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Prealgebra 1 Self-Paced

Summary

In AoPS Prealgebra 1, middle school students build the foundation they need to succeed in the next course on their journey. Students explore key topics in number theory and algebra: exponents and exponent laws, common divisors and multiples, linear equations, inequalities, ratio and proportion, conversion, speed, and more.

Prealgebra 1 is available as a live course that meets online weekly for 75-minute sessions, or as a self-paced course. Our self-paced course allows students to move ahead at their preferred pace, with automated interactive instruction replacing the live class meeting times. Both course styles offer instructor feedback on student work, as well as office hours and a class message board for student support throughout the course.

Prealgebra 1: Self-Paced

Length: 50 Lessons

In our self-paced Prealgebra 1 course, students proceed at their own rate and explore new concepts independently through a series of automated, interactive mathematical conversations.

Instead of prescheduled meeting times, self-paced math classes offer live interaction through the class message board, where students can connect with peers on challenging problems and receive support from instructors. We reinforce lessons with examples from the first half of our