Which algebra do you love and why?

[Janeway]

I would love to hear what everyone loves for algebra 1 and why. Thanks!!!

[EKS]

Jacobs.  The problem sets are brilliant--guided discovery of the best sort.

[regentrude]

AoPS. For many reasons:

1. The JOY that radiates from each page. YOu can feel the author's excitement about the wonderful puzzles he poses, and this excitement is contagious.

2. The thinking required. No two problems are alike. There is no rote drill; fro every single execise, the student has to think how to apply the concept. It is impossible to skate by through memorization of algorithms.

3. The verbal explanations of concepts. Many times, DH would browse in the book and exclaim "I would have explained it exactly like this!". The book is write to the student and meant to be used without ateacher; thus, every word a good teacher would say in class is there on the page.

4. The depth of coverage and the level of problem solving. Did I mention this book gets you to THINK?

5. The discovery method. But the other points are far more important to me.

Edited September 10, 2016 by regentrude

[Momto6inIN]

We are big fans of Video Text.

 

Pros:

Concepts are clearly explained - I wish I'd learned math this way! I don't have to teach it, just listen (and learn!) along with them. It has been good for both my mathy and my non-mathy DSs. Lots of word problems, but they're approached very incrementally so they're not overwhelming. Step by step instruction that includes the "why" behind the process.

 

Cons:

It's pretty dated. And the scope and sequence is not typical, although it covers both Alg I and II. Pricey (but again, it covers 2 credits).

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm also really enjoying VideoText Algebra.  I love the conceptual explanations of exactly what is going on, and what it means. I like the slightly untypical S&S, I think that it does a great job building concepts incrementally in the logical order, as determined by a mathmetician/math teacher, rather than a textbook or curriculum committee. I like the clear continuity through all Algebra concepts rather than the arbitrary divide between Alg 1 & Alg 2 (with a year in between, requiring a bunch of review at the beginning of Alg 2). I love that you can adjust the pace and the amount of practice based on what the student needs, easily.

 

I don't mind the kind of 80s/90s hair and clothing of the presenters, we actually like all 3 of them. While the presentation is also a little 90-ish -blue background, power point-ish, not the fancy writeboards you see in recently made videos, but again, that doesn't bug me. The math isn't out of date, after all!

 

The only thing that bugs me is the kind of complicated numbering scheme for the lessons that can make it a little hard to keep track of where you are, and it's kind of annoying to have to toggle around between multiple pdfs to find what you are looking for (we're doing the online version) but after a few weeks I figured it out and it's working fine now.

 

ETA: I also like being able to work together with dd - side by side - as opposed to trying to keep ahead of her and teach her the lessons.  She prefers that too - we are discussion & learning partners. She liked self-teaching from a book, but it was hard to find one at the correct sweet spot to make that possible.

Edited September 10, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Sunshine State Sue]

Here is my review of Foerster's Algebra 1.

 

We used Foerster’s Algebra in 8^th grade after completing MUS Algebra (easy) and LoF Algebra (challenging).  With 20/20 hindsight, I wish I had done something different for 7^th grade, perhaps MUS Algebra and Patty Paper Geometry.  I was able to obtain the 1999 student book and 1999 teacher book used.  I purchased the solutions manual new through Prentice Hall.

 

Pros:

• Clear, easy to understand explanations
• Explicit, step-by-step working through problems
• Sufficient practice and continual review of concepts
• Clear building upon and relationships between concepts
• Explicit demonstration of how to apply concepts to word problems
• Challenging, real-life word problems
• Solutions manual provides worked out solutions for every problem
• Solid preparation for ACT/SAT, sciences, college level math
• Amusing names in many word problems:  Moe Delaune, Mary Thon, Fran Tick, etc.
• Math Without Borders DVDs available

 

Cons:

• None

 

Here is an example from Foerster’s Chapter 6 on the Quadratic Formula:

In Foerster's Chapter 6 they teach the quadratic formula. That's

x = [-b +- sqrt(b2-4ac)]/2a

(not easy to type here)
Within this chapter, they teach the vertical motion formula: d = rt - 5t(squared)
They have a section with 12 problems. The TM says to take 2 days to do these problems, but only do 3 problems a day. Here is the first one:
Football problem - A football is kicked into the air with an initial upward velocity of 25 meters per second (m/sec).
a. Calculate it's height after 2 seconds; 3 seconds
b. When will it be 20 meters above the ground?
c. Copy the diagram. Show the answers to part (a) in relationship to the 20 meters of part b.
d. When will the ball hit the ground?

 

We used 1999 student and teacher text. The solution manual was from the publisher and it had no date on it.  It worked fine.

 

student 020132458X

teacher 0201324598

solution 0201861003

 

FWIW - I have a degree in math and ds is math-oriented.

[Ms Brooks]

Here is my review of Foerster's Algebra 1.

 

We used Foerster’s Algebra in 8^th grade after completing MUS Algebra (easy) and LoF Algebra (challenging).  With 20/20 hindsight, I wish I had done something different for 7^th grade, perhaps MUS Algebra and Patty Paper Geometry.  I was able to obtain the 1999 student book and 1999 teacher book used.  I purchased the solutions manual new through Prentice Hall.

