prajiwaji Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 (edited) I'm a homeschooled student entering my senior year next month, and I need some help finding a good math curriculum for this year. I've taken Saxon Alg 1, BJU Geometry, and I'll be done with Saxon Algebra 2 in about a month. I absolutely cannot stand Saxon, the main reason being that I don't (and won't) have enough time to complete everything they require. I'm also a very visual learner, and I really struggle with Saxon's teaching methods (I don't use the CDs). I'm an okay math student-I have A's in all my math classes that I didn't use Saxon for, and B's for the Saxon classes. I don't plan on going into any math or science field, so I don't care about rigor as much as I care about getting it done. I need a math curriculum (I would most likely do pre-cal this year) that would take less time for me, that I could teach myself from, and has a simple way of explaining things. What would you recommend? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you! *I've been looking at Teaching Textbooks, Math-U-See, and Life of Fred. I like LoF best from what I've seen, but they don't have a book specifically for pre-cal, which is what I think I need. (If I'm wrong, please let me know! My family is fairly new to homeschooling) Edited July 30, 2016 by prajiwaji Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Another option is Thinkwell. It's video based, but the videos are fairly brief. It's solid and very do-able. You should be able to try it out for some period of time before committing. I'd suggest doing a trial of the PreCalculus, and if you like it alright, then just do that. I don't know if your earlier classes covered trig, but if they didn't, then that's what I'd make sure you cover this year, for sure. For Life of Fred, you could just do trigonometry (it's a fairly short book, about a semester should cover it), and then call it a day. Either way, so long as you really mastered that Algebra and Geometry (and have trig under your belt), you should be "good to go" for a non math/science college curriculum. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistachio mom Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 (edited) The Math Mammoth website has a list of high school suggestions in their resources section. I remember seeing the AskDr. Callahan and Chalkdust as options. With Thinkwell, they do give you a 2 week period to try out free access, to see if you like the structure. We are using BJ Press Geometry right now, I do not know how their Pre Calc is. But their video options are very pricy compared to Thinkwell. I also have seen people mention Derek Owens on this forum. CTC Math adn Aleks are online options. Alexs can be a dual credit option and CTC has great reviews and has sales all the time, especially through homeschool buyers coop. http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/high_school_math.php http://www.derekowens.com/course_info_precalculus.php http://ctcmath.com/ https://www.aleks.com/about_aleks/course_products Good Luck, I hope you find something that is a good fit for you. You are an exceptional student checking out options for yourself. Edited July 30, 2016 by Pistachio mom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 TT would be fine after Saxon Alg 2. LOF trig does include algebra review but I would recommend doing a bit more algebra review if you go that route, assuming you're going to college. There is almost always a math requirement for graduation and if you forget all your algebra it is very hard to catch up. Another option if your family can afford it is to take college algebra (assuming you pass the placement test) at any local college. That would get your 4th math credit accomplished, and you could transfer it to almost any university. It will usually satisfy your graduation requirement for a degree that does not otherwise require math. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 Did you like BJU? If so, you could continue with them. But I do like the dual enrollment of College Algebra. Do you have a budget? There are many fine choices. My own son is using Foerster's. But that is far from the only choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Don't go to MUS. Their pre-calc is really just a very light trig program with a couple of weeks of extra topics thrown in at the end. We used it for a 1 semester trig class (and left out extra topics), but I don't think it would match where you are at all. Teaching Textbooks Pre-Calc would work, but you've probably covered some of it in Algebra 2. If you liked BJU before, I'd go with that. You can look at the pinned math thread at the top of this page for more options. There are many. Which one is right for you is hard to say, but leave Saxon behind with no regrets. It works for some, but isn't the best choice for most. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 (edited) I'm a homeschooled student entering my senior year next month, and I need some help finding a good math curriculum for this year. I've taken Saxon Alg 1, BJU Geometry, and I'll be done with Saxon Algebra 2 in about a month. I absolutely cannot stand Saxon, the main reason being that I don't (and won't) have enough time to complete everything they require. I'm also a very visual learner, and I really struggle with Saxon's teaching methods (I don't use the CDs). I'm an okay math student-I have A's in all my math classes that I didn't use Saxon for, and B's for the Saxon classes. I don't plan on going into any math or science field, so I don't care about rigor as much as I care about getting it done. I need a math curriculum (I would most likely do pre-cal this year) that would take less time for me, that I could teach myself from, and has a simple way of explaining things. What would you recommend? Any help would be appreciated. Why Precalculus? I would suggest that you would get more out of a Statistics course. Another possibility would be to do some College Algebra* one semester and do Stats in another semester your HS Senior year. Have you narrowed down the colleges and/or majors you are interested in? That would be a strong factor in selecting a course. *My assumption here is that you would formally take College Algebra your first year in college. Edited July 31, 2016 by MarkT 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prajiwaji Posted July 31, 2016 Author Share Posted July 31, 2016 Why Precalculus? I would suggest that you would get more out of a Statistics course. Another possibility would be to do some College Algebra* one semester and do Stats in another semester your HS Senior year. Have you narrowed down the colleges and/or majors you are interested in? That would be a strong factor in selecting a course. *My assumption here is that you would formally take College Algebra your first year in college. You know what, I hadn't thought about that! I talked to my mom and we decided Statistics is probably much better for my career plans. Do you have any books you would recommend for self-study? Or even an online course? Thank you! