Does anyone suppliment Jacob's algebra?

[summer]

I already bought Jacobs algebra and have it on the shelf. What I am wonder is, has anyone here ever felt their child needed it to be supplimented? Or was it enough completely on its own?

[Kathy in NC]

with the understanding that we could take 2 years to complete it if needed! Boy, am I glad we weren't pressured to finish in one year...She just wasn't quite ready to think that abstractly yet. So we have supplemented with Keys to Algebra and Algebra Tiles.

[Myra]

Yes...it doesn't really teach how to use a graphing calculator which is readily available in public schools. If you have access to Algebra I from the teaching company - it's third lesson shows how to use the calculator (plus there are websites people have mentioned in other posts that have tutorials.) But having said that....I had my son complete Jacob's Algebra (without calculator) then....the next year when he was doing Jacob's Geometry, once a week he watched the Teaching Company's Algebra and used the calculator throughout it.

 

Myra

 

Myra

[Laura K (NC)]

And I thought it needed more word problem examples. Foerster is particularly strong in this.

[Begonia]

My dd supplemented with the Algebra I CD from http://www.KingdomTutors.com . She learns best with a combination of visual and auditory materials and the 113 lessons on the CD, which closely followed the Jacobs text, were crucial to her success in Algebra I.

 

HTH.

[mooooom]

my kids wouldn't have had time to do additional work. I did get them all graphing calculators for Christmas, go figure, they were using them while I was reading the insstructions... There are probably things they don't know how to do on them.

 

Anyway, in case you hadn't noticed, if you have the test book, there are additional word problems and other exercise sheets in it, after the chapter quizes. Also, my kids did Set 1 and Set 3, if there was mastery they moved on, but if things were shaky they did Set 2 as well. Set 4 was always optional, none of mine are very "mathy" so after the 1st few chapters they gave up on them.

[Begonia]

The "8th Grade Jacob's Algebra Syllabus & Course Plans" from http://www.kolbe.org were also useful-- not so much for the syllabus, which my dd did follow throughout the year, but for the quarter exams.

 

HTH.

[DavidSChandler]

I already bought Jacobs algebra and have it on the shelf. What I am wonder is, has anyone here ever felt their child needed it to be supplimented? Or was it enough completely on its own?

 

Hi, I'm the author of the Math Without Borders materials (http://www.mathwithoutborders.com). I chose Foerster's books as the basis for my Alg I and Alg II videos because he has the strongest approach to word problems of any text I have ever seen. Its also very clearly presented. You can find used copies on Amazon, usually for under $5. (http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-1-Expressions-Equations-Applications/dp/020132458X)

 

I would use Foerster as a supplement, if nothing else.

 

--David Chandler