bethben Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I went back to Saxon Algebra. I don't care for the word problems, but it seems like my ds does well with little bits and pieces and the ability to practice those bits and pieces before he moves onto other bits and pieces. I think he will just do better with this approach. Am I just killing any future math in college and beyond? He's got a good entrepreneurial sense about him and does have a very logical math brain. Should I supplement with a good Discovering Mathematics word problem every once in a while? Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 If he is the type who does well with Saxon and 'gets' math using it better than other methods, I would go ahead and use it. There are plenty of people who have done Saxon and taken further math and done just fine. Now, if he's unable to apply what he's learned in Saxon to problems outside of the Saxon context, then I would look to supplement with word problems from another source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I learned algebra from Saxon, and have went on to do AOPS stuff and Thinkwell stuff and Dolciani stuff and weird college class stuff and it's all been fine. Saxon solidifies 'math as a skill' which for a lot of us is helpful - I was able to pick up on 'math as an art form' stuff only AFTER I had thoroughly absorbed 'math as a skill' stuff from all the Saxon review. I do agree with you on the word problems and I think it's worth supplementing there. Just add in one word problem a day of a more challenging type and that should make a big difference. I'm using some Foerster's word problems with my DD now because his method of breaking down word problems is very step-by-step like Saxon & it's a good fit for her, but the problems are more more complicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I have a like and not like relationship with Saxon. We used it with much success with my oldest until the last 1/3 of algebra 2. She is just not "geometrically wired." She needed more explanations and more examples, and a different approach to really get the more advanced geometry and the proofs. She never really mastered polar coordinates with Saxon. l I bought EZ Trig and she went through the polar coordinates chapter. Then, she could do the Saxon problems and understand them. We had to suppliment geometry as well as trig and the Adv Math just wasn't working. We were going back and forth between books and it was just getting overwhelming for both of us. I have known a few dc who have used Saxon straight through and gone to college and done very well. One young man I know, tested into Calculus 2 at his college. Another started in Calculus 1 and did very well, finding it easy. I have also known a few who have not done as well. They struggled more with their college math classes. The same holds true for other curriculums. We now know folks who are in college who used TT, MUS, and Abeka. Some have stellar grades and are doing very well. Others have had more difficulties. I don't think it is all about the curriculum. Maybe I'm naive on that. But, I think college math success will probably depend upon the college, the professor, the aptitude and interest of the dc, the workload and stress on the dc, and many other factors. Can you go wrong with a curriculum? Maybe. But, if it covers the material that is needed, and the dc masters the material, and they beyond Algebra 2 (adv math, trig, precalculus,etc), then shouldn't it prepare the dc for college level math? If I'm off base on this, please help me out here, my dd is a junior and I'm hoping we have given her what she needs for college math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 My children are thriving with Saxon so I never understand all the negative stuff. My daughter did Saxon 76, 87 and Algebra 1. She went back to private school and got in A in Geometry and is now in Honors Algebra 2 with an A average. I think Saxon was far superior to anything that is used in public schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 After using Right Start for grades 1-3 and CLE for grades 4 - pre-Algebra, I did what I swore I would NEVER do, and am using Saxon for Algebra 1. And it's going fine! We are using Mr. Reed's DVDs for instruction, and my dd loves him. I'm interested in hearing about supplementing with word problems - that may be a good idea. And I'm hoping Mr. Reed thoroughly explains the geometry in upcoming years because that was always my worst math subject. My dd is planning on a humanities major, but she's only 14 so I don't want to make choices that will negatively affect her if she changes her mind. Her high school plan now is: Alg 1 - Saxon Alg 2 - Saxon Advanced Math - Saxon Statistics - CC or something Anyone see a problem with this from a Saxon point of view? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinRTX Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 You are not killing his future, especially if he has a logical math brain! I did Saxon with my children and two have successfully made it through college -- one with a degree in electrical engineering. Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 I'm interested in hearing about supplementing with word problems - that may be a good idea. I have an old Foerster's Algebra book that I got for $4 (included shipping) that has good word problems and the answers to the odd problems in the back of the book. I may have ds do 2-3 of them each day as a supplement and toss the Saxon word problems. We'll see. The only reason I didn't like Saxon was the lack of good word problems so this may solve my issue. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) I have an old Foerster's Algebra book that I got for $4 (included shipping) that has good word problems and the answers to the odd problems in the back of the book. I may have ds do 2-3 of them each day as a supplement and toss the Saxon word problems. We'll see. The only reason I didn't like Saxon was the lack of good word problems so this may solve my issue. Beth I have that Foerster's book, too. I hope I understand the problems enough to explain them. I always hated word problems! Edited October 5, 2012 by Elinor Everywhere Grrrr......iPad typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I have that Foerster's book, too. I hope I understand the problems enough to explain them. I always hated word problems! The nice thing about Foerster word problems is, if you start at the beginning, he REALLY holds your hand and tells you step by step how to tackle these, until you've done enough of them that you can start figuring it out on your own. For example, at the end of the first chapter in Foerster, where they first introduce word problems, they spell it out step by step - "Suppose that 1/4 of the students in a school are freshmen. Let x stand for the total number of students. A. Write the definition of x. Then write an expression representing the number of freshmen. B. Write an equation stating that the number of freshmen is 312. C. Find the number of students in the school." You really can't get much more broken down into little pieces than that. But by the end of the book, gradually all those little boosts are taken out, and they are getting problems like the following: "Pop Dupp hits a baseball with an initial upward velocity of 23 meters per second. The top of the grandstand is 20 meters above where Pop hit the ball. For what time interval will the ball be at least as high as the top of the grandstands?" That's why I like Foerster's for word problems, it goes from zero to sixty in one book ;-) Other books I've looked at either throw you in the deep end right off (I'm looking at you, AOPS!! :lol: ) or never really get you out of the wading pool (**cough**Saxon**cough**). Much better range of problems with Foersters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 The nice thing about Foerster word problems is, if you start at the beginning, he REALLY holds your hand and tells you step by step how to tackle these, until you've done enough of them that you can start figuring it out on your own. For example, at the end of the first chapter in Foerster, where they first introduce word problems, they spell it out step by step - "Suppose that 1/4 of the students in a school are freshmen. Let x stand for the total number of students. A. Write the definition of x. Then write an expression representing the number of freshmen. B. Write an equation stating that the number of freshmen is 312. C. Find the number of students in the school." You really can't get much more broken down into little pieces than that. But by the end of the book, gradually all those little boosts are taken out, and they are getting problems like the following: "Pop Dupp hits a baseball with an initial upward velocity of 23 meters per second. The top of the grandstand is 20 meters above where Pop hit the ball. For what time interval will the ball be at least as high as the top of the grandstands?" That's why I like Foerster's for word problems, it goes from zero to sixty in one book ;-) Other books I've looked at either throw you in the deep end right off (I'm looking at you, AOPS!! :lol: ) or never really get you out of the wading pool (**cough**Saxon**cough**). Much better range of problems with Foersters. Thank you! You've given me courage to pull my Foerster's book out this weekend and take a look at the word problems from the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 6, 2012 Author Share Posted October 6, 2012 The question is how do you schedule the word problems. Foersters has a different sequence than Saxon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.