Holy cow...Saxon 8/7 math book

[SparklyUnicorn]

Is huge!  They would really expect someone to get through that book in a year!!!???

 

I don't plan to get through it in a year thankfully, but wow.  I just hope my son doesn't freak out when he sees it.  I might have to go have the binding cut off so I can break it up a bit.

 

 

[Mona]

yep, it's a scary beast, but doable. You could do just 4 days of math most weeks. Since the lessons + investigations + tests = 155 days.

[cbollin]

easy to do in a year.  (you can buy plans for that if needed.. for example, mfw has some.  helped us stay on track easily).  87 was the first time we used Saxon.  We had done Singapore before that.  So the thick size was quite different. oh yeah.

But the print size was quite large so that helped a bit. (I don't know how that compares to other years in saxon before 87). 

[SparklyUnicorn]

That's true on the font size being quite large. 

 

Too bad on the binding thing. 

 

 

[Luckymama]

You can always use it to press flowers or serve as a doorstop.

 

:lol:

[chiguirre]

That's weird. The Algebra 1 book is pretty slim, only 600 pages or so. It's much thinner than Writing with Skill.

[BatmansWife]

I have never used Saxon...and sometimes I wonder if I'm missing something by never trying it.  But what I wanted to say was...don't you do only every other problem or something??  Or is that a different math program?  I thought I remember Saxon being the one that you choose either the odd numbered problems or the even?  If this is true..then why are they all there?  Do some people do them all?

 

I honestly feel very clueless about this and I'm wondering why I'm even posting about it....  :blush:

[EmseB]

Saxon is one where you are supposed to do all the problems. The spiral builds each lesson, so skipping problems can mean you miss a skill that you need for the next lesson.

 

Of course a discerning teacher could still omit some, I suppose, but it's not how the program is designed.

[AmyontheFarm]

JodiSue is correct.  My girl friend caved and let her son do every other question but still had to work for 1 hour a day, so basically he did 3 lessons every couple of days or so.

 

She then decided he was sooo smart because look how fast he flew through Saxon 8/7!!  So, she let him skip Algebra 1/2 and move right to Algebra 1.  He is now so lost he needs a tutor.  For those of you who know what DragonBox is, he couldn't understand isolating the box to one side of the screen.  When I tried to explain that it is just like getting an X only on one side of an Algebra equations he teared up and told me he has no clue what he is doing in Algebra 1 and Mom finally got him a tutor. I feel so bad for him because I know she is pushing him to keep way ahead of my son.  Which frankly isn't fair to her kid because we school year round and they take 3 months off each year.  That being said, my kid is just starting 8/7 in January!

[kiana]

The student is really supposed to learn by doing all the problems in Saxon. Yes, it is possible for a bright student to not need all the practice, but the parent really needs to be careful that they aren't omitting the same types of problems all the time if they're skipping problems. It is not the way it is designed to work.

 

For a struggling student who finds the number of problems excessive I would recommend checking placement, and if placement is appropriate cutting to half a lesson a day rather than a full lesson. For a bright student who finds the number of problems excessive I'd recommend using a program with fewer problems in the first place or a topically oriented program (because in that case it is easier to omit problems without leaving gaps in coverage). In neither case would I recommend just doing odds or evens. 

[Ellie]

I have never used Saxon...and sometimes I wonder if I'm missing something by never trying it.  But what I wanted to say was...don't you do only every other problem or something??  Or is that a different math program?  I thought I remember Saxon being the one that you choose either the odd numbered problems or the even?  If this is true..then why are they all there?  Do some people do them all?

 

I honestly feel very clueless about this and I'm wondering why I'm even posting about it....  :blush:

 

Nope, you misremembered. :D

 

Every.single.problem in every.single.lesson is important. Most publishers write their texts such that the teachers can choose to have their students do as many or as few problems as they think is necessary, but John Saxon wrote his math books differently. Saxon is incremental (not spiral); concepts are introduced in little bits, and then incrementally developed and reviewed over the course of the whole book.

[cbollin]

I'll be the naysayer.  My oldest did Saxon the MFW lesson plan way.  She was well prepapred for Calc 1 this semester in college.  Got an A.   I know it goes against what some say to not do every single problem in saxon. 

MFW's lesson plans were written by a career math teacher to eliminate the problems that just become too much review for the above average to advanced student. Then they give information on when to drop back to do every.single.problem when needed.    They cover all lessons in the book and it is not do only odd/even.   It's specifcially selected problems that are omitted.   and even my middle daughter who isn't above average nor advanced seems to be doing well enough to get A on the saxon tests by following their plans.  maybe we're the oddballs on it.  but I don't think so. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

That's weird. The Algebra 1 book is pretty slim, only 600 pages or so. It's much thinner than Writing with Skill.

