Very bad 8th grade year (last year) what to do now?

[Bianca]

My ds had a really bad 8th grade year, in math especially.  He only got through about half the curriculum and even that was done badly.  How can I get him up to speed so that he can start Algebra 1 and actually understand it?  We used Singapore last year, which he didn't like much.  We used Teaching Textbooks before, which he also didn't like.  I'm not sure there is any math curricula that he would like, as he just seems to hate it all.  We're trying Kahn academy this year, but I'm beginning to realize that there's no way he's going to get what he needs just with that.  Suggestions please! 

[chiguirre]

Which Singapore Math book did you use? What areas were particularly difficult for him?

 

Once you know where his gaps are, it will be easier to fill them and have Algebra be a success.

[yvonne]

Do you think it was more of an ability issue, ie he's not solid in the concepts and/or skills?

 

Or was it more of a consistency in doing the work and accountability issue? 

 

Has he done any TT or Singapore or Saxon placement tests to see where he is?  Maybe a Math Mammoth placement test would allow you to pinpoint the areas he needs to master in order to move on to Algebra I.  Then, instead of doing a complete pre-algebra text this year, he could work through the areas he specifically needs?

 

 

 

[Bianca]

Where can I find a Mammoth placement test?

[kiana]

If you google "math mammoth placement test" it will take you directly to her page. 

 

If he has gaps in his knowledge but some things he DOES know the MM topical books might be a fit.

 

You might also consider Math U See -- it might take most of the year to get through arithmetic, but sometimes it works when all else has failed. MUS high school math is one of the lightest options available, but the students who do it tend to do acceptably well on tests. 

[EKS]

Do you work with him--presenting the material, working through practice problems with him until you're sure he gets it?  If not, that's where I'd start.

[lmrich]

you could try Derek Owen's pre-algebra and then move on to algebra when he is ready. He can work at his own pace so he could finish algebra before he starts 10th grade. 

[JanetC]

Math-U-See is another curriculum with placement tests for diagnosing strengths and weaknesses.

 

+1 for really getting into the heart of the problem. If you are not a math person, you may need to use a tutor to work with him to understand his strengths and weaknesses.

 

Take a a look at the teaching style versus learning style fit as well. Do you teach, or do you try to use self-teaching? If he is self-teaching, will he actually come find you and ask questions or does he plow ahead (perhaps not even realizing he is missing part of the concept)? If you are teaching, are you helping too much or too little? Would he do better with someone who is not emotionally involved? Does he do better with or without manipulatives? Does he prefer to read a book, watch a video, just jump in and try problems? etc. There are a lot of ways to learn math. Spend some time figuring out the all the lessons you have learned about what doesn't work and then look for curricula that use a different slant.

[ThisIsTheDay]

If he completed Singapore 6, he will be prepared for Algebra. You can easily go from Singapore into Algebra.  (And I'm not even a mathy person.)

 

I think your bigger issue may be to make sure he is sufficiently motivated to stick with whatever curriculum you do choose.  It's important to stay on top of this, because the not finishing, the "hating it all" attitude will get old very quickly for both of you. If you can redirect him, refocus him, and make sure you are committed to helping him with math every day, you will have a much smoother run at high school.

 

I feel for you!

[OneStepAtATime]

You may want to take him back to basics and see if those are solid.  What about running him through the Key to... series of workbooks, the two of you sitting side by side and doing the problems together.  Make sure he is really solid on those first.

[RegGuheert]

How can I get him up to speed so that he can start Algebra 1 and actually understand it?  We used Singapore last year, which he didn't like much.

 

Algebra is a very rules-based type of math, but it takes practice.  We've had our children go through both of the DragonBox iPad apps to give them lots of drill on algebra.  Here are links to the two apps:

 

DragonBox Algebra 5+

 

DragonBox Algebra 12+

 

These aren't curricula, they are only drill-to-mastery type games.  They also will not remediate for skills not learned in previous math classes, but most of those skills are not really prerequisites for these games.  That said these games are inexpensive and can be used *before* Algebra I to help students learn how to do algebra manipulations and to get practice with many styles of algebra problems.  Otherwise, many students have a rocky start when they do algebra (at least around here).  Perhaps if your student does not like math, playing an iPad game will suit him better.

