WWYD - Math BA or Horizons

[1shortmomto4]

I've been struggling in trying to find a comfortable fit for my 7th grader.  He is definitely VSL but more of a print kind of guy.  Loves the graphic novels.  Does not learn by watching things on screens.  I've finally figured out that while I've been taking a mastery approach to math that he would prefer a spiral approach - but without the drilling aspect (which never works for VSL/RB learners.  I had tried the first Beast Academy book about two years ago and that was a bust but with our return to schooling after the holidays I pulled the book back out to give him something to do while I figure out what the golden ticket will be to bring this kid back up to grade level and beyond.  Well, he did great with it and was working independently (shocker for me!).  It is just shoring up the multiplication/skip counting and he enjoyed his work.  So, as i try to figure out how to finish out this year (or perhaps, at this late start, work lightly through summer, too). I'm torn between just working through all of the BA books and then do the PreAlg AOP one in the fall, or work through Horizons 6.  (I'm not a fan of Saxon.  He needs color, no drills (yes, I'd skip them anyways).  I don't think he'd enjoy working through both - even if I tried to sell it as being fun (but, hmmm, maybe that is a thought).  We've already done Hands on Equations but he's just not strong in fractions, decimals, percents or anything in the field of geometry. I don't think he's ready for the PreAlg AOP.  Should I just skip the BA 3 level books and move on to 4? 

 

Ack!!!!  I don't want to hold him back but I want him to be prepared to move forward with his math skills.  The maturity is finally there but I seem to be the one holding him back and making him - until yesterday when he read the book and worked through most of the workbook pages assigned.

 

 

[Julie of KY]

Beast Academy might fit what you are looking for, but it is definitely intended for younger grades (and the 5th grade books are not all published yet).

 

My daughter is working through the Beast books as they are published as they stretch her in a different way. To shore up the basics, I have her going through Derek Owen;s prealgebra and then will do AoPS prealgebra. I'm finding this a good way to solidify the fractions, decimals, percents, etc. His teaching is solid, but certainly not as hard as AoPS. Many of the prealgebra videos of his are on youtube if you want to sample them.

[Gil]

Have you looked at Keys to? They have a series for each Fractions, Decimals, Percents as well as Geometry and are affordably priced. 

There is an entire market for math books written for older students who need more practice and experience in exactly the 4 topics that you mentioned, so it's hardly a Keys to... OR AoPS choice.

 

There are literally 1000+ books written in the F/D/P + Geo niche. Many of which are highly readable/well illustrated to compensate for intuitive/picture thinkers and even for low-level readers.

 

Also keep in mind that BA is meant for 3rd and 4th grade and is a full program--its not meant as a supplement. Its cost and the distribution of topics throughout the texts reflects that. Beast Academy is $108 and 8 books per level. If you have the money and storage space to spend on buying all but doing just some of Beast Academy then just do what you want, but I think that there are a lot of materials that fill the need that you have expressed for a lot less than $324 (or $216 if you just do 3rd and 4th grade BA, since all of 5th isn't out yet.)

 

I don't know anything about Horizonz, but Beast Academy seems like an awfully expensive way to shore up basics for an older student who is trying to catch up and only interested in working slightly through the summer to do so.

Is there any particular reason why you want to put this kid in AoPS and not one of the other perfectly legitimate and more than acceptable options for high-school mathematics?

 

 

I'm not sure how friendly the layout of AoPS is for a child is VSL and likes pictorial explanations. I don't think that the AoPS texts have many images/illustrations in them. (I'd have to check).

 

What did your do for math in grades 4-6?

 

 

 

[Julie of KY]

By the way my VSL learner thrives on AoPS (algebra through calculus).

 

There are lots of ways of how to shore up that foundation. Another option are Math Mammoth worksheets - you can buy just fractions, etc. If you think you are headed toward AoPS, the foundation has to be solid.

[1shortmomto4]

What I've used over the years is basically bits and pieces from everything to cover topics as units because that seemed to be what he needed over the years.  We've used a lot of BJU because that is what I'm most familiar with, tried a bit of Saxon but those drills are not a good fit for a RB thinker, and I've supplemented with MUS.  He found MUS fine but got bored with the lack of variety in the subject coverage.  Last summer we worked through the HOE program and he was flying through that and then we started MM6 but he immediately shut down.  I then remembered that I had Sonlight's Mathtacular 4 on the shelf and we spent a few weeks working through word problems and the end of that program is very challenging.  He hung in and did pretty well.  We had worked through some of the LOF books which he enjoyed but didn't seem to get much out of it at the time.  I'm actually surprised that he pulled as much info from the BA as he did seeing as it is repeat but he shared that he likes to have the practice of using things he has learned but wanted some more practice.  I've looked at the Key to books and perhaps that will be just fine but does it have enough depth and challenge?  I'm just tired of pulling pieces from here, there and everywhere and would love something that we can just work through.  I don't mind teaching the concepts.  I've seen people recommend the DO stuff but he doesn't do well with anything video-related so I don't need that aspect.  We gave TT a try about two years ago and again, not a good fit because he is just not a screen guy.  As for what I'll do with Algebra - haven't got that far.  I know he'll need more challenge than MUS will present; that's as far as I've gotten.  The weak foundation is holding him back but his mind is mature enough to handle the algebraic concepts.

 

The cost of BA is something to consider as I hadn't looked at it that way.  Ugh!  I would love to just have a math program that I order the next level each year but with this kiddo, probably not going to happen.

[wapiti]

The Key to books are good drill.  If you're not looking for drill, I would not get them.

 

The benefit of BA and AoPS for a VSL is the big-picture approach (and I do not mean visually).  If BA seemed to be a good fit for an older student, I'd be tempted to buy the workbooks, without the guidebooks, and see where that leads.