simka2 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 What is everyone using? why? is Teaching Textbooks rigorous? I am trying to decide if we should stick with Saxon and Rod and Staff. I would like a video teaching component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 CLE and the Key To series this year to finish fifth... we plan to use AOPs and maybe Lial's pre-algebra for sixth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 We are finishing up Singapore Math 6B. I am using it because it is what we have always used. Oh, and he is also working through LOF Pre-Algebra 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) Teaching Textbooks get a bad rap on this board. Its a great program when your child is placed correctly. Some say its behind, some say it is not behind. Kids who use it on grade level do outstanding on standardized tests. Any other board you visit teaching textbooks get nothing but rave reviews. I LOVE TT! We just switched over. I needed something to teach my kids math so that would turn more 'independent' because my 7 year old requires ALOT of time and the way we do certain curricula (tweaked to fit our needs) requires me to work more 1 on 1 with all of my kids. I have been nothing but happy. I recommend you not only give your kids the placement test but also check out the TOC and go from there. My 4th grader is strong in math and was placed in TT5. My 8th grader is average but was VERY math-a-phobic before this year. We are using BCM to build her confidence. She just started TT Algebra v2.0 along with the last 2 chapters of BCM. She is just doing about a lesson or 2 a week as we are in the beginning review sections of TT. They just updated Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 and will have the updated version of Algebra 2 in June. Those upgrades addressed the issues of the upper levels being behind. Teaching Textbooks is a great option for most kids. A super natural mathematical mind would probably be bored our of the gourd with it, but that is probably true for most programs that are not specifically for advanced students. Edited March 5, 2012 by wy_kid_wrangler04 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketgirl Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 We love Math U See :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Besides the video, what are you looking for in 6th grade math? Is what you're currently using not working for you? And Saxon has a video component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 Teaching Textbooks get a bad rap on this board. Its a great program when your child is placed correctly. Some say its behind, some say it is not behind. Kids who use it on grade level do outstanding on standardized tests. Any other board you visit teaching textbooks get nothing but rave reviews. I LOVE TT! We just switched over. I needed something to teach my kids math so that would turn more 'independent' because my 7 year old requires ALOT of time and the way we do certain curricula (tweaked to fit our needs) requires me to work more 1 on 1 with all of my kids. I have been nothing but happy. I recommend you not only give your kids the placement test but also check out the TOC and go from there. My 4th grader is strong in math and was placed in TT5. My 8th grader is average but was VERY math-a-phobic before this year. We are using BCM to build her confidence. She just started TT Algebra v2.0 along with the last 2 chapters of BCM. She is just doing about a lesson or 2 a week as we are in the beginning review sections of TT. They just updated Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 and will have the updated version of Algebra 2 in June. Those upgrades addressed the issues of the upper levels being behind. Teaching Textbooks is a great option for most kids. A super natural mathematical mind would probably be bored our of the gourd with it, but that is probably true for most programs that are not specifically for advanced students. Thanks! Dd is very strong in math as well. She is in 5th grade right now, but when I had her do the pre-tests we stopped testing after the 7th grade one. She scored almost perfectly on the 6th and 7th, and I am not sure that putting her in the new pre-algebra would be the right decision. I am really unsure where to place her. She is right now in a PS where they use Saxon mixed with a few other things, so that I do not even recognize it. As a result I am not sure where to place her or in what approach.:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) Besides the video, what are you looking for in 6th grade math? Is what you're currently using not working for you? And Saxon has a video component. Karen, I am struggling to remember the scope and sequence with Saxon. Last Fall she was doing Rod and Staff and Saxon 6/5 (without much challenge). She has spent 2 months in PS where they use such a mix that I do not have a curriculum that directly translates. I feel like I am starting over with trying to figure out what is the best approach for her. If I work it backwards, I want her in Pre-Algebra next year. So, what curriculum would give her the best year before? Does that make sense? Edited March 5, 2012 by simka2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 That makes perfect sense. If Saxon was working (as in making steady progress without a lot of drama) before she went to PS, I'd give her a placement test for Saxon and go that route. Saxon has a 1/2 that is Pre-Algebre and 8/7 works for Pre-Algebra too. After 7/6 is the point to decide which route to take (assuming I've had a enough coffee this morning to remember correctly). Maybe start with a combination of a traditional math program (Saxon, TT, Horizons, MM) then add in LoF Decimals and Percents as a supplement. My current 5th grader is doing RS Geometry along with some MM topical sheets to keep the rest of her math skills current. We've had a few false starts in math this year which involved much drama and little math. I continue to wish we'd just stuck with Saxon which was working but boring instead of moving around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 That makes perfect sense. If Saxon was working (as in making steady progress without a lot of drama) before she went to PS, I'd give her a placement test for Saxon and go that route. Saxon has a 1/2 that is Pre-Algebre and 8/7 works for Pre-Algebra too. After 7/6 is the point to decide which route to take (assuming I've had a enough coffee this morning to remember correctly). Maybe start with a combination of a traditional math program (Saxon, TT, Horizons, MM) then add in LoF Decimals and Percents as a supplement. My current 5th grader is doing RS Geometry along with some MM topical sheets to keep the rest of her math skills current. We've had a few false starts in math this year which involved much drama and little math. I continue to wish we'd just stuck with Saxon which was working but boring instead of moving around. That was what I was trying to remember! I thought there was something up with Saxon around the end of middle school, with one book being a "filler" year, but I could not remember which one it was. I think I will have her take the placement tests this week and then go from there. It does work for her with minimal drama. