Math with a public school text

[silver]

If you're using a math textbook that isn't typically sold to homeschoolers, where do you get answer keys, assignments, tests, etc?

I've only done math using AoPS and Jacobs math, both of which are meant to have every problem done. Next year I'll be using Larson Calculus, and it's clear that not every problem is meant to be done. Even doing just the odds is a bit much. How do I find an example of a good amount of assignment? Would it be feasible to do it like I did Math Mammoth, where I had my kid just do enough problems from each subsection/type of problem to show ability?

It looks like there's worked solutions for odds on calcchat.com, so I don't need an answer key for this particular text. But what about quizzes/tests/exams? 

I'm feeling overwhelmed, not at my ability to teach the concepts of Calculus, but at my ability to organize a proper class from just the textbook. 

[8filltheheart]

Yes, you could definitely pull problems out to create a test.  If there is a test section or review section at the end of the chpt, you could use that as the test as well.

[EKS]

It used to be that it was easy to find instructor materials on the used market.  Unfortunately, in recent years it has become harder and harder to obtain these materials because publishers have moved to providing them as a pdf and you need to provide actual credentials.  But if you choose an older edition, you may still be able to find the instructor materials to go with it.  With regard to the Larson text specifically, there are instructor solution manuals available, at least there are for the 9th edition.  Here's a link to the first volume.

As for how to design the class--you can do whatever you want.  It is not necessary to give tests, but I do think it's important for students to learn how to prepare for them and take them.  To create a test, you can just select problems from the text that you think are representative of what a student should know after having studied the chapter.  Be sure to give partial credit when you do the grading.  I take off more points for conceptual errors than I do for arithmetic mistakes.  But if you're teaching to mastery, your student probably won't be making conceptual errors.  

The great thing about homeschooling is that you can do what works best for you and your student.  It's ok if that doesn't look like what is done in schools.

[MJlovesJesus]

2 hours ago, silver said:

How do I find an example of a good amount of assignment?

You could try Googling high school or college syllabi and seeing what teachers have assigned. Here's an example (from a quick Google Search): https://www.sphstigers.org/apps/classes/697222/assignments/

 

[silver]

2 hours ago, EKS said:

It used to be that it was easy to find instructor materials on the used market.  Unfortunately, in recent years it has become harder and harder to obtain these materials because publishers have moved to providing them as a pdf and you need to provide actual credentials.  But if you choose an older edition, you may still be able to find the instructor materials to go with it.  With regard to the Larson text specifically, there are instructor solution manuals available, at least there are for the 9th edition.  Here's a link to the first volume.

That's what I've found--it seems the teacher material for the current edition are only available as pdf files from the publisher. I do have an older version purchased, but I have the early transcendentals version, specifically this text.

[Farrar]

Psst... Harold Jacobs himself said that you didn't have to do every problem. Just so you know.

When we used Dolciani, it was clear that you weren't meant to do them all. I usually assigned evens or odds or sometimes a column for things that were super rote and generally just one or two of the super challenging ones. We also skipped some chapters as it was clear that book had everything and the kitchen sink.

[EKS]

2 hours ago, silver said:

That's what I've found--it seems the teacher material for the current edition are only available as pdf files from the publisher. I do have an older version purchased, but I have the early transcendentals version, specifically this text.

If you need an instructor's solution manual (and they're nice to have even when you're confident in your ability to do the problems), you might want to have that drive which edition you choose.

[EKS]

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

Psst... Harold Jacobs himself said that you didn't have to do every problem. Just so you know.

Oh yes!  Regarding this, I've recently taken a calculus course (several actually!).  Of the 80 problems at the end of each section of the text, only 10 would be assigned.  I would probably do an additional 20 problems for each section because I like to be prepared.  Doing all 80 would be overkill.

[cintinative]

I don't own Larson Calc but I own the precalc and the teacher's edition has suggested schedules in the front.  FYI.

 

[cintinative]

@silver I am a big fat liar.  😃  There are problem sets in my book for each chapter that says "regular schedule"  but it seems it is basically every problem that falls under the designation of "regular" or "advanced." Initially it looked like this is what I am supposed to use, but I started working through the problems for 1.1 and it was taking forever. I can't believe they expect the student to do 56 problems, some of them multiple step with graphs, in one day. So I am on the hunt like you.

