Lial's or BJU math

[sixpence1978]

I need to change my DD's math program.  She has had a bit of a mish-mash up until this point:

BJU K5

Saxon 1,2, part of 3

CLE 200-500

Horizons 6

 

She is in 7th grade this year and I went ahead with our top pick of BJU Pre-algebra.  Well, needless to say that it it just too much too fast.  The content is very nice, but she is just in over her head.  I've been working along side her to account for adjusting to the change from workbook to textbook, so I know that isn't the entire issue.

 

So now I'm trying to decide where to go next.  I could just drop her back down to BJU 7th grade (Fundamentals of Math) and have no problem doing that.  But I was also wondering about her placement in Lial's instead.  I'm very strong in math and have no problem teaching it.  She is what I would consider an average math student.  She does really well with calculations, but concepts are a bit harder for her.

 

Returning to either CLE or Saxon are out as well.

[Jann in TX]

I would place her in Lial's Basic College Math this year-- then she could do Lial Pre-Algebra next year-- placing her in Algebra 1 in 9th. 

BCM will give her brain time to mature while still making some progress conceptually.

 

 

 

 

[Peaceful Isle]

I would return the BJU prealgebra if you still can, and go with BJU Fundamentals in Math. BJU prealgebra is an eighth grade course. My daughter took it last year and it was very intense but a really strong math course. She is about to start BJU algebra 1 next week.

 

There are other options that might work for you. Math U See prealgebra might work great for your seventh grader. It is light and sometimes called pre pre algebra by some, but others think it is quite enough. Teaching textbooks prealgebra might work as well.

 

Good luck on your descision !

[sixpence1978]

It's too bad that you can't find any samples to Lial's anywhere online.  That would make my decision much easier.

 

Forgot to mention that unfortunately she doesn't like TT either.  Last year, using Horizons 6, we realized that she does do a lot better when concepts are presented in more of a chapter format (which Horizons 4-6 surprisingly does).  Unfortunately, she wasn't very challenged by Horizons 6, having covered most of it in CLE 500.  But the extra review for that year was beneficial.

 

Because of that, we decided to go ahead and bump up to a pre-algebra course, figuring that she was ready.  Unfortunately, BJU just presents too many new things too quickly.  For example, our last lesson was about exponents, but then went on to combining exponents in multiplication and division (2^5 * 2^4 = 2^9).  Not only that, but they also expected you to do it with variables.  She could pick up on that sort of teaching, just not all in one lesson.  It would have been better stretched out over 2-3 lessons for her.  I tried splitting it up, but the practice problems for that day were impossible to split up accordingly.

 

I don't necessarily have a problem with her waiting on pre-algebra until 8th and doing algebra in 9th.  But I also think a less rigorous (or at least more step-by-step) pre-algebra, might also work well since we have been solidifying basic math for the past 2 years.

[Janeway]

Did she finish Horizon's 6?

 

Because my son completed all of Horizon's 6 and then did a little bit of Horizon's pre algebra, but I did not like their preA. We left preA after a few months and went straight in to Foerster's Algebra and did fine. He has now completed Foerster's Algebra 1, Jurgenson's geometry, and is on chapter 5 of Foerster's Algebra 2.

 

I like Foerster's, but I think I am going to use Jacob's with my next one. I have used it before and my next one is more of an average student.

[sixpence1978]

Yes, she did finish Horizons 6 with very few issues.