Do you think No-Nonsense Algebra could be a summer prep?

[lmercon]

My ds is finishing up 7th grade math with Thinkwell and would like something more interactive. I want him to do Algebra 1 for 8th so that he can fit in calculus. I was considering some kind of prep course for the summer before Foerster's Algebra in the fall. No-Nonsense Algebra is supposedly a lighter, no-fluff course. AND it's cheap! Do you think he could get that in if he started around May and worked to Sept.?
Thanks,
Laura

[StephanieU]

I would look at the table of contents for a few things:
Thinkwell 7th Grade Math
Thinkwell Pre Algebra
No Nonsense Algebra
Foerster's Algebra
First, I would see what is missing between Thinkwell's 7th grade and pre-algebra courses. Then, once you have that list, see if they are covered in the two Algebra courses. You may find the list of things you need to cover is fairly short, so doing a whole curriculum would be overkill. Instead, you could use something like Khan Academy and free online worksheets.

As a side note, seeing President/Dr. Burger in videos always cracks me up. I used on of his books (Heart of Mathematics) for a few years at our community college, and he has a great sense of humor. He is now the president of my alma mater.

[Nealewill]

You could also look at Video Text level A. That can be done in 3 months and will cover many of the topics of a pre-algebra course rather than full on Algebra concepts.

[my3sons]

Hi Laura! I have not used No-Nonsense Algebra, but I have used Foerster's Algebra 1. No-Nonsense Algebra has 120 lessons. In looking at the examples I found online, it would not be difficult to do 2 lessons per day, at least at the onset of the program, and especially for a mathy student. I definitely think he could complete it from May to Sept. Perhaps you could have him only watch the video segment if needed, as this would shorten lesson time as well. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie