kagmypts Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 My DD is in fourth grade, and I am trying to plan out her math courses for the next few years. We are currently using CLE, and it is a great fit! At the end of this school year, she will be finished with Light Unit 503/504. However, I want DD to take algebra in seventh grade, and CLE doesn't look like the best fit to get us there. In an ideal world, we would use CLE again next year (coming closing to finishing up 600s),and then move into a pre-algebra program. For those people who use CLE, what program do you use for algebra? How and when do you transition to the other program? What would you suggest? ETA - I had my daughter take the Saxon placement test tonight, and she would place in Saxon 7/6 for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kagmypts Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 I would love any advice. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perogi Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 We'll be here soon too...listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alef Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Transitioning to a prealgebra program after CLE 600's should be fine. Do you want something that can take you through high school math? Saxon might be a good option. Do you have a particular reason for wanting to do Algebra in 7th? If your child enjoys math you might look into some of the more interesting prealgebra programs such as AOPS or Jousting Armadillos. FWIW, my current plan with my 4th grader who will be finishing MM5 this week is to move on to MM6 concurrent with Jousting Armadillos and some of the Rightstart and Patty Paper geometry options, then let her try AOPS prealgebra. If she doesn't like AOPS I haven't quite decided what to do yet, but I'm not really planning for her to be done with Algebra before 8th grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 My advice: don't try to plan ahead in math. It is a mastery subject, and you never know when a child will need to squat on a topic or when she will race ahead. Meet her where she is, and move ahead as she is able. Rushing to algebra may not be the best route for enabling a child to excel in high school maths. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kagmypts Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 Transitioning to a prealgebra program after CLE 600's should be fine. Do you want something that can take you through high school math? Saxon might be a good option. Do you have a particular reason for wanting to do Algebra in 7th? If your child enjoys math you might look into some of the more interesting prealgebra programs such as AOPS or Jousting Armadillos. FWIW, my current plan with my 4th grader who will be finishing MM5 this week is to move on to MM6 concurrent with Jousting Armadillos and some of the Rightstart and Patty Paper geometry options, then let her try AOPS prealgebra. If she doesn't like AOPS I haven't quite decided what to do yet, but I'm not really planning for her to be done with Algebra before 8th grade. With respect to your questions, I would love to use the same program for algebra and geometry. Honestly, I have no idea what we will be doing for my daughter's high school education. If she attends a private high school, the decision on which program to use after geometry will be largely moot. I would like for my daughter to complete algebra in seventh grade because I think that she will be fully capable of handling it. I was on an advanced track in math when I was in school (also algebra in seventh grade), and I was able to complete Calculus II (Multi-variable Calculus) while in high school. It allowed me a lot of freedom when I started college because I already had two years of college math under my belt. I don't have any reason to believe that my daughter isn't capable of achieving the same thing. Thank you for the recommendations. I have to admit that I am not extremely familiar with either AOPS or Jousting Armadillos. I will definitely look into both programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kagmypts Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 My advice: don't try to plan ahead in math. It is a mastery subject, and you never know when a child will need to squat on a topic or when she will race ahead. Meet her where she is, and move ahead as she is able. Rushing to algebra may not be the best route for enabling a child to excel in high school maths. HTH- Mandy I understand this, but if she's fully capable, I want to make sure that she is also ready. It would be a shame for her to delay algebra simply because she has not been exposed to the necessary skills or terminology. If she needs to slow down and take time to master material, I am more than willing to accommodate that. However, at this point in time, I would like to plan on her starting algebra in seventh grade. If that plan needs to be adjusted down the road, especially to delay the start, we can easily do that. It's home schooling, and part of the beauty of that is being able to tweak plans on the fly. It's not about rushing her into algebra but rather about giving her the proper tools to succeed when the time is right. As I mentioned in my previous post, I took algebra in seventh grade, and that opportunity gave me significant flexibility when I went to college. At this point in time, I think that my daughter will be fully capable of the same. However, I also know that children may need to slow down to understand and master a topic, and if that turns out to the case, I won't give the extra time mastering the material a second thought. ETA - Aside from the timing of when she starts algebra, I would still like to have plan in place. I know that we are not going to use CLE through the end of the 800s, and I would appreciate any insight on programs that may be a good fit for us. