Pre-A to Algebra question

[mirabillis]

Figuring out what to do for my 7th grader. (I'll cross-post this in High School too)

She'll finish Dolciani Pre-A by Christmas break. She won't start Algebra I until Fall (outsourced with Myhomeschoolmathclass - Jan in TX). So I have a semester to do what... ? She definitely needs reinforcement as math does not come naturally and we tirelessly work through Pre-A together - it doesn't come super easily. We are looking forward to this 'bonus' time to reinforce.

Should I find another Pre-A to go through for the remainder of the year? If yes, ideas?

Or should I start an Algebra program (could be Dolciani's Algebra) so she'll have a solid 1-1/2 years of Algebra under her belt?

Ideas? All my other older kids finished Pre-A at end of year, transitioning to Alg following year - so this 1/2 year finish is new territory for us.

Thanks!

[wendyroo]

17 minutes ago, mirabillis said:

Figuring out what to do for my 7th grader. (I'll cross-post this in High School too)

She'll finish Dolciani Pre-A by Christmas break. She won't start Algebra I until Fall (outsourced with Myhomeschoolmathclass - Jan in TX). So I have a semester to do what... ? She definitely needs reinforcement as math does not come naturally and we tirelessly work through Pre-A together - it doesn't come super easily. We are looking forward to this 'bonus' time to reinforce.

Should I find another Pre-A to go through for the remainder of the year? If yes, ideas?

Or should I start an Algebra program (could be Dolciani's Algebra) so she'll have a solid 1-1/2 years of Algebra under her belt?

Ideas? All my other older kids finished Pre-A at end of year, transitioning to Alg following year - so this 1/2 year finish is new territory for us.

Thanks!

If you think a bit more pre-algebra practice in a different format might help, then perhaps Jousting Armadillos.

Math Mammoth could offer:
 - The Pre-Algebra Skill Review Workbook
 - Workbooks focusing on particular pre-algebra topics
 - "Real Life" math worksheets that could be used as review

The Hands on Equations word problem book is a gentle introduction to Algebra. Or Zaccaro's Real World Algebra.

James Tanton's Exploding Dots curriculum is amazing. It does a DEEP dive into how numbers actually work. Plus it is a lot of fun!

Or you could just pick and choose topics from old University of Waterloo math circles. Each one would only take a day or two, but there are plenty to last a semester and they would keep her pre-algebra fresh, start to introduce some algebra topics, and touch on a lot of really interesting math concepts and applications. 

 

[Kareni]

I definitely wouldn't stop math for three quarters of a year.

One possibility might be to go through one or more of the three Life of Fred Pre-Algebra books.

Here is a link if you'd like to see more; there is Pre-Algebra with Physics, Biology, and Economics. You can see a sample lesson by using the link.

Regards,

Kareni

[mirabillis]

I didn't say I'd stop math. LOL! 🙂We're excited to either re-do Pre-A with another curriculum - or start Algebra now and then go as far as we can until we officially start Alg 1 with Jann...

Hey I see you lurking Jann in TX. What are your thoughts, since she'll start with Alg I in the Fall with you?

[SilverMoon]

Jousting Armadillos is fabulous alg prep and it can be completed in a few months. My 7th is using it this year. It's one of those think smarter not harder type of books, somewhere between traditional and AoPS level. 

The basic Hands on Equations set AND the verbal problems set would be useful too. (Don't skip the latter if you go this route.)

Patty Paper Geometry could be worth spending some time on too. 

The simpler Keys to Algebra could be useful for review. 

[Jann in TX]

On 12/4/2020 at 11:31 PM, mirabillis said:

Hey I see you lurking Jann in TX. What are your thoughts, since she'll start with Alg I in the Fall with you?

I think you have received some excellent suggestions.

I'm in the camp that it would be a great time to work on problem solving skills...If she likes to read then Life of Fred could be fun... keep the material to middle school level since she struggled a bit-- this will help her progress in application and gain confidence at the same time.

You could also work through select chapters of the Lial Pre-Algebra text together if she needs targeted reinforcement.

In spring or summer have her work through my Getting Ready for Algebra 1 Boot Camp.

[Sneezyone]

I have a 7th grader as well who is straddling and will start Alg.1 in the fall of 2021. He’s experiencing some serious puberty brain so we’ve bounced around doing selected review topics in pre-A and selected topics in Algebra 1. We are basically working to shore up anything that I think is weak (mostly showing work in an organized way and making the leap from integers and unknowns with the operations and properties he already knows). DS is a really literal thinker so this has not been an intuitive shift like it was for DD. We’re going to do more application problems in the spring.

[mom31257]

My very bright prealgebra students will finish the curriculum early, so I plan to add in some fun statistics and probability projects and include more work with linear functions, graphing, and transformations. 

[SoCal_Bear]

You might want to take a look at Jacobs' Mathematics: A Human Endeavor. I used it to delay the start of delay. You spend time in lots of interesting math topics. 

1. Mathematical Ways of Thinking - The Path of the Billiard Ball, More Billiard-Ball Mathematics, Inductive Reasoning: Finding and Extending Patterns, The Limitations of Inductive Reasoning, Deductive Reasoning: Mathematical Proof, Number Tricks and Deductive Reasoning

2. Number Sequences - Arithmetic Sequences, Geometric Sequences, The Binary Sequence, The Sequence of Squares, The Sequence of Cubes, Fibonacci Sequence

3. Functions and Their Graphs - The Idea of a Function, Descartes and the Coordinate Graph, Functions with Line Graphs, Functions with Parabolic Graphs, More Functions with Curved Graphs, Interpolation and Extrapolation: Guessing Between and Beyond

4. Large Numbers and Logarithms - Large Numbers, Scientific Notation, An Introduction to Logarithms, Decimal Logarithms, Logarithms and Scientific Notation, Exponential Functions

5. Symmetry and Regular Figures - Symmetry, Regular Polygons, Mathematical Mosaics, Regular Polyhedra, Pyramids and Prisms

6. Mathematical Curves - The Circle and the Ellipse, The Parabola, The Hyperbola, The Sine Curve, Spirals, The Cycloid

7. Methods of Counting - The Fundamental Counting Principle, Permutations, More on Permutations, Combinations

8. The Mathematics of Chance - Probability: The Measure of Chance, Dice Games and Probability, Probabilities of Successive Events, Binomial Probability, Pascal's Triangle, Independent and Dependent Events, The Birthday Problem: Complimentary Events

9. An Introduction to Statistics - Organizing Data: Frequency Distributions, The Breaking of Ciphers and Codes: An Application of Statistics, Measures of Central Tendency, Measures of Variability, Displaying Data: Statistical Graphs, Collecting Data: Sampling

10. Topics in Topology - The Mathematics of Distortion, The Seven Bridges of Konigsberg: An Introduction to Networks, Euler Paths, Trees, The Moebius Strip and Other Surfaces