April 28, 2009

Early Algebra

Filed under: Uncategorized — Sean @ 9:26 am

Here’s ‘Heathen Mom’ from http://www.heathenhomeschoolers.com

After reading your blog some more, am I right in assuming you haven’t gotten to algebra yet in your teaching experience? (your kids are pretty young)

I was a classroom teacher in the past. I have taught prealgebra. I have also taught stats.

I am interested in stressing to parents that algebra doesn’t have to be something to fear. Algebra concepts are taught in elem level math.

Oh that’s great! Are you framing your elementary math lessons with a longview towards algebra? If so… how?

I am framing our elementary math lessons with a longview towards algebra. Algebra I will be taken by my children in eighth grade. The plan for their high school math program is for geometry, algebra II, trig/calc and college algebra (dual credit).  Their math program will be very similar to what both my husband and I did in high school.

My children are currently in third grade and preschool.  I use math terms (variable, distributive property, etc) in math lessons.  I think it is often the algebra terminology that frightens students from the subject.

Children do algebra concepts beginning in kindergarten, but most parents and teachers don’t point that out to the children.  My son (third grade) loves to tell people that he does algebra.  He knows that 47 - ___ = 35 is the same thing as 47 - x = 35.  I think that by showing children at a young age that they can in fact do algebra, you will create children far more comfortable with the concepts once they get to the course.


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