Help with 7th grade math!

[daisylynn]

Let me preface this by saying this is a whole new world for me! I have 3 kids, but my oldest is a rising 7th grader. Right now, she's still working through 6A in MM. But she hates it. She is pretty good in math and she does her work well and efficiently. But she dreads it. We've used MM for many years, so I was thinking that it may be time for a change.

 

I will probably let her finish 6A/B with MM before moving her on. I may even use that an incentive to get her moving more quickly ;)

 

When I asked in the other forum, Dolciani, Lial's, AoPS were all mentioned and recommended that I maybe use for prealgebra. I had NEVER heard of those before. So, I'm starting to research.

 

I have a couple of queestions:

 

1-I am correct in letting her finish out 6A/B before moving her one, right? I mean, she needs those concepts before starting preA?

 

2-I am looking more towards Lial's. No reason really other than I've seen more things about it (positive) than the others. If I got the student book and the answer key is that all I would need? Are the instructions written into the student book? Is it teacher intensive? Here are the links to what I'm looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/Prealgebra-4th-Margaret-L-Lial/dp/0321567927?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0321567927&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=mathmammoth-20

https://www.amazon.com/Student-Solutions-Manual-Prealgebra-Margaret/dp/0321574788?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0321574788&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=mathmammoth-20

 

3-Does this sound like the right direction to be heading with her? I was looking at Math in Focus and think she would really love the colorful books and layout. But would this (Lial's or another) be the better way to go?

 

4-If I did do Lial's, would that be all that I need for a year? Is it a good, solid, stand along curriculum? Oh, and is it mastery?

 

This year has been a HUGE change for us. We switched to Sonlight for the first time and now looking at switching math too (Math in Focus for my 5th graders). Shew!

 

Thanks for the help!

Edited July 31, 2016 by daisylynn

[daisylynn]

Anyone??

[Heather in VA]

I'm probably not going to be a lot of help but I would try to find something to switch to now if she's so miserable. It sounds like she's doing what she's asked and it's not just a matter of her whining because she just doesn't want to do it. That can really start in jr. high and high school is just a joy LOL. But if she's good at math and being diligent but she's miserable, then it seems worth trying to find a way to make her less miserable. 

 

Lial's in an excellent book. It would be enough and get her ready for Algebra. I don't know much about Math in Focus as far as their scope. I would be sure whatever you pick now would be what you would stick with until you get to Algebra.