 

Best wishes with whatever you choose.

[GThomas]

We used MathUSee when dd was in 6th grade to remediate her on fractions. We flew through it in 4 months by skipping a lot of the practice. So just know this is an option for you to use a program but then skip parts. By the end she knew more about fractions than her peers.

 

My dd got halfway through Khan Academy for algebra 1 last year in 8th grade. But last year, after some issues with sneaking and doing other things on the computer rather than her schoolwork, we switched to textbooks. I figured we'd just do chapter tests until she struggled and then we'd know to start going through the lessons at that point. But she failed the first chapter test. Then summer got in the way :-)

 

Now we're starting with a new program and I thought we'd try the same approach, just do chapter tests until she struggled. She failed the first chapter test again. She didn't retain even the simplest concepts (and I know they are introduced in 7th and 8th grade). Sigh. 

 

So we start again. 

 

My thoughts are this:

- She wasn't ready for algebra. Even though she got halfway with Khan, she was watching the videos and then immediately doing the work, then moving on.

- I have avoided this the past couple of years but I have started sitting down with her and doing it with her. I think she needs active, 1:1 personal instruction. 

- She needs more review. As painful as repetitive and spiral review is for her...she is just going to have to do it. (which I'm not sure how we'll build in as they pack in SO many concepts into a school year!)

 

I hope some of that is helpful. Good luck!

[GThomas]

My son loves the DragonBox games!

 

We haven't tried it yet but the DragonBox website has information for homeschool parents to transition the app concepts that use symbols to paper concept using numbers. 

[RegGuheert]

My son loves the DragonBox games!

 

We haven't tried it yet but the DragonBox website has information for homeschool parents to transition the app concepts that use symbols to paper concept using numbers. 

 

Yeah, we only had the "5+" version of DragonBox at first and while it ended up using *some* numbers toward the end, the symbols made it a bit abstract for my liking.  But the "12+" version uses numbers much more and allows for more complicated manipulations.

 

It's certainly not the same as working on paper, but it helps the students to learn how to attack algebra problems.  I also really like that the student gets rewarded for finding the most efficient way to isolate the variable.  There are often many paths to a correct solution in algebra, but making a wrong step early in a problem can make it *much* more difficult to solve.

[GThomas]

Yeah, we only had the "5+" version of DragonBox at first and while it ended up using *some* numbers toward the end, the symbols made it a bit abstract for my liking.  But the "12+" version uses numbers much more and allows for more complicated manipulations.

 

It's certainly not the same as working on paper, but it helps the students to learn how to attack algebra problems.  I also really like that the student gets rewarded for finding the most efficient way to isolate the variable.  There are often many paths to a correct solution in algebra, but making a wrong step early in a problem can make it *much* more difficult to solve.

 

My ds10 did 5+ and 12+ version last year. He says there wasn't much actual numbers being used and I agree that does make it pretty abstract. Maybe this year we'll try the homeschool info on their website on transitioning it to paper this year. :-)

[Pronghorn]

Life of Fred helped my daughter like math.

[RegGuheert]

My ds10 did 5+ and 12+ version last year. He says there wasn't much actual numbers being used and I agree that does make it pretty abstract.

 

Did he do the 12+ game all the way through?  I did and I can tell you that MOST of the problems in the 12+ games use either dice cubes or arabic numerals.

 

In addition, on the main page of the 12+ game, there are "Extras" and under that click there is "Side B", which contains at least as many practice problems as are found in the main part of the game, perhaps more.  They are grouped by the type of problem they test.  These problems ONLY use arabic numerals and variables (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i and x).

 

What I don't know is whether or not these problems are unlocked when you first install the game.  I suspect they are not unlocked until you complete the game.  This would be because all of the teaching is done in the main game.

[PeterPan]

My dd had a really bad 8th grade year, in math especially.  He only got through about half the curriculum and even that was done badly.  How can I get him up to speed so that he can start Algebra 1 and actually understand it?  We used Singapore last year, which he didn't like much.  We used Teaching Textbooks before, which he also didn't like.  I'm not sure there is any math curricula that he would like, as he just seems to hate it all.  We're trying Kahn academy this year, but I'm beginning to realize that there's no way he's going to get what he needs just with that.  Suggestions please! 

