Is your child READY for ALGEBRA?
How do you know if she should be taking “prealgebra” or just moving straight into algebra?
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about MATH TOPICS specifically as they relate to science, and also questions like the ones above.
Actually, there is no such thing as “prealgebra” when you look at the different areas of math. You’ll find Calculus, Geometry, Algebra, Arithmetic… but prealgebra is not usually listed as a specific area of math.
What usually people mean by “prealgebra” is that it is an optional prerequisite course for algebra where students show their mastery of arithmetic, which includes: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with positive and negative integers, fractions, decimals and percent.
Once your student has covered these basics, then she is ready for algebra. You just have to take a dive and go for it, and expect that you’ll need a little help along the way, because the difference between the stuff you studied up til now is a bit different than the thinking you’ll do in an algebra course.
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If you’re new to homeschooling, here’s the areas of math that should be covered in sequence so that it makes sense.
- addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
- positive and negative integers
- fractions, decimals and percent
- algebra 1* (algebra workbook set)
- geometry (geometry workbook set)
- algebra 2
- trigonometry/pre-calculus or statistics
- calculus or statistics
*Algebra Topics include: variables, equations, exponents, polynomials, rational numbers and expressions, graphs, systems of equations, square roots and quadratic equations.
We can help you with the first four (1-4) above, however 5-8 are usually taught in a rigorous high school setting and require studies for an entire year.
I’ve put together a short overview course for Algebra since science uses it so much when it comes to Physics. If you need a workbook recommendation, please use the links above for the same workbook set I’ve used with my own kids.
The videos below will walk through the topics in Algebra specifically – I hope you enjoy it!
This first video we’re going to talk about why it’s important (sorry for the low volume for Al – do your best to hear what he’s saying!):
Now it’s time to really start with our algebra concepts. Don’t feel that you have to watch all of the videos all at once. Use the pause button and take a break when you need it. We cover a lot in a short period of time!
If you find there’s an area you haven’t yet mastered, make a note so after the video ends, you can go back and work on it further doing practice problems using the workbook set I’ve recommended above.
Even though we went through the first five videos all in one session, I’ve separated them out into smaller sessions so you can take your time to really work with the material.
In this class when it was live, we had kids as young as six years old participating, shouting out the answers and really enjoying learning!
Near the end of the video above, I issued a math challenge! Here it is…
MATH CHALLENGE #1:
Click here to go to Algebra session 2.
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