Janeway Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 I am curious about CLE algebra and how it compares to Jacobs. Or even Foersters. Son picked Jacobs but after seeing some good reviews here, I am wondering if it might be worth doing CLE instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Have you ever used CLE before? CLE has a bit different scope and sequence. You might give the placement test and see how that goes. Are you only needing Algebra I? CLE Light Units only go through Algebra I. I love CLE but if this was never your main program honestly you would probably be better off with Forrester's or Jacobs. I own both and they are solid math programs, just a bit different. Not sure which one would fit your child better but the used texts can usually be acquired pretty cheaply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 Have you ever used CLE before? CLE has a bit different scope and sequence. You might give the placement test and see how that goes. Are you only needing Algebra I? CLE Light Units only go through Algebra I. I love CLE but if this was never your main program honestly you would probably be better off with Forrester's or Jacobs. I own both and they are solid math programs, just a bit different. Not sure which one would fit your child better but the used texts can usually be acquired pretty cheaply. I already own Jacob's and Foersters. But yes, we have never used CLE. I thought the workbook format might be a bit more friendly than what we use now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Have you ever used CLE before? CLE has a bit different scope and sequence. You might give the placement test and see how that goes. Are you only needing Algebra I? CLE Light Units only go through Algebra I. I love CLE but if this was never your main program honestly you would probably be better off with Forrester's or Jacobs. I own both and they are solid math programs, just a bit different. Not sure which one would fit your child better but the used texts can usually be acquired pretty cheaply. I love CLE, but since it only goes through Algebra I, I don't know if it's worth switching from the others for only one year for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I personally found the explanations in Jacobs to be sparse. I think that the problems sets build upon themselves in a really clever way, and get the student to really understand the why behind what they are doing. If you yourself can teach each lesson with only one or two examples in the book, then Jacob's is a great program. We did not feel the love however because of the sparse explanations and very few worked examples. I wouldn't go with CLE because of the unusual scope and sequence. If you already have Jacob's and Foerster's I would instead look for a DVD or CD program to teach them day by day. I know Foerster's has one (I think it's Math without Borders) but I'm not sure anyone is using Jacob's. Foerster's is busier but has a lot more explanations and worked examples. If you still feel somewhat lost you may want to consider turning to Saxon with the DIVE CD's.. My son is doing really well in Algebra 2 after a harrowing year of using AOPS. Saxon, uses the classical approach, teaching very little conceptual and problems solving in the earlier years, and more and more as the program goes on. So Actually in Alg 2 which includes Geometry, my son is getting a lot of word problems and conceptual thinking and he does not feel at all confused or overwhelmed. It is easy for me to grade and the DIVE Cd's are great- they are enjoyable to listen to. He has a pleasant voice and demeanor and does a great job of making explanations. When you grade Saxon, there is a little number next to each problem so you can go back and re=learn a concept if the student is really lost. It is extremely user friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 It doesn't cost much to try out CLE, I guess. Give the placement test for sure then if Algebra I is where you're child places just do two light units and see how they do. The first light unit is usually review so you might be able to skip that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 We love CLE Algebra, but we've used CLE since 3rd grade. One of my twins took Algebra online last year and it wasn't a good fit. I'm having her do CLE with us this year and she's expressed several times that she wishes she would have just stuck with CLE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 I enjoy teaching the math and have no trouble through algebra two so far. And I use different publishers for each level. I am planning to use Jacobs for algebra one, Jurgensons for geometry, then Foersters for algebra two, then DO for preCal and calculus. I guess I thought CLE much just be an interesting alternative. I am not looking to outsource the teaching at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 I understand the biggest difference to be that CLE is spiral/incremental. (I used it in elementary, but have not used Algebra.) The concepts will be broken down into small pieces, so instead of a whole chapter on say...graphing, there will be a bit of graphing taught every 10 or so lessons. There is also a lot of review in each lesson. If you try it, please report back. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how it compares to other programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 Spiral is the key. If that does not work, it will be a problem for your student. My friend tried it for both of her high school girls and they had to switch. Her husband, a high school algebra 2 teacher said that he is really not fond of spiral methods at that level because the bite sizes are so small that it can take an exceptionally long time for a student to encounter enough practice to become solid on a concept. So definitely consider your child's learning style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 If you already have Jacob's and Foerster's I would instead look for a DVD or CD program to teach them day by day. I know Foerster's has one (I think it's Math without Borders) but I'm not sure anyone is using Jacob's. I know the OP isn't looking for it, but I wanted to chime in to say that askdrcallahan has videos, an answer key, a teacher guide, and a syllabus for Jacobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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