littlebug42 Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I need some help but please be gentle with me. My dd13 is entering 9th grade. She is firmly set on a musical theatre/vocal performance BFA path. Her math skills are not great and a source of great anxiety/tears for her, which makes it particularly painful for me. I am planning to do Lial's Basic College mathematics with her this year, adding some extra pre-algebra stuff next summer and then, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra II. If she gets into the theatre program she wants, it only requires one math class called Math and the Modern World. I need some ideas on how to get through the next 4 years and do passably well in math on ACT. Her language skills are off the charts so I am hoping they can help pick up the slack on her standardized tests. Please help me survive the next 4 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Have you had her evaluated? Perhaps there is a reason math is such a struggle. An evaluation might give you better answers for how to help her and it might also give you the ability to request additional time in standardized tests. How are her subutization skills? Is there a tutor good with struggling math students that could help you both through this? Hugs. I sympathize. DD will be 9th grade and is still trying to get to PreAlgebra (although switching to CLE really started helping with forward progress). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I have a dd planning to major in theatre that also struggles in math. We have found Math-U-See to be a good fit for her. It covers just the basics. The explanations are short and to the point. There is enough practice and review to help cement the concepts without any extra information. I think it will be enough for the ACT, though I won't be able to say for sure until the end of this year. We will also be relying on very strong English scores to help raise her ACT composite. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 I should add that math is not a struggle because she is incapable. Math is more of a struggle because she hates it and sees no value in it beyond basic functional math and honestly, I don't think she is wrong. I struggled in high school with algebra I all the way through pre-calculus and it was for nothing. After I took college algebra (as a theatre major), I have never used those skills again. I am trying to give her a better foundation than I can so she hopefully doesn't find the upper level classes as tedious but I would like to get through it all as painlessly as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Lial's is a solid program so if that works for your DD, you should stick with it. Consider doing math daily, even through your school breaks. You can stretch out the lessons and assigned problems over more days this way and not fall behind. I must admit that I'm surprised when folks say that they've never used algebra in their adult life. I see it everywhere. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I must admit that I'm surprised when folks say that they've never used algebra in their adult life. I see it everywhere. You can't use something that you never learned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 I plan to teach it to her, we are just not mathy people at all so I need to take the path of least resistance. I will admit that my math education in high school was lacking due to multiple reasons but I don't think my life is missing anything because I can't easily figure out what time two trains will pass each other at station B. Thanks for the recommendations thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 Thanks everyone for your help but I actually think I have answered my own question after reading some of Regentrude's posts on the subject. I am going to focus on solid pre-algebra and thorough understanding of algebra 1 no matter what that takes and then see where we are. I know that my own struggles with upper level math were because I lacked a good foundation and moved on too quickly. Thanks for allowing me to have a panic moment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I plan to teach it to her, we are just not mathy people at all so I need to take the path of least resistance. I will admit that my math education in high school was lacking due to multiple reasons but I don't think my life is missing anything because I can't easily figure out what time two trains will pass each other at station B. Thanks for the recommendations thus far. At your daughter's age I also planned to major in theater, had excellent language skills, and hated math. I skipped high school and went to a CC instead (majoring in theater), and took a self-paced, self-taught algebra class. It turned out that I hated arithmetic, didn't learn well by the ''show me the algorithm and then I'll plug numbers into it 50 times'' method, but absolutely loved actual math. I ended up majoring in math and am now in graduate school. This sounds totally counter-intuitive, but you might try her on AoPS (start with Pre-A). In his WTM conference lecture this summer, Richard Rusczyk was asked what kind of student does really well with AoPS, and one of the types he mentioned was the really language-oriented type (that would be me). As a math major, I'm always saying I like my math in paragraphs, with as few numbers as possible. I loathe plugging and chugging, and most math programs are set up that way. With AoPS, if you end up doing an annoying computation, that's a clear sign you've made a mistake or missed something, and each problem is like a puzzle. Problem-solving--unlike plugging and chugging--is an immensely creative process, and most people who haven't been exposed to higher math never get to see that. AoPS is one of the few programs that lets that shine through at the lower levels. This may not be the case with your daughter, but it's something to consider. I have one of each; my son is strongly language-oriented and my daughter is very STEM-oriented. When my son complained that AoPS was too hard, I tried him on some more traditional programs. After a few weeks he went right back to AoPS, saying ''It's hard, but at least it's not boring.'' 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsplaymath Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 May I recommend that you supplement your math program with some popular books for the general lay reader? Just as a history textbook on its own can't give you a full understanding of history and an English language textbook doesn't really help you understand literature, so a math textbook or video program will not by itself lead to a mature understanding of mathematics. In particular, I recommend: Steven Strogatz's The Joy of X, which surveys a wide range of math topics, explaining them in ordinary language and showing how they relate to real life Danica McKellar's math book series, which offers creative explanations and mnemonics for math from general arithmetic through geometry You might also consider working together with your daughter through Jo Boaler's free online How to Learn Math course. It's very good for encouraging students who hate school math. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dina in Oklahoma Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 This is our strategy as well. I suffered over this, but finally came to the conclusion there really was no other option. Trying to push DC forward without a firm foundation is pointless and frustrating. Best wishes! :001_smile: Thanks everyone for your help but I actually think I have answered my own question after reading some of Regentrude's posts on the subject. I am going to focus on solid pre-algebra and thorough understanding of algebra 1 no matter what that takes and then see where we are. I know that my own struggles with upper level math were because I lacked a good foundation and moved on too quickly. Thanks for allowing me to have a panic moment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 May I recommend that you supplement your math program with some popular books for the general lay reader? Just as a history textbook on its own can't give you a full understanding of history and an English language textbook doesn't really help you understand literature, so a math textbook or video program will not by itself lead to a mature understanding of mathematics. In particular, I recommend: Steven Strogatz's The Joy of X, which surveys a wide range of math topics, explaining them in ordinary language and showing how they relate to real life Danica McKellar's math book series, which offers creative explanations and mnemonics for math from general arithmetic through geometry You might also consider working together with your daughter through Jo Boaler's free online How to Learn Math course. It's very good for encouraging students who hate school math. Just wanted to thank you for the Math Doesn't Suck recommendation on a previous thread! My oldest LOVES it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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