You might give him the placement test for MUS and see what happens.  It gets maligned and people have opinions.  Let's just say there are different kinds of kids and different curricula exist for a reason.  Demme seems to have a mind meld with some kids and know how they think.  My dd had issues with TT (hit walls in her understanding), and now she's going back through it with MUS to see if she can get more things to click.  Sure I think if I were teaching her she'd do better, but she wants to do it herself.  Demme seems to click with her and have that same sort of brain.

[yvonne]

If it was a rough year overall because of lack of consistency in doing math every day, for a set amount of time or a set lesson/day, I doubt changing to any particular curriculum will solve that issue. A couple things that worked for us for those subjects that just didn't get done consistently were 1) a small peer group working together on the same material and/or 2) outside accountability. 

 

My boys tend to be very independent and diligent, managing their own studies, so it was never a problem getting them to do their work. If anything, I was the bottleneck in how much they covered simply because, with cooking, cleaning, other children, I had less time than they did. They loved a writing class and a couple of literature classes that they did together with a small group of friends/peers. Small groups offer external motivation & accountability, both for the students and the parents. Since it's usually enjoyable for the students, they're eager to get together with their friends and they want to have their work done for the class.  When the group meets every week at a given time, things tend not to slide. The whole "life happened so we never got to it" excuse somehow doesn't crop up.

 

My daughter and I started butting heads over school work constantly last year. She is more than capable of the work, but she'd rather spend the whole day, every day, reading the books she's interested in and having no outside responsibilities. She also loves to argue simply for the sake of arguing. She wears me out arguing in circles about this or that assignment or about how "it's boring," etc.  She knows it eventually wears me down and uses it to her advantage! So, with her, we're going to use some live online classes to provide outside (ie, not me) accountability and to remove any interpersonal roadblocks to getting the work done. A live online class meets regularly every week and someone else gives and grades the assignments. With an outside instructor and class, there's no point arguing me in circles about assignments and/or grades!  And, with other students her age doing the same exact work, it's hard to argue that it's "too much work."

 

If you can somehow pull together a small group, or even just one other student, for your son to study with, it might make the work more enjoyable for him and that would make it more likely to happen.

 

Or, if you can swing a live class, online or local, that might help with motivation and accountability. It would, at the very least, ensure that your son completed a solid year of math this year, starting at whatever level he's at. (I'd avoid video-based instruction because it requires a lot of self-discipline and you would need to provide the accountability for it.)

 

Good luck! I know it's hard.

yvonne

 

 

 

[GThomas]

Did he do the 12+ game all the way through?  I did and I can tell you that MOST of the problems in the 12+ games use either dice cubes or arabic numerals.

 

In addition, on the main page of the 12+ game, there are "Extras" and under that click there is "Side B", which contains at least as many practice problems as are found in the main part of the game, perhaps more.  They are grouped by the type of problem they test.  These problems ONLY use arabic numerals and variables (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i and x).

 

What I don't know is whether or not these problems are unlocked when you first install the game.  I suspect they are not unlocked until you complete the game.  This would be because all of the teaching is done in the main game.

Well it sounds like he is having a hard time explaining this to me. He says he did Side B but I have been questioning that. Sound like not!

[RegGuheert]

Well it sounds like he is having a hard time explaining this to me. He says he did Side B but I have been questioning that. Sound like not!

 

Just for reference, here are the categories I see on "Side B":

 

- Addition

- Division

- Multiplication

- x as denominator

- Signs

- Expansion

- Factorizing

- Like terms

- Fractions

- x in the denominator

 

These may come in handy to you if he struggles with any of these concepts as he goes through Algebra I.  (He will if he is human!  I found several of the problems quite difficult, particularly if trying to find the optimal way to solve for x.)

 

FWIW, we're a STEM-focused family and we feel that Algebra is a key skill needed in order to be successful in Calculus and beyond.  It is also the subject which virtually every one of our students has stumbled at in the beginning of the course.  One of ours had to go back to the beginning of the book (Larson/Chalk Dust) and start over after 6 or 8 weeks of study because they just didn't get it.  Once we got DragonBox 12+, I insisted that they all go through the game, even if they were partially through or had already completed Algebra I.  (I don't think DS11 has gotten all the way through it yet, but he is just now starting Prealgebra.)  To me, DragonBox is much quicker and more fun for drill than any other method.  But it's certainly NOT easy to master!  And it is not a substitute for a curriculum.

