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So, when you child is not allowed to take an algebra class with any of the home-school coops or private schools due to his age but is ready and wants to learn, you come up with a way to do it yourself. Here is how our son is learning algebra: Online Programs:
- Alcumus (Must sign up to access the problems, but this part is free)
- Mathletics
- Study Island
- EPGY Algebra (It is no longer independent study, and only available with tutor. We had to stop when EPGY switched to redbird math as part of giftedandtalented.com as it was no longer part of our bundle. In the 7th grad part of EPGY K-7 lots of pre-algebra exposure. Son has about 10 more sessions and will have EPGY 7th grade finished.)
- Khan Academy
- Mobymax (The program ends with 8th grade and has lots of pre-algebra exposure. Mobymax goes at a faster rate than EPGY and he is half way through the 8th grade.)
- Descartes’ Cove Math Series for Middle School & Early High School Students (This is a CD rom math game from John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.)
Apps:
- DragonBox Algebra (he completed the 5+ version when he was 6 and finished the 12+ version just this winter) http://www.dragonboxapp.com/ to look into either apps
- DragonBox Elements (¾ through this, teaching geometry)
- http://elearningindustry.com/15-free-ipad-apps-for-teaching-algebra has a list of 15 free algebra learning apps.
Textbooks and workbooks:
- Groundworks Algebra Puzzles and Problems (More like real life mathematical story puzzles and a fun way of doing algebra.)
- The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (Very useful as a resource.)
- Mathematics for Electricity & Electronics 2nd Edition (Not an algebra textbook but a math book specifically for those interested in electrical engineering and field of electronics. He found it at half price books and wants to master it. This is why he has been flying through math and wanting to learn algebra so badly. He wants to get to the math he needs to do what he is interested in.)
- Mathematics Enhancement Programme Demonstration Project Practice Books (This is the UK math system and presents problems very differently than US. The project practice books all have answers online. He enjoys them as they are very different from traditional US math problems.)
- Art of Problem Solving Algebra (This is a highly recommended algebra curriculum for gifted math students. This curriculum is not used in traditional public schools but in some gifted enrichment programs, home schools, and some private schools.)
- Algebra 1 (Was given this traditional textbook by Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.)
- Beginning & Intermediate Algebra (Found this traditional textbook at half-price books really cheap and the textbook still had the DVD too. This textbook is by Elayn Martin-Gay.)
Math story books:
- Sir Cumfrence series
- Murderous Math series
- https://www.naeyc.org/files/tyc/file/MathbookslistSchickedanzexcerpt.pdf is a list of math books from the NAEYC for young children.
Videos: The following are math videos our son has watched and enjoyed:
Joy of Math | The Story of Maths |
Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land | The Story of One |
Solving for X with Bill Nye | Power of 10 |
Schlessinger Media Math for Children Series | Vi Hart videos on YouTube |
Standard Deviants | Art of Problem Solving |
Free Algebra Resources (beyond Mobymax, Khan Academy, and Alcumus):
- http://www.ck12.org/algebra/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw_YKtBRC7zZjFp8bF_foBEiQAfyigc51wfcW3CXWRKgf8EpqQPH9EnZDhEzmSnd7_d2uMlmIaApNp8P8HAQ cK-12 (has apps and textbooks as ebooks too)
- http://www.coolmath.com/algebra Cool Math
- http://www.mathplanet.com/ Math Planet
- http://www.freemathhelp.com/algebra-help.html Math Help
- http://study.com/articles/List_of_Free_Online_Algebra_Courses_and_Lessons.html Access to lists of free online algebra courses (won’t get college credit but works for homeschooling credit).
See, teaching algebra can be done! Best part, the above materials will go beyond a typical algebra class and total out of pocket was cheaper than what a coop or private school class cost. In addition, we get to work at our son’s pace. For others in the same situation, the public library has tons of materials (all the videos and some of the story books were at ours). In addition, our public library has used book sales and often has textbooks. Half-price books also often has textbooks. In our area homeschoolers also swap materials. I also picked up some online on sale or used. John Hopkins periodically has sales for their Descartes’ Cove math program too. We got it on sale last year and they are running the same sale again this summer ( http://cty.jhu.edu/descartes/ and use code YJUL between July 20th and August 17th 2015).
We won’t hold our son back. And, we won’t let him being denied access to a class keep him from learning. Once we finish this, we will move on to the next level. There really are tons of resources out there!
Michelle Tanner said:
Great list of resources. My 6 year old is half though the free alegbra class on edX. I highly suggest it. He enjoys it a lot more than EPGY and it’s very well taught.
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babyhclimber said:
Great to know of another resource. Will check into that!
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Wendi said:
Great list of resources, I just wanted to mention one more that my 8 year old used and loves Life of Fred – they have pre-algebra, beginning and Advanced algebra books. Good for kids who don’t need lots of repetition and the story format is more appealing than Khan to my son.
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babyhclimber said:
I’m glad your child enjoys Life of Fred. My son didn’t get into it. He enjoys the murderous math series better. And I agree it is another option for those who don’t need the repetition and like different formats.
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isaac leonardo said:
Thought-provoking piece . I was enlightened by the analysis ! Does anyone know where my assistant might grab a sample Psychometric Conversion Table copy to fill in ?
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babyhclimber said:
http://www.hidalgolawfirm.com/psychometrics.pdf is a psychometric conversion table I’ve seen. http://static1.squarespace.com/static/538e5b5fe4b0e4caa98195c0/t/53a76c43e4b076ad11c65371/1403481155857/Psychometric+Converstion+Table.pdf is more gray scale and less black so might be easier to print. I used to have one that had a graph I could shade in ranges for each score to help out those who were more visual. Hope these help.
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Pingback: For the Love of Math | Adventures Of Hahn Academy
M. K. Jones said:
I have written the following book:
Algebra Problems: Part 1 (Linear Equations)
It is in the Public Domain.
It is available from Amazon:
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