Saxon 1/2 or Algebra 1?

[AmyinFL]

Only for those who like Saxon please, it has been a great curriculum for us. We are in 8/7 now - 6th grade-, do we skip Algebra 1/2 and go straight to Algebra 1 for 7th?

[Ellie]

Yes. Unless you think that 7th grade is awfully young for algebra, then your dc could also do Alg. ½, but the sequence is Math 76, Math 87, Alg. 1 *or* Math 76, Alg. ½, Alg. 1.

[MommyThrice]

That's the sequence, but 7th grade is really young. That's where my ds hit a roadblock. You might just decide that since it is so young, you have the freedom to go REALLY slowly... 1/3 to 1/2 lesson per day. If you have a mathy child that gets it, then move on more quickly.

[galtgrl]

We did Sxn 8/7 then started Alg 1 with dd's in 6th and 7th. We went slower with Alg 1 and didn't quite finish it that year. We continued and finished it (and also ran through Life of Fred Beg. Algebra) this year (dd's 7th & 8th). It's worked out well for us. Both dd's like Saxon; one hated LoF, one loved it! :tongue_smilie:

[ncmomo3]

I had oldest dd (for whom math is not difficult) do 7/8 in 6th, but I didn't feel that she had the maturity to make the huge strides that would be required for Alg.1. I had her do 1/2 in 7th and was then able to start her with Alg. 1 about half-way though 8th grade.
My 3rd dd (for whom math takes more effort) will do 7/8 in 7th and most of 8th and then move onto Alg. 1, without doing 1/2 at all.
In our case 7th grade(12yo) was too young for what Alg. 1 would require in the later part of the text.
hth

[Melanie]

Only for those who like Saxon please, it has been a great curriculum for us. We are in 8/7 now - 6th grade-, do we skip Algebra 1/2 and go straight to Algebra 1 for 7th?

That's what my oldest did. Math is not his strongest subject and he did hit a wall about halfway through the book, which caused a little bit of math drama at our house. I still think the problem had more to do with the onset of puberty than anything else, but to make a long story short, we sent him back to the beginning of the book and had him work through it again. He still finished by the end of his 7th grade year and did very well. He is now doing beautifully in Algebra 2.

[Teachin'Mine]

We faced the same decision a few years ago. We called Saxon and spoke with a teacher. He suggested that if she did well in 8/7 - 85 percent or more on tests - then she should go directly into Algebra I. I explained that I thought she was young to start, but she had done well in the 8/7 tests. His response was that she'd probably be bored doing the same things again.

I asked my daughter her opinion of what she'd rather do, and she didn't want to do the same work again. What I ended up doing is buying the Algebra I with the understanding that I could always decide to shelve it for a year and get the Algebra 1/2. So much of Algebra I was review anyway, and she really enjoyed the challenge. For us this was a good way to go. :)

[Brindee]

What I ended up doing is buying the Algebra I with the understanding that I could always decide to shelve it for a year and get the Algebra 1/2. So much of Algebra I was review anyway, and she really enjoyed the challenge. For us this was a good way to go. :):iagree: And, as others said, since it's a bit early, you CAN slow down to make sure everything is learned well. SO, as long as you're willing to move at your child's pace, either faster or slower, I think this is a good way to go!

[AmyinFL]

Thank you so much everyone! This has been so helpful!