HappyGrace Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) I was looking at the Holt McDougal math that our school system uses and WOW-the 6th grade has a TON of algebraic stuff in there: frequency distribution, graphing functions, writing equations from functions, negative rational numbers, coordinate plane (with polygons and transformations), slope and rate of change, etc. Even the simple things then go into examples with variables, etc. I thought it was pretty well done and incremental enough so it wasn't overwhelming at ALL. We've used CLE, which I've been pleased with, and does include some algebraic thinking, but I just looked through all of the 6th grade books (which we're about to start), and it has hardly any of what I mentioned above. And strangely, it has less algebraic thinking than other years have had. I'm looking for a good math to transition us into pre-algebra. I thought of Lial's BCM, but there's almost too much review there. I have Lial's Pre-algebra here, but that's too big a jump. Isn't there any 6th grade math that (lightly) gets into some of the topics I listed above? What about Saxon 7/6 or 8/7? Edited January 6, 2012 by HappyGrace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Aren't all of those topics in pre-algebra? I don't think you need to change math programs. Do the 6th grade CLE you already have, then do whatever pre-algebra course you were planning to do. You should be fine. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Thanks, Bosco-it's just that she may go to school after this yr, so I want to make sure she is not just seeing that stuff for the first time then, when the other children are familiar with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Would Horizons Pre-Algebra be too big of a jump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Off to look at scope and sequence and samples for Horizons :auto: thanks-is it meant to be one of the "easier" pre-algebra courses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Rats-yes, Horizons is too big of a jump. She definitely could use more work with regular concepts too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 She definitely could use more work with regular concepts too. If CLE is a solid program, I agree with the pp.... Don't change, and, boy, do I know that questioning feeling! If you've been using CLE all the way through, it might be better to preserve the continuity in scope and sequence. If CLE's not working out, and you want to change anyhow, you could try the Saxon placement tests to see if she could go to 8/7. Or, why not just go to the 6th grade text of the school she'll be attending in 7th & 8th? The thing is, if she needs more review of basic math concepts, 6th grade is when you want to nail those. It might serve her better long term to get those basic concepts (fractions, decimals, percents, number properties, etc.) down in 6th. Without those, later math is going to be a miserable slog for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Great advice, Yvonne. I think I'm going to stick w/ CLE to nail things down and provide spiral review, and add in MM (which I have) to introduce some of the pre-algebra stuff. And possibly some LOF pre-alg over this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Are you sure she hasn't already been doing it? I haven't used CLE, but I know SM starts integrating algebra basically from the start, without ever saying that "this is algebra". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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