Accelerated math student question crazy check re: Algebra 2

[MamaSprout]

For a somewhat advanced student, would it make sense to teach Algebra 2 with a Precalculus book? She's a big picture learner, and Algebra 2 is more incremental. She'd still do "Precalculus" with a more advanced book (or Elements of Mathmatics). We've had several light bulb moments when she works through a section in the precalculus book, "Oh, that's what they are getting at...") because the precalc is assuming some review and covers 3-4 days worth of algebra 2 material in a day. She likes EMF (roughly based on the old SMSG texts) and has been finishing the beginning courses in 3-4 weeks each easily working on it in short stints 3-4 days a week.

She's done roughly the first half of Smith and the first five chapters of Dolciani. We'd still use the word problems from Dolciani.

Edited November 12, 2018 by MamaSprout

[Gil]

I don't know what EMF is, nor do I know who Smith is. But depending on the author/publisher, there is probably a whole lot of over lap between Algebra 2 and Precalculus. So I don't think there will be a problem, but depending on how much Algebra she's had, just be open to revisiting an Algebra 2 book which, in theory, will provide more explanation and explicit examples with each concept she's going to encounter in the precalculus text.

From what I've seen of standard textbooks, Precalculus is usually similar to PreAlgebra, in that it's widely needed as a stop-gap to pause and try to compensate for the shoddy job done teaching and firming the prerequisite material that wasn't mastered, taught well or at all at a lower level.

[MamaSprout]

Thanks. I always have her look in other texts when something isn't clear, which is how we ended up in a precalculus book initially.

Our goal for this year in math is for her to transition to much more independence, showing work even when it is "obvious" etc, so the layout of the text has been really important to her. She really learns best by reading/ doing.

Smith = Standard Algebra 2 book with nice layout and good explanations.

EMF= https://www.elementsofmathematics.com/

 

[kiana]

She's ahead. If she starts to get bogged down you can always go back to the algebra 2 book. You won't miss any topic coverage; the precalculus text tends to start functions earlier and incorporate them more thoroughly, but if she's mentally ready for that leap there's no reason to hold back. 

[Xahm]

If you do it in a well thought-out way, I think it would work. In school we did this the head-on painful way as we were in the accelerated math program, but the teacher switched over the summer and the new teacher had a different vision of how things should work than the original plan. I think my first test grade was a thirteen percent. In the end, it was a good lesson about how to care more about learning than grades and perfection and we did end up learning everything, but I think at minimum it would have helped if at minimum we'd had more time for those first few chapters. (The teacher did end up manipulating grades at the end of the year so that we wouldn't be kicked out of the school where we had to maintain a "B" average.)