lewelma Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I'm tutoring a boy in algebra, geometry, and statistics (integrated 9th grade math), and there is a serious problem. Here are 2 questions that I remember that he could not answer. 1) what is 270/10? 2) How many quarters are in 7 1/2. (he drew 7 1/2 pizzas, cut them into quarters, and then counted 1, 2, 3, up to 30.) He will be going into the national exams next year, and I am not sure if I can change that. He is keen to learn and seems to learn relatively quickly, so I am looking for a fast way to shore up some basics over the NZ summer. I'm hopeful that these are just gaps, easily filled. Clearly place value and fractions are top of the list. I have also sent him home with flashcards for multiplication facts. I'm sure I also need to work on exponents and negative numbers. Does anyone have a resource I could use that is written for mature learners who have more gaps than cognitive issues. Thanks, Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 This is exactly what books like Lial's BCM (and any other college developmental arithmetic text) are written for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Lial's Basic College Math...(any paperback edition-- older ones are fine-- student text is all that is needed). It teaches fractions and other pre-Algebra concepts from the beginning. It is integrated-- so it supports the Geometry and Statisitcs basics as well. The text was designed for adult remediation-- so it is more mature -- but NOT adult in content or material/level-- but mature in layout/presentation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveswife Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I have my son quickly working through E-Z Math for the first quarter of the year to refresh his basics before heading into Alg. 2 (he did geometry this past year). Here are the contents: Whole numbers Fractions Percentages Algebra Geometry Trigonometry Word problems Probability and statistics It is written for the adult who has not had math in years and provides preparation for the Arithmetic and Elementary Algebra portions of the Accuplacer. The explanations are very easy to understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathie in VA Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Yep. BCM. great choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted September 24, 2014 Author Share Posted September 24, 2014 Thanks everyone. Will go look up those resources. Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Hi Ruth, how close is your curriculum to Australia's? We have a series of books called "Understanding year X maths" by Marlin. Years 7 and 8 are separate books, years 9 and 10 are combined. They are divided into units, with 5-10 page summaries of each topic (detailed enough to teach from) and then 5 worksheets, ranging from easy to difficult. They're good for tackling topics that the student isn't solid on. Danielle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Does Khan academy have any kind of placement tests? Sounds like it might be worthwhile to give a broad-based placement test or assessment of some kind to figure out just where all the gaps are. Khan could work for remediation as well, you can set yourself up with a tutor account so the student's progress will be visible to you. BCM is a good option too, but this might be something you could get started with right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 https://www.khanacademy.org/coach-res/parents-and-tutors/tutor/a/start-tutoring-with-khan-academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 My kids had gaps prior to starting algebra (mostly in the area of fraction manipulation) and Khan Academy helped greatly. One son started from the very beginning with the practice problems. He progressed through them very quickly. When he came to problems he could not solve, he used the videos to clarify. This was efficient and effective. The student you mention has more basic gaps than my kids did, but I still wholly recommend Khan Academy. Another possible resource for identifying gaps is ALEKS> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 deleted for privacy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Wow - that's pretty drastic! I agree a dead-end option would be really bad, especially at this stage. How doable is repeating just maths, or would he have to repeat the whole year? I have no idea how your system works. I can't see it being viable in NSW, although a flexible school could allow maths to be completely privately tutored if they were open to working with an external teacher. If you tutor over summer, you've basically got two terms up your sleeve before year 10 starts. Would that get you over the line with extra work over the next year? And how will his poor maths skills impact on his other subjects like science? D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 ALEKS can be good for uncovering and closing gaps, though I'm not sure what level I'd use with this particular student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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