chilanga Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Currently my dd in 7th grade is using Saxon math 8/7 with the Art Reed dvds. She has learned A Lot and her math skills have really improved (We were using Math Mammoth before). But she hates the mixed practice of Saxon and drags the lesson out for 2 hours each day - or longer. What to do? Should I switch to a different program next year? And what should it be? I need a solid Algebra 1 program (like Saxon). Also, I am not a strong math teacher so we have really relied on Mr. Reed to help teach the lessons. Any suggestions? I don't want to keep switching each year so ideally I would like a solid mth program to take us through higher level math. Marianne p.s. we live in Mexico as expats so hiring a tutor in English is going to be difficult Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilanga Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 And please excuse my spelling / grammatical errors. I'm having one of those nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tullia Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I hesitate to offer specific advice about programs since my son graduated a few years ago. I think you're correct in being wary of curriculum hopping. One suggestion I do have is that you be very sure about your dd's mastery of pre-algebra skills before moving on--no matter what program you use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I really like Kinetic Books for Algebra I and Algebra II. They have a geometry program also now, but I haven't used it. My oldest was a beta tester for KB Algebra II. My middle dd was one of the first users of KB Algebra I and also used it for Algebra II. They were both disappointed that they had to switch to other programs after Algebra II, because none of the other programs we've tried have matched up. We didn't like Chalkdust at all. Lial's was okay, but the explanations in KB were far better. Thinkwell is better than Lial's, but not as good as KB. www,kineticbooks.com www.thinkwell.com My youngest has a lot of difficulty with math and will not use a program that has a computer component, so I am using MUS with her. Algebra I was still a struggle, but Geometry is going very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilanga Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 Thanks for your suggestion. I agree that pre-algebra skills need to be strong. We are halfway through the book and so far dd has scored a 96% or higher on all her tests. So I don't know. I really don't know what direction to go. Anyone else with ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Are you asking about what to do for now? Kinetic Books and Thinkwell both have Prealgebra programs now. I haven't used either one of them, but I know that KB Prealgebra is solid. You can try a sample lesson for prealgebra here: http://homeschool.kineticbooks.com/preAlgebra.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilanga Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 Thank you. I will look into those programs. I have not heard of either of them before. :hat: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tullia Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Thanks for your suggestion. I agree that pre-algebra skills need to be strong. We are halfway through the book and so far dd has scored a 96% or higher on all her tests. So I don't know. I really don't know what direction to go. Anyone else with ideas? Sorry; I intended to post a bit more but got distracted. My son did well on all his exams in 8/7, but in spite of that we found that he had some areas where he needed more work. The problems didn't really show up until the end of the following year--when he started having trouble applying algebra I to science. I wasn't the strongest math teacher so I didn't pick up on the problems as soon as I should have. However, your dd's performance on exams may be a more accurate indicator than my son's. You may not need to do a full year using another program, but I'd definitely suggest checking for mastery. I'd offer more specifics, but honestly my contributions to math discussions run motly along the lines of here are the mistakes I made.... :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 You really have a lot of options at this level. I think Algebra 1 is a great jumping off point to something new, especially if your dd is ready for a change from Saxon. Of course having solid Arithmetic and Pre-A skills are important first as was mentioned. Here are a few great programs for Algebra 1 which come highly recommended: TabletClass: We are using this currently and the full instructions are very clear and thorough. It also includes the solutions to the problems 'with' explanations. Math without Borders: The Foerster text is used which is a classic Algebra 1 textbook along with full instructions via DVDs Derek Owens: Many families here have recommended his classes though they are somewhat on the more expensive side Bob Jones U Algebra 1 Jann in Texas Algebra 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 We've been using the same combo for Algebra 1/2 with Art Reed and we really like it. I would suggest buying your stuff from MFW. They have an assignment list for each Saxon book that covers all the important skills without the drudgery. Other than silly mistakes my DD is doing great in Saxon 1/2 with the ammended work list. (Saxon says mastery is 85% or more). Some days they do all the problems - some only about half - but they get the ones they need (and not randomly like "do all the odds"). If your student still struggles in an area - there's plenty of extra work to assign them. I'm pleased with the system and it sounds like it'll work well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellalarella Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Hello. Maria Miller from Math Mammoth gives her very detailed recommendations on curriculums for Algebra 1 here. We went with her suggestion of using Foerster algebra 1. This is an oft reprinted, now classic Algebra 1 textbook. A person can easily purchase old used copies from Amazon, which is what we did. Though we didn't need the teacher's manual, we did need the answer key, and for that we had to order it from the current textbook publisher, Pearson. I spent a lot of time trying to match up ISBN numbers, but the jist of it is that their current solutions manual will give solutions to an older edition. Solutions Manual ISBN 2-201-86100-3 will match up with the old textbook copyright 1999. (forgive me if this is TMI, i just remember spending tons of time trying to find the correct solutions manual. ) We have liked Foerster because it is very thorough, it gives good examples, the explanations are crystal clear, and anyone can learn the algebra if he/she is willing to read. When my son had problems, it was because he didn't read. :) It is a great textbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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