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Filling in Algebra 1 gaps...


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My ds is 1/2 way through MUS Algebra 1. He got sidetracked by his academic load in other courses and fell behind in keeping up with the math curriculum. But he's on his way now. At his current pace he should finish in early June. Now that we're into it, we're both feeling a pull in a different direction. The Math U See text doesn't offer the depth he's looking for each week. He loved using Singapore and liked the way of looking at everything through a different lens! I'm thinking about having him finish MUS Algebra I, but he wants to go through something quickly to fill-in any potential gaps, before moving on to geometry in the fall. Your thoughts?

 

In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to have a back-up text on the shelf to help him process his questions. Any suggestions?

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What grade is he in? He might enjoy Life of Fred.

 

LoF did not work well here for several reasons, partially puberty, partially ds likes clear and concise and LoF is verbose. We used MUS and Singapore's CWP for years. While ds never enjoyed CWP (he called them evil), LoF reminds me of the thinking skills they foster.

 

Good luck!

 

P.S. There are definitely gaps using MUS Algebra 1. They do not teach quadratic equations until Algebra 2.

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Hi Sue,

 

Thank you for the reply. He's a new 15 yo in 9th grade. I'm looking at the LOF website which states, "Please do not start Life of Fred: Beginning Algebra without doing the two pre-algebra books first. The two pre-algebra books are an essential introduction to the material of beginning algebra." Of course, he's had pre-algebra - do you think we need to go back that far or will the Beginning Algebra book suffice? Your thoughts?

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We did math 3x per week. MUS A/D, MUS B/E, MUS C/Test. LoF Algebra 1 is broken down into 108 lessons. That's 3x per week for 36 weeks. So, ds did 1 LoF lesson with 2 MUS pages each day.

 

Sue - what a great rhythm for the MUS! I think we'll do this, as well. How helpful this is! Did you ever NOT do all the MUS lessons? And did you do the honors pages?

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Did you ever NOT do all the MUS lessons? And did you do the honors pages?

I am not sure if you mean did we skip a lesson or did we skip a page of a lesson. We generally skipped F. I would use them at the end of the year for review if needed. Otherwise, ds needed the practice and it never took him long anyway. When ds was very young, we skipped many lessons. I would give him the test first and if he did well, we skipped the lesson. He loved that. We never did honors pages. They were not incorporated into the book when we used it, and I never purchased them as we supplemented with Singapore or LoF.

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Thank you both. Mom2ns, so you are doing both. What is the routine? How do you use the 2 together. A little in both every day, or....

 

We do LOF in the summer and MUS during the school year. He has done all but the pre-algebra Economis course (it wasnt yet released when he was doing pre-algebra) from LoF so far. He got ahead in Fred and started Algebra last summer. He'll finish it when he finishes MUS in a couple of weeks, then start Geometry.

 

With MUS we do skip worksheets sometimes. He does all the honors lessons and at least A, C, and D. B and F are optional. I have also downloaded the extra practice pages from MUS and used them when he needed more than 5 pages for a chapter. I used Khan academy videos and practice during one section where he really struggled! I follow ds's pace, that is one of MUS's strengths.

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