mom@shiloh Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 My teen ds struggles with math. I would like to do some basic reviewing with him before continuing with geometry. He had difficulty with algebra I. I don't want to jump into geometry quite yet for two reasons. One is that I think he could benefit from some review. The other is that his two younger brothers are both finishing algebra I and we'd like to do geometry together. Any suggestions? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 I do not have a book or other material to suggest to you, but I suggest that you consider doing Algebra 1, again, or, at the minimum, clearing up *all* areas of Algebra 1 where your DS is weak. If necessary, go back to Pre Algebra. Don't advance until he is solid with Algebra 1. GL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendall Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 you could try Alcumus (free online, associated with Art of Problem Solving) or the Art of Problem Solving PreAlgebra and whatever Algebra I program you used. The alcumus/AoPS to improve mathematical thinking/problem solving and the regular algebra program to shore up algebra. I would probably run them concurrently and not back to back as it sounds like you don't have time for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 You might try Aleks.com - you can get a free month's trial, and then it's about $20/month or less if you buy multiple months. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Does he struggle with the algebra or is he not sure how to handle things like fractions and decimals. Not understanding fractions or other arithmetic skills can make algebra much harder. Khan Academy or ALEKS might be useful in that they could help you find the areas where he's struggling. I might hold off on Alcumus until you find where he's having problems. Alcumus can offer hard problems really quickly. The Key To series might be good, especially if he needs to review arithmetic skills. I also like the Danica McKellar books on math. They are written towards girls but have quite sensible explanations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 (edited) Are you sure that your ds's pre-algebra skills are solid? Difficulty with fractions, decimals, and percents leads to difficulty with algebra. If you think it's possible that could be the problem, you could use the pretest in Practical Math: Success in 20 Minutes a Day to determine weaknesses and then go through the instruction pages with him and have him do the related practice sections. Then, you have him work through his algebra text review sections to find his weaker algebra areas and remediate them, as well. Edited November 19, 2015 by klmama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 I found this set of diagnostic and placement test. It is keyed to placement within a specific publisher's math series, but I think it might be helpful, because each level of the test has a table that correlates the questions to the mathematical concept. http://corebutte.org/downloads/curricula/myMathPlacement.pdf Because students who struggle with algebra often have a problem with understanding an underlying skill, I would probably start with the tests well before the algebra level. Consider going back to Level 3 or 4 to start. He may whiz through them and wonder why you're giving him such easy questions. But it will keep you from missing foundational concepts that he hasn't mastered. If you think that he'd be put off by the level number on the page, cover it up with a post it note before copying that page. Or relabel with letters instead of numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom@shiloh Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 Thank you. Very helpful information!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad S Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 It certainly makes sense to have your three kids do geometry together for your sanity. I really like the KhanAcademy.org for regular review and you may want to pick up another algebra 1 book and go through it as review, including solving real world/word problems, while you're doing geometry. It's very important not to forget algebra 1 while doing geometry so as not to have to redo much of the course before algebra 2. I don't think it's unreasonable to spend, say, 20% of your time in "geometry" with algebra review. You might save yourself a lot of time at the beginning of algebra 2. I'd also make sure that you start or continue to get some data analysis and simple probability and statistics into your curriculum at this time. A lot of high school texts from the last 15-20 years incorporate data analysis into the texts, even if it's an "algebra" or "geometry" book since it's so useful. Best wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 We really like Learn Math Fast. My math phobic daughter really liked it. It helped her gain a lot of confidence. You can go back and work through fractions and decimals pretty quickly and then tackle Algebra again. It is a very good remedial program. http://www.learnmathfastbooks.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EmeliaRichling Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 I would say brush up on some topics using Khan Academy. You could go to Amazon and purchase an Algebra textbook if you would really like to, but DO NOT use Aleks. It is a program that costs money, but if your students are struggling with Algebra, it doesn't explain anything very well. You could try doing placement tests off of Saxon to see where your students are as well. Maybe also try working on your Pre-Algebra skills as this will make it easier for your students to learn Algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 (edited) nm Edited December 14, 2015 by ^ 022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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