Consumer Math or Get it Done Algebra?

[Closeacademy]

My daughter is not going to college after high school. If she does go it will be when she is older probably mid-20s and at that time she would need to review everything anyway.  So we are looking for a high school math that is basically life skills math. You know making sure you got paid the right amount, balancing your checkbook, paying your bills, figuring out the price of something on sale,etc. Something that is a book form where she can just do the next page sort of format. Not a lot of bells and whistles just sort of the here's how to do the problem and some problems to do.  Since we have 3 years left, we will probably will want a similar algebra book or combined algebra/geometry book. I do need a solutions and answer guide though to make sure it's all getting done correctly. 

Any ideas?

[cbollin]

You might want to browse the catalog over at wiesereducational dot com  They carry a lot of things for those doing more of a life skills track.   With my youngest who has intellectual and developmental challenges, we found a way to still do a basic algebra and geometry and then practical math/life skills stuff.  I can't imagine how traditional academics in college could be part of her life. 

[Closeacademy]

Thanks. Not quite what we are looking for.

I did find Chenier's Practical Math Set which comes with a dictionary but looks a bit more advanced and more like the math you would want for a job-site.

Also Real Life Math--which looks really interesting and possibly what we will go with since it does have algebra & geometry included in the multi-book set.

And Strayer Upton Practical Arithmetic Series at least the last 2 books would be helpful. Lots of practical everyday types of math like managing a budget, figuring out how to price things, etc. I know it's listed at elementary level but I think it might be a good starting point before working with something more difficult. 

Just wanted to put this out there for anyone else who may have a student who struggles with math but at least needs basic life-skills math. A lot of these would be great for someone going into a trade. 

[Lori D.]

RE: ALGEBRA & GEOMETRY
Keys to Algebra and Keys to Geometry might work for when you get to those Math topics. Both programs show the concepts from a variety of angles to help make connections for math strugglers. However, neither includes practical everyday types of math.

Life of Fred -- Pre-High School Math and Beginning Algebra might be a little closer to what you want. These have the student use the math concepts in solving real world types of problems. There are 4 Pre-High School Math programs; the Pre-Alegra 2 with Economics involves real-life business and monetary problems.
_______________________

RE: CONSUMER MATH
I am copy/pasting Consumer Math & Personal Finance ideas from a previous post:

Consumer Math programs (all are 1-year / 1-credit)
- Abeka's Consumer Math (Christian) 
- AGS Consumer Math (Wieser Education -- Pearson published a revised version) (secular) 
- Alpha Omega Consumer Math (Christian)
- Bob Jones Consumer Math (Christian)
- Math-U-See Stewardship (Christian)
- Walch Publishing: Consumer Math (Power Basics series) (secular)

FREE Consumer Math supplemental resources
- Math & You (Ron Larson) (secular) -- 1 semester; free text with consumer math topics mixed with other topics
- Money Instructor: Spending Money and Consumer Math (lessons) (secular)
- Math Central, U Regina CA: grade 10 Consumer Math (projects, problems, etc.) (secular)
- Summit High School, Mr. Fisher: Consumer Math & Personal Finance (4 downloadable workbooks) (secular)
- IOHS: Weebly: Consumer Math (131-page workbook of consumer math -- exercise sets only) (secular)
- Beatrice Schools: Consumer Math (printable worksheets) (secular)

ALEKS Business Math
- Mathematic Foundations (Whole Numbers, Fractions, Decimals, Solving for the Unknown, Business Statistics)
- Percents and Their Applications (Discounts: Trade and Cash, Markups and Markdowns, Payroll, Sales, Excise, and Property Tax, Interest, Promissory Notes, Simple Discount Notes, and the Discount Process, Compound Interest and Present Value, Annuities and Sinking Funds, Installment Buying, Rule of 78, and Revolving Charge Credit Cards)
- Personal Finance (Banking, Cost of Home Ownership, Life-Fire-Auto Insurance, Stocks-Bonds-Mutual Funds)
- Business Finance (How to Read, Analyze, and Interpret Financial Reports, Depreciation, Inventory and Overhead)
- Other Topics Available (Chain discounts: Single equivalent discount rate Employer tax responsibilities, Actual sales before taxes, Making partial note payments before due date, Annuity due, Paying off installment loans before due date, Sum-of-the-years'-digits depreciation)

Personal Finance Supplements
- My Father's World: Personal Finance Elective (Christian) -- uses Money Matters for Teens (Burkett), Money, Possessions & Eternity (Alcorn) and has lesson plans
- Dave Ramsey Foundations in Personal Finance (DVD lectures & workbook)
- Larry Burkett's Money Matters for Teens

FREE Personal Finance resources
- The Actuarial Foundation: Building Your Future (secular) --downloadable, 4 units: Banking, Financing, Investing, Succeeding
- NWT Literacy Council: Money Math (secular) -- downloadable workbook on Personal Finance, Saving Money, Consumer Math
- Money Skills (secular) -- FULL CURRICULUM: online reality-based personal finance high school program; there is also a middle school program

[Lori D.]

4 hours ago, Closeacademy said:

...Just wanted to put this out there for anyone else who may have a student who struggles with math but at least needs basic life-skills math. A lot of these would be great for someone going into a trade...

I'm linking the Blue Collar Homeschool website and Facebook group (created and run by WTMer Cindy LaJoy!) as another place to look for these types of resources.

Edited August 15, 2018 by Lori D.

[Closeacademy]

I looked at that Blue Collar Homeschool site for math and it has a lot of good information. 

 

I did try to search on this forum for this sort of math but nothing came up or at least it wasn't letting me search just the high school boards.

[Lori D.]

15 minutes ago, Closeacademy said:

I did try to search on this forum for this sort of math but nothing came up or at least it wasn't letting me search just the high school boards.

I have found that the search function has become increasingly difficult to use, and much less effective, with each progressive change and upgrade to these boards, so you're not alone. (:P

So far, the only way I've seen how to limit a search to a particular board, such as the high school board is to:
1. open a new window
2. click on the board you want to search (ex: high school board)
3. once you are in that specific board, type in your search words in the search box
4. a sub-menu should appear below the words you type into the search box to allow for broader/narrower searching:
- under the 1st heading ("search in") click on the option "this forum" -- that will limit the search to JUST the forum you are in
- under the 2nd heading ("find results that contain") choose between "ANY of the words" [broader search] or "ALL of the words" [narrower search] typed into the search box
- under the 3rd heading ("find results in") choose between "content titles & body" [broader search] or "contents titles only" [narrower search]

And... it still does not always pull up threads that I know exist -- older threads I can kind of understand, but it also sometimes seems to ignore new threads, too, even though I *know* the search words are contained in the thread. So, I try again with other search words, and try narrowing or broadening the search, etc. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. -- insert shrugging emoji --