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Topic: Teaching Textbooks, algebra?

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Cathmomof8
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Joined: Jan 25 2006
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Posted: March 26 2007 at 12:17pm \| IP Logged

I'm right there with you with my 14yo ds too. We are using Videotext Algebra this year and only recently found he had stopped even watching the videos - 'didn't make any sense' he said. Well of coourse not, if you are just trying to bide time until it's over and you can move onto something else.

Anyway... I really do like the Videotext system and how it can cover prealg-alg2 but I think my ds just wasn't ready for it in many ways. I should have had him do more basic work this year, I'm afraid. He's struggled with math since early elementary it seems and I've blamed curriculum after curriculum and switched waaaaay too many times.

And now, here I go again wondering what to do with him for 9th gr next year. yikes. Really need to consider 'summerschooling math'. But when???????

Theresia

Karen T
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Joined: Feb 16 2005
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Posted: March 26 2007 at 8:26pm \| IP Logged

SharonO wrote:

Karen-
I think I've mentioned this before, but your son sounds EXACTLY like mine. (He'll be 14 in May). I so want him to "own" his education and take things seriously. We've tried the Saxon D.I.V.E. cd's, but he didn't want to take the time to listen through them. I was hoping the instructor on the Teaching Textbooks cd was a little bit more engaging.

We are trying to work through the first 4 books of the Key to Algebra series. I felt the format would give him a good basis for whatever algebra program we picked up next year. We have struggled all year with Math- we started first with Saxon Algebra 1/2, then tried Life of Fred. Finally we've found some success with KTA, but I didn't think they were probably thorough enough.

I think this decision is going to take a lot of prayer. I really need ds to work on his own (or with a little help from dad). My youngest two children really need to get a solid start on Math. One is entering K, the other will be a 3rd grader, but struggles with Math. I hope Math U See will help them. I also will have a 6th grader who I'm hoping will survive one more year of Saxon (I hate to keep switching programs).

God Bless,

Wow, I think we're leading parallel lives! My ds will also be 14 in May. And I have two youngers I'm trying to do a better job in math with - one would technically be too young for K this year (turned 5 in Sept) but is doing mostly K work, and the other just turned 7 and is in 1st grade. I've been using Miquon with them so far but had to scale back with the younger; I was trying to do them both together at the beginning but the K-er really wasn't ready so she is doing very basic rod work now.
I do think TT is a solid program and the book does a great job of explaining everything so you really don't need the CD's. I told ds today I was not paying for the CDs for the next course (haven't decided whether to go on to Algebra II or do Geometry next)
Also, we do continue math all summer long here. I don't do other subjects (although we review language vocab - it had been latin but will now be Spanish) but I figure 30 min of math at least 3 days a week in the summer is necessary to keep from losing what he's gained. I keep track of the time and use the totals to give him an extra day off here and there through the year.

Karen T

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