BlessedMom Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 We have used Horizons Math through pre-Algebra. It has been a pretty good fit for this child. I am wanting to make a change for Algebra 1 on through the higher levels of math, but just struggling with what to choose. I have been leaning towards Saxon for a variety of reasons, however I am concerned it may not be the best fit for this child. Math has always come naturally for this child. We need something rigorous & faster paced with clear conscience lessons, but with sufficient practice of new materials. Online or DVD lessons available would be an added bonus should we need them. I find myself wondering if we might want to change from a spiral approach to a mastery approach?? Although, I have no real experience with a mastery approach so that may not be the wisest choice. Thank you for listening to my rambling. If you have any advice, wisdom, or recommendations for me I would greatly appreciate them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Foerster's Algebra and Math Without Borders videos are working great for us! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VANURSEPRAC Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Foerster's Algebra and Math Without Borders videos are working great for us! I second this. The fit has been perfect for my daughter. What are you doing for geometry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Thanks you TaraTheLiberator and Vanurseprac for the recommendation of Foerster's Algebra & Math Without Borders. Can you please tell me more about Foerster's Algebra? Pros & cons? What do you like about it? Is it mastery or spiral? Vanurseprac Ideally I am hoping to choose an Algebra 1 curriculum that also offers Geometry, Algebra 2, etc....... Guess I am wanting the continuity that using one publishers curriculum for all the levels of higher math courses could offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 We went from Horizons 1-6 (+ Singapore K-7A with my boys) to the Dolciani sequence. It was a seamless transition. Part of the reason we went this route is that I found a number of top private, college-prep high schools were using it, so I knew it would be a solid program.Pre-Algebra: An Accelerated Course Algebra I Geometry Algebra II/Trigonometry Advanced Math (pre-calc) This one is authored by Brown, one of the co-authors of the others Regarding the Jurgensen Geometry text....... Dolciani was listed as a co-author w/ Jurgensen of the early editions, but she is no longer listed. She died in 1995. However, Brown, the other co-author of the Algebra I & II texts, is still listed as a co-author of the Geometry text along w/ Jurgensen. That makes me think that the Geometry text is pretty well sync'd up to the Algebra texts. The only provider of online courses using the entire sequence that I could find is Wilson Hill. We did the Pre-Algebra text on our own. My boys did Algebra I through Derek Owens, Geometry through WHA, and will be doing Algebra II with WHA this fall. My daughter will be doing Alg 1 with WHA in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Can you please tell me more about Foresters? Pros & cons? What do you like about it? Is it mastery or spiral? It's spelled Foerster, not Forester. Just to make it easier for you to find. :) Pros: The text is extremely clear and extremely detailed. There are ample practice problems and a complete solutions manual that is easy to purchase through Pearson's Oasis program. My daughter finds the word problems meaningful and not smacking of "written for a math text," and she also likes the humorous names that author uses for the people in the word problems. The chapters blend together well and the steady progression of skills is constantly reinforced. It is quick-paced without being overwhelming. The pages are not cluttered with lots of pictures of smiling kids doing math and 97 font colors. Cons: Um ... it's out of print? I think? (It's not at all hard to find.) And ... um ... well, it's a textbook, so if you're not into that approach ... Oh, and Math Without Borders uses a different text for Geometry, but then goes back to Foerster's for Alg II and Trig/Calc. That does not bother me at all, though. It's definitely mastery, but it certainly has enough review. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 my Horizon kids moved to pre-Alg with DO. My son did Jacobs algebra with Callahan videos last year. Horizons prepared him well, but he doesn't like math and really had to dig deep to get through algebra. In hindsight I wish I had stayed with Horizons longer(through algebra) and then made the switch. I did get to see a Foerster Algebra book this spring and yes, if I had seen it earlier, I would have chosen it over Jacobs. If you can get it, try it. Ds is doing a fall algebra review with Critical Thinking Understanding Algebra just to prove to me he can do this stuff well enough, and then we start Jacobs Geometry in the spring. I have both the Callahan and MFW schedule and they plan very differently. I haven't