Needing help choosing Math for 8th grader...

[hisacorn]

My rising 8th grader does well with Math. Not genius, but not average. We did Horizons Math until last year when he did Saxon 8/7.

 

Around January, he started taking f o r e v e r  to do math. Like, sometimes 4 hours. It was TORTUROUS for us both. I partly feel this was/is an age thing. I also believe I didn't make school in general pleasant enough. {Let me say that I'm not a "school and everything in life must be fun" sort of gal. I believe there is a balance.} It helped a LOT when I started sitting with him and actually doing the lessons with him.

 

Also a little background: I am spread sorta thin with homeschooling, my mom who has Alzheimer's, and a few other things.

Today I spoke with him about Saxon and he said it's okay, he just really loathes the long lessons, meaning the reading/dvd part. {We used the Saxon Teacher dvds.} He said he understands it okay and when he doesn't it's usually his fault. Gotta love his honesty! :) He does not know what he wants to do in life at this point other than join the Marine Corps and/or be a professional skateboarder! {Mama is hoping for something a bit more...safe! ;) }

 

I REALLY want to choose a curriculum that I can stick with from now {pre-algebra} until he graduates from high school.

Here is what I'm thinking:

 

1. Saxon: Just keep swimming. Perhaps doing only odd/even mixed practice problems. I have all the books, but recently found out that I need to have the editions "line up". So I will still have to buy a majority of the books/dvds throughout high school.

 

2. Teaching Textbooks: I have all of it from pre-alg through pre-calc. My daughter did it. She liked it; she is not a Math gal. She liked how it was organized into chapters, whereas Saxon flits somewhat from subject to subjects. I have read horrible reviews of TT and just as many amazing reviews, and I'm talking about kids who are good/great in math. I just can't figure out the wide range of opinions!!!

 

3. I THINK I have Chalkdust pre-alg somewhere.... My second son liked that the best; he did Saxon, this one Chalkdust and then did TT. But this curriculum is EXPENSIVE!!!!! And that's an issue right now.

 

4. Life of Fred. Heard lots of great things. Some say it's complete, some say not.

 

I would LOVE and APPRECIATE  your thoughts on this!!!

 

Thanks so much!!!

 

 

[wapiti]

It's unclear from your post - did he finish Saxon 8/7?  If so, that would suffice for prealgebra you should be looking for algebra 1.

 

If you want to broaden your search beyond what you've mentioned above, there's a comprehensive math thread on the high school board and there's the old algebra fence straddlers thread from the logic board.  (If he was unsuccessful with 8/7, there was an old prealgebra fence straddler thread).

 

My usual favorites for algebra 1 would be Jacobs, Foerster, AoPS and Dolciani, depending on the student.

[hisacorn]

Yes, he has 2 more lessons in Saxon 8/7. I'm sorry not stating that. If I stick with Saxon, I was going to have him do Alg 1/2 for more practice then do Algebra 1 in 9th grade.

[wapiti]

I'm no Saxon expert (or even fan) but unless there was a problem with 8/7, my understanding is that algebra 1 comes next.  Repeating prealgebra sounds like a sure way to encourage even more footdragging.

[Jennay]

Since you already have TT, why not have him try a few lessons and see what he thinks?

My history loving DS,who is almost 13, is primarily using TT. He retains the information well and doesn't complain about watching the lectures and/or doing the work. He will not be going into a STEM related field, so for him TT is definitely enough.

He will do Pre-Calculus in 11th grade and hopefully take AP Statistics or Statistics at the local CC in 12th grade. He is motivated to do this and "be done with math."