swimmermom3 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 On tap for my youngest: 9th grade: Geometry (ps) with afterschooling using Dolciani 10th grade: Algebra II: Foerster Algebra and Trig 11th grade: ?????????: 12th grade: Calculus?: I have the Foerster Precalculus book, but don't see it talked about on the board much. Would it be a logical progression or is there a better choice for 11th grade. Our high school uses Stewart's book for Calculus. I have a copy and am trying to catch up with neighbor kid's study group. I am not feeling the love, but it could be that I am extremely rusty. Feedback on sequence and curriculum would be appreciated. This child is bored out of his mind with his return to public school. I told him if he didn't work a little harder, he'd be behind for my classes next year.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Foerster has a pre-calc and a calc book. If he liked Foerster before, you could follow it the whole way. Are you committed to Stewart? If he's bored, you might want to look into AOPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 Foerster has a pre-calc and a calc book. If he liked Foerster before, you could follow it the whole way. Are you committed to Stewart? If he's bored, you might want to look into AOPS. I am not committed to Stewart at all. When high school kids who have taken advanced math courses at the local high school see Foerster's Algebra and Trig book on your shelves and swoon; it just confirms my choice. I am not a mathaholic like Jane, Jann, or Kathy, so I worry a bit, but ds and I both like Foerster and it makes sense to us. AOPS in intriguing, but we actually know one of their instructors in real life and he is frighteningly intelligent. I am not sure this household is up to that.:D Is it necessary to get a different math perspective in these years? That's four years of Foerster and one year of Dolciani. Also, does the Algebra and Trig book overlap with the Pre-calculus and Trig book? (Foerster) ETA: "Mathaholic" isn't the right word. I just don't make math s@xy like they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I have the older alg II/trig book and there is some overlap. Foerster said (quoted from these forums years ago) that he recommends doing the alg II stuff from the old book, then switching to the pre calc book for the rest. There is stuff in the pre calc book that is not in the old alg II/trig book (polar coord, series, etc) After ds1 (aka the guinea pig) went to college, we discovered that a lot more algebra and less graphing calculator would have been helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 If you have tons of money to burn, I'd recommend watching the Thinkwell lectures. Here's a sample pre-calc lecture:http://www.thinkwell.com/student/product/precalculus He's not usually this crazy with fruit. Problem is, I don't really like his quizzes/problem sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendall Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I used Foerster precalc(newest one but the 2nd edition, I think there is a 3rd edition now) with my oldest two and at this point I don't plan to change to a different text. We did only the Alg portions of the Alg/Trig book and then did the precal with Trig book. I do have a degree in math and I did work through the text with my oldest. I didn't do every problem, but made sure I knew how to do every problem. All of the graphing calculator stuff was new to me and some of the math was, because before graphing calculators some of it just was too tedious to do to teach even in college. At least that is my guess. My oldest, who is a junior EE major, felt that his algebra was strong and that as an engineering major it was very good that he knew how to use the graphing calculator, though he says he rarely uses it for graphing. He does wish I had spent more time on solving systems of equations with matrices both with the calculator and by hand. It was 2.5 years(at least) between the time we did it in high school and the class he needed it for in college. My 2nd isn't as strong in math, but I'm really not sure a different text would have mattered! He got a B in Calc I and doesn't need any more math for his major. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Bit of a hijack... Does anyone know exactly where the overlap begins in the Foerster Alg/Trig book? In other words, where should I stop using the Alg/Trig book and pick up with the Pre-Calc book? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendall Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 The trig material is in Chapter 13,14,15. I moved to the precalc/trig book after chapter 12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Bit of a hijack... Does anyone know exactly where the overlap begins in the Foerster Alg/Trig book? In other words, where should I stop using the Alg/Trig book and pick up with the Pre-Calc book? Thanks! I believe he only recommended skipping the trig sections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted October 26, 2012 Author Share Posted October 26, 2012 I have the older alg II/trig book and there is some overlap. Foerster said (quoted from these forums years ago) that he recommends doing the alg II stuff from the old book, then switching to the pre calc book for the rest. There is stuff in the pre calc book that is not in the old alg II/trig book (polar coord, series, etc) After ds1 (aka the guinea pig) went to college, we discovered that a lot more algebra and less graphing calculator would have been helpful. This is good to know. I have been working my way through the Foerster graphing calc. labs, so that we all know how to use the graphing calculator. However, we are also having the battles where I will figure faster in my head than the boys can on the calculator for simpler operations. You know, the "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" battle, especially on a timed test. If you have tons of money to burn, I'd recommend watching the Thinkwell lectures. Here's a sample pre-calc lecture:http://www.thinkwell.com/student/product/precalculus He's not usually this crazy with fruit. Problem is, I don't really like his quizzes/problem sets. Thank you for the link. I had heard of Thinkwell, but had not looked at their products. Bit of a hijack... Does anyone know exactly where the overlap begins in the Foerster Alg/Trig book? In other words, where should I stop using the Alg/Trig book and pick up with the Pre-Calc book? Thanks! It's a great question. The trig material is in Chapter 13,14,15. I moved to the precalc/trig book after chapter 12. Kendall, thanks so much for all of your information. It's a relief to know that I can follow Foerster all of the way through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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