decided about Callahan videos yet. Depends on how well he can do it on his own. If I had the money for an online class I would do that. I don't...not with back to back kiddos. I have to try to find something both kids can use. It killed me to buy TT for dd this fall for Algebra. I just couldn't do another Jacobs year though....while he got mad, she would just cry lol. I don't think you have to pick one set author for upper levels. I would focus on picking algebra first. Then figure out where to go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Tara, Thank you for pointing out my spelling error and for the additional information regarding Foerster's. It was very helpful. Tess, Thanks for sharing your experience. I really do not feel comfortable buying something site unseen so I am going to try to find some place to look inside Foersters and Jacobs. When you were able to look at Foersters what did you like about it? Do you know if these texts would be considered spiral or mastery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VANURSEPRAC Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 This is the Foerster Alg 1 text I have: Prentice Hall Classics copyright 2006 by Pearson Education, InC, Also Solutions manual by Addison Wesley 86100 is a must Math without Videos, David Chandler is awesome. D12 does all odd problems and all word problems (word problems are awesome). My kid often does not watch the MWB videos and she says the text teaches her so clearly. We will definitely be doing Alg 2 with Foerster. I would say D12 is somewhat strong but not advanced math student. She has not struggled as of yet with the text. I learned of Foerster on this board. So thankful for that. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VANURSEPRAC Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I got Jacob's from library and D12 definitely prefer Foerster. She liked the straight forwardness and clutter/distraction free text. I never looked at Dolciani to compare. I don't know what I am going to do for geometry as a live online course is not an option for us. I really, really want Jurgensen but I think it will be too much for D12 to self study with support. And I sure can't help her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 Only Children Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I have two suggestions after spending hours researching options the last couple of days. Chalkdust Algebra 1. - A friend lent me her set for reviewing. I watched some lessons on the first DVD was and was really impressed. The teacher (Dana Mosely) explained everything so clearly that I was tracking right along without even having to look at the textbook. The lesson is probably a little longer than most but I thought it was a good thing as he was carefully explaining it from whole to parts and vica versa. I plan on using this for Algebra and will look for a used set. For Pre-Algebra I am going to go with Saxon 1/2 and the "Mastering Algebra, The John Saxon Way" DVD's. I watched a number of these and liked how the teacher (Art Reed) taught them some great tips on how to figure out the equations. I'm sure his Algebra 1 DVD's are just as good. Both of these teachers seem good at answering the Why behind the steps in a logical way that I know will appeal to my DS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I am a fan of Math Relief for Algebra 1 & 2. He is a video teacher, who works out problems that will be in the assignments, and which can be re-watched if needed, of course. The answer key is just like the worksheets but with all answers completely written out. They also answer email questions. There are sample videos at their website and on youtube. Here's a review: http://cathyduffyreviews.com/math/math-relief-algebra.htm I haven't decided about Callahan videos yet. Depends on how well he can do it on his own. Personally, I felt the Derek Owens videos were much more thorough than Callahan's for Geometry, and the Owens email support was far superior to the Callahan company, at least the year we did it. Although Owens is more expensive, that price includes the assignments and grading; there is a much-reduced price for just using the videos. Hope that's more info for evaluating the options out there. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I don't really think it matters that much to use all the same publisher for high school math. If you did well with Horizons through PreAlgebra, go ahead and do their Algebra. It's great! We're using it,and I really love it. It "feels" very similar to Horizons PreAlgebra. In case you're interested, we will be using Critical Thinking Company's Understanding Geometry plus Life of Fred Geometry for Geometry. I haven't figured out Algebra 2 or PreCal yet, but again, I don't really think it's as necessary for upper level math to maintain publisher continuity. I majored in math in college, and never had the same publisher twice :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Yvonne, Thank you for the Dolciani recommendation, information, and