Keys to algebra and JA

[mom2vikha]

Hi ladies,

 

I am racking my brain and still cannot come up with a solution.

 

Is keys to algebra and Jousting Armadillos can be considered a complete " pre algebra"? With occasional Aops maybe once a week just to spice things up a little?

 

How long does JA take to complete? It seems like a small book.

 

Thanks a lot

[Chrysalis Academy]

I don't know Keys To Algebra so I can't speak to that.

 

It's hard to say what constitutes a complete PreA - it depends on what you are looking for.  PreA often includes some geometry and statistics, and JA doesn't cover those at all, it is really focused on working with variables.  So it also doesn't include the extensive arithmetic review you often get in a PreA program.  You would want to be sure that your child is very solid on all  operations, an particularly on fractions, without variables before starting JA.  The only thing JA introduces from scratch is integers, for everything else you are working with variables from the start.

 

JA has 6 chapters. Depending on how well prepared the student is, it could take as little as 8-10 weeks.  Or you might spread it out, reviewing the operations using another program before using the chapter in JA with variables - we did this, combining the old MM6 with JA.  We also added other resources for Geometry and Statistics.

 

My dd really loved JA, and is about to finish Crocodiles & Coconuts and has Chuckles all lined up to do next.  I had her try Jacobs between JA & C&C, but she liked the Arbor math books much better and asked to continue with them.  It seems to be extremely solid.  

 

You will need to work through at least the first chapter with your child - most kids of this age are not really able to discipline themselves to really understand the whole explanation of deductive and inductive reasoning and how it applies to math and science on their own.  After the first couple of chapters, though, dd has worked through this program totally independently. Its only weakness as far as we can see is that there are a ton of errors in the answer books, and given now many errors there are, the price for the answer books is ridiculously high.

 

I plan to do outside assessment after dd finishes all three books.  I predict that she will need more work with word problems, but that otherwise her skills will be very strong.

[mom2vikha]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply.

Do you think all 3 arbor books is Algebra1? After the 3, are you planning to do geometry?

 

I also have Jacobs lined up. I was wondering if we should do JA and keys to algebra and dive into Jacobs as Algebra 1?

 

Thanks again :)

[Chrysalis Academy]

The first book, JA, is Pre Algebra, and the 2nd two are Algebra 1.  Yes, we'll do Geometry after finishing the Algebra books.

 

Doing JA and then Jacobs was my original plan, so I think it should work out fine!  ;)  It's just that dd liked the Arbor books much better, so asked if she could use them instead. Given how much I'd spent on math books we won't use (I'm looking at you, AoPS  :toetap05: ) I could hardly say no to getting her math books she was actually asking for!

 

There is a lot of similarity between Jacobs and the Arbor books - they are based on a combination of Elementary Algebra and Math, a Human Endeavor - but the Arbor books feel much more personal, and conversational.  Dd feels like Linus is right there talking to her, and that she's getting to know him.  She enjoys his quirky sense of humor, his literary allusions in the word problems, and his obsession with weasels. YMMV.  :D

[mom2vikha]

Lol.., I am even scared to look at Aops...😜

[kiana]

I actually think that if I were going to supplement JA, I would be more inclined to supplement it with arithmetic review (if your student needs it) or geometry (if your student does not need arithmetic review) rather than supplementing it with more early algebra/variables practice. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I actually think that if I were going to supplement JA, I would be more inclined to supplement it with arithmetic review (if your student needs it) or geometry (if your student does not need arithmetic review) rather than supplementing it with more early algebra/variables practice. 

 

Yes, well said. That is what I meant to convey in my message, but I wrote it at 5:30 am so it might not have made sense!  JA covers the algebra part very well, but does not cover arithmetic review, geometry, or statistics.  So using something that covers those things rather than Keys to Algebra would allow you to construct a full PreA class without too much repetition.

[mom2vikha]

What do you guys recommend for geometry and statistics? She is pretty strong in Arithmetic !

[kiana]

What grade is your student? If you need to finish Pre-algebra and Algebra in 1 year each (so if your student is in 8th grade) I'd just get the topical worktexts from Math Mammoth. This is also a viable option for a student at any level and would give completely solid preparation. 

 

Another option for Geometry if your student is younger is to consider the Understanding Geometry course from the Critical Thinking company spread over two years. It is designed for bright younger students and can be completed prior to algebra. It's not quite equivalent to a full honors high school geometry course but is excellent preparation. I'd probably still pick up the Math Mammoth grades 6-7 statistics worktext and toss it into the mix somewhere. http://www.mathmammoth.com/statistics_probability.php

[deerforest]

The Key to Algebra series isn't bad, but it's all procedural practice. We are using it, but I only have her do a page here and there if she needs additional practice to reinforce something. It works fine like that, but I do the same too with the other pre-algebra programs I have. DD is the type who when she gets a topic, she gets it right away and is ready to move on, but if she struggles with something, she needs a tiny bit from several different resources to get the pieces to fit.

 

So, for us, personally, it works well to bizarrely combine multiple pre-algebra programs. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

The Understanding Geometry book Kiana mentioned above is one thing we've used, along with the Intro to Geometry class at EdX (or the exercises on Schoolyourself.org's website).

 

For statistics, we did a Spectrum workbook - Data Analysis & Probability.  It was ok.  We also used Khan for this.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Data-Analysis-Probability-Grades-Spectrum/dp/0769663168/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443385526&sr=8-1&keywords=spectrum+statistics

[Farrar]

There's very little practice in JA. We're more than halfway through it, taking the slow route with other resources. I was using NCERT a few times to review concepts, but I picked up the Key to books used for a couple of dollars the other day and thought they'd be good for my particular kid. So I would say, yes, that's complete. However, I agree with potentially adding in more elementary math review and something for some pre-geometry grounding as being probably better for most kids. We were already doing some of that though...

[mom2vikha]

Mine is 9 years old and is very much accelerated. She doesn't love math but extremely good at it. i will definitely look into criticism thinking geometry and MM.

 

Thanks a lot ladies

[mom2vikha]

Oops I meant critical thinking.. Lol

[...................]

We rally entertained using key to algebra as a pre algebra course, along with one or two of the higher level regular Key To books. ...

 

I LOVEd the way the Key To books taught and they aren't super conceptual but they do teach really gently and really well. ...

 

But, I think they take longer to get through. I think it was like 500 pages because it moves more slowly or something. So I'm not really sure it's a great idea but it could work.

[Soror]

Listening along I'm going ahead with JA with ds, right now he is doing Horizons 6 for practice/review. I was thinking of moving him onto Horizons Pre-A and doing it alongside JA. We were doing MM but yet again but even with the new format it was just still too much. Maybe I should consider topic books but the grade level workbooks aren't going to work. I need spiral for review and practice and Horizons accomplishes with much less work for me.