Video Text, BJU or Saxon math for 6th grade for student working ahead??

[housemouse]

Would it be advisable to start Videotext Math in 6th grade (11yo)? Currently ds is finishing up BJU math 6 and I do not like the look of BJU math 7. Even ds mentioned that there is too much talking and not enough math in the videos that we were able to watch. So, I am thinking to either stick with BJU math and do grade 8 which is pre-algebra according to the book instead of grade 7, or just switch to a different publisher. That is where Videotext comes in. I have spoken with the publisher and they seem to think it is fine as long as all of the problems, quizzes and extra practice problems are done by the student (would that be overkill??) so that he gets the material. Another option is to do Saxon math starting at what ever level he places and stick with it through highschool. Most importantly, to keep in mind that this is for a student who plans to go into math/science fields eventually, most likely some type of engineering degree.

 

I would appreciate any advise or direction.

 

Thank you.

[mom31257]

Are you referring to BJU 7th's video sample online? He is doing a lesson on logic/deductive reasoning which is very important to higher level math, especially Geometry.

[mom31257]

I am using BJU Math for ds, but I teach it myself since I have a math degree. I plan to use it all the way through Pre-Algebra along with LOF as a fun supplement. At that point, I'll evaluate which high school courses I should use with him. I skipped around some in the early grades, but I realized that it is probably best to pick a program that delivers what is needed and stick with it. IMHO, curricula hopping in math can lead to gaps because each program's scope and sequence can vary so much from the others. I often say they all lead to the same destination, Algebra 1, but take very different roads to get there.

[housemouse]

I was refering to the actual videos (we did a trial run when they had $99 special) which we stopped after about 3 weeks. We have been doing BJU math starting with grade 2 book, so there has not been any curriculum hopping. The problem with BJU videos is that there is too much talking that is not math talk but rather life exaples which seemed to make ds tune out the instructor. Unless it is just the instructor himself and how he presents the lesson. It could be that the grade 8 teacher keeps his attention better. Up to now, we have been doing it without the videos and ds has a pretty fast grasp on concepts so that I have to do very little explaing before he gets it. Of course, if he needs more explaing, than I will do that as much as needed. For far , I have not had any problems teaching and showing what had to be done.

[wapiti]

Another option for an advanced math student headed in the STEM direction is AoPS. AoPS also has free videos, which could be used in conjunction with another program.