Second year of algebra?

[mom2scouts]

I'm looking ahead to ds's 8th grade year. He used Math-U-See from Beta to Pre-Algebra and this year (7th grade) took Algebra 1 with Tabletclass. He has done fairly well and seems to understand, but he doesn't like math and often makes careless mistakes. He also works *very* slowly. I want to make sure that his algebra is rock solid before we go on because I think a good understanding of algebra is important for high school level math and science. Would you have a student repeat algebra 1 in 8th grade using a different curriculum? If so, what would you use after MUS and Tabletclass?

[Tess in the Burbs]

we are doing this.  DS did Jacobs Algebra in 7th.  He got 90+ on every test.  But he worked slow, complained loudly daily, and it was a horrible year for dealing with him b/c math ruined our day.  He started geometry this fall, but wanted to just do something easy and started an algebra review workbook.  He didn't like how it was presented.  

 

SOOOO, I put him in an online class.  Landry Academy has a "Solidifying Algebra" class that is a semester.  (I did see it offered as a 3 week summer class as well).  Oh my gosh, I am so glad I did.  He's making 100%.  But he isn't complaining about math.  He's realizing how good he is at it.  How 'easy' it really all is.  If anything, it has given me proof he knew algebra.  But it has changed his attitude toward it.  He doesn't love math.  But he doesn't hate it as much now either.  I feel like we wasted all fall jumping around, but this spring has been good.  He needed the confidence builder.  I only hope as we move into geometry next year his attitude stays positive.  The teacher Mrs Marks wants the kids to learn.  Very happy with her!

[wapiti]

Tabletclass has a decent reputation, yes?  If he has done fairly well, then no, I would not repeat an entire year of algebra.  That sounds like a surefire way to go from not liking math to downright hating it.

 

You could review over the summer instead.  Perhaps another flavor is in order - maybe try Alcumus (free) over the summer for review.  There are also videos corresponding to most of the topics.

 

(I have a slow worker who makes careless mistakes.  Occasional review may be helpful, but another year of the same math isn't going to make my ds any faster.  He's always been this way.)

[fourisenough]

My DD11 will begin Foersters Algebra 1 in the fall. I have it in the back of my mind that I may have her repeat Algebra 1 the following year with an online class. Not because she is weak in math or that Foersters isn't enough, but she is young and we're in no rush. I'd rather have her feel confident and know that she has rock-solid mastery before moving on.

 

In your situation, I think I would definitely consider repeating it. What about Foersters? It is written to the student. The text is very clean and readable. 

 

Edited to fix a typo

Edited March 2, 2016 by fourisenough

[SilverMoon]

Well, geometry *is* alg 1 review technically. Those alg 1 skills will be required to complete a geometry book. And after that most alg 2 books start with review too.

 

If his scores were good I'd lean toward moving forward and just adding some extra review if you're concerned. Khan Academy and Alcumus are free and super easy to use.

[Momling]

My daughter used Foersters for algebra 1 last school year and it was all fine until I'd found she'd forgotten much of it over the summer. I gave her the option to repeat algebra as a full year or to continue the original plan of geometry this year with an algebra review on the side. She wanted to do both the geometry and algebra at the same time. I chose Saxon for the algebra review simply because of the varied practice problems. Foerster had gone into greater depth and had much better word problems, but Saxon is ideal for a kid who seems to forget math quickly. I only have her do odds or evens of Saxon each day and she tolerates it well. I think it was a really good decision for her. We'll continue it through the summer so that she's confident and ready to go for algebra II (at the high school).

[deanna1949]

We started Foersters Algebra 1 in the middle of 7th grade. We got about 1/2 to 2/3 through the book, was liking it, was doing well, but seemed to have trouble retaining the information. That had never been a problem before in math. Then, as we were picking it up again in the beginning of 8th grade this past fall, I had an Aha! moment. Foersters is mastery, and we had always done spiral before. I had completely forgotten to pay attention to that. So we promptly switched to Saxon algebra 1 and have sailed through it. Plus, I think the review has helped solidify the concepts. A year and a half of Algebra might seem like overkill, but we aren't in any hurry to start high school credits. 😉

[Mrs Twain]

Seventh grade is too early for most kids to understand algebra well. Many kids in my area are being pushed into algebra 1 in seventh only to struggle through with B's. The long term result is becoming apparent that their 7th grade algebra year did not give them a solid understanding of the concepts. Consequently they are struggling with higher levels of math, physics, and chemistry, all of which assume that the algebra is solid.

 

The better plan would be to repeat algebra 1 in 8th grade so that your son has good understanding of the concepts for all future math and various sciences.

 

My son is in 7th grade now. We debated having him take algebra 1 this year because he is good at math and we wanted him to "be ahead" like many of his friends. However, his abstract math understanding was not quite ready at the beginning of the year. This year we have used Dolciani Pre-Algebra which is essentially Algebra 1/2. We have had a rough year with a lot of frustration because our son was not quite old enough and ready for it. Now, however, it is becoming much easier likely because he is older. I also suspect that his formal Algebra 1 class will go much more smoothly next year, merely because his brain will be old enough to understand it.

[yvonne]

My dd is in 8th this year, doing Dolciani Algebra I. She did well the first semester, but she's finding it much more difficult this semester. She can manage if I sit with her and work through everything alongside her, but it is very frustrating for her.

 

I'm thinking of having her work through Foerster's Alg 1 text next year in 9th, or possibly Dolciani's Alg I again. I just can't see slogging our way through 4 years of math in high school, and it will be a slog if we try to push on without first conquering and feeling successful with algebra I. She'll also be a young 9th grader, not turning 14 until October. And, she is humanities-minded, at least at this point, so there's no rush to Calculus in 12th grade. Just don't see much downside in another year of Algebra I.

Hope it turns out to be the right choice.

[mom2scouts]

After sitting down and talking with my son, I think we're going to do another year of algebra using a different curriculum. He understands basic concepts and can do problems similar to the examples, but he isn't at all confident of his problem solving skills in algebra. He agrees that another year is needed. Now I just have to decide what to use.

[Mama Anna]

FWIW, this is the plan that I have with dd12.  She's done MUS from Alpha through Algebra 1, but she's only in 7th grade right now.  Math is not her strong point.  She makes careless mistakes often and gets down on herself about it frequently.  On the advice of my father, a college Calculus professor, I've decided to put her through Algebra 1 again next year using Algebra 1: A Fresh Approach.   The idea is not that she's failed Algebra 1 - she does fairly well, albeit with loud complaining and the previously-mentioned mistakes.  However, I want her to see math from a different perspective, learn how to work through a textbook without a video-teacher, and really solidify the concepts.  Instead of "how tedious and boring to repeat the material" it's been more of a "This should be really low-pressure next year - you've already seen the material from one perspective" spin.  I'm actually looking forward to it.  :)

 

Mama Anna