Homeschool

Oh my!! LOF is really hard! They were giving mixture problems in "beginning" algebra. :/ My "math wiz" brother couldn't even do them! :)

Matthew – In answer to your question, I use Bob Jones for History. I'm finishing up American History right now, and then will start on American Government, which I'm looking forward too! May I know why you wondered? :) What curriculum do you use for it?

BTW, how is Biology going for you - what module are you on? In case you haven't gotten this far yet, module 9 and 10 are super easy! I knew pretty much everything they asked on the test from Jonathan Park :) I think I completed module 9 in 3 days, and 10 in just about 4-5! Right now, I'm finishing up Module 11….

Joining into the math discussion: I've always used Saxon until I reached the grade I'm in (11th). It definitely wasn't my favorite, so I was very thankful when I started Teaching Textbooks Geometry this year! Though, I gotta admit, the book is probably to easy for me :) I can get the lessons pretty fast…except for the proof I have to do on each lesson – those can take me 10-15 minutes to complete!

Ugh. Proofs. I just began Bob Jones Geometry this year, and, though it is very interesting, I am having a very difficult time with proofs. Having to remember all those previously-proven theorems, postulates, and definitions to prove another theorem is so difficult…

Don't you just have a list of them all, in the back of your book, or something like that? I do, which is SO helpful! That would be really hard if I didn't. Sorry! :(

Hi Bethany! :)

Well, I do, but there are so many that sometimes it isn't very helpful. My dad says that the way my brain works makes some things easy and things like this quite difficult. :)

How many do you have to do per lesson? I only have to do 1 on my own, and 1 they explain how to do. If I didn't have those proofs, I'd be done with my book already! Though, I'd better get those thoughts out of my head, because it doesn't help at all, if you know what I mean :)

What is a "proof"?
I use Saxon math too!

A usual lesson has about two or three proofs for me… But I'm very glad I don't have to do all the problems in the book; my teacher (in pre-taped video) only assigns the even problems, since the odd problems are answered in the back of the book, and he doesn't want anyone looking there to get answers. :D He also tends to keep from assigning the extra-difficult problems, thankfully. :)

EDIT–A proof is a multi-step way of proving that a theorem (a statement about something relating to geometry) is true. For example, you could try to prove the statement, "Vertical angles are congruent." (Don't ask me to prove it, though! :D)

I don't know how to describe them well…you have to prove that sides of triangles (or other Geometric shapes) are congruent/not congruent and things like that. And that lines are parallel and if angles are equal and things like that :)

Haha – I like Nicolas' explanation of it better :)

Oh okay. Sounds difficult!

Yeah, I'll usually have to do that too. Sometimes, though, the proof is easy because you've done something just like it before… though that is a pretty rare occasion… :) Fortunately, on tests the teacher makes proofs a sort of multiple choice thing, where you have to choose the correct statements and reasons (in the correct order) from a list that he gives. :)

Wow, that's nice on tests! I do like T.T. books – I only have 14-15 tests, I think. In Saxon, I had close to 30 :( Tests are the worse in all schooling, at least, that's my personal opinion!

Wow, you have a pretty different idea of tests than me… :D I tend to like tests a lot, because I get to show how much I really know from the information I learned. :)

Yeah, I think you and I do have a whole different view of tests :) Rosie and I have discussed this whole topic on the phone before, and we're both in agreement that tests are not our favorite thing in school at all!

Lol same here.

I like tests because they are shorter than the lessons!:)

@Danielle…I am in 9th/10th grade and I'm finishing up Algebra 1.

Did u think it was hard?

I just thought that what you described of your History curriculum sounds similar to Notgrass, which is what I use. I also have to write papers for Notgrass World History. American History is next year.

I'm doing good on Biology. I'm going to take the Module 10 test tomorrow. You are right, modules 8-10 especially were pretty easy for me!

@Nicolas: "Vertical angles are congruent." Consider line AB and line CD with intersection E. Angles AEC and DEB are vertical angles.
Proof: Angles AEC and AED are supplementary because of the definition of a linear pair of angles. Using the same reasoning, angles AED and DEB are supplementary. Using the Congruent Supplements Theorem, which states that if two angles are supplementary to the same angle then they are congruent, angles AEC and DEB are congruent.

I just had to do that. :)

Proofs are pretty difficult for me too. I often spend 90 minutes or more on a single math lesson because of two or three hard proofs I have to do in that lesson. Though, the above proof wasn't especially hard to figure out. :)

I'm working through Calculus right now. I'm not going to say I like it, but it's actually not that bad! Sometimes I really enjoy it! It's also fun to use a TI-83 plus graphing calculator… It's like a small computer because it graphs all the ridiculously hard functions that most humans can't even do!

SBG I understand you completely! I completely and utterly do not understand proofs :) I use SOS Geometry on the computer and it requires me sometimes to fill in certain blanks on the proof. What I don't understand is why I can't just prove it using logic instead of all these steps that make absolutely no sense! :D

Sweet! I have a Ti-83+ that I'm using for Algebra 2. It works wonders on matrices……

Geometry proofs are awesome… sometimes! Actually, though, they make great logical sense to me!

I have a basic scientific calculator because my parents dont want me to "cheat" and have my calculator do the work :)

@Jordan Maybe my curriculum just isn't teaching them to me well because I DO NOT understand proofs.

Are you accusing me???? J/K

Actually, you have to use a super whamy calculator, cause otherwise you really can't do these types of problems:

ln[(1 + x)(1 + x2)2(1 + x3)3 ] = ln(1 + x) + ln(1 + x2)2 + ln(1 + x3)3

I didn't get a TI-83+ till after algebra 2… I was on my own! But I don't think algebra's that hard anyway!

whats the In stand for?

Natural Log. Don't ask me why it's not NL!

blinks You don't? It's either you're crazily smart, or just plain crazy! J/K!

U all r making me feel dumb. Lol :) jk

Lol what math are you taking?

Algebra1 and I strongly dislike it.

Lol I figured. It's cause your using Saxon adn Saxon is tough. But trust me, Algebra I is notthing compared to what's coming up 0_0

NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Lol like Eden said though, i think you get smarter as you get older :)

I hate geometry proofs. :-/ ………

U all r making me feel dumb. Lol :) jk

Danielle…..you're not alone. :) :P

I was homeschooled up until 6th grade and then I joined a cyber charter school (21st Century Cyber Charter School). It's a public school system, but I really enjoy it.

@Sam: I hope it the first thing you said! ;)

@Madi: What's wrong with geo proofs???? Okay, they do get a little long sometimes… like when there's like 32 steps to prove an angle is an angle!

Yeah, I guess they just get kind of long.

I love algebra though. :)

Ha! If you like algebra, you'll LOVE this:
https://picasaweb.google.com/108257299214923483901/Algebra?authkey=Gv1sRgCMTcy67Rlb3QGg&feat=email#5850619158975197186

@ Jordan, Edit: Ok , myabe a different computer helped. Yes that was funny.
I didn't like geometry proofs, because when it is time to check them there are about a thousand ways to go wrong (well maybe just a little exaggerated). I also don't care for natural logs or euler either. But algebra seems fine now, eccept when I have to factor an odd polynomial.

@Anya- that's really cool! Is it like a cyber school?

Hey! It works fine for me!

LOL!!!!!!!! :)

So…. If I type out my algebra problems on here will u give me the answers?? Lol jk. :) jk

Danielle! I am shocked! Haha.. j/k