In our tours of local high schools in late 2010-early 2011, we learned that top math students in grade 8 were studying Algebra I. Oops. We had just finished up pre-algebra and were studying geometry, a branch of mathematics Allegra loves. The state curriculum frameworks place Algebra I under ninth grade, but apparently some students take the subject in eighth. In Massachusetts, all students in grade 8 are expected to have completed pre-algebra. Students of average ability in math are taught pre-algebra with some Algebra I, while students of high ability are taught Algebra I exclusively. The rub: I had planned to teach some algebra, but not an entire Algebra I course. So, in March, we focused on algebra. By May, it became apparent that we needed to spend more than the usual four to six hours a week on the topic. So from mid-May through the first week of June, we studied algebra for two hours daily (10 hours per week). Two textbooks by Theresa Kane McKell were really helpful in our studies: Algebra for Middle/High School and Algebra Made Simple for High School. These books, combined with clear and conversational free videos on Brightstorm (www.brightstorm.com), provided a crash course in linear equations, quadratic equations, factoring and more. While I don’t advocate crash courses for long-term retention of material, they sometimes become necessary to meet a deadline--in this case, a June 4 placement test for high school math.
