With a weak math student, can we finish Foerster's Algebra 1 after Chapter 13? (before functions)

[HappyGrace]

We are pushing to get through before she has to start Saxon Geometry in a co-op in early September. We got delayed by switching Alg programs partway through and some medical issues.

 

It's going very slow, taking two days per lesson and that's just doing the odds. We're on section 9-5. She is understanding ok though. She has always been extremely weak in math.

 

Can we be done with Algebra 1 before we do the Chapter 14 "Functions and Advanced Topics"? And feel that we would be comparable to having finished a normal (not challenging) Algebra 1 program?

 

She'd be doing Saxon Geometry this fall and Saxon Algebra 2 the next year, if that helps.

 

Also, is there ANYTHING else we can skip in Foerster's to get through more quickly-things that are maybe considered not necessary to a normal Algebra 1 course?

 

Thanks so much!

[VANURSEPRAC]

I do not know the answer to that.

 

D12 is on chapter 7 of Foerster Alg 1.

 

We don't do sections just time.

 

Currently she does 90 minutes X5 weekly. That includes watching the videos if she watches them. I was trying to gauge how long it would take also. I see the last section of chapter 7 has 41 or 41 word problems.....yikes!!!!!

 

D12 is going to her Dad's for the last 6-7 weeks of summer and will not be doing math. So I was hoping she can get as much ground covered before returning in late August when she starts back up in public school.

 

When did ya'll start Foerster?

I wonder if there are more slow chapters ahead for you?

 

Those word problems are such a booger and take forever!!!!!

 

I hope someone with knowledge of the end of the text responds.

[Momling]

You can certainly do whatever you want, including stopping short of the end of the book... The homeschool police won't be knocking on your door and I think she'll be fine for geometry, though the intro to trig in the back of Foerster might be worth spending a few days on as she'll see a bit more in Saxon geometry I think. I would, however, continue to work on algebra throughout the geometry year so that she does not forget those tricky bits. At least, that's what we're doing -- we finished all of Foerster last month and will start geometry in the fall (going to give Saxon a try)...

[Sunshine State Sue]

You can certainly do whatever you want, including stopping short of the end of the book... The homeschool police won't be knocking on your door and I think she'll be fine for geometry, though the intro to trig in the back of Foerster might be worth spending a few days on

:iagree:

We finished the book, but I had a strong math student.

 

If you read the Foreword to the Teacher" at the beginning of the student text, you will see:

The second part of the book allows more flexibility in selection of sequence and topics to fit students' needs and available time.

 

I think it would be fine to stop after Chapter 13.  Kudos to you and your dd for tackling a weak subject with a tough text.  You/she could have opted for something so much weaker.  :thumbup:

 

 

[Mike in SA]

You shouldn't skip inequalities, but you could conceivably skip functions.  However, I'd suggest continuing on to the end.  You don't have to end just because geometry is starting.  Saxon can be time consuming, but if you are doing less than one section per day, then even a VERY slow progression through the balance of the algebra text will help her with algebra 2 when it comes along.  Otherwise, she'll feel like she's been thrown in the deep end the year after geometry.

 

[HappyGrace]

Thanks for the answers so far. It isn't that I'm worried about the homeschool police (or anyone else)-lol! I just want to make sure she has "covered" the equivalent of a normal Algebra 1 course so she will be ready for Alg 2.

 

Please keep the answers coming! I appreciate it so much!

[klmama]

Some texts teach functions early, some teach them late.  Algebra 2 will go into much more depth with functions, so skipping that last chapter isn't a huge issue.  What concerns me more is that as a weaker math student she is likely to forget much of the algebra she has learned if she spends a whole year on geometry without continuing the algebra study.  Yes, there is still algebra used in geometry, but a lot of the harder topics will not be used.  I suggest you keep on at the pace she needs, and if fall comes without completing the book you simply continue until it's done even as she starts geometry at co-op.  Then, once she finishes the Foerster text, I suggest you give her a couple of review algebra problems EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  so she doesn't lose what she's worked so hard to learn.  Information that isn't used tends to be forgotten when it's not something that comes easily, KWIM?  You'll be doing her a huge favor for when she takes Algebra 2. 

[Penguin]

Some texts teach functions early, some teach them late. Algebra 2 will go into much more depth with functions, so skipping that last chapter isn't a huge issue. What concerns me more is that as a weaker math student she is likely to forget much of the algebra she has learned if she spends a whole year on geometry without continuing the algebra study. Yes, there is still algebra used in geometry, but a lot of the harder topics will not be used. I suggest you keep on at the pace she needs, and if fall comes without completing the book you simply continue until it's done even as she starts geometry at co-op. Then, once she finishes the Foerster text, I suggest you give her a couple of review algebra problems EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. so she doesn't lose what she's worked so hard to learn. Information that isn't used tends to be forgotten when it's not something that comes easily, KWIM? You'll be doing her a huge favor for when she takes Algebra 2.

Completely agree with this!

We are finishing Chapter 10. I will skip 10-8, the Contest and Standardized Test Problems. They can be done later, a few at a time.

 

I skipped 9-6 and 9-7, the Scientific Notation sections. Not that they don't matter, but he has mostly had that before and they stand alone. We can always come back to the topic.

 

I will probably skip or zoom over the Trig functions so we can get to graphing the quadratics sooner. We can come back to the trig functions during geometry. I think I skipped over geometric probability for the same reason. It is best to keep track of what you skip so that you do come back to it!

 

To even say this on this board feels like heresy, but if I could do this year over I would assign less word problems. Sure, they are good word problems but they still come in themed batches. I think we spent way too much time on 6-9 and 7-10. Going forward, I will scour my hordes of math books for great problems with more variety. We might do a word problem boot camp every so often.

 

I let the text drive our year more than I should have. The skills and the topics should have driven the pace instead. I know that if the homeschool parent is not strong in math, it can be hard to know what you can skip over. That is not the case here, but I still fumbled a bit. Lesson learned. Geometry will play out differently in my homeschool!

 

We have made an Anki deck to help remember formulas and vocab (difference of two squares, point slope form, etc).

[RootAnn]

I see the last section of chapter 7 has 41 or 41 word problems.....yikes!!!!!

 

Just an idea as I don't have this text, so I'm not sure if you can do this with Foerster's. Dd's Algebra 1 text had several sections like this of word problems. They were assigned roughly two at a time -- one to do 'with your teacher' and one to do on your own during the whole chapter leading up to that lesson & about half the next chapter. So, that section was added on as one more 'in class' exercise & then one more word problem with the homework each day. That's how they broke up all those fat chunks of word problems so you weren't spending oodles of time just doing word problems for days.

[Penguin]

I think RootAnn's idea is a good one. It should work fine with Foerster.

[VANURSEPRAC]

Thank you RootAnn,  That is how D12 will do it. I was really dreading 41 word problems.