AOPS PreA ?

[MyLittleWonders]

Can you pick and choose chapters in AoPS PreA to use as a supplement/reinforcement/seeing things in a different way? I have the book (will sit down with it during Christmas break), but I know my eldest wouldn't necessarily do well with it on a whole. 

[serendipitous journey]

Yes.  You can also teach it more traditionally if you need to -- ie, teach the concept before the introductory exercises.  This won't be the "discovery" method but works better for some children, and the AoPS authors themselves have mentioned that it is okay to adapt the teaching method to the student. 

[Julie of KY]

I think the first three chapters are the hardest to "get into" - though the concepts are very important. Chapters 4-9 are all important foundational topics. You may not be able to jump into later chapters if you haven't done the earlier ones, but I have been known to pick isolated chapters in tutoring. Chapters 10-15 are all great chapters that are the beginnings of geometry, statistics, counting, etc.

[Penelope]

Kind of, I think. Though maybe not, in the sense that the other programs I have on hand (Discovering Mathematics, Dolciani, Lial's) have different sequencing.

 

What I am doing instead is use AoPS as our program and cut out some of the challenge problems when we are slowing down too much. I want ds to finish pre-A this year, and we can add in the Challenge more on days when time permits, rather than spending several entire days at ones time on the challenge section. Even the regular exercises are usually more complex than what is in the Dolciani pre-A. We also look at the other books to compare and to see a more simplified explanation of the concept, at times.