canadianmum Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 We have a 16 yr old who, after a couple of very rocky years, is now really self-motivated in her studies, but the problem is her math. She's in Teaching Textbooks 5 in order to get back to basics, but feels she needs to move through it faster than she is able to do in the program. She understands the concepts well, and is getting the majority of questions correct, but I'm really at sea to know if this is the right track for her to take, ie. should she jump into a more involved level and wing it, or keep slogging away? I will probably contact the web site - they are super people and really helpful, but I wondered if anyone out there with similarly aged children (or situation) could offer suggestions? Thanks for any help. Nancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianmum Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Just launch right in...I'm good with whatever you have to say... Or I'll go to bed... It's late here (but not the time it shows on the post). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 There is a LOT of overlap in TT levels. I would print out the TOC for levels 6 & 7 and see if she could move ahead into 7 when she finishes 5. Alternatively, she could do 6 and then skip 7 (which is mostly review) and go directly into Prealgebra (which is basically TT7 plus the first couple of chapters of TT Algebra 1). When you say that she can't move through it as quickly as she wants to, do you mean she's struggling, or she just doesn't have the time to do 3-4 lessons/day? Is she willing to work through the summers? If she does several lessons/day and doesn't take long breaks, then I don't think it would be that hard to get at least through TT Alg2 by 18. The advantage of working year round is that it would let her skip all those review chapters in the beginning of the next level — she can just take the quizzes until she hits new material. Alternatively, if you're not wedded to TT, you could try Lial's Basic College Math, to accelerate through the basics. But that would only work if she mostly needs a refresher of elementary math, not if she's seeing it for the first time or struggles with concepts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 I'd stop TT & get her a copy of All the Math You'll Ever Need (which is not really an honest title - but it's perfect for what you need. Have her work through that. There's not a ton of repetition or assignment in there but if she feels she needs more practice, it's easy to find worksheets for each specific topic online.I'd give it maybe a month +/- to get through that & then I'd put her in TT Algebra 1 or Chalkdust Algebra 1. Schedule them for 6 months, then move into Algebra 2. Then decide if you want more trig or if you want geometry - or honestly, if she just wants to got to accredited community college or uni & do their math 100 which is their college algebra/trig course. She'd be ready.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Alternatively, if you're not wedded to TT, you could try Lial's Basic College Math, to accelerate through the basics. But that would only work if she mostly needs a refresher of elementary math, not if she's seeing it for the first time or struggles with concepts. This is exactly where I would go. She should be able to take this text and finish all the elementary maths in a short time. She can probably go straight from there to Algebra. My small experience with TT math looked like at least 1/4 of each level was review, and even then the levels are taught at a slow pace designed for children, not a motivated teen. Move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 ... then I'd put her in TT Algebra 1 or Chalkdust Algebra 1. Schedule them for 6 months, then move into Algebra 2. Then decide if you want more trig or if you want geometry - or honestly, if she just wants to got to accredited community college or uni & do their math 100 which is their college algebra/trig course. She'd be ready.... I'm actually a fan of the Larsen texts, and personally prefer them to TT, but I'm not sure I'd recommend Chalkdust to a struggling student or someone who needs to catch up quickly; IMO it's considerably more rigorous and time-consuming than TT. The lectures are long (and kinda boring), and both the text and lectures are aimed at remedial college students, whereas TT was specifically designed for homeschooled HS students. The explanations as well as the problem sets in TT are much simpler, the overall "look & feel" is less intimidating for a struggling student, and I think it would be much easier to accelerate through. Just my $.02 as someone who has owned and used both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Hmmm. I have both too. We all just love Dana Mosely so much. Like seriously, you put him on, and everyone in our house flocks to the sound of his voice..... It might just be us :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianmum Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 OK. Firstly, I hugely appreciate the input. And the humour! Some of the material you've mentioned I'm not familiar with, but that's not a big deal. Just to clarify, she is doing well with all the concepts taught. She wishes she could progress quicker in the lessons and skip stuff. We're using the computer method (thought that might be a drawing card...), which doesn't seem to allow skipping. Can she move ahead to the tests?? And do the lessons as they become unfamiliar?? See? I may need help with the program, it would seem. So, possibly TT 6, skip 7 and go to prealgebra, etc,; or do Lial's, then either TT algebra, or Chalkdust/Larsen/Dana Mosely...am I butchering it? And...hopefully lastly, who is Dana Mosely? Sounds like the Downton Abbey fellow, har har! I like flocking...and Geneva isn't struggling, per se, but I do want to set her up to succeed. She can get discouraged simply because of the "I'm not where I'm supposed to be" thing, which balances out when you look at the things she does know/can do. Nonetheless, if there's any struggling, it's in the area of discouragement. Once again, thanks SO much. All $.02 much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Dana Moseley is a he and he = Chalkdust :) I find him very calm and sometimes quite funny. He does video lessons on DVDs which correspond to a specific text. Search these boards and you should find a thread on how to get discounted copies on Amazon by using the isbn's. The chalkdust website has samples of his video and placement tests... My kids are both wildly asynchronous and each is "behind" in certain places so yeah, I know what it's like. Just keep repeating it's process not product, doesnt matter when you finish, just so long as you start etc etc; . and "behind" is pretty relative anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianmum Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 Asynchronous! I should have known there's a name for it. That's so true, re. process. I wish it were easier for a 16 yr old to see that... I think those of her siblings who've gone before her do realize it now. Good tips. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Why is she behind? Was it because of learning differences, lack of motivation for doing the work, or just plain not understanding? If it was because she struggled before, trying to hurry up may make it worse. If it was lack of motivation and she is now motivated, then hurrying might work. In addition to the suggestions of others, you might consider Life of Fred. I had a relative who was unschooled -- when he went to take the placement test at the CC, the practice test online put him in arithmetic, and a placement test online put him in 3rd grade. He took a week, went through Life of Fred:Fractions, and then took the placement test for real. He placed into Algebra 1 (so two classes higher than before using the book). I think one of the places that it (LOF) can work really well is with a linguistically oriented student who is behind not due to trying and failing, but simply due to not trying. I'd get Fractions and see if it works for your dd. If it does, I'd follow it up with Decimals and then try the Algebra course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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