AoPS Schedule?

[LAS in LA]

Hi all!  How much time did you spend on AoPS pre-A., Algebra, Intro. to Num. Theory, etc.?  I'm a little unclear on how to schedule 7th-12th grade with these materials - two books per year?  several books concurrently?  DS is finishing SM6b and I'd like to transition to AoPS.  Thank you for any advice!

[Luckymama]

I didn't schedule the books in any way. I just let dd move at her own pace, so books overlapped school years. A few times she worked on two books concurrently. She interrupted intro to algebra for geometry at chapter 12 or 13 (I'd need to look at the book to be certain.)

 

Between sixth grade (that's when AoPS prealgebra was released) and now, nearing the end of ninth grade she covered

 

Prealgebra (6)

Intro to algebra (6,7, smidge of 8)

Intro to counting and probability (7)

Geometry (7, smidge of 8)

Intermediate algebra (8, smidge of 9)

Intro to number theory (8, smidge of 9)

Precalculus (9---just finished yesterday!)

 

Because dd's interests have changed from All The Math All The Time, we will not be using AoPS Calculus for next year. Just not enough time with her other classes, unfortunately.

 

(We began homeschooling in fifth grade. That year we futzed around with math, using a variety of resources, ending with a school-y prealgebra text.)

[Julie of KY]

I also don't schedule AoPS - it's too difficult to predict the speed your student will go through certain chapters.

 

I aimed for one section (teaching plus exercises) per day with up to a week on the review problems. Sometimes we'd end up splitting one section over more than one day and frequently we'd do the review problems faster. Depending on the child, I'd start a different AoPS solving book (chapter) while still finishing the review problems from another book.

[regentrude]

I did not schedule the books. I would find this hard to do, since chapters and sections vary in difficulty, and different students work at different speed. We simply took as much time as needed for each. The Intro to Algebra book is difficult to do in one year; it is possible for an ambitious motivated student, but taking 2 years is very reasonable as well. I had one of each.

Here is what mine did:

DD:

Intro to Algebra complete book in 1 year (before 9th)

Geometry 1 year (9th)

Intermediate Algebra+Precalculus together 1 year (10th)

Calculus 1 year (11th)

 

DS:

Intro to Algebra 2 years (6th- 8th)

in between 1 semester C&P (in 7th)

Geometry 1 year (9th)

Intermediate Algebra 1 year (10th; he will need summer to get finished)

Precalc 1 year expected (11th)

 

DD was working on math in spurts of up to 2.5 hours a day, but not every day. DS can only manage 1 hour of math, daily.

[snowbeltmom]

Like all the other posters, I didn't schedule them either.  Each of my kids has been on a different time schedule as well.

[mom2bee]

Because dd's interests have changed from All The Math All The Time, we will not be using AoPS Calculus for next year. Just not enough time with her other classes, unfortunately.

 

(We began homeschooling in fifth grade. That year we futzed around with math, using a variety of resources, ending with a school-y prealgebra text.)

In case she decides that she misses the AoPS approach to math, she can use the AoPS calculus text. Just spread it out over a couple of years instead of doing it in "one year" plan to complete it in 2 or 2.5 years instead of .5-1.5 years, then just let nature take its course.

[regentrude]

(We began homeschooling in fifth grade. That year we futzed around with math, using a variety of resources, ending with a school-y prealgebra text.)

 

That sounds like us. I pulled DD out of 6th grade and DS out of 5th.

At that time, I did not know much about math curricula, and we suffered through a certain incrementally spiral prealgebra text that is very popular among homeschoolers.  Discovering AoPS was like a gift from heaven for us.

[Dmmetler]

I schedule time, not books. For AOPS, that led to 1 year for PA, probably a year and a half for intro algebra (we'll see, that's estimating based on where she is right now). She's young, so we have time.

 

 

[Arcadia]

I go by time as well. On days we are not having outside classes, my boys do an hour of the textbook and an hour of Alcumus. On days with outside classes, they do an hour total of math.

We school year round and so far it has average a book a year for prealgebra, algebra and geometry.

 

For Number Theory and Counting & Probability, my boys schedule it their way according to their interest.

[LAS in LA]

Thank you, everyone, for the replies!!! (Sorry it took me so long to respond).  

 

Ok, so the consensus seems to be letting students work at their own pace, and some overlap of books.  We'd like DS to have had some calculus by the time he graduates and it sounds like this is do-able.  

 

How involved have you been with the books?  Are they really self-teaching?

[regentrude]

How involved have you been with the books?  Are they really self-teaching?

 

Pretty much, but having the solution manual helps, and depending on the student's age and maturity it could be a good idea to sit with a young student during math, to be on hand to help clarify things he does not understand or answer questions.

In the later years, my kids worked largely independently, since the boks are written to the student, but in 6th and 7th grade, they needed more involvement from me.

 

[Luckymama]

Dd uses AoPS books in an unusual way. She has a bit of photographic memory and remembers explanations and answers on the same page as the problem she is looking at. She doesn't like being influenced that way. She likes me to check her answers for the in-section problems (the ones in the colored boxes) as she goes along.

 

She does the end-of-section problems and chapter review/challenge problems on her own.

[LisaKinVA]

I think we have a running theme...I schedule time, not the books.  I have learned that I may need more books than I anticipated.  DD finished pre-Algebra in 3 months, but we switched to Foerster's for Algebra 1, and she's done on-line courses in Algebra 2 and Geometry simultaneously during 7th.  So...we're going back to AoPS, going back to Introductory Algebra & Geometry (I can see her getting through both books before September), and then she'll self-pace for Number Theory/Counting & probability and Intermediate Algebra, with a goal of being ready for Pre-Calculus in 9th.  I don't know at this point if we'll use AoPS there, or if we'll use Chalkdust as the main and AoPS on the side.  She's my only child to really use AoPS.  I tried out the pre-Algebra with younger son...and he just hates math/logic puzzles.  HATES them.  He enjoys math, but doesn't enjoy discovering it THAT way.  Oldest ds was the same way.  Worst case, we'll have AoPS as a resource.

 

 

[daijobu]

One section of a chapter per day.  1-3 days each on review problems and challenge problems.  

[brookspr]

We did not schedule AoPs either. For us, scheduling subjects will only lead to anxiety and disappointment (mostly me!) when things don't get accomplished. Plus, if they need to spend more or less time on a chapter we can do that without feeling like I have to reschedule the whole year. 

 

My 6/7th grader is finishing up pre-Algebra now. My 9th grader is finishing Geometry. They have been homeschooled for the last two years. Neither enjoys math that much so I am happy with the progress they are making, but I don't see them wanting to go all the way thru Calculus if they don't have to.