LAmom Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 My daughter has done MM 1-5, some 6. She then did Saxon 7/6. I am trying to decide what to do for 7th grade pre-algebra. We originally switched away from MM because she seemed to need more review/spiral since she would completely forget a topic we thought she had mastered. She tested into Saxon 8/7 (or do I use Saxon 1/2???) and she passed the MM6 test. I am having trouble deciding because I like MM a lot and would try to incorporate more review (how?) in MM7 somehow but Saxon 8/7 is said to offer a lot of review, which I think she may need?? Or do most use Saxon 1/2? Anyone have experience with MM or Saxon for 7th grade? Currently, she gets between 4-8 questions wrong on her Saxon lesson. Just silly mistakes or misunderstanding that she will get once I go over it with her. How do I decide what is best for her? She is definitely NOT a fan of math but I want her to do well in it. Sure, I'd love for her to use AOPS but she is just not mathy. Or other pre-algebra suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAmom Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 No one? 😢. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Well, given your concerns, maybe CLE? Give the placement test. Great for spiral review. You could spend very little on a couple of light units and if you both hated it,then just switch to something else with littel time or money wasted. Each level consists of 10 light units. The first on at each level is a review of previous knowledge. I really prefer CLE to Saxon, although there are many that have found Saxon to be a great program. You could easily use CLE as the spine but you could still rotate in some word problems/instruction from MM when you feel it might be needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAmom Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Oh no, another math to look at! I use CLE for my 4th grader. Haven't thought about it for 7th. Does it prepare for Algebra I for 8th? That is my hopes. What I like about Saxon is I can just stick with it through high school. But do I want to? I just really wanted MM to work for use and the retention that ALL of my kids have shown from using it makes me very unhappy. I don't really like how Saxon explains things. And when my dd gets a bunch wrong on the lesson, I don't really know how to remedy that. I try to go over some of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 My daughter has done MM 1-5, some 6. She then did Saxon 7/6. I am trying to decide what to do for 7th grade pre-algebra. We originally switched away from MM because she seemed to need more review/spiral since she would completely forget a topic we thought she had mastered. She tested into Saxon 8/7 (or do I use Saxon 1/2???) and she passed the MM6 test. I am having trouble deciding because I like MM a lot and would try to incorporate more review (how?) in MM7 somehow but Saxon 8/7 is said to offer a lot of review, which I think she may need?? Or do most use Saxon 1/2? Anyone have experience with MM or Saxon for 7th grade? Currently, she gets between 4-8 questions wrong on her Saxon lesson. Just silly mistakes or misunderstanding that she will get once I go over it with her. How do I decide what is best for her? She is definitely NOT a fan of math but I want her to do well in it. Sure, I'd love for her to use AOPS but she is just not mathy. Or other pre-algebra suggestions? If she completed Math 76, there would be no need to do the placement test; the placement test is only for students who are going into Saxon for the very first time. If she has at least an 80% average in Math 76, then she will go on to Math 87, then Algebra 1. It has never been recommended that students do both Math 87 and Alg. 1/2, although some people do, especially if their children are quite young and could use another year of math before algebra. Otherwise, the sequence with the current editions is Math 76, Math 87, Algebra 1, *unless* the student has less than an 80% average with Math 76. Then it would be Math 76, Alg. 1/2, Algebra 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheApprentice Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 My youngest son just finished 7/6 as well and it was successful. We are going to try Derek Owens' Pre-Algebra this year for him. I've had great success with Derek Owens with my other 2, so I think I'm going to try. It does not have that constant review, but it is definitely a solid curriculum and it offers courses through high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosepetal Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 which option of Derek owens you are using?Online videos for 58$ month?and buy their workbooks?Or using their free videos at Lucideducation and buy the workbooks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyMom5 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 We did 8/7 last year with good grades, but I'm going to do Algebra 1/2 this year, just to get more automatic, and hopefully less stressful math lessons since it's a lot of review (puberty is hard!). It was her decision. What I can tell by glancing thru the 2 books, Al 1/2 is more of the pre-al stuff, while 8/7 had a lot more arithmetic in it. I think Algebra 1/2 covers a little more. If you are looking at both, I'd get 1/2 if she has all arithmetic down. I'd get 8/7 (that book is HUGE) if she still needs to review the arithmetic again. We are also going to do the Crocodiles and Coconuts book b/c she wants to. LOF is on the list of possibilities, too. She's currently doing Pre-Al w/ Biology when she feels like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAmom Posted July 3, 2015 Author Share Posted July 3, 2015 BusyMom-- Saxon 8/7 prepares for Algebra 1 though, correct? So she wouldn't really need to do 1/2? The review is what attracts me to 8/7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 BusyMom-- Saxon 8/7 prepares for Algebra 1 though, correct? So she wouldn't really need to do 1/2? The review is what attracts me to 8/7. It's better to depend on the placement test than the reviews. :-) Both 87 and Alg. 1/2 are "pre-algebra." Which one should be used depends on either the placement test (for a child going into Saxon for the first time) or how well the child did with Math 76. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyMom5 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Yes, both prepare for ALgebra 1. My DD is just going into 7th grade, and she didn't like the length of algebra problems, so we are doing another year of Pre-Al. I was also worried that w/ AL1 in 7th, Al 2 in 8th- not much left for me to teach in HS! I think AL 1/2 will be extremely easy after doing 8/7, but sometimes it's good to have an easier year in math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheApprentice Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 For Pre-Algebra (and also Physical Science in the past for another son), I purchased the books/parental cd and will use the free videos. The other courses are not for purchase and I've paid the $58/month. But since it is self-paced, My son was done in 5 months, so the cost was bearable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 I would do MM7 and have her do something else for review - maybe Khan Academy? Or just pull the review sections and have her do them out of order - review the previous topic instead of the one you just finished? I hear that you have concerns, but if she passed MM6, she's doing okay and MM has been working. Why change things up? MM is a great program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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