 

Best wishes for this coming year.  I hope you and your son are successful with Algebra I!

[Spillman6]

Just wanted to put a word in for CLE Math. My now 10th grader started in Saxon k, Abeka until 8th, tried TT which was a failure for us, then ordered one CLE book in Math and fell completely in love. Where we were getting stuck in Abeka and butting heads horribly every day, we no longer argue about math. It gets done every day, no tears. I do believe it is one of her favorite subjects now. I did take her back to the 600 level to give her some confidence and build her a solid foundation. At first she didn't like the idea of going back to 6th but I think she enjoys being able to understand what she is doing. It's just the right amount of work for us, too! I so Love CLE math! My 2nd grader is begging for it, too!

[Bianca]

Math-U-See is another curriculum with placement tests for diagnosing strengths and weaknesses.

 

+1 for really getting into the heart of the problem. If you are not a math person, you may need to use a tutor to work with him to understand his strengths and weaknesses.

 

Take a a look at the teaching style versus learning style fit as well. Do you teach, or do you try to use self-teaching? If he is self-teaching, will he actually come find you and ask questions or does he plow ahead (perhaps not even realizing he is missing part of the concept)? If you are teaching, are you helping too much or too little? Would he do better with someone who is not emotionally involved? Does he do better with or without manipulatives? Does he prefer to read a book, watch a video, just jump in and try problems? etc. There are a lot of ways to learn math. Spend some time figuring out the all the lessons you have learned about what doesn't work and then look for curricula that use a different slant.

He never wants help.  He throws a fit if I try to teach him.  But at the same time he often doesn't get it and won't ask for help.  He just leaves it undone and refuses to finish.  I'm so frustrated I feel like just giving up on him.  He also has a fit if I tell him I'm going to hire a tutor because he's painfully shy and can't stand being with strangers.  Public school is not an option because he has chemical sensitivities and he gets really sick from things at school. 

 

Last year we did Math U See.  He refused to watch the instructional videos as well as refused to let me teach him.  When he used Teaching Textbooks, he often skipped the tutorial and all the practice problems and only did the problems on the lesson that he already understood. 

 

So this is as much a behavioral and parenting issue as it is a learning problem.  I'm out of ideas.  But I still have not read all my responses here so maybe I'll pick something up.

[Bianca]

Never mind..

[Bianca]

If it was a rough year overall because of lack of consistency in doing math every day, for a set amount of time or a set lesson/day, I doubt changing to any particular curriculum will solve that issue. A couple things that worked for us for those subjects that just didn't get done consistently were 1) a small peer group working together on the same material and/or 2) outside accountability. 

 

My boys tend to be very independent and diligent, managing their own studies, so it was never a problem getting them to do their work. If anything, I was the bottleneck in how much they covered simply because, with cooking, cleaning, other children, I had less time than they did. They loved a writing class and a couple of literature classes that they did together with a small group of friends/peers. Small groups offer external motivation & accountability, both for the students and the parents. Since it's usually enjoyable for the students, they're eager to get together with their friends and they want to have their work done for the class.  When the group meets every week at a given time, things tend not to slide. The whole "life happened so we never got to it" excuse somehow doesn't crop up.

 

My daughter and I started butting heads over school work constantly last year. She is more than capable of the work, but she'd rather spend the whole day, every day, reading the books she's interested in and having no outside responsibilities. She also loves to argue simply for the sake of arguing. She wears me out arguing in circles about this or that assignment or about how "it's boring," etc.  She knows it eventually wears me down and uses it to her advantage! So, with her, we're going to use some live online classes to provide outside (ie, not me) accountability and to remove any interpersonal roadblocks to getting the work done. A live online class meets regularly every week and someone else gives and grades the assignments. With an outside instructor and class, there's no point arguing me in circles about assignments and/or grades!  And, with other students her age doing the same exact work, it's hard to argue that it's "too much work."

 

If you can somehow pull together a small group, or even just one other student, for your son to study with, it might make the work more enjoyable for him and that would make it more likely to happen.

