MamaSprout Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 (edited) So, IRL, I'm the person everyone asks about English and History. Math.... not so much. I'm floundering on picking high school level math for this kiddo. My olders did Saxon through their school. We started Jacobs Algebra last year. Dc did fine, but I was providing a little scaffolding, and didn't want to do that anymore. I decided to have her work through Derek Owens PreAlgebra to get used to working independently. She'll finish it up in a few weeks, having done it since the beginning of October completely on her own, scoring very well on the tests. So, we are ready for Algebra. She studies two instruments and two languages. She's in sports. She's very artistic and doesn't want to devote hours a day to math, although she really likes math. We could go back and finish Jacobs, but I also have Foerster on the shelf. I've considered AoPS at a moderate pace. I'm willing to consider something else entirely. We'll still have the better part of a semester this year to maybe do something before next year, officially beginning Algebra then? Any suggestions for going deeper before an official Algebra year? Although looking at Jacobs, she would not need a year to finish it. How much time does AoPS take a day if we chose to go that route? I'd like something efficient, deep and challenging without difficulty for the sake of difficulty. Is there a math that fits that description? Is that Foerster? or something else? What is the the youngest you would use Foerster? ETA- Would Derek Owens be appropriate for an accelerated kiddo? Are there enough challenge problems? PreA hasn't been challenging, but filled all the necessary gaps. Thanks! Edited November 23, 2015 by elladarcy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in SA Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I love AoPS, but you would need to stay involved. It is problematic as a hands-free curriculum. For independent learning, you really are best off with something instructor-led, online or locally. Khan and Alcumus are good for review; not so much for primary use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I have to disagree about AoPS necessarily being hands-on; it depends upon the student. That said, however, I suspect it would not be a good fit for your DC (requirement for scaffolding in Jacobs and time concerns.) Although we went with AoPS here, I also own Foerster. I suspect that it might be a good fit. (FWIW, I love it. It's the perfect fit for me, just not for my particular child.) I do not have any experience with Derek Owens math, but DD is taking Physical Science with him and we are extremely impressed with his responsiveness. HTH. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 (edited) The scaffolding was more a maturity issue (I think that is mostly resolved) but the time remains a concern. ETA- dd is also doing Physical Science with DO- loves it- but it is somewhat different from the math. Edited November 23, 2015 by elladarcy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Your post reminds me of what 8Filltheheart used to say about her dd, she was good at math, but her passion lay with languages, so she did not do AOPS and instead did ... I don't remember. (Pouty face here) You could pm her or try your luck at a Google search on this site with her tag and algebra. Good luck! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I like consistency. You started and have experience with Jacobs, its a solid choice, you can easily customize the difficulty level and its often recommended for accelerated, younger students. After PreAlgebra, I would take another stab at Jacobs and see how it fits as an independent curriculum. If Jacobs doesn't fulfill your needs, then look elsewhere. Not before. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdj2027 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 My son did Algebra 1 with Derek Owens. It is a very solid class and he likes the format. The only reason I signed him up for Algebra II with another provider is because the combination of low processing speed and ADD Inattentive with self-paced classes does not work well (he is still working on geometry with Derek). He is now in Algebra II and so far it has been all review even though this is a good class and I am very happy with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 I like consistency. You started and have experience with Jacobs, its a solid choice, you can easily customize the difficulty level and its often recommended for accelerated, younger students. After PreAlgebra, I would take another stab at Jacobs and see how it fits as an independent curriculum. If Jacobs doesn't fulfill your needs, then look elsewhere. Not before. Well, yes and no. We did the first few chapters of Jacobs as a follow up to Singapore 5 with what was left of last year. As a student, this is barely the same kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Have you considered emailing Mr. Owens? We have found him to be very responsive to questions. (And DD, having fits with a lab, vented her frustration by turning it into an imaginary world with a battle between two imaginary countries and writing an 8 page story about it. And then emailed it with her lab sheet. Not only did Mr. Owens read the extra material, he emailed her back to compliment her on the story. :001_wub: ) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 Your post reminds me of what 8Filltheheart used to say about her dd, she was good at math, but her passion lay with languages, so she did not do AOPS and instead did ... I don't remember. (Pouty face here) You could pm her or try your luck at a Google search on this site with her tag and algebra. Good luck! I've read through a number of Foerster threads with 8Fill on them lately, so I think it is a book she likes, although I can't guarantee that it is the book for her language loving daughter. (I don't think I'll PM her- I googled her board name and "math" and got hits of threads with titles along the lines of "8filltheheart what's your math sequence". I think she gets asked often.) Dc already has a love/ hate with Jacobs. I could have her just do a chapter in Foerster, then we can decide between it, Jacobs and Derek Owens. She will still have lots of time this year. We had a few of the Beast Academy books, and she claimed she didn't love them, but was just looking for them the other day. She reads math puzzle books for fun, but that's different than having it scheduled. Once we decide, I just want to go forward with a sequence. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I have the Foerster book and teacher's edition. It is very, very thorough. I don't think you can go wrong with it, honestly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 Have you considered emailing Mr. Owens? We have found him to be very responsive to questions. (And DD, having fits with a lab, vented her frustration by turning it into an imaginary world with a battle between two imaginary countries and writing an 8 page story about it. And then emailed it with her lab sheet. Not only did Mr. Owens read the extra material, he emailed her back to compliment her on the story. :001_wub: ) That's hysterical! My dd protested writing a narrative by writing it in verse once. No battles in physical science, so far. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 AoPS is not clean, pretty, efficient, or pace-able. It is a messy curriculum meant to be very out of the box. Moreover, it does not follow traditional sequencing once you really jump in. It does not sound like a great choice in this situation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 (edited) I forgot we did this book last year, and liked it pretty well: https://www.artofproblemsolving.com/store/item/moems-problemsolving Whatever we choose for Algebra, since we will start mid-year this year, she will likely be done with time to spare next year. Maybe I need to look at a contest prep or book like AoPS Art of Problem Solving or Counting and Probability for after Algebra. If she likes those, we could look at having her do the Intro Algebra A class through AoPS, if not, continue on with Jurgensen. At that point if she likes the AoPS, it would involve some review of material and she could concentrate on the pace and method of the course. Anyhow, I always forget about Alcumus, and maybe I should add that into her schedule regardless. She'll never have any opportunity for math club or contests, so I would like to expose her to some of that kind of thinking. This is probably thinking ahead too far, but somehow I have a dread of short-changing her math education. I hate the idea that a door might be closed to her somewhere because I picked the wrong math. :svengo: Edited November 24, 2015 by elladarcy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I have the Foerster book and teacher's edition. It is very, very thorough. I don't think you can go wrong with it, honestly.I have to agree. We are in Aops currently because DS just wants to stick with it (he also studies two languages but no serious sports here) but I know Foerster would be better for us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 (edited) Double post, apologies Edited November 24, 2015 by madteaparty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 I have to agree. We are in Aops currently because DS just wants to stick with it (he also studies two languages but no serious sports here) but I know Foerster would be better for us. This is helpful. You are just far enough ahead of us to have that insight. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Use your Foerster texts for the word problems even if you use another text. Of course you need to map the topics but it is pretty straightforward. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in SA Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I have to disagree about AoPS necessarily being hands-on; it depends upon the student. That's kinda my point. It takes a certain child or teacher. I love it, DS9 loves it, DS13 tolerates it, and many kids struggle when left to their own devices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 Parking this here so I can find it later. Good (archived) post. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/271221-dolciani-foerster-or-singapore-dm-help-me-have-clarity-please/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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