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 What is everyone using? why? is Teaching Textbooks rigorous? I am trying to decide if we should stick with Saxon and Rod and Staff. I would like a video teaching component. That was what I was trying to remember! I thought there was something up with Saxon around the end of middle school, with one book being a "filler" year, but I could not remember which one it was. I think I will have her take the placement tests this week and then go from there. It does work for her with minimal drama. ;) If a video component is what you're mostly after, have you looked at Khan Academy? http://www.khanacademy.org There are oodles of videos to watch in whatever order you'd like, and if you go to practice with a Facebook or Gmail login, it will keep track of exactly what she's watched and practiced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 If a video component is what you're mostly after, have you looked at Khan Academy? http://www.khanacademy.org There are oodles of videos to watch in whatever order you'd like, and if you go to practice with a Facebook or Gmail login, it will keep track of exactly what she's watched and practiced. I love Khan and we have used it. I did find it sometimes difficult to line up specific math concepts. It is definitely a resource we will be using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 My ds will be working his way through both LOF Fractions and LOF Decimals & Percents for 6th grade. I plan to add in some reinforcement from the Math Mammoth Blue series, Family Math, and living math books. Probably get him going on the Khan Academy videos too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 We love Math U See :) :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Millers Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 We are using Singapore 5 and Khan Academy for 5th grade right now. I have been tempted by Saxon and TT because of the video component, but DD is a math whiz and I don't want to lose her. Does anyone know if Singapore 6 includes pre-algebra? Has anyone had success using Khan Academy alone without a text? I know he is adding videos of the Singapore lessons, but so far is on grade 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalgal Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 What is everyone using? why? I am trying to decide if we should stick with Saxon and Rod and Staff. I would like a video teaching component. My daughter (now 12) used Saxon Algebra last year (and before that she used Saxon Algebra 1/2 and Russian Math 6) and is now working through AOPS Algebra independently. Although she does prefer AOPS to Saxon Algebra, I think Saxon helped her develop a strong skills base. If you think of it like "practicing the piano", what Saxon did for her was help automate skills so that she focuses more of her time on creatively looking for solutions in more difficult problems as are found in AOPS. I do have the video components from Saxon Algebra I, but she had no interest in using them. I think it is nice to have them if she ever wants them though. Sometimes it can be helpful to see an idea taught from another person's perspective. I suggest that you pick one and stick with it. The way I've handled this in the past is that if I want to use more than one curricula, I finish one full curriculum throughout the year and and then supplement (for us it was usually on Thursdays and Fridays) with something else. We can end up using two full curricula throughout the year, but we do some work in the summer, also, so it doesn't seem overwhelming. Good Luck. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom2011 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 We love TT here! Dd has been using it for 3yrs, does great in Math, and scores very high on standardized tests. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I think we have our math woes figured out so I will share what my oldest has done this year. She is in 6th grade now. She's really good at math, but she hates it. It bores her, she thinks it's dumb, blah blah blah. Did I mention she is a wee bit hormonal? :D She's always used R&S. Around October, when she started getting really fussy about math, we looked through together R&S 6 and R&S 7 and picked out stuff she needed to work on. She was able to get through both books in less than 7 months. She then ASKED me to go ahead and start prealgebra. I didn't think she was quite ready for that, so our compromise was letting her go through Lial's BCM for some percent, proportion, and word problem review, and in about a month, she will start Lial's prealgebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 My ds is working on Saxon 7/6. He has great math abilities. I plan on finishing this book and then doing Saxon 8/7 working through the summer. So, in 6th next year we will finish up what we need and then move to Saxon Algebra 1/2. We used Singapore through 4 and then moved to Saxon 6/5. I originally made the switch due to the WTM recommendations and am really glad we did. My ds and I are happy with Saxon. A great resource for Saxon is this website: http://www.homeschoolwithsaxon.com/contact.php It is by Art Reed, who makes the dvd's that correlate with Saxon. If you open the newsletters somewhere in there he discusses how to choose which level and books as well as if your child should do 8/7 or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 DS finished SM 6B with text/workbook/ip/cwp, we use NEM after that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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