 

Or, if you can swing a live class, online or local, that might help with motivation and accountability. It would, at the very least, ensure that your son completed a solid year of math this year, starting at whatever level he's at. (I'd avoid video-based instruction because it requires a lot of self-discipline and you would need to provide the accountability for it.)

 

Good luck! I know it's hard.

yvonne

I agree, no curriculum can fix a problem with compliance.  I just feel so wrung out trying to deal with him.  We can't afford outside help really, so I feel pretty trapped.  I belong to a local homeschooling group, so maybe I can ask there if anyone knows of inexpensive or free resources that we could use to help him with his math. 

[kiana]

He never wants help.  He throws a fit if I try to teach him.  But at the same time he often doesn't get it and won't ask for help.  He just leaves it undone and refuses to finish.  I'm so frustrated I feel like just giving up on him.  He also has a fit if I tell him I'm going to hire a tutor because he's painfully shy and can't stand being with strangers.  Public school is not an option because he has chemical sensitivities and he gets really sick from things at school. 

 

Last year we did Math U See.  He refused to watch the instructional videos as well as refused to let me teach him.  When he used Teaching Textbooks, he often skipped the tutorial and all the practice problems and only did the problems on the lesson that he already understood. 

 

So this is as much a behavioral and parenting issue as it is a learning problem.  I'm out of ideas.  But I still have not read all my responses here so maybe I'll pick something up.

 

Yeah, no curriculum is going to help with this kind of behavioral issues. Save the money and use one of the decent curricula that you already have.

 

Hoping someone else can give you good advice on how to work out the behavior. 

 

MUS is Math U See BTW. 

 

While I'm thinking about it -- was there a time when he was not so resistant to math? Where did he learn what he knows now? What changed between then and now? 

[PeterPan]

He never wants help.  He throws a fit if I try to teach him.  But at the same time he often doesn't get it and won't ask for help.  He just leaves it undone and refuses to finish.  I'm so frustrated I feel like just giving up on him.  He also has a fit if I tell him I'm going to hire a tutor because he's painfully shy and can't stand being with strangers.  Public school is not an option because he has chemical sensitivities and he gets really sick from things at school. 

 

Last year we did Math U See.  He refused to watch the instructional videos as well as refused to let me teach him.  When he used Teaching Textbooks, he often skipped the tutorial and all the practice problems and only did the problems on the lesson that he already understood. 

 

So this is as much a behavioral and parenting issue as it is a learning problem.  I'm out of ideas.  But I still have not read all my responses here so maybe I'll pick something up.

I can speak to the chemical sensitivities.  I was extremely MCS years ago.  Does he even feel well enough to do school work?  I'm guessing that's factoring a lot into your compliance and behavioral issues.  Have you traced what has increased the sensitivities and are you on a path to helping?  I ended up, after an enviro doc, chelation, supplements, you name it, going with a nutritionist.  She rebuilt my immune system, and in about a year the whole MCS thing started turning around.  It's all food and a lot of work, but if you want a radically different option like that, that involves no controversial shots, drops, treatments, etc., just food, you can write me backchannel for her info.  

[GThomas]

I agree, no curriculum can fix a problem with compliance. I just feel so wrung out trying to deal with him. We can't afford outside help really, so I feel pretty trapped. I belong to a local homeschooling group, so maybe I can ask there if anyone knows of inexpensive or free resources that we could use to help him with his math.

I wonder if there is something else going on? I was so wrung out dealing with my dd with math that I finally decided to start her on ADD meds (she had been diagnosed 9 years earlier). She went from hating math to now I have to pull her off it to go do other subjects. Turns out she does like math but was so frustrated that she couldn't stick with it that it came across as tantrums, "I hate math", "I'm stupid", refusing to do it, lies, etc.

 

I'm not suggesting your child has ADD because of course I don't know. But it may be worth looking into other possibilities. What I learned through all of this is that it shouldn't be this hard on the parent or child. If it is, it may not be parenting issues or willful child behavioral issues that can be changed through parenting techniques.

 

I feel for you and wish you good luck!

[Tsuga]

Algebra is a huge conceptual leap. It is developmental. Your son may have been struggling because he was not developmentally there. He would not be alone. I would let him know that some people do pre-algebra in one year and some in two, and it does not have significant bearing on his future, and let him go at his own pace.

 

If he continues to fall behind, then get back to us.