 

Pros:

• Clear, easy to understand explanations
• Explicit, step-by-step working through problems
• Sufficient practice and continual review of concepts
• Clear building upon and relationships between concepts
• Explicit demonstration of how to apply concepts to word problems
• Challenging, real-life word problems
• Solutions manual provides worked out solutions for every problem
• Solid preparation for ACT/SAT, sciences, college level math
• Amusing names in many word problems:  Moe Delaune, Mary Thon, Fran Tick, etc.
• Math Without Borders DVDs available

 

Cons:

• None

 

Here is an example from Foerster’s Chapter 6 on the Quadratic Formula:

In Foerster's Chapter 6 they teach the quadratic formula. That's

x = [-b +- sqrt(b2-4ac)]/2a

(not easy to type here)

Within this chapter, they teach the vertical motion formula: d = rt - 5t(squared)

They have a section with 12 problems. The TM says to take 2 days to do these problems, but only do 3 problems a day. Here is the first one:

Football problem - A football is kicked into the air with an initial upward velocity of 25 meters per second (m/sec).

a. Calculate it's height after 2 seconds; 3 seconds

b. When will it be 20 meters above the ground?

c. Copy the diagram. Show the answers to part (a) in relationship to the 20 meters of part b.

d. When will the ball hit the ground?

 

We used 1999 student and teacher text. The solution manual was from the publisher and it had no date on it.  It worked fine.

 

student 020132458X

teacher 0201324598

solution 0201861003

 

FWIW - I have a degree in math and ds is math-oriented.

 

I agree with Sue's review. After using Singapore New Dimensions Math last year with my 7th grader--what a struggle--Foerster's Algebra 1 is easy, straightforward, and gets done with fewer mistakes. I also bought Math Without Borders thumb drive to help if DD needed more help, and it has worked solutions to the even problems. 

[Vida Winter]

I love the older Saxon series of Algebra books  [Alg 1 through Advanced Math - all with integrated geometry]. It helped one of my kids a great deal and she's thriving in Algebra 2 as a result. Excellent for kids who need a lot of practice.

 

With another child, Derek Owens was a hit. However, DO was a disaster for the one who is thriving with Saxon.

[JanetC]

One child did Life of Fred, one child did AOPS. Each used a curriculum that was well-matched to the particular student.

 

There is no "single best." It's about what works for your situation.

[brookspr]

One child did Life of Fred, one child did AOPS. Each used a curriculum that was well-matched to the particular student.

 

There is no "single best." It's about what works for your situation.

 

Yes, this exactly. We tried Saxon for a year and both kids hated it, although it came highly recommended by a close friend who's daughter did well with it. We moved to AoPS and both kids are enjoying it, math not being their favorite subject but something they know they need to do. My daughter has been able to work her way through Adv. Algebra and 1/2 of PreCalc on her own. My son needs a little more help working through the lessons, but has done well through the middle of Adv. Algebra.

 

I can tell you they did not like the repetitive nature of Saxon. Both felt like they were doing the same work over and over while adding on new lessons on top of that. I know that's what the curriculum intends (I think they called it spiral learning?) so they don't forget how to solve problems from the previous lessons. However, I think that AoPS does a better job of teaching the "why" of how to solve a problem so you don't need all that repetition to get an answer to a problem you learned to solve four chapters ago. You aren't simply remembering how, you understand how to deconstruct the problem and figure it out the solution.

 

We started AoPS with pre-Algebra and have worked thru Algebra, Geometry, Adv. Algebra and some Pre-Calc and will most likely also use their Probability and Statistics next year with our oldest. There are online options for classes as well and other support on their website, but we pretty much just do everything at home at our own pace.

[FriedClams]

Saxon with Art Reed. Lots of practice, deeper than it seems, solid. I know it's not popular, but we love it.

[Free Indeed]

Saxon- with some Life of Fred for different application process. Fred doesn't teach us thoroughly, but is great for approaching it differently after we know how to solve it.

[My3girls]

Here is my review of Foerster's Algebra 1.

 

We used Foerster’s Algebra in 8^th grade after completing MUS Algebra (easy) and LoF Algebra (challenging).  With 20/20 hindsight, I wish I had done something different for 7^th grade, perhaps MUS Algebra and Patty Paper Geometry.  I was able to obtain the 1999 student book and 1999 teacher book used.  I purchased the solutions manual new through Prentice Hall.

 

Pros:

• Clear, easy to understand explanations
• Explicit, step-by-step working through problems
• Sufficient practice and continual review of concepts
• Clear building upon and relationships between concepts
• Explicit demonstration of how to apply concepts to word problems
• Challenging, real-life word problems
• Solutions manual provides worked out solutions for every problem
• Solid preparation for ACT/SAT, sciences, college level math
• Amusing names in many word problems:  Moe Delaune, Mary Thon, Fran Tick, etc.
• Math Without Borders DVDs available

 

Cons:

• None

 

Here is an example from Foerster’s Chapter 6 on the Quadratic Formula:

In Foerster's Chapter 6 they teach the quadratic formula. That's

x = [-b +- sqrt(b2-4ac)]/2a

(not easy to type here)

Within this chapter, they teach the vertical motion formula: d = rt - 5t(squared)

They have a section with 12 problems. The TM says to take 2 days to do these problems, but only do 3 problems a day. Here is the first one:

Football problem - A football is kicked into the air with an initial upward velocity of 25 meters per second (m/sec).

a. Calculate it's height after 2 seconds; 3 seconds

b. When will it be 20 meters above the ground?

c. Copy the diagram. Show the answers to part (a) in relationship to the 20 meters of part b.

d. When will the ball hit the ground?

 

We used 1999 student and teacher text. The solution manual was from the publisher and it had no date on it.  It worked fine.

 

student 020132458X

teacher 0201324598

solution 0201861003

 

FWIW - I have a degree in math and ds is math-oriented.

 

This is what we are using this year, and after using AoPS Pre-A for the last 1.5 years, it is a breath of fresh air!  Simple, straight forward, and thorough.

Edited September 12, 2016 by My3girls