Which Algebra 1 book has good word problems?

[armom]

My kids are improving in math, but it doesn't come naturally to them.  We have used Math-U-See up to this point.  They ended up making a high B in Pre-algebra and have made A's in first four lessons of MUS Algebra 1.  I have read so many places that it is weak, but my kids are not breezing through so I am reluctant to get a more rigorous program.  I really want them to have a strong foundation in math.  I am wondering which math would have the best examples of the kind of word problems that would be on future standardized tests.  

 

I have seen that several people recommend Lial's, Foester, Dolciani or AoPS for Algebra.  I am trying to figure out which book would be best to slowly work through along side MUS.   My daughter really likes MUS and would not want to drop completely.

[wapiti]

You might also check out this recent thread http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/526584-going-heavy-on-math-for-8th-grade/

 

Foerster has good word problems.  Dolciani has good word problems though there are a lot of different editions.  AoPS is very different in so many ways; it's hard to imagine using the text as a supplement.  However, there's also Alcumus, the free on-line problem-solving practice program from AoPS - that may fit your needs somewhat.  

[Momling]

We liked Zaccaro's "Become a Problem Solving Genius" and "Real World Algebra". There are lots of word problems, solving by algebra, but not requiring much prior knowledge.

[Sunshine State Sue]

If you are not concerned with your child going into a STEM field, you may just want to supplement with practice ACT/SAT math tests.

 

Of the texts you've listed, Foerster is my favorite.  You may read my review here.  You may want to try to get some Algebra texts from your library or through inter-library loan.  That way, you can get an idea of what would work best for your dc.

 

Good luck!

[Kareni]

You might consider Anita Harnadek's Algebra book -- Algebra Word Problems Book 1.  (She also has Algebra Word Problems Book 2 - eBook.)

 

Then there is  How to Solve Word Problems in Algebra by Mildred Johnson

 

My husband uses both of these in his math tutoring.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[TrixieB]

You might consider Anita Harnadek's Algebra book -- Algebra Word Problems Book 1.  (She also has Algebra Word Problems Book 2 - eBook.)

 

Then there is  How to Solve Word Problems in Algebra by Mildred Johnson

 

My husband uses both of these in his math tutoring.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Both of these books are great!  The Johnson book is particularly helpful as it teaches how to solve various types of problems step-by-step.

 

[Mom22ns]

Having done MUS Algebra and Lial's Algebra, I don't think a student who has only done MUS would have the tools to solve many of the problems in Lial's. Foerster's would probably be worse, since it is known for its exceptionally challenging word problems. I'm afraid MUS Algebra just doesn't cover all the concepts that are covered. Lial's typically puts a lot of word problems toward the end of a chapter when they have covered all the concepts in depth and are ready to apply them. MUS never covers all of the concepts, so the students would be terribly frustrated trying to solve the problems.

 

I do think Lial's lines up with MUS better than any other more challenging Algebra program I've seen though as far as topics covered and the order they are covered, so I would think that it would be a good choice. I guess I'm just not a fan of supplementing. I'm a fan of using a solid program to start with (which I think MUS is until you hit Algebra).