Tiramisu Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I've been thinking about this for next year, but I got nervous after reading the posts that CD Precalc is taking some dc's 18 months to finish. How many lessons are in CD Geometry and how long does it usually take to complete? Is it reasonable to expect it to be finished in a normal 10 month school year? Thanks.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 (edited) We used Chalkdust, and overall we liked it. We used the older, Traditional Geometry text; I believe there's a newer Geometry; I'd check with Chalkdust about that one; it may be recommended more now and cover more material than the traditional text. Here's a quote from a previous post of mine on Chalkdust: The best part about Chalkdust is the DVD instructor, Dana Moseley. He really is a gifted teacher, and the lessons are very easy to watch and understand. He's very enthusiastic about math and makes the subject interesting. The only thing I didn't like that much about Chalkdust was the Larson books; I don't find their explanations nearly as thorough as Lial's, which we used for Algebra I and Algebra II. Nevertheless, I was reassured that most of the instruction for the subjects comes through Mr. Moseley, and I will have to say that my oldest did learn geometry pretty well last year. She did have to repeat a chapter (Chapter 8), but overall she did very well. I would also say that it prepared her very well for Algebra II, which she's doing this year. We tried Algebra II in 9th grade, which was a disaster! This year she understands the concepts a lot better; it helps having a real math teacher (she's in private school this year) and also I think it helps that she's matured a bit. ETA: I forgot to answer part of your original question! We usually divided each Chalkdust lesson up over two days. Dana Moseley recommends doing every 3rd or 4th problem; personally, this approach didn't work for us at all. I had my dd do every problem; some of the problem sets are set up in such a way that the preceding problem must be completed before moving onto the next problem. She usually worked on math for about two hours a day, and was able to finish the book within 10 months. There are 12 chapters in the Traditional Geometry textbook, and if you do a chapter every 3 to 3-1/2 weeks, you should be in good shape for completion. Also, be sure to read his notes which he sends with the materials; there are some sections that are skipped. Edited January 5, 2009 by Michelle in MO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 We did the original text without any problems in 10 months. We did the portions of the lessons that Dana Mosely recommended. I have this for sale on the FS board in case you're interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 Thank you, my two dear Michelles. I searched the archives last night, and it seems that CD Geometry seems to be the least favorite among CD math lovers. This gives me another reason to wonder...It's expensive even with Michelle in AL's super discount. Of course, if I made a decision, I would pm you first! :D The time factor is an issue because I have a bright but VERY slow worker to think about. I'm still wondering when we'll get through Foerster's Algebra 1. Thanks again for your feedback. It's much appreciated. Kelli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 I searched the archives last night, and it seems that CD Geometry seems to be the least favorite among CD math lovers. This gives me another reason to wonder...It's expensive even with Michelle in AL's super discount. Of course, if I made a decision, I would pm you first! :D I haven't done an exhaustive search, but I found the Chalkdust DVD's to be very well done and haven't read any major complaints so far. I did hear complaints about Ask Dr. Callahan, though, which uses the Jacob's Geometry text; I've read that he tends to stand in front of the whiteboard that he uses while teaching. I actually really enjoyed Chalkdust, but if you find another program that works well for you and your dc, by all means go with what works best. I thought CD was very clear, myself. I just didn't care for the Larson text as well, and CD uses Larson. Larson's explanations tend to be more "minimal" than what I was used to in Lial's. The Lial's texts more or less require the student to really read through the math lesson. Larson tends to give brief bits of information, IMO. The strength of CD is in the DVD's and Dana Moseley's instruction. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 :iagree: about the Larson text. I needed more explanation. I'm not real mathy though. My dd doesn't like video teachers of any kind for some reason, so it wasn't a good fit for her. We've tried Chalkdust and Dr. Burger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 My dd doesn't like video teachers of any kind for some reason, so it wasn't a good fit for her. We've tried Chalkdust and Dr. Burger. I'm worried about the same thing. I had dd watch the Teaching Textbook sample lecture online and she hated it. She said, "I'm not an auditory learner," meaning she did not want to waste her time listening to a lecture. It took awhile, but with MUS, she got to a point where she would somewhat willingly watch the DVD. Those lessons, however, were very short. Mostly, she likes when I explain things, and do it as briefly as possible. Foerster's is brief and to the point, so it fits her well. I would like to find a similiar style for geometry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Some kids don't want or need voluminous explanations, and your dd may be the same way. If you're interested, though, Chalkdust does offer some online samples. Here's the video sample for Geometry, and here is their DVD sampler which gives you a menu of options from which to select. It's always wise to preview before buying! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langfam Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 When I emailed Mr. Mosely, he said he preferred the new program because it's more focused on core material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted January 9, 2009 Author Share Posted January 9, 2009 Thanks for the links and information. It is helpful to know that the new text focuses on the core concepts. That is something that would appeal to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langfam Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I'm kinda going back on forth on CD Geometry....'cos of the reviews of textbook. DS is doing fine with CD Alg 1 right now, but this is my non-mathy kid. He'd get lost with a lousy textbook. Geometry is one of those subjects where you need to *explain* how you got to those answers. I don't know if just handing him the solutions manual will help. I'm really leaning toward TT Geometry for him 'cos of the step-by-step solutions explained on the CD-ROM. I hate making these decisions .....what works for one kid might not work for another! http://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Geometry-College-Students-Alexander/dp/061864525X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231462477&sr=8-2 Only the math geek had anything good to say about the text....sigh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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