where to go next with math

[Phoatogirl]

Hello,

My 11 year old is on lesson 69 of Saxon 76. He will be officially finished with his 5th grade year in 3 weeks, but will probably only have worked through lesson 77, since he doesn't seem to get to math every day.

He says he doesn't like Saxon, but I think it's mostly that he doesn't really like math. I assign half of the problems in each problem set and he get the majority correct. He is not gifted mathematically, but math comes fairly easily and he is ahead by a year according to the Saxon placement.

I'm thinking of just continuing in the Saxon 76 book for next year (after trying to finish up Life of Fred Fractions and going through Decimals...I say "trying" because summer plans often don't materialize). Once we get to about lesson 100, should we go on to Saxon 87, or look at a different program?

My oldest uses MUS, but my youngest hasn't chosen it because he feels it moves kind of slowly. Anyway, I have the teacher books and videos for Epsilon through Pre-Algebra. I've also purchased an older edition of Lials Basic College Math. Would this work as a math book for an 11-13 year old? And then move into a standard alegra text?

Any ideas?

Wendy

[joannqn]

I don't have any math suggestions as to where to go next but....

I would consider something other than Saxon, which seems way too repetitive for advanced kids. Changing to something less repetitive (or mastery where you can easily skip through material already mastered) might change his math outlook.

[jlovebaker]

Hello -
This year, our first year homeschooling due to a move across country, my 6th grade son taught pre-algebra to himself from a regular public school book. About 10% of the kids in his former ps were scheduled to take pre-algebar in 6th grade - Calif schools are really pushing the math now.

He finished it early and someone recommended Video Text Algebra - which is pre-algebra, alg 1 and alg 2 all in once course - I think it's supposed to be a two year course. Short video lectures and then problems with tests. It doesn't dwell on one thing to long and is not repetitive. I recommend for 6th graders ready to move on from basic arithmetic.

Good luck!

[Hoggirl]

My ds was sick of Saxon. It was far too repetitive for him by the time he got to 7/6. We got through around, oh, Lesson 85 or so in Saxon 7/6 and then we switched to Chalkdust Pre-Algebra. Best thing I have ever done. Ds is thriving with it. We have completed Chalkdust Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, and Geometry. My ds is also "ahead" in math. The teaching of Dana Mosely is fantastic. Cannot say enough good things about this program.

[babysparkler]

Ds (just finished 3rd grade) got through lesson 80 or so in 7/6 when I changed strategies in April and started giving him the unit tests. That showed me what he already knew well and what one or two items were new to him. After finishing all of the tests I did lessons with him on that "new info". Since he enjoys the tests, it was a fun break in routine and a good way to get through the rest of the repetitive material that he really already knew. For that second half, the only things we needed to review were ratio boxes and a little more of finding area and perimeter of objects. Everything else, we found, were covered enough that he had mastery by lesson 80.

We are currently planning to do 8/7 next year in a similar fashion where we move through the book at a faster pace searching for new material and using some of the review. I'm not sure if that is what we want to do, so I am still looking at other options. We plan to do Jacobs Algebra next, and I'm still trying to figure out if there would be a better transition from 7/6 to Jacobs.

I hope some of that is helpful! :001_smile:

[Brindee]

My dd did 76 in 4th grade and hated it! She's not picky, so about half-way through, when we'd tried other things to get her through it, we just stopped. By then (I felt bad I let it go on so long! :( ) she was very unsure of herself in math, so I got TT Pre-Algebra, which was not hard, and brought her back around to a little more than tolerating it. This year we did the first two LoF books, some Singapore and some R&S maths. She loved the LoF! She'll be doing the LoF Beginning Algebra and CLE Math 8 next year (7th). We're still going at a slower pace than she was before 76, but she's doing fine, and is more confident again, so we'll just continue going at her pace.

If he doesn't like it, I wouldn't make him do Saxon next year! I agree with the previous poster that Saxon can bore an advanced student with all the repetition!

[Phoatogirl]

It's not that he hates Saxon. It's mostly that he doesn't want to spend a half hour or more on math. I adapt the Saxon to his own pace, never requiring all of the problem set.

He is only doing 2-3 lessons a week (half the problems), so he currently isn't doing enough math by most standards. But since he's a bit ahead of the curve I let it go. He's bright, but not exeptional in math so he does need the continued practice....not as much as my first born, but I wouldn't teach it then leave it.

I'm content to stick with Saxon, since it has worked for so many. I'm unhappy that the next book doesn't have the lesson numbers next to the problems, though, since I make use of those. But on the other hand, would it be short changing him to work through the 7/6 book, then go to Lial Basic College Math for pre-algebra and add LOF or other worksheets as needed?

[MariaT]

:bigear: :lurk5:

my 12yo ds is just finishing Saxon 7/6. He is going to do LoF algebra next. Not a mathy, but I always tells him he has lots of potential!!!!

His 10 yo brother is on lesson 78 of 7/6 and REALLY wants to do LoF asap.
He is a mathy, and has breezed through Hands On Equations extra word problems, which we have done once a week for the past two years. He finished the book. I like the idea of him doing the tests then going back for concepts he misses, then going on to LoF algebra.

I LOVE this forum!!!

Maria

[Brindee]

But on the other hand, would it be short changing him to work through the 7/6 book, then go to Lial Basic College Math for pre-algebra and add LOF or other worksheets as needed?I'm not sure how that would short-change him? It sounds like it could work well, but we haven't used Lial BCM, so I couldn't say for sure.

[Karin]

Well, my dd said she hated math when she did Saxon Math. She said she hated it when she did Singapore Math. She stopped saying she hated it when she hit Algebra, or at least said it less.

I don't care for Saxon, just so my bias is known, even though others like it, so I suggest switching. When my 11 yo (still 10) finished Singapore Math 6, we went to Russian Math 6 (Perpendicular Press)which is harder. She doesn't necessarily like it because it's not history or art and there are more problems, but it's a great book. She'll go into LoF Algebra when she's done, or perhaps even while she's still doing it if she sees it and loves it. After LoF Algebra, she'll have to do either an older Dolciani or Gelfand's Algebra because I'm a fan of doing Algebra 1 twice even if you have a 90 percent average the way my eldest did before we restarted it. I'm also a fan of rigourous math even if your life's goal is to get married and have lots of kids (that's my 11 yo's goal right now).