 

 

 

He never wants help.  He throws a fit if I try to teach him.  But at the same time he often doesn't get it and won't ask for help.  He just leaves it undone and refuses to finish.  I'm so frustrated I feel like just giving up on him.  He also has a fit if I tell him I'm going to hire a tutor because he's painfully shy and can't stand being with strangers. 

 

Well... he's going to have to deal. While I'd be careful to hire a really experienced tutor with excellent recommendations, he can't hide forever.

[EKS]

You might try posting over at the Learning Challenges Board about the behavioral issues.  Those folks over there have a lot of good experience with all kinds of issues.

 

[Julie in MN]

  He also has a fit if I tell him I'm going to hire a tutor because he's painfully shy and can't stand being with strangers. 

 

I tutored an extremely shy young man for a school year, and he said the main thing he got out of it was confidence. 

 

We were just working on ACT test prep, so not working on shyness or on any particular class.  And somewhere in there, he found out his college wouldn't accept another ACT score, so the technicals we worked on weren't of much use after all, except maybe general testing skills.  But he has told me that it built his confidence and helped him a lot in college.  I think just working in-person with another adult, without peers to compare, was a nice way to ease into the independence he needed to speak up in college.

 

Just another thought on tutors,

Julie

 

[Bianca]

I can speak to the chemical sensitivities.  I was extremely MCS years ago.  Does he even feel well enough to do school work?  I'm guessing that's factoring a lot into your compliance and behavioral issues.  Have you traced what has increased the sensitivities and are you on a path to helping?  I ended up, after an enviro doc, chelation, supplements, you name it, going with a nutritionist.  She rebuilt my immune system, and in about a year the whole MCS thing started turning around.  It's all food and a lot of work, but if you want a radically different option like that, that involves no controversial shots, drops, treatments, etc., just food, you can write me backchannel for her info.  

 

I have MCS.  I'm working on it, but I can't afford much in the way of help.  I'm sure it does play into his learning issues.  It makes me so sad for him.  And now that he's a teen, it's incredibly difficult for me to control his diet. He knows what's good for him, but at 14 he just wants what he wants.  At least he's not reacting to chemicals every day anymore like he was in school. 

[Bianca]

I wonder if there is something else going on? I was so wrung out dealing with my dd with math that I finally decided to start her on ADD meds (she had been diagnosed 9 years earlier). She went from hating math to now I have to pull her off it to go do other subjects. Turns out she does like math but was so frustrated that she couldn't stick with it that it came across as tantrums, "I hate math", "I'm stupid", refusing to do it, lies, etc.

 

I'm not suggesting your child has ADD because of course I don't know. But it may be worth looking into other possibilities. What I learned through all of this is that it shouldn't be this hard on the parent or child. If it is, it may not be parenting issues or willful child behavioral issues that can be changed through parenting techniques.

 

I feel for you and wish you good luck!

ADD is definitely a possibility.  My other son has it much worse and he's on curcumin and fish oil which seems to be helping.  I need to get this one on it too.  It's not easy to get him to take stuff, he's pretty stubborn.  I'm convinced I need to try though.  I don't want this misery to continue.  As it is he can't function in the morning without coffee.  Not normal for a kid. 

[PeterPan]

Is the coffee perking him up (caffeine) because he's tired, or is it helping him focus?  If it's the latter, that's really common with ADHD.  If it's the former, he really needs to get off it.  If you have MCS and CFS, doing the caffeine will just aggravate it in the long run.  Besides, he's drinking tons of boiled plastic each morning.  That would have made me sick as a dog.  No wonder he doesn't feel well enough to work.

 

I'd get him off the coffee, going through the withdrawal if he's addicted, get help for adrenal fatigue and CFS if that's the issue, ADHD meds if that's the problem.

[EKS]

Besides, he's drinking tons of boiled plastic each morning.  

 

OhE--Could you tell me what this means?

[JanetC]

He never wants help.  He throws a fit if I try to teach him.  But at the same time he often doesn't get it and won't ask for help.  He just leaves it undone and refuses to finish.  I'm so frustrated I feel like just giving up on him.  He also has a fit if I tell him I'm going to hire a tutor because he's painfully shy and can't stand being with strangers. 

