Would love your input about math

[Tess in the Burbs]

Yes, I read the math thread.  Yes I researched before posting.  

 

DS did Jacobs algebra in 7th grade.  This year (8th) he wanted a review so we tried the Critical Thinking Understanding Algebra  book.  He didn't like it.  So we jumped into Jacobs Geometry.  At chapter 3 he asked to go back to the algebra workbook.  By Christmas he was doing nothing.  He's in Landry Academy's Solidifying Algebra class this semester making 100% and bored out of his mind.  Obviously he needs to move on to geometry this fall.  He doesn't want to do it.  

 

Making this situation hard to make decisions is the younger sister a grade below has done awesome with algebra this year for 7th grade.  She will start geometry in the fall as well.  She doesn't need any review and is confident.  Obviously this bothers my ds who now thinks he's behind.  He's not.  She's way ahead and he took a year off doing nothing by choice.  

 

We own Jacobs geometry with the Callahan video. He doesn't love the videos.  We also own Discovering Geometry(student/solutions only, no teacher book---I don't want to teach this).  He has some other reason for not wanting to do this.  

 

He doesn't like math even though he's good at it.  I don't think I can push calculus out of him in high school.  I think ideally once we get past Alg II I would just let him do consumer math or business math to tide him over until college.   Is that crazy?  When clearly he has an aptitude for math?  He has no confidence.  Even doing well with the review class. 

 

I wanted him to pick his courses for high school.  Have input into the learning style used.  At home, online, in a co-op.  Whatever he wants.  But he doesn't want to do it at all even though it's the next logical step.  Would love some input on a high school sequence that might work.  He has a plan for other subjects, it's only math that is so hard to figure out with his having this negative reaction to the thought of math lol. 

 

Can we jump to Algebra II and then do geometry?  Or would that mess him up for PSAT/SAT/ACT?  Thanks for reading and giving your input.  

 

 

[Arcadia]

You can do algebra 2 before geometry. Geometry won't affect SAT or PSAT much but would affect ACT. What are his plans for science?

 

Very useful PSAT/SAT chart from collegeboard

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/about/alignment/math/psat-nmsqt-sat

 

Nice explanation of ACT math section by prepscholar

http://blog.prepscholar.com/can-you-take-the-act-without-geometry

Edited March 15, 2016 by Arcadia

[Tess in the Burbs]

You can do algebra 2 before geometry. Geometry won't affect SAT or PSAT much but would affect ACT. What are his plans for science?

 

Very useful PSAT/SAT chart from collegeboard

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/about/alignment/math/psat-nmsqt-sat

 

Nice explanation of ACT math section by prepscholar

http://blog.prepscholar.com/can-you-take-the-act-without-geometry

 

These are helpful links thanks!

 

He is going to take Environmental Science this year.  He's thinking that for a college major if he likes it.  He really dreads Biology, so it would be nice to spread out the dread classes....geometry this year, biology next year... LOL  I don't think he's thought through the environmental thing and not liking Biology but that is his discovery to make ;-)

[JanetC]

Yes, you can do Algebra I and II then Geometry if you so desire. My younger DD did.

 

You need to get the placement right and use pretests to skip chapters he doesn't need. It sounds like he's bored.

 

It could also be the case that he's being a middle schooler who likes to complain, and you just need to find something that is at the right challenge level and make him do it, even if it's not terribly fun.

[MarkT]

1) Yes, you can do Algebra I and II then Geometry if you so desire. My younger DD did.

 

 

2) It could also be the case that he's being a middle schooler who likes to complain, and you just need to find something that is at the right challenge level and make him do it, even if it's not terribly fun.

1) My nephew did the Algebra I and II then Geometry sequence at PS (taking Calc now).

 

2)  Seems like this is part of the problem.

[mom@shiloh]

I did  Alg I. Alg II and then Geometry in high school.  That was the common sequence back in the day.  It might help him just to NOT be doing the same thing as his sister.  Also, he may have plateaued for a bit or he may be going through a growth spurt.  Sometimes I think we pay a lot of attention to 'readiness' in the preschool years, but forget that it may continue until our children are completely grown.  I have definitely noticed this in my kids.  Academic progress has not been a steady uphill climb, but more of a jump, level out, jump, level out type of thing.  

[8filltheheart]

I had one of my son's beg me to let him switch out of Jacob's geo book. I am not one to just change a math book, but he really disliked it with such an intensity that I did. I switched him to Chalkdust's geo (it has been a while and our ed is not the one currently being sold by them, but I think it is only 1ed before). He never complained after the switch.

 

You could have them do different curriculum or you could say too bad, get over it, and have them work together.

 

Fwiw, I have an advanced in math dd who really dislikes math. I made her take math through cal 1 which she finished in 1 semester as an 11th grader. I won't force her to take any higher level math than that. She will be taking stats next yr instead. But there is no way I would have let her out of math befor cal 1 bc she was more than capable of doing it.

