Key to Algebra questions

[Gwenny]

I just ordered the Key to Algebra series for my daughter but have yet to receive it.  She's a 9th grader in public school this year and is not doing well at all in algebra and I'm hoping this will help her.  They have no text book, only handouts, and that method is not working for her.  She has a strong foundation in math and used many years of CLE, but as soon as a problem has a letter in it, she assumes she can't solve it. 

 

- How long does it take to get through the series, assuming it's worked on daily (including weekends)?  I'd really love for her to get ahead of where they are teaching in school so that what the teacher goes over is just review or more in depth on a topic she at least has some familiarity with.  She does not seem to grasp ANY of the math when it is gone over in class.  Only when she comes home and then works on it with me does she seem to understand it at all.  It's almost like she wasn't even in class.  I think she figures it's too hard, and just zones out.  

 

- Can they be used out of order?  I have a college Algebra book that I'm using to catch myself up on Algebra, but her teacher seems to have a very scattered approach to what topics he teaches.  One week they are doing what I'd expect for the beginning of algebra, and the next they are on topics not touched on until the end of the book I'm using.  Right now they are doing radicals and it looks like that isn't until a later Key to Algebra book.  Can I skip around, or they build on one another?

 

I'm hoping she'll want to homeschool again next year, because I feel like I still am.

 

 

[Calm37]

I have used Key to Algebra, but cannot answer as to how long, etc. I would not take them out of order, however. If you have a subject like radicals that you need to work on, I would search for that on Khan Academy. I just went through a College Algebra course that used Khan Academy, and I liked their explanations a lot. It reminded me of the teaching in MUS.

[cuckoomamma]

Yes, you can definitely use them out of order.  I can't tell you how long it will take as I used them with one who was an accelerated learner and have used them as supplements when teaching our second dd and other students.  

 

Your dd may just need a lot of repetition and confidence building.  If your dd has difficulty with solving equations, there is an inexpensive book called Algebra Antics which I've found to be really helpful for practice.  You can find it on amazon or Mindware, I believe.  They break each puzzle down by the skills addressed.  

[Zoo Keeper]

Keys to Algebra can be used out of order--the books are topical, not strictly sequential.  They have been very helpful to pull out when one of mine was stuck and needed a different explanation or more practice. 

 

I don't have a time frame or schedule for finishing the series; we have used them to supplement at various times.

[bensonduck]

Each book has about 37 pages.  Some of the early pages in each book are super easy and could be done in 5 minutes.  As it builds, some of the later pages in each book have many problems that take a while to solve.  It really depends on how long she wants to work on it each day.  I would guess for most kids, 20-30 minutes per day would get you through at least a book a month and maybe even more.