Melinda Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 What do you think of these? I know they are set up by grade, but is there a certain age you would not use these until? Or are they not a good option at all? I am *so* not a math person, so this mathy kid is making me worry about what should come next. We would not use these classes for a while, just trying to feel out some options of what to do when we get to that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca in VA Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 My daughter will take the Algebra course this summer and fall (it was originally called Introduction to Algebra, but it has since been broken into Algebra I/Algebra II). We've received the textbook and solution key, and they look really good! The class will meet online on Wednesday evenings. She has taken Dolciani's Pre-Algebra: An Accelerated Course (enriched track) this year, as well as the RightStart hands-on Geometry course. She also did the Rod & Staff math lineup through Math 8. I feel that she's as ready as she can possibly be for this, but we'll see. If things go well, she'll continue on with the Number Theory and Counting and Probability courses, followed by the Geometry course. Those together will make a nice middle-school lineup, and she can take the advanced courses later. I've heard nothing but good things about the Art of Problem solving materials and courses. I'm relieved to know that this resource is available, since I'm not at all mathy and can't teach these courses myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 So when he finishes RS Geometry and Saxon 87, this is a good direction to go in? Which classes would count for middle school and which would count for high school credit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca in VA Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 There's a lot of information about the courses on the Art of Problem Solving website. They say that a good pre-algebra course will prepare the student for AoPS Algebra I. I don't know if Saxon 87 is considered pre-algebra or not. My daughter didn't do RS Geometry specifically to prepare for these classes; I just thought it would be helpful in teaching her to think geometrically. The AoPS courses are continuing to be developed, and possibly there will be a pre-algebra course in the future. I know they recommend "Kitchen Table Math" for elementary-level students. Read the website; it's full of good info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 My two kids have taken Intro to Number Theory and virtually *all* of the AoPS intermediate and advanced level online offerings. They are wonderful courses for math-loving students. The only reason that we didn't use the Algebra and Geom classes is that they didn't exist when my kids were at that stage. All of the courses have "Are You Ready for This?" quizzes on the AoPS website as a guage for mathematical readiness. I still waited till about 11-12 years old to start mine - they are very advanced kids mathematically, but these courses still offered more than enough challenge. The caliber of students in the class is extremely high. They need to be able to follow the class online - it moves quickly- and the kids vie to be the first to type in their answers to the teacher's questions. This is challenging for them, and not only do they need to be able to keyboard quickly if they wish to participate, but the kids usually employ Latex (tutorial available at AoPS) to write out math expressions. Of course, they can just follow on screen and not type in, but if they are the competitive sort, this is something you might wish to take into consideration. The courses come with monitored problem-solving boards (a place to practice what was taught each week) and several challenge sets (ie, homework problems) that are anything but typical. They will stretch your child's mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills! He/she should be ready to put lots of time into these and not be frustrated if they cannot solve everything right away (that would be rare:001_smile:). The kids usually Latex these, but the student could write them out by hand if his handwriting were clear. These sets often run my kids 10 pages or more and many, many hours of effort (another reason to hold off till enough maturity is there). The homework sets are either sent in electronically or mailed to the AoPS office, where they are sent along to graders. The graders will provide written feedback on the sets. If you require a grade, you need to work that out with the office before your child starts the course. We've not done that. Any other questions, I'd be glad to answer! I probably should add the disclaimer that my homeschool grad/college-aged ds works for them as a grader and also as a TA in their intro classes. I just prepared his tax returns and he's certainly not doing it for the money -just a very satisfied former student of theirs who wants to keep being involved in their school! Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 Thank you for the response! He is 5 now (nearly 6) and just started Saxon 3 this week, but is flying through it. For now I am able to handle his math but once he gets past geometry, I am lost. Hopefully he will slow down a bit and give himself time to mature before he gets to the point of needing something as rigorous as this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 You know, he may enjoy the AoPS intro series books before he would be ready for the online classes. They are quite good all by themselves and have wonderful solution manuals! Also, I'd recommend that you look into Math Olympiad materials when he's doing fourth - sixth grade math, and MathCounts when he's starting algebra and geometry. These materials can stretch him out and enrich him while he's gaining the maturity to move forward into higher-level classes. My kiddos loved participating on MathCounts teams during middle school :001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 Thanks! I bet he would love to do team math! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Ooh - I just noticed that you live in Maryland. My dd (high school) is on a math team based in Howard County. There is a very active homeschool group in that area with lots of team math activities. You'll be all set when the time comes! We had all kinds of trouble finding interested homeschoolers to form a math team here in Richmond; for MathCounts that meant that I had to organize one...very worthwhile, but I'd love to be in MD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northernmom Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My son took the Intro to Algebra class and I agree with everything Kathy said. The courses are definitely geared to the high math ability child. The Intro classes are generally aimed at the middle school aged crowd. The kids in my son's class were anywhere from 9 to 13 with the majority being 11 year olds. The material covered is far above regular middle school level though I believe. Definitely challenging and keyboarding skills are a must! There's next to no repetiton in the class and the pace is fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.