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 You know what, I hadn't thought about that! I talked to my mom and we decided Statistics is probably much better for my career plans. Do you have any books you would recommend for self-study? Or even an online course? Thank you! Dual enrollment would be great if available because it will also transfer and at many universities will satisfy your math graduation requirement. In general I think that I'd prefer to do it in person. However, if that's not an option, potters school offers AP stats online. They mention that it's pre-approved for credit from Belhaven University, which would go on your transcript and have a reasonable chance of having it transfer. Here's the site for their class -- https://www.pottersschool.org/course/list/#course-3242 -- and there is a placement test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Life of Fred had a statistics book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prajiwaji Posted August 2, 2016 Author Share Posted August 2, 2016 Dual enrollment would be great if available because it will also transfer and at many universities will satisfy your math graduation requirement. In general I think that I'd prefer to do it in person. However, if that's not an option, potters school offers AP stats online. They mention that it's pre-approved for credit from Belhaven University, which would go on your transcript and have a reasonable chance of having it transfer. Here's the site for their class -- https://www.pottersschool.org/course/list/#course-3242 -- and there is a placement test. Do you know how difficult/time-consuming AP stats would be? I'm doing two other AP classes this year as well, and I just don't want to load too much on myself. I'm definitely not a math person as well, so it may be a little harder for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 Do you know how difficult/time-consuming AP stats would be? I'm doing two other AP classes this year as well, and I just don't want to load too much on myself. I'm definitely not a math person as well, so it may be a little harder for me. I can't answer how hard it would be for you but it has a reputation as being one of the less challenging options. I'd hesitate to classify yourself as 'definitely not a math person' because you and Saxon don't get along. I'm definitely a math person and that program would not ever have worked for me. I really liked stats because of the applicability to the real world. I started seeing it all over the places in newspaper articles, blogs -- I especially started noticing the misuse and misapplication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 Do you know how difficult/time-consuming AP stats would be? I'm doing two other AP classes this year as well, and I just don't want to load too much on myself. I'm definitely not a math person as well, so it may be a little harder for me. I would not do a formal AP Stats course. You could certainly use an existing AP syllabus to help create a course. see these for some ideas: http://www.thehomescholar.com/blog/homeschool-statistics-class/ http://www.home-school.com/Articles/Statistics.php http://www.ck12.org/statistics/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/564939-statistics-and-data-analysis/?hl=statistics&do=findComment&comment=6741591 http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/564939-statistics-and-data-analysis/?hl=statistics&do=findComment&comment=6741591 http://www.actuarialfoundation.org/programs/youth/hs-stats.shtml http://www.homeschoolcollegeusa.com/statistics.html http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/courses/advanced_placement/ap_statistics.html You may want to create a new thread on "Statistics Course choices" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prajiwaji Posted September 4, 2016 Author Share Posted September 4, 2016 I'm sorry I haven't replied to the thread in a while. But I ended up doing AP Stats with PA Homeschoolers. I considered self-study, but it works out better for my family to do an actual class. Thank you all for the help and advice! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 But I ended up doing AP Stats with PA Homeschoolers. My daughter took that class with Carole Matheny a number of years ago. It was an excellent class that prepared her well for the AP exam. My daughter has since graduated from college; she has said that the AP Statistics class was one of her most valuable high school classes. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prajiwaji Posted September 6, 2016 Author Share Posted September 6, 2016 My daughter took that class with Carole Matheny a number of years ago. It was an excellent class that prepared her well for the AP exam. My daughter has since graduated from college; she has said that the AP Statistics class was one of her most valuable high school classes. Regards, Kareni Oh awesome! It's only been a week so far, but I can tell she's very good. I like the way the class is structured too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 Oh awesome! It's only been a week so far, but I can tell she's very good. I like the way the class is structured too. I wish you well with the AP Statistics class and with all of your senior year classes. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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