to be doing Algebra 2 in 9th grade. Why? It will do him no good if he isn't truly ready for it. It will only serve to frustrate him and turn him off from math.

 

I would let him work at his pace through MUS and just keep doing the next thing. He'll get to Algebra 1 and then 2 when he's ready for it, not when you are.

 

Don't switch programs. Don't panic. Don't force. Slow, steady progress is the best route to take.

[Sunshine State Sue]

We used MUS from K through Algebra (7th grade), then switched to Foerster's Algebra in 8th grade and away from MUS since then. IMHO, 7th grade is not the year to try challenging math. Hormones are raging and brains are fuzzy.

 

I would work at the pace that is right for your son. You can complete Foerster's in 8th and get a head start on it in 7th if you finish MUS. MUS will introduce the concepts and Foerster's will strengthen his skills.

 

While I am not a fan of high school level MUS, I think it is was a wonderful, solid elementary math program. You may read my review here.

 

HTH!

[kiana]

Might be a silly question -- but why is it better for him to do a non-honors curriculum a year ahead instead of an honors curriculum on-level?

[bnbacademy]

Might be a silly question -- but why is it better for him to do a non-honors curriculum a year ahead instead of an honors curriculum on-level?

 

He is doing Pre-Algebra as a 7th grader. It is not a complete Honors curriculum. The MUS adds an extra 2 pages of Honors level math problems to each week's unit.

Edited November 19, 2011 by bnbacademy

[bnbacademy]

The best thing you could do is adjust your expectations and work with him where he is. You want him to be doing Algebra 2 in 9th grade. Why? It will do him no good if he isn't truly ready for it. It will only serve to frustrate him and turn him off from math.

 

I would let him work at his pace through MUS and just keep doing the next thing. He'll get to Algebra 1 and then 2 when he's ready for it, not when you are.

 

Don't switch programs. Don't panic. Don't force. Slow, steady progress is the best route to take.

 

We are planning to send him to a private HS for grades 9-12. They start Algebra 1 or 2 in 9th grade (after giving a test), so it would be nice to keep him on grade level for this particular school. It is possible that we could do Algebra 1 in 8th grade. Thank you for the gentle reminder (which I bolded).

Edited November 19, 2011 by bnbacademy

[bnbacademy]

We used MUS from K through Algebra (7th grade), then switched to Foerster's Algebra in 8th grade and away from MUS since then. IMHO, 7th grade is not the year to try challenging math. Hormones are raging and brains are fuzzy.

 

I would work at the pace that is right for your son. You can complete Foerster's in 8th and get a head start on it in 7th if you finish MUS. MUS will introduce the concepts and Foerster's will strengthen his skills.

 

While I am not a fan of high school level MUS, I think it is was a wonderful, solid elementary math program. You may read my review here.

 

HTH!

 

Thank you, Sue. I appreciate your review as well. My younger ds also does well with MUS, they both prefer the video format and straightforward workbooks.

 

Thank you for reminding me of the elephant in the room, the hormones do indeed rage some days! My ds is NOT the same boy he was last year, when he worked thru Lial's BCM on his own with few mistakes. He missed the video-teaching, so we went back to MUS for additional review and I thought it would go faster as round 2 of review.

 

We'll just keep on keepin' on.

[EKS]

Sometimes kids just need some help to get the idea. Try sitting with him (if you haven't already) while he does the honors work to see exactly where he is having trouble. Then give him whatever help he needs. He'll probably get it after a few weeks and be able to continue on independently. Once he gets it, you can resume a quicker pace.