Dolciani Pre-Algebra Question

[Mrs. H]

Hi- I'm usually just a lurker here, but I have a question about Dolciani's Pre-algebra: An Accelerated Course. I understand that many here use this text.

I've been looking around for a used copy of the text and solutions manual, and can't seem to find both from the same year. Is it possible to use a text and solutions manual published different years? I've found one from 1987 and 1985.

Thank you,

Sarah

[Rebecca VA]

The dates in my books (student, teacher, solution key) weren't exactly the same, but that didn't seem to matter. I found almost no differences. I don't think the pre-algebra text changed over the years as much as the Algebra texts did.

(I'm not an authority on these texts, however; this was just my personal experience.)

[Mrs. H]

Rebecca, thank you!

Another question, if you don't mind: have you found that the teacher's book has been helpful to have? I was just going to get the solutions.

Sarah

[Rebecca VA]

I really only used it to assign problems. There are three recommended tracks: basic, average, and enriched (I may have the names of the tracks wrong), and the TM recommends daily assignments for each track. So, unless you depend heavily on a TM for teaching hints, you can do without it.

[Mrs. H]

Does the tm help the parent to understand the material better? (I'm not sure if I need help or not , we are doing sm 5b right now, and I've only gone to the instructors guide for a few of the chapters- but when I have needed it, I've really needed it.)

Thanks,

Sarah

[Rebecca VA]

I'm sorry; I didn't use it for teaching. My daughter never needed or wanted to have the material explained to her. If you can purchase a TM cheaply, it may be worthwhile, but you shouldn't pay a whole lot unless you would be relying heavily upon it.

Hope this helps.

[Dee in MI]

I have older versions of Dolciani pre-algebra, and several other Dolciani books. I have teacher's manuals for most of them.

They give notes in the front - a paragraph or two per section. I don't find them terribly useful. Sometimes, though, I find myself disagreeing with the author's emphasis, and it changes my teaching a little. I wouldn't do this if the author hadn't explained their emphasis. But I could live without them. (Dolciani books go a little overboard on terminology and sets and even more so on numbers of other bases.)

They also have answers to the oral questions written next to the questions and notes on the examples right in the text. I do use these as I present the lessons to my son, but I could live without them. The oral questions are supposed to be kinda easy. But sometimes having the answer helps you figure out what they're looking for.

Then the answers to all of the problems are in back. In my books, the student books don't have any answers in the back at the pre-algebra level. Having the answer in the back makes checking work easier. However, I could live without them. If your student shows their work, you should be able to check it pretty easily.

So I guess I find the teacher's editions helpful, but not critical. I should note, however, that I have a degree in Civil Engineering and I'm pretty comfortable with math.

You can also use Wolfram|Alpha to check answers. For example, my son had to prime factor numbers this week. If you enter a "1336 factor" into Wolfram|Alpha, it will give you prime factors of the number 1336. (www.wolframalpha.com)

I recommend that you buy your student book in "Very Good" condition (assuming you can get a decent price), and you might find it's a teacher's book. Seriously, four different student books that I bought (out of seven) turned out to be teacher's books when they arrived.

[Mrs. H]

Thanks for the advice. I decided to go ahead and order all three books. I tried to verify the isbn's. We'll see.

Sarah