Algebra after or instead of MEP 6

[Sherry in OH]

Ds is partway through MEP 6.  He finds it boring and easy.  Would you jump him into algebra for second semester or require him to finish the year?   

 

Either for this year (5th grade) or next year: Which algebra program would be the best fit for a boy who is good at math but does not love it?  

 

[SporkUK]

Taking a break from MEP was the best thing for mine. I find the later years in MEP primary a real grind and much is covered again better - at least for us - in the secondary section or other programmes. 

 

When my eldest was in a similar situation, good at maths but wanting less of it in his day, we switched to Maths Essentials. We did their Book 2 Middle School/High School maths [with bits from Book 1 thrown as they have few things not covered in and sometimes I would print worksheets in areas he needed more practice] as a way to make sure he had a firm grasp of everything before we moved to secondary level. It's worked really well. They have an algebra program that includes video instruction [moving away from me doing it was a lot of help to him] and follows a similar that you may want to look at. For a child that is good at maths I think it works well. 

[Farrar]

One of my boys did Math Mammoth for most of the early grades, then did MEP for a couple of years. We petered out in MEP 6. He was mostly... bored is the wrong word, but he wasn't loving MEP anymore. I didn't think he was quite ready for algebra and I didn't see any need to hurry. So I started him on Dolciani Pre-Algebra. We have skipped some things (I give a "pre-test" and then assign work based on that). Overall, I feel like Dolciani has been a good fit for him. He's also okay at math but doesn't love it. It's a nice balance between deep and challenging without being just plain hard.

[Sherry in OH]

Thanks, I will look at both of those programs.

 

 

[Kendall]

 I moved one child from 2/3 of the way through MEP 5, one after finishing MEP 5 and one from mid way through MEP 6. The two that were older (entering 8th and entering 9th) did Foerster Algebra I. The one who was near the end of 6th grade went to AoPS prealgebra.  She is currently in 7th and doing AoPS prealgebra, except that when we hit the AoPS chapter that taught equation solving I moved her to the Foerster algebra I book for the first 3 chapters.  We are about to move back to the AOPS Prealgebra text.  For a younger student I would strongly consider deepening their math skills rather than moving right on to algebra.  AOPS Prealgebra seems to be an excellent way to do this, but I am sure there are other ways.