ETA: also, one thing I liked about Dolciani's schedule is that it built in review. After you completed a section, a couple days later you would go back to it and do a couple of problems. That is not here on this schedule.  I emailed coolmathguy to see if they have a schedule.  I will let you know what I hear. 

Edited May 16, 2022 by cintinative
needed to clarify

[silver]

4 hours ago, cintinative said:

@silver I am a big fat liar.  😃  There are problem sets in my book for each chapter that says "regular schedule"  but it seems it is basically every problem that falls under the designation of "regular" or "advanced." Initially it looked like this is what I am supposed to use, but I started working through the problems for 1.1 and it was taking forever. I can't believe they expect the student to do 56 problems, some of them multiple step with graphs, in one day. So I am on the hunt like you.

ETA: also, one thing I liked about Dolciani's schedule is that it built in review. After you completed a section, a couple days later you would go back to it and do a couple of problems. That is not here on this schedule.  I emailed coolmathguy to see if they have a schedule.  I will let you know what I hear. 

That's good to know! The Dolciani schedule sounds great, with the built in review, hopefully we can find something like that for the Larson texts.

[cintinative]

@silver did you end up finding anything?

Edited November 3, 2022 by cintinative

[silver]

On the college board AP calculus forums, someone shared which problems their school assigned from the 5th edition of Larson calculus. 

[silver]

I'm on my computer now, so I can try to copy/paste what I found. This is from a spreadsheet, so hopefully formatting copies.

 

Larson	5th edition ETF
1.1	1-4,17-25odd,26,28,30,36,58,67,70,82
1.2	1-13odd, 25-37odd, 46,49,50,51,56,61,81
1.3	4-8,11-16,19,44,48,49-53odd
1.4
1.5	9-12,32,33,43,59,62,63,96,97,99,119,139
1.6	7,13
Rev 1
2.1
2.2	1-5 odd, 17-25odd, 63,65,73,75
2.3	1-17odd, 19-27odd, 37-47odd, 51-61odd,
2.3	63,67,69,85,95,97,103,105,123-128
2.4	1-17odd, 31,32,35,37, 41,45,47,49,51,53
2.4	85-89odd,93,97,99,103,105,107,108
2.5	7,9,45,48,49-55odd,61,63,67,69,81-84
Rev 2	3,7,17-27odd, 31-45odd, 51-57odd, 61,63,67-81odd
3.1	1-9odd,15-27odd,35,43
3.1	73,75,81-87odd,88,93,95,101-104
3.1	45-51odd,60,61,64
3.2	3-17odd, 21,23,27-37odd, 41-53odd, 63,69,76-81
3.2	101-107odd,111,115
3.3	1,3,7,9,13,15,19-41odd,45,47 (simplify 25)
3.3	65,79,85,95,99,103,105,107,119,
3.4	1-5odd,9-33odd,57,59
3.4	87-97odd101-105odd,177
3.5	1-5odd,9-17odd,27-33odd,37,39,89
3.5	57-65odd,69,93
3.6	,21
3.7	1-17odd
3.7	19,21,29,31,37,39,49
3.7	25,33,41,46
3.8
Rev 3	149-152
4.1	1-10,43,63-69odd,73-75
4.2	3-17odd,21,25,39,43,47,50,51,63,67,73,85,87
4.3	3-11odd,21-41odd,59,65
4.3	75-94all, 113-117
4.4	1-4all,7,17,21-35odd,75-83odd
4.5	1-6,13-23odd,32,33,35
4.6
4.7	4,9,15,21,22
4.7	33,39,43,45
4.8
Rev 4
5.1	1-33odd, 37,39
5.1	53,57,59,63,65,67,76,77,79,81,87,95-99
5.2	1-7odd,8,9,15,23,33,35,41,(87abc?)
5.3
5.4	3,5,7,9,11-21,23,27,29,33,39,41
5.4	54,55,59,65,69,76acf,73,81,87,95
5.5	17-37odd
5.5	39,41,49,51,61,62,63,65,67
5.5	80,81,115
5.5	91-103odd,109,111,113,165-170
5.6
5.7	32,37,95,97,105,108
5.8	3,25,28,55,63,71
5.9
Rev 5
6.1
6.2	5,7,9,12,17,20,21
6.3	1,3,4,5,9,17,26
6.4
6.5
6.6
Rev 6
7.1	1-6all
7.2	1-4,7-10
7.2	5,6,25,31,33,38,
7.2	37,57,63,71,74abc
7.3
7.4
7.5
7.6
7.7
7 Rev

[cintinative]

1 hour ago, silver said:

I'm on my computer now, so I can try to copy/paste what I found. This is from a spreadsheet, so hopefully formatting copies.