 

 

Have you considered seeing a counselor? It sounds like his issues are bad for his family relationships as well as his education.

[LisaKinVA]

I'm very sorry.  I understand how tough this is on you.  I hope you can get the underlying medical issues resolved (or at least reduced).  Beyond that, sending you a virtual hug, and hoping you can find something to help motivate your son to complete his work.

[GThomas]

ADD is definitely a possibility.  My other son has it much worse and he's on curcumin and fish oil which seems to be helping.  I need to get this one on it too.  It's not easy to get him to take stuff, he's pretty stubborn.  I'm convinced I need to try though.  I don't want this misery to continue.  As it is he can't function in the morning without coffee.  Not normal for a kid. 

Sending you virtual hugs as well. It's not an easy path to find out the reasons behind these things.

 

Here is a forum for Parents of ADD Teens you might be interested in:

http://connect.additudemag.com/groups/group/Parents_of_ADHD_Teens_and_Young_Adults/

 

I believe the chemical sensitive you mentioned can create ADD-like symptoms. So controlling the chemical issue may relieve the ADD symptoms. 

 

And this is an article about push back from teens on taking their ADD meds. You might want to read it for ideas on how to get your child on board for keeping a clean, chemical-reduced diet. http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/9664.html

I've also read about parents giving their teen the challenge to do a real scientific test. Hypothesis, materials, procedure, gather data and conclusion. The gathering of data should be created in advance and include very specific things like: how long you can stick with school work, moods in morning, afternoon and evening, number of arguments a day, happiness levels at set points during the day, etc. The idea is that YOU'RE not telling him he has to do the special diet. You're saying, ok let's get the real facts about specifically you. You are giving HIM control. And in the end, hopefully he'll do what's right for him. 

 

Best of luck!

[Grantmom]

Algebra is a very rules-based type of math, but it takes practice.  We've had our children go through both of the DragonBox iPad apps to give them lots of drill on algebra.  Here are links to the two apps:

 

DragonBox Algebra 5+

 

DragonBox Algebra 12+

 

These aren't curricula, they are only drill-to-mastery type games.  They also will not remediate for skills not learned in previous math classes, but most of those skills are not really prerequisites for these games.  That said these games are inexpensive and can be used *before* Algebra I to help students learn how to do algebra manipulations and to get practice with many styles of algebra problems.  Otherwise, many students have a rocky start when they do algebra (at least around here).  Perhaps if your student does not like math, playing an iPad game will suit him better.

 

Best wishes with whatever you choose.

 

Are the 5+ and 12+ recommended ages?  These are great, thanks for sharing.

[RegGuheert]

Are the 5+ and 12+ recommended ages?  These are great, thanks for sharing.

 

I don't know, but I think that is correct.  When we first got DragonBox, there was only one version.  The 5+ and 12+ were added after the second version came out.

 

You're welcome for the tip!

[kayben]

I realize I am coming in late in the thread, however, my dd14 (beginning 9th) had a very similar 7th and 8th grade year. We tried several programs before I bought the one year remedial Bridgeway math (two book package).  This was the answer for us.  She has worked her way through the first book (which covers/review/reteach with clarity) the algebra type math from the earliest grades.  She gained much confidence and is now a third of the way through the pre-algebra book.  she came out of her room yesterday cheering that she got 100% on her test.  (This is miraculous) She was completely unmotivated, even to the point of lying about completing work, until this program. I was planning on working through it with her, but have found it  Entirely self teaching and done in an easy to understand, clear simple manner.  She is working on this one hour per day and when complete, will move in to CLE Algebra. (Which also lays things out pretty nicely) Here is a link to the review that sold me, and I am so glad we did it...So much wasted $ on math curriculum..ugh  http://homeschoolinghelp.com/homeschool-curriculum-remedial-math-homeschoolers/

[Bianca]

Thanks so much everyone!  Sorry I haven't been around, been so busy and sick at the same time.  Lots of good ideas.  I'll be looking into that Bridgeway math for both boys, that sounds like it might be just what we need.  He's doing much better now, but I'm sure we'll struggle on a regular basis in the future unless I can get this figured out.  It really helps if he eats protein and takes a multi in the morning.  I just have to stay on top of him about it.  I'll check out that ADD forum too, I'm sure I'll learn a lot.