 

Yep.  I have the Algebra 1 book.  The print is quite a bit smaller though so that's part of it. 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I have never used Saxon...and sometimes I wonder if I'm missing something by never trying it.  But what I wanted to say was...don't you do only every other problem or something??  Or is that a different math program?  I thought I remember Saxon being the one that you choose either the odd numbered problems or the even?  If this is true..then why are they all there?  Do some people do them all?

 

I honestly feel very clueless about this and I'm wondering why I'm even posting about it....  :blush:

 

No real clue.  My older son finished Algebra 1 and is now in 2.  I did not have him do every single problem.  He is doing quite well. He just doesn't need tons and tons of practice to get it.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'll be the naysayer.  My oldest did Saxon the MFW lesson plan way.  She was well prepapred for Calc 1 this semester in college.  Got an A.   I know it goes against what some say to not do every single problem in saxon. 

MFW's lesson plans were written by a career math teacher to eliminate the problems that just become too much review for the above average to advanced student. Then they give information on when to drop back to do every.single.problem when needed.    They cover all lessons in the book and it is not do only odd/even.   It's specifcially selected problems that are omitted.   and even my middle daughter who isn't above average nor advanced seems to be doing well enough to get A on the saxon tests by following their plans.  maybe we're the oddballs on it.  but I don't think so. 

 

Yeah as I said my older kid doesn't need THAT much practice and review.  I'm also supplementing with some AoPS stuff.  Right now he is in the Algebra 2 book.  As an example, in the very beginning they have about 10 of the same exact type of problem out of 30.  If he gets it he gets it.  I don't see why he has to do 10 of them.  Then again, at least they are there if needed.  

[chiguirre]

The Virtual Homeschool Group's at your own pace class assigns two complete sets and two reduced problem sets each week plus the practice problems for key concepts. That seems like a good compromise.

[SparklyUnicorn]

The Virtual Homeschool Group's at your own pace class assigns two complete sets and two reduced problem sets each week plus the practice problems for key concepts. That seems like a good compromise.

 

Yeah if I insisted my kids do all problems, I don't think I'd have them doing 30 per day 5 days a week.  That's just too darn much.  They both hate writing though so that's part of it. 

[BatmansWife]

Nope, you misremembered. :D

 

Every.single.problem in every.single.lesson is important. Most publishers write their texts such that the teachers can choose to have their students do as many or as few problems as they think is necessary, but John Saxon wrote his math books differently. Saxon is incremental (not spiral); concepts are introduced in little bits, and then incrementally developed and reviewed over the course of the whole book.

 

:lol:   I did some digging and actually I didn't misremember.  It's not how Saxon is meant to be done...but that's what a lot of people do end up doing.  You just wanted to totally erase that idea from my brain though, didn't ya?   ;)

[Ellie]

:lol:   I did some digging and actually I didn't misremember.  It's not how Saxon is meant to be done...but that's what a lot of people do end up doing.  You just wanted to totally erase that idea from my brain though, didn't ya?   ;)

 

I wanted you to remember the *best* way. That's what friends are for. :cheers2:

[BatmansWife]

I wanted you to remember the *best* way. That's what friends are for. :cheers2:

 

:cheers2:  Right back at ya! 

[Reefgazer]

We did one lesson, or test, or investigation per day and we will be able to finish before the end of our school year and start Algebra I; I don't think it's that intimidating; just plug and chug.

[chaya]

if you are going straight from 7/6 to 8/7 you might be able to skip some of the early lessons. I think the assumption is that there is a summer break between books, and it seemed to me that there was a lot of review in the beginning. when my ds finished 7/6 I had him take the 8/7 tests, if he got 100% we skipped those lessons. if I he had gotten any of the earlier lessons' problems wrong in the later mixed review, we would have gone back to review those lessons, but it didnt happen. iirc, we skipped close to 20 lessons. he pretty much flew through 8/7, we were also guilty of skipping some of the review questions, but I think he understood the concepts well.

he's in algebra 1 now and not really loving it, instead of skipping questions this year, we slowed down and we're doing 3 lessons/week. all that review is a LOT for one sitting, even for a kid who can sit for a while.

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

We do all the mental math, practice, and all 30 problems.  I'd rather take 11 months to get through the book then leave anything out.

[Guest2]

My non Mathy daughter does the new lesson and selected other problems. She needs the review, but for her it takes 1 1/2 -2 hours to do it this way. I can't imagine if she did every problem. When she was in the younger grades, she did do every one though.