 

Larson	5th edition ETF
1.1	1-4,17-25odd,26,28,30,36,58,67,70,82
1.2	1-13odd, 25-37odd, 46,49,50,51,56,61,81
1.3	4-8,11-16,19,44,48,49-53odd
1.4
1.5	9-12,32,33,43,59,62,63,96,97,99,119,139
1.6	7,13
Rev 1
2.1
2.2	1-5 odd, 17-25odd, 63,65,73,75
2.3	1-17odd, 19-27odd, 37-47odd, 51-61odd,
2.3	63,67,69,85,95,97,103,105,123-128
2.4	1-17odd, 31,32,35,37, 41,45,47,49,51,53
2.4	85-89odd,93,97,99,103,105,107,108
2.5	7,9,45,48,49-55odd,61,63,67,69,81-84
Rev 2	3,7,17-27odd, 31-45odd, 51-57odd, 61,63,67-81odd
3.1	1-9odd,15-27odd,35,43
3.1	73,75,81-87odd,88,93,95,101-104
3.1	45-51odd,60,61,64
3.2	3-17odd, 21,23,27-37odd, 41-53odd, 63,69,76-81
3.2	101-107odd,111,115
3.3	1,3,7,9,13,15,19-41odd,45,47 (simplify 25)
3.3	65,79,85,95,99,103,105,107,119,
3.4	1-5odd,9-33odd,57,59
3.4	87-97odd101-105odd,177
3.5	1-5odd,9-17odd,27-33odd,37,39,89
3.5	57-65odd,69,93
3.6	,21
3.7	1-17odd
3.7	19,21,29,31,37,39,49
3.7	25,33,41,46
3.8
Rev 3	149-152
4.1	1-10,43,63-69odd,73-75
4.2	3-17odd,21,25,39,43,47,50,51,63,67,73,85,87
4.3	3-11odd,21-41odd,59,65
4.3	75-94all, 113-117
4.4	1-4all,7,17,21-35odd,75-83odd
4.5	1-6,13-23odd,32,33,35
4.6
4.7	4,9,15,21,22
4.7	33,39,43,45
4.8
Rev 4
5.1	1-33odd, 37,39
5.1	53,57,59,63,65,67,76,77,79,81,87,95-99
5.2	1-7odd,8,9,15,23,33,35,41,(87abc?)
5.3
5.4	3,5,7,9,11-21,23,27,29,33,39,41
5.4	54,55,59,65,69,76acf,73,81,87,95
5.5	17-37odd
5.5	39,41,49,51,61,62,63,65,67
5.5	80,81,115
5.5	91-103odd,109,111,113,165-170
5.6
5.7	32,37,95,97,105,108
5.8	3,25,28,55,63,71
5.9
Rev 5
6.1
6.2	5,7,9,12,17,20,21
6.3	1,3,4,5,9,17,26
6.4
6.5
6.6
Rev 6
7.1	1-6all
7.2	1-4,7-10
7.2	5,6,25,31,33,38,
7.2	37,57,63,71,74abc
7.3
7.4
7.5
7.6
7.7
7 Rev

I think possibly it didn't copy right, but possibly it is only one row off on some.  Also I am noticing multiple sections skipped, but that could be correct.

 

[silver]

7 minutes ago, cintinative said:

I think possibly it didn't copy right, but possibly it is only one row off on some.  Also I am noticing multiple sections skipped, but that could be correct.

 

Yes, there are skipped sections. As an example that we've hit already, section 3.8 covers Newton's method for finding roots, but that is not on the AP exam, so the school this is from opted not to cover that section in the text. Section 2.1 is titled "A Preview of Calculus", and is not super useful, unless you have a student that wants to see the big picture. Section 5.3 is on Riemann Sums, which I think is a BC topic (this schedule is for an AB Calc course). Some of them are a bit odd to me, like only one problem assigned in section 3.6. I have at least done brief coverage of the skipped sections so far, and I've done extra problems in a lot of sections, as needed.

On my screen, it looks like Chapter 2 Review might be the only one that is weird looking. That should read: 3,7,17-27odd, 31-45odd, 51-57odd, 61,63,67-81odd