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alef Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 With respect to your questions, I would love to use the same program for algebra and geometry. Honestly, I have no idea what we will be doing for my daughter's high school education. If she attends a private high school, the decision on which program to use after geometry will be largely moot. I would like for my daughter to complete algebra in seventh grade because I think that she will be fully capable of handling it. I was on an advanced track in math when I was in school (also algebra in seventh grade), and I was able to complete Calculus II (Multi-variable Calculus) while in high school. It allowed me a lot of freedom when I started college because I already had two years of college math under my belt. I don't have any reason to believe that my daughter isn't capable of achieving the same thing. Thank you for the recommendations. I have to admit that I am not extremely familiar with either AOPS or Jousting Armadillos. I will definitely look into both programs. The traditional Saxon sequence doesn't have a separate geometry text, the geometry is split between the algebra and advanced math texts. If you are considering brick and mortar school for high school you may want to stick with the standard sequence with geometry separated out--unless of course the high school is transitioning to integrated math as many public schools are. Saxon does publish a geometry text now, I think in their fourth edition series? AOPS is supposed to be good for kids who really like math, and they have a full series of texts. The standard geometry text I hear about most often is Jacobs, and while there is also a Jacobs algebra text it doesn't seem to be as popular. Dolciani seems to be a popular choice for prealgebra and algebra, but I'm not sure there is a geometry text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kagmypts Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 The traditional Saxon sequence doesn't have a separate geometry text, the geometry is split between the algebra and advanced math texts. If you are considering brick and mortar school for high school you may want to stick with the standard sequence with geometry separated out--unless of course the high school is transitioning to integrated math as many public schools are. Saxon does publish a geometry text now, I think in their fourth edition series? AOPS is supposed to be good for kids who really like math, and they have a full series of texts. The standard geometry text I hear about most often is Jacobs, and while there is also a Jacobs algebra text it doesn't seem to be as popular. Dolciani seems to be a popular choice for prealgebra and algebra, but I'm not sure there is a geometry text. Thank you! At this point in time, I would prefer a separate geometry text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 If you are considering a particular private school for high school, then I would suggest checking to see what they use and their policy for accepting homeschool credits. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I'm listening too. Planning algebra for 8th grade and expecting to move from CLE after 600. Becca would have placed into Saxon 7/6 at the end of fourth grade as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I'm not going to be very helpful about 'what to switch to after CLE' - BUT, I wanted to let you know about a cheap CLE product that you might not have seen -- that is just their Pre-Algebra lessons all in one book. They are called "math skill development worksheets." There is one for Algebra and one for Geometry. The Algebra one (sample) is 66 pages for $4 (with a separate answer key - also $4). It could be a good way to transition to another program no matter where you are in CLE because they pull the pre-algebra stuff out from the different light units and have it all in one space. I can see it being used as a quick pre-algebra before a gentle Algebra program like Jacobs, for instance. Apparently, they also have one for fractions that I hadn't seen before. I have a IRL friend whose oldest daughter liked & thrived with CLE. They tried a bunch of things & finally settled on Jacobs FWIW. There is some 'mixed review' opportunities which were important to that child. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3byzaz Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 My middle ds used CLE through 800 - all the way. Was so glad I did for the 'real life' math, plus excellent pre-Geometry and pre-Algebra. He actually did 800 in 7th grade. I switched him to TabletClass thinking that the TT that my oldest used would be too much review. We had trouble with TC - mostly because the answer key was below the exercises...but that's another story. He got very stuck in one chapter - so the combined issues made me fork over the big bucks for TT 2.0 (oldest had used 1.0). Sooo glad I did. He started it in Dec and is on like lesson 85 or something doing very well - mostly just the practice problems. I want him to have the firm foundation - and stressed mightily over the 'too easy' reviews for both boys - since they are possibly headed for a computer or engineering type major. Figure we have time to get to the 'harder' stuff when maturity kicks in and they understand what they are doing! Anyway, he loves it and math again - after a brief period of deciding he was dumb and not good at math anymore. For my younger one, I will probably switch to TT after 600 or 700 - would love to go through 800 but honestly would like him to do Alg 1 in 8th also. But, we'll see - he's struggling a bit in CLE...so not sure. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kagmypts Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 If you are considering a particular private school for high school, then I would suggest checking to see what they use and their policy for accepting homeschool credits. HTH- Mandy Thank you. Honestly, I am not sure what our plans are for high school. It seems so far away at this point in time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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