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Jacobs Algebra or Key To Algebra?


Coco_Clark
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My son (11) completed Beast Academy 3-5. He tried AOPS pre-al. It was too hard. He tried Armadillos. He didn't hate it, but he didn't love it.  He's not a writer so it's just not a great fit.  We've done quite a bit of Khan review but he honestly doesn't need it.

I hate juggling multiple programs and he honestly hates the lack of focus.  I wonder if we should just start Algebra.  

So. Jacobs.  Is this a good first algebra program? Do you think Beast is enough prep for it?  Is there an entry test I'm not finding?  What do you really need to be Algebra ready?

All the same questions for Key To.

I'm not necessarily needing an Algebra 1 check off.  We will do Algebra 1 later most likely.  Right now I need a bridge.

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About the 1/3 of Jacobs is pre-algebra, so there is no problem starting with that. My son actually is nearly done with AOPS pre-A, but we are diverting to work through Jacobs Mathematics: A Human Endeavor before we move on to Algebra because we have time to explore other math.

 

 

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I want to share with you that I have 3 favorite algebra programs. BUT, I will say I generally have my children get a head start by doing the first few Keys to Algebra books. My 3 favorites are as follows....with a small description so you can choose. I think they are all equal in quality but different in presentation.

 

1) Dolciani...loved this. I just get the edition that Wilson Hill Academy used to use and Derek Owen's uses. I love the clean look of the pages. Every single problem is well explained with good examples. This one is my favorite obviously. But the others are just as good and some people will definitely prefer the others. You can see samples online of the pages.

 

2) Jacob's Algebra ...each lesson starts out with a small one picture comic basically. It is a little bit wordy in that it explains a real life situation and then gets in to the problem solving. The explanations on how to solve the problems are wonderful. I felt I learned division of polynomials in a much clearer way from this book. The exercises are broken down in a way that is is very easy to figure out what to assign. The teacher's guide, which is more of an answer key, gives just enough explanation as to what to do. It has a little bit of a discovery component. This program might be the best pick for someone who liked BA.

 

3) Forester's Algebra.....my least favorite of these three (but still in my top 3 of all programs I have reviewed) but stays on here just because it is still an excellent book so I still own it. I felt it went on too long giving too may explanations to everything. It is very thorough in explaining stuff. Some people think it is "the best" but it really is no more complete than the first two books I listed. It is still an excellent choice.

 

Hope that helps!

Edited by Janeway
missing #3 name
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23 minutes ago, Janeway said:

I want to share with you that I have 3 favorite algebra programs. BUT, I will say I generally have my children get a head start by doing the first few Keys to Algebra books. My 3 favorites are as follows....with a small description so you can choose. I think they are all equal in quality but different in presentation.

 

1) Dolciani...loved this. I just get the edition that Wilson Hill Academy used to use and Derek Owen's uses. I love the clean look of the pages. Every single problem is well explained with good examples. This one is my favorite obviously. But the others are just as good and some people will definitely prefer the others. You can see samples online of the pages.

 

2) Jacob's Algebra ...each lesson starts out with a small one picture comic basically. It is a little bit wordy in that it explains a real life situation and then gets in to the problem solving. The explanations on how to solve the problems are wonderful. I felt I learned division of polynomials in a much clearer way from this book. The exercises are broken down in a way that is is very easy to figure out what to assign. The teacher's guide, which is more of an answer key, gives just enough explanation as to what to do. It has a little bit of a discovery component. This program might be the best pick for someone who liked BA.

 

3) My least favorite of these three (but still in my top 3 of all programs I have reviewed) but stays on here just because it is still an excellent book so I still own it. I felt it went on too long giving too may explanations to everything. It is very thorough in explaining stuff. Some people think it is "the best" but it really is no more complete than the first two books I listed. It is still an excellent choice.

 

Hope that helps!

Thanks so much for this. I have a couple questions, though. First, which is #3 about? And, the TG that you reference in Jacob's Algebra-is it the newer one for the blue book that Masterbooks puts out? Or is it the older one with the lizzards? Thanks!

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2 hours ago, Janeway said:

I want to share with you that I have 3 favorite algebra programs. BUT, I will say I generally have my children get a head start by doing the first few Keys to Algebra books. 

 

I love the idea of doing just a few of the Key to Algebra books.  Especially since we really only have half a year left in the school year.  But since each is a different topic (?) I wasnt sure which ones would be best and got decision paralized.  

How far in do you go before moving on?  Say, in order to start Jacobs?  He did Miquon and then Beast so discovery is right up his alley.

Edited by Coco_Clark
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6 hours ago, Coco_Clark said:

 

I love the idea of doing just a few of the Key to Algebra books.  Especially since we really only have half a year left in the school year.  But since each is a different topic (?) I wasnt sure which ones would be best and got decision paralized.  