[Haiku]

Several thoughts:

 

1. Definitely do algebra II before geometry if it will be helpful to your son.

 

2. If your son is floundering right now, he may just need you to choose the path and put him on it. He can take more ownership of his path when he's a bit older.

 

3. I wouldn't indulge your son's concerns about where your daughter is in math. My kids are less than one calendar year apart in age and have quite different strengths and interests. I tell them they are different people and their educations are individualized for them.

 

4. My oldest dd always claimed to dislike science and math but wanted to be a doctor. I would privately chuckle about this. She's now a junior in college, majoring in biology, and planning to be a physician assistant. Don't worry too much about how your son feels about biology right now. He's young.

 

Good luck!

[Tess in the Burbs]

 

2)  Seems like this is part of the problem.

 

Yep, always has been.  Complains about it.  Takes forever to do it.  I thought maybe he had a learning issue with math?  But now he's in this online class and I know better. He does know it.  He just complains and dilly dallies about doing it.  He finishes the practice problem sheet for the entire class before she's done explaining the first problem.  So he's ready to move on to something else.  And he's had this year to mature some.  He won't stop complaining, it's just who he is.  I really wasn't sure about coming back to geometry after Alg 2.  But this may appeal to him a bit.  

 

Glad to hear the Alg 2 first isn't all that uncommon of a sequence.  thank you all!  

[Brad S]

DS did Jacobs algebra in 7th grade. 

 

We own Jacobs geometry with the Callahan video. He doesn't love the videos. 

 

He doesn't like math even though he's good at it.  I don't think I can push calculus out of him in high school.  I think ideally once we get past Alg II I would just let him do consumer math or business math to tide him over until college.   Is that crazy? 

 

Can we jump to Algebra II and then do geometry? 

 

We did Jacobs algebra in late 5th-6th grade.  It didn't go all that smoothly even though the pre-algebra was super solid and done multiple times just waiting for DS to get older.  We used Jacobs geometry (3rd ed) and Callahan videos in late 6th-early 7th and after a slow start, DS really got rolling.  DS didn't love the videos -- not that they were bad, but after some early complaints, we found DS didn't need the videos except for a few concepts.  Can your DS read a math book himself?  That's what my DS did, and it worked great.  [not trying to be snarky...just trying to help OP with another possible approach].  Even when a video was needed to explain a concept, my DS found he liked the KhanAcademy.org videos on the topic better and he found them easily himself online by topic.

 

I would not do the algebra review in Jacobs geometry, as it's just rote calculations and just one topic at a time, but I would do some algebra review, like word problems, or start algebra 2 very slowly so the algebra is not forgotten.

 

I'm not sure of your son's age, or what he's been doing in math lately, but if he's in high school now, he may need to do a lot of algebra review to refresh or maintain skills. And, yes, I think it's crazy to plan on stopping math early at this age.  The changes from 8th-9th-10th grade can be huge.  I'm not saying you need to do calculus in high school, and it's not the most important thing by any means.  (If he's not loving precalculus, and is planning on college, perhaps statistics as well as consumer math, while keeping the algebra reviewed at least through 11th grade?)

 

[Tess in the Burbs]

 

 

 

I'm not sure of your son's age, or what he's been doing in math lately, but if he's in high school now, he may need to do a lot of algebra review to refresh or maintain skills. And, yes, I think it's crazy to plan on stopping math early at this age.  The changes from 8th-9th-10th grade can be huge.  I'm not saying you need to do calculus in high school, and it's not the most important thing by any means.  (If he's not loving precalculus, and is planning on college, perhaps statistics as well as consumer math, while keeping the algebra reviewed at least through 11th grade?)

 

 

He's 14/8th grade this year.  Which is why I let him kinda go back and forth this fall.  When he couldn't commit I put him in an algebra review class online.  He's doing awesome in that class, although bored b/c it is all review.  If anything I think it's proven to him that he does know Algebra well and is ready to move on.  We decided as a family last night that the minimum is to get through pre-calc before college.  Which leaves him an extra year to repeat a topic or pick up another kind of math(consumer, business, statistics).  

 

Math is his only big area of complaint.  At this point he just needs to pick something and commit to it.  He can read the book.  And he knows how to access Khan videos. He thought geometry was confusing last fall.  Whatever he chooses for next year I hope he just sticks with it and not waste another semester doing nothing. 

[Arcadia]

 I don't think he's thought through the environmental thing and not liking Biology but that is his discovery to make ;-)

My youngest only likes certain branches of biology. He ran away from the A&P chapters but like the microbio ones and find genetics amusing.

 

  

 

  He thought geometry was confusing last fall.  

Sometimes it takes two pass with the same text or different texts. Lots of blank paper to draw out the problems and colored pens if it makes life easier. My youngest whine through all his work but it gets done. He just enjoys whining and we tune him out :)

[RootAnn]

If he has extra time this semester, he could go through the Geometry EdX class. Someone else said it was a good big picture class, but not enough practice. It might be a good intro?