New Math Recommendation: World Geography Guide

[lucsch]

Carrie,
Thank you for answering my question and telling me about your son. In PS they do Algebra 1,
Geometry, and then Algebra II with some reviewing of Algebra I. I wanted to do Algebra I, Algebra II
and then Geometry because he wouldn't forget Algebra I if he had both algebras together. Then I was
thinking maybe he needs to know Geometry for Algebra II. Is that correct?

Blessings,
Diane

You do not need Geometry before Algebra II. In fact, I remember taking Geometry in between Algebra I and II and forgetting most of Algebra I!

My public schooled son took Algebra II and Geometry concurrently with absolutely no issues. I actually want to do Algebra I and II back to back with my dd (we will use CLE, though).

[OneFunSon]

Hi Carrie,

My son will soon be finishing M2MM for 8th grade and we will be finishing up DM 2B this summer. We have enjoyed Singapore, but we too found that there were "leaps" to be taken that sometimes made it more time consuming than it needed to be. I also had the same problem with my son not showing his work so I really like the idea of Foerster's helping him to learn to do that through the line by line teaching in that text. However, I assume we would be past that text at this point? I am not quite sure where DM 2 leaves off in relation to other programs so I don't know if we should head into a Geometry program or Algebra 2 for 9th grade (also, what would I do on transcripts?) Like the other ladies, I kind of like the idea of continuing Algebra 1 after 2 although I know DM has mixed in Geometry as well so we could easily follow with more Geometry.

Do you have any recommendations on where we should go from here, Carrie?

Also, I just wanted to say we have LOVED this year with M2MM. My son is a WWII fanatic and he couldn't wait to get to this time period. He was not disappointed; we have had a fantastic year with this guide. So many great discussions! Okay, every year has been fantastic, that's why we will be doing our 5th guide next year . It really is true, as many others have said in other posts, the guides just get better and better.

Thank you so much Carrie for all the work you and your team put into these guides. Words fail me for expression of my gratitude.

Peace & Joy,
Karen

[Carrie]

Florence,

But regardless I think I'm clear which is that most students who have completed 6A/6B that are "on track" should roll right into Foerster's algebra - which is pre-algebra/algebra 1. Correct?

As long as the student has excelled in 6A/6B, rather than struggled, they could head into Foerster's Algebra I. Otherwise, they would need some more formal pre-algebra before attempting Foerster's Algebra I. It is a challenging text, but it is very well explained. Only the first couple of chapters of Foerster's Algebra I are pre-algebra, otherwise it is all Algebra I (so that is where the credit is awarded).

Blessings,
Carrie

[Carrie]

Diane,

The ladies are right in that many schools do Geometry in between Algebra I and Algebra II, which means that Algebra II is typically not needed for most Geometry courses. While it does make more sense to do Algebra I and II in a row, schools insert Geometry in between the two algebra courses because knowledge of Geometry is needed when taking the ACT and SAT (so waiting until a child is a junior to take Geometry can be problematic as far as test-taking goes).

Another reason schools delay Algebra II is so that students have a chance to mature in their ability to think on a higher level before attempting the harder concepts in Algebra II. By reviewing Algebra I at the beginning of Algebra II, students get another chance to review Algebra and hopefully have maturity in their side as they move into Algebra II.

You can choose do either do Algebra I and II in a row and then do Geometry; or you can instead do Algebra I, then Geometry, then Algebra II. Either path works!

Blessings,
Carrie

[Carrie]

Karen,

I'm so glad that your son is enjoying MTMM! My son loved it too! My oldest is a WWII buff and a lover of the modern time periods for study, but my second son is a peace-loving, gentle spirit; and he really enjoyed his faith-deepening trip through MTMM too. We are just now officially on our summer break, for the kids, and busy writing days for me.

As far as math goes, since you've done DM 1A/1B and 2A/2B, those would be equivalent to pre-algebra and Algebra I (with some geometry and even a bit of Algebra II too). This thread explains that better. Link: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7945

With this in mind, if you wanted to make a switch, you could either go into a geometry program (as that is mainly what DM 3A/3B is when combined with DM 1A/1B and 2A/2B). Or, you could head into Algebra II instead. Foerster also has an Algebra II and Trigonometry course, which looks very good also (and is likely what we'll recommend for a textbook option for Algebra II). If you did the Foerster's Algebra II and Trigonometry course to the end, you'd include some Trigonometry. If you preferred not to cover the Trigonometry, you could stop before you hit those trig. chapters at the end and just award credit for Algebra II. The Math Without Borders DVD's are also available for Foerster's Algebra II if you hit a snag and need teacher help.

We don't have a textbook-based recommendation yet for Geometry.

Blessings,
Carrie