Anyone use AoPS as stand alone Algebra/PreAlg and to do math competitions?

[workingmom]

Anyone use the AoPS for stand alone curriculum and not use it for contest prep? DS will go from SM 5B into AoPS prealgeba after finishing up some of the LOF series. We don't plan on doing any of the competitions.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

That is what we are doing. DD went from SM 5B to AoPS prealgebra. It's been a smooth transition.

 

She hadn't planned on doing competitions, but lately she has mentioned wanting to join a math club. Perhaps AoPS should come with a little black box on the book.

 

Warning: Users of this product have been know to flock to math clubs in droves. ;)

[8filltheheart]

AoPS is all my ds used for alg 3 (when we discovered it) through calculus. He was more than prepared for multivariable cal at the university level.

[regentrude]

We have been using AoPS as our sole math curriculum from Intro to Algebra through calculus. (prealgebra was not out yet when we needed it- it would have saved us a miserable semester with Saxon)

 

AoPS has two volumes of problem solving books that are more geared towards competition practice, but also an entire series of textbooks, starting with prealgebra, who are designed as stand-alone math curriculum for middle and high school and not primarily for competition prep.

[Julie of KY]

We started AoPS with no intentions to do math contestsl. It is a solid, challenging math program. My son has since also started doing contests, but I don't consider the books "contest prep", but just foundational core mathematics.

[LucyStoner]

We plan to start AoPS pre-algebra this summer with our son who turns 10 in June. From everything I have seen, I believe AoPS will be our spine of choice until he is no longer doing math at home but is instead enrolled in college classes. We'll see if something changes that.

[kohlby]

ODS went from MUS to AoPS. He did MUS from Alpha through the start of Algebra when I realized that MUS was no longer a good fit for him. He's currently in chapter 11 of AoPS Intro of Algebra and doing great! I went ahead and ordered both the Statistics and Number Theory courses since I'll have him do those after chapter 12 and then back into the second half of Intro to Algebra. We haven't thought as far as math competitions yet. We're doing those other courses just to slow him down and give him some time for math maturity due to his age. He's a 4th grader and I'm thinking that 6th grade is the earliest that competitions really start. Our state changed their extracurricular policy this year, so I may look into Math Counts when ODS is in 6th grade to see if he can do it through the public school. (I'm not sure of the logistics. I don't think the middle school we're zoned for has a math counts team. The other middle school for our town does have one).

[wapiti]

Anyone use the AoPS for stand alone curriculum and not use it for contest prep? DS will go from SM 5B into AoPS prealgeba after finishing up some of the LOF series. We don't plan on doing any of the competitions.

 

My dd used AoPS Prealgebra before going on to a traditional algebra at a private middle school. (It just so happens that she has gotten herself involved in math club at school and is looking forward to a MATHCOUNTS chapter competition soon. Pure coincidence, of course :))

 

My ds is using AoPS Prealgebra. He's a young one, so when he's done in a few months, I'm planning on re-starting Jacobs Algebra followed by the first half of AoPS Intro to Algebra. Or, maybe he'll just go right to AoPS Intro to Algebra, but I really want to find a spot for some Jacobs, lol. He's not interested in competition at all at this point.

[workingmom]

Those that use it. Just the book and teacher's manual or do you do more online?

[regentrude]

Those that use it. Just the book and teacher's manual or do you do more online?

 

We use the books only, plus the solution manual.

The online courses are very fast paced; we prefer to take our time with math and go at whatever pace works for our kids.

[wapiti]

Those that use it. Just the book and teacher's manual or do you do more online?

 

 

We use Alcumus for review (Alcumus is the free on-line problem-solving program). Sometimes ds9 will watch the corresponding videos but not for every lesson; they're nice to have handy for going over a topic. Ds isn't interested in doing an on-line class, plus he's young.

 

My dd took the prealgebra 2 course (it covered the second half of the book) last year and enjoyed it. It included Alcumus homework and a weekly problem set. The class adds a fun element and some hard problems, though it was by no means necessary. The higher level classes are more fast-paced.

[Julie of KY]

We use only the books with Alcumus. We have done some of the online mathcounts classes, but I doubt we ever do a class that they have a book for - we'd rather go at our own pace and it's cheaper.

[8filltheheart]

Those that use it. Just the book and teacher's manual or do you do more online?

 

My ds took the classes online. He started with alg 3 and was way beyond my abilities. Having a teacher, discussion board, and challenge sets made the classes gave him people to bounce ideas off of (AoPS does not tell them how to do it, only offers suggestions on how to think about things) and made it fun as well.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

My dd uses the book and solutions manual first. After she completes each section she watches the corresponding videos--mainly for fun. After she finishes a chapter, she does the review and some of the challenge problems. She then works through the Alcumus problems for that chapter.

 

There was a bit of a learning curve with AoPS. I had to do a little more guiding the first few lessons. It's a different format than SM, so be patient. She is much more independent with AoPs now that she's familiar with the approach and also because she's matured. It just took a bit of exposure and time.