Janeway Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Here is what happened..... Son got mostly done with Singapore Math 6B. Maybe about half way done. We went ahead and moved in to Jacob's algebra. Well, it is clear that either son is just not paying attention or something. We hit exponents and he keeps getting them wrong. Now I have gone back and said we just need to finish the Singapore Math book. Needless to say, he is upset. He would like to just work from Keys to Algebra. This is fine. I purchased them (I can still return them). I think if we work from Keys to Algebra while we work to finish the Singapore Math book, we will be fine to start Jacob's in another month or so. Does this seem like a reasonable solution? Or should I perhaps purchase a preAlgebra program and have him start with that? Things I am considering for PreA if I back up to that... AoPs, MUS, Dolciani, CLE, BJU, ABEKA (in otherwords, everything). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Exponents is a tough chapter in AoPS prealgebra book for many. It seems to be one of those topics that you either get it immediately or you have to let it simmer and be patient. Keys to algebra worked very well over summer for my younger who needed to build up speed. So he already knew the stuff but needed to be faster for timed tests. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 I wouldn't jettison everything for just one tough topic. I would continue working on exponents, figuring out WHY he is getting them wrong, while moving on. Unless, of course, you are seeing this with other pre-A topics. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 I also wouldn't dump your program because of one topic unless it's really multiple topics. I wouldn't switch to Key to, especially not with Jacobs. Jacobs is so much about the discovery aspect. Key to is so much about the explicit teaching in tiny steps. If it's really just this one thing and the discovery approach of Jacobs is usually great, then maybe doing Key to is a good option for this one topic. If the whole Jacobs approach is wrong for this kid, then I probably wouldn't do Key to as a primary program. I think it's good for reinforcing skills for a kid who is stuck or for a kid who needs a really broken down, clear approach. I don't think it's great for an average or advanced kid for a primary program. If you back up to preA, think about what he needs. Your options really are all over the map. Does he need accelerated or remedial in approach? Discovery or explicit teaching? Shallow overview or deep exploration? I mean, obviously a lot of it is in your teaching and most programs aren't one thing or the other, but it's hard for me to think of programs as different as MUS and AoPS. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted October 7, 2016 Share Posted October 7, 2016 Is it possible to sit with him and go back through all the exponent material in Jacobs so you can catch any fault reasoning that has to be remediated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicalmom1125 Posted October 7, 2016 Share Posted October 7, 2016 Sounds like a problem my oldest had with radicals in pre-algebra. He just could not get them We tried everything. There were many tears. We finally switched to a program that taught them later and by the time we got to them again he breezed through them. He just wasn't ready the first time. Maybe your son just needs time and doing Singapore 6B and Keys to Algebra for a while will let him get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 Which version of Singapore did you use? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 Which version of Singapore did you use? US Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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