Belgians learning math 'the American way'
Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:02 pm
For the time being my daughter thinks everything in English is 'cool'. So we started math in English, except it's not 'just' math in English.
Apparently the program is totally, totally different from the Belgian one. I bought Math Mammoth, the Blue Series, which means we can work per topic and not by grade. The advantage sure is we can progress faster on the topics she likes and take it easy on the topics that won't work (like fractions). We also have to review everything, because even the approach/teaching method itself is different most of the time and some stuff is new.
Anyway, there are a lot of things that we, Belgians, don't learn in elementary school (1-6th grade). If I have a correct overview, new to us is statistics and probability, and the overall level reached in the American 6th grade would be the level in our 8th grade with some things never even learned depending on what you study after 6th grade. Statistics and probability (even the basics) are also only for the happy few in the most 'mathy' directions. I must say I'm impressed.
So what's my question? Could someone please explain the difference between K-6 and K-8 curricula? Is K-8 more elaborate, does it contain more exercises or does it offer more than that? And what afterwards? I read there's something like pre-algebra. Maybe that's the difference between K-6 and K-8?
I also don't understand what pre-algebra is. I have seen exercises in 6th grade that - to a Belgian - would qualify as algebra.
I'd be happy with the answer to those questions, but if someone has some spare time left, I'm also wondering what happens after 8th grade. I've read there's 2 years of algebra, 1 of geometry/trigonometry and 1 I can't remember.
Thanks for the help!
Apparently the program is totally, totally different from the Belgian one. I bought Math Mammoth, the Blue Series, which means we can work per topic and not by grade. The advantage sure is we can progress faster on the topics she likes and take it easy on the topics that won't work (like fractions). We also have to review everything, because even the approach/teaching method itself is different most of the time and some stuff is new.
Anyway, there are a lot of things that we, Belgians, don't learn in elementary school (1-6th grade). If I have a correct overview, new to us is statistics and probability, and the overall level reached in the American 6th grade would be the level in our 8th grade with some things never even learned depending on what you study after 6th grade. Statistics and probability (even the basics) are also only for the happy few in the most 'mathy' directions. I must say I'm impressed.
So what's my question? Could someone please explain the difference between K-6 and K-8 curricula? Is K-8 more elaborate, does it contain more exercises or does it offer more than that? And what afterwards? I read there's something like pre-algebra. Maybe that's the difference between K-6 and K-8?
I also don't understand what pre-algebra is. I have seen exercises in 6th grade that - to a Belgian - would qualify as algebra.
I'd be happy with the answer to those questions, but if someone has some spare time left, I'm also wondering what happens after 8th grade. I've read there's 2 years of algebra, 1 of geometry/trigonometry and 1 I can't remember.
Thanks for the help!