all the links. I really appreciate it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 We used Foerster's Algebra in 8th grade. Here is my review: We used Foerster’s Algebra in 8th grade after completing MUS Algebra (easy) and LoF Algebra (challenging). With 20/20 hindsight, I wish I had done something different for 7th grade, perhaps MUS Algebra and Patty Paper Geometry. I was able to obtain the 1999 student book and 1999 teacher book used. I purchased the solutions manual new through Prentice Hall. Pros: Clear, easy to understand explanations Explicit, step-by-step working through problems Sufficient practice and continual review of concepts Clear building upon and relationships between concepts Explicit demonstration of how to apply concepts to word problems Challenging, real-life word problems Solutions manual provides worked out solutions for every problem Solid preparation for ACT/SAT, sciences, college level math Amusing names in many word problems: Moe Delaune, Mary Thon, Fran Tick, etc. Math Without Borders DVDs available Cons: None Here is an example from Foerster’s Chapter 6 on the Quadratic Formula: In Foerster's Chapter 6 they teach the quadratic formula. That's x = [-b +- sqrt(b2-4ac)]/2a (not easy to type here)Within this chapter, they teach the vertical motion formula: d = rt - 5t(squared)They have a section with 12 problems. The TM says to take 2 days to do these problems, but only do 3 problems a day. Here is the first one:Football problem - A football is kicked into the air with an initial upward velocity of 25 meters per second (m/sec).a. Calculate it's height after 2 seconds; 3 secondsb. When will it be 20 meters above the ground?c. Copy the diagram. Show the answers to part (a) in relationship to the 20 meters of part b.d. When will the ball hit the ground? We used 1999 student and teacher text. The solution manual was from the publisher and it had no date on it. It worked fine. student 020132458X teacher 0201324598 solution 0201861003 FWIW - I have a degree in math and ds is math-oriented. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 wrt: spiral vs. mastery I'm not sure how to how to answer this. The teacher's manual gives suggestions on how to assign the problems. In Chapter 5, it will suggest problems from earlier chapters. So, I guess you could call that a spiral approach. However, I took 8FillTheHeart's advice and ds completed all the evens or odds in each chapter and ALL the word problems. So, I would say that we used more of a mastery approach. Also, I was able to order several algebra text books through inter-library loan. You may want to give that a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 We did Horizon through 6, then Saxon pre algebra. It's been seamless. We use the Art Reed dvds. My kids are naturally solid in math and Saxon has been great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 3 Only Children, Thank you for suggesting Chalkdust Algebra 1 and for recommending the Saxon Mastering Algebra DVD's. Julie, Thank you for suggestion Math relief, this is new to me. Thank you for the link to Cathy Duffy's review. Sue, Thank you so much for the detailed review of Foerster's Algebra and for the example of the Chapter 6 Lesson. Friedclams, Thank you for sharing your experience with Saxon. Glad to hear the transition has gone so well. Are you using Saxon Algebra 1 3rd or 4th edition? Thanks everyone for all the recommendations & helpful suggestions. You have given me much to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschoolmom3 Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 We did Harold Jacobs Algebra here on our own and liked it well. Have heard good things of Foerster's Algebra though. We also went with Derekowens for math from Geometry up and have liked it really well. My husband was a math major and was very impressed by the quality of his courses and was fond of Jacobs Algebra and Geometry. Good luck, don't think you can go wrong either way! :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 We also went with Derekowens for math from Geometry up and have liked it really well. DO's Algebra I is based on the Dolciani book, and his Geometry is based on Jacob's. My boys took Alg 1 with DO, too, and we were happy with it. The self-paced format was helpful because the boys had a heavy load that year and could do less on some weeks and more on others. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Homeschoolmom3, Thanks for sharing your experience and for the encouragement! Yvonne, Thank you for the added information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 Perkybunch, Thank you for sharing your experience and for suggesting we stay with Horizons through Algebra 1. Continuing Horizons would have been my first choice if there were more support materials available. As much as I loved the preAgebra text I felt the teachers manual was problematic in many ways. It appears the Algebra I TM is the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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