How far in do you go before moving on?  Say, in order to start Jacobs?  He did Miquon and then Beast so discovery is right up his alley.

Jacobs covers prealgebra. IF you want to wait on Jacob's until fall, then just work on maybe the first 4 to 6 books of Keys, whatever it takes to finish the year. The first book of Keys to is negative numbers. Also, I have found Keys to Fractions to be invaluable for algebra too as it goes over factors and such, in the form of fractions. Also, I plan to have my 14 yr old finish over the summer the last few Keys to books he did not finish previously before starting algebra 2 next year. My 17 yr old learns quickly and mastered algebra quickly. But, then I found later, some topics were not quite second hand for him so I had him do Keys to also. 

 

IF you want to do them concurrently, then just go ahead and start and do both simultaneously or just get 2-4 books in before you start Jacobs. The first book of keys to might feel like it moves slowly. But what I do is have 2-3 of those books going at the same time. So...it might look like this..first day you work from Keys to Algebra 1, and then second and third, from 1, and then on the 4th day, you might start 2, and the 5th day, do a little from 2 and a little from 1 and so on....And you do not need to finish any Keys to book to move on to the next one. I kept them in a standing up file folder and would use them throughout the year as we did algebra for review and also, there are times when the student gets stuck. SOME students seriously do better working through all topics on Keys to before it comes up in the regular algebra program you pick. It will depend on your child. I guess I would shoot for getting to the 4th book of Keys to, and then start Jacob's. Yes, it will be review...but practice is great and it will get your child familiar with the way Jacob's does things. And Algebra is one of the hardest courses of the high school maths so knowing it backward and forward will make the rest of his years much easier.

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On 1/17/2019 at 11:12 PM, Janeway said:

I want to share with you that I have 3 favorite algebra programs. BUT, I will say I generally have my children get a head start by doing the first few Keys to Algebra books. My 3 favorites are as follows....with a small description so you can choose. I think they are all equal in quality but different in presentation.

 

1) Dolciani...loved this. I just get the edition that Wilson Hill Academy used to use and Derek Owen's uses. I love the clean look of the pages. Every single problem is well explained with good examples. This one is my favorite obviously. But the others are just as good and some people will definitely prefer the others. You can see samples online of the pages.

 

2) Jacob's Algebra ...each lesson starts out with a small one picture comic basically. It is a little bit wordy in that it explains a real life situation and then gets in to the problem solving. The explanations on how to solve the problems are wonderful. I felt I learned division of polynomials in a much clearer way from this book. The exercises are broken down in a way that is is very easy to figure out what to assign. The teacher's guide, which is more of an answer key, gives just enough explanation as to what to do. It has a little bit of a discovery component. This program might be the best pick for someone who liked BA.

 

3) My least favorite of these three (but still in my top 3 of all programs I have reviewed) but stays on here just because it is still an excellent book so I still own it. I felt it went on too long giving too may explanations to everything. It is very thorough in explaining stuff. Some people think it is "the best" but it really is no more complete than the first two books I listed. It is still an excellent choice.

 

Hope that helps!

 

What is number 3?

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Jacobs has the algebra part of prealgebra in it but not the big review of arithmetic part.  If your son does not need another pass through arithmetic, then Jacobs would be appropriate.  I love Jacobs Algebra and highly recommend it.  Here is a blog post I wrote about it several years ago.

The Keys are good for reinforcement, but they aren't a complete algebra course and they emphasize procedures over concepts.  I would not use them as a main program, and I also would not use them as a "starter" program because I don't think it's appropriate to start with procedures.

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20 minutes ago, square_25 said:

Out of curiosity, what made AoPS pre-algebra too hard? 

Too hard was probably not a great way to put it.  Maybe too much?  

We did Beast together.  I read the comic to him, he did a worksheet or two.  The next day maybe he'd read it again to himself, and then do another worksheet or two.  Star problems were sometimes ok, but just as often we did them together. 

AOPS was online. The pacing was a bigger problem than the content. And it wasn't "fun like the comics" so he wasn't as motivated to do the hard work.  I could potentially have taught him using AOPS myself, but I looked around and ahead and realized that it's just not a great fit anymore.  This is not an advanced child and he's at a "get er done" stage with school so he can pursue his theatre and robotics and fantasy/mythology obsessions.

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Coco_Clark, your ds sounds so much like one of mine. He thrived with Miquon and Beast Academy. He tried JA but it didn't fit because he wasn't a great writer at that point. He couldn't do AoPS because it was overwhelming even though he liked math and math puzzles. He thrived with Jacob's. And I wish that instead of wandering about with things like Key to for awhile, that we had just started Jacob's.

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