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What if your kiddo needs supplemental practice for Saxon Algebra??


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Is there a resource for supplemental problems for Saxon Algebra 1 that I just haven't found?? My dd needs more practice than the piddley amount the Saxon gives her for new concepts. You would think they'd understand that transitioning into Algebra would require having at least optional supplemental practice, right? We're getting frustrated. Even thinking about switching to a mastery program mid-year. Does such a thing exist or should I just start looking into Foerster or something? AoPS would frustrate her so we'd definitely want something more traditional and I don't want to spend the $$ on TT.

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Is there a resource for supplemental problems for Saxon Algebra 1 that I just haven't found?? My dd needs more practice than the piddley amount the Saxon gives her for new concepts. You would think they'd understand that transitioning into Algebra would require having at least optional supplemental practice, right? We're getting frustrated. Even thinking about switching to a mastery program mid-year. Does such a thing exist or should I just start looking into Foerster or something? AoPS would frustrate her so we'd definitely want something more traditional and I don't want to spend the $$ on TT.

 

Saxon's incremental spiral and constant mixed review is a trademark of the curriculum. If this format does not work for your student because she needs to practice one concept thoroughly before moving on, I would switch to a different curriculum. There WILL probably be enough practice in Saxon, but it will be spread out randomly though the book, if the earlier volumes are anything to go by. Would not have worked for my students either- we prefer a mastery based more structured curriculum.

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Saxon's incremental spiral and constant mixed review is a trademark of the curriculum. If this format does not work for your student because she needs to practice one concept thoroughly before moving on, I would switch to a different curriculum. There WILL probably be enough practice in Saxon, but it will be spread out randomly though the book, if the earlier volumes are anything to go by. Would not have worked for my students either- we prefer a mastery based more structured curriculum.

 

The earlier years of Saxon have always have optional supplemental problem in the back. :(

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DS #2 (8th grade) is currently working through Saxon Alg 1, but I also have some concerns. We also have AoPS Intro to Alg and UChicago Alg 1 text books.

 

I was just looking through MathMammoth algebra worksheets and they do have many samples online. You might find some of use there. They clearly state they are to supplement an algebra textbook as they do not explain concepts.

 

 

Last year DS#1 (9th grade) competed Saxon Alg 1 and then wanted to go directly to Alg 2 at the public school. This plan just did not work out too well and I am not sure if he didn't have the foundation he needed from Saxon to succeed in a public school class room, or it the math classroom environment in general was just too overwhelming for him (it was very competitive to see who could get the answers the fastest, ect). He is taking other classes at the ps (honors chem and principles of engineering but they are much more collaborative). As it turns out, he is now working through AoPS Geometry (at home) which he enjoys a great deal. In fact, he enjoys AoPS so much, he wishes he had used their algebra program instead of Saxon Alg; he has looked through the book and thinks it would have prepared him better for Alg 2. This leads me to a dilemma because DS #2 is clearly not ready for the AoPS algebra text book. He needs greater familiarity with exponents and radicals before he can make it through ch. 1. And, actually, I think DS #1 also would not have been prepared for the AoPS Algebra books last year. Sooo, I am thinking of having DS #2 continue to work through Saxon for a while and then try to switch to AoPS. I don't mind if he doesn't complete it in a school year, plus he isn't adverse to year round schooling. He pretty much finished up pre-alg over the summer.

 

 

By the way, khan academy has apps to watch their content on ipads. I haven't seen an ability to do the practice problems yet, but the videos on ipad are great! And free!

 

I know this doesn't directly relate to your question of extra practice. I do, however, wonder if for DS #1 all of the saxon repetitiveness helped him hone a lot of basic skills (where he may have been lacking) but didn't really give him the solid foundation for new algebraic concepts as he moved into Alg 2 . So...it is tangentially related. :)

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The earlier years of Saxon have always have optional supplemental problem in the back. :(

 

You can simply write her more problems: take the ones from the book and change the numbers. This way, you can make up however many problems you want.

Still, I'd ditch the program if I had to supplement, and switch to one that is a better fit.

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Is there a resource for supplemental problems for Saxon Algebra 1 that I just haven't found?? My dd needs more practice than the piddley amount the Saxon gives her for new concepts. You would think they'd understand that transitioning into Algebra would require having at least optional supplemental practice, right? We're getting frustrated. Even thinking about switching to a mastery program mid-year. Does such a thing exist or should I just start looking into Foerster or something? AoPS would frustrate her so we'd definitely want something more traditional and I don't want to spend the $$ on TT.

 

This is a little clunky, but can you look ahead into future lessons to see which mixed practice problems have the lesson number you're trying to review in parenthesis? This could give you a cache of problems to work through.

 

You might also try using Alcumus on Art of Problem solving, with the settings such that it is working through pre-algebra and algebra problems according to how well your dd does. It should give lots of practice on a concept from many different angles until there is mastery. (And there are points and bar diagrams to show progress.)

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She's doing ok overall with it but every once in awhile she'll have a new concept that she gets "sort of" and if she had just 5 or 6 or so more to practice to make sure she gets it then she'd be ok. I might do that look forward thing Sebastian suggested as well as continue to just plug in new numbers to come up with a few more practice problems. Thanks everyone!! :D

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This is a little clunky, but can you look ahead into future lessons to see which mixed practice problems have the lesson number you're trying to review in parenthesis? This could give you a cache of problems to work through.

 

You might also try using Alcumus on Art of Problem solving, with the settings such that it is working through pre-algebra and algebra problems according to how well your dd does. It should give lots of practice on a concept from many different angles until there is mastery. (And there are points and bar diagrams to show progress.)

 

I went digging to find this Alcumus thing. How fun is this?! DD and I both got hooked on the Khan Academy practice thingy so I bet I can get her into this too. We love playing with things like this. Thanks! :D

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for supplemental or review?

 

My daughters are currently using Teaching Textbooks for mainly review. They are using TT 5 and they are in fourth grade and it is all review for them (which is good for them). So look carefully at the samples and do the placement tests to be sure if it is on the right level for you. My kids are strong math students when they left ps but TT could work for those needing more practice and review as well.

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Just for practicing new things once in awhile. Sometimes she will have a lesson with 3 or 4 new things and the lesson practice will give her like one practice problem for each new kind of problem. It would be nice to have a few more than that sometimes. Once she does it a few times on her own then she's fine with the spiral approach. Sometimes I will show her how to work a particular problem then erase everything I did and have her redo it herself. She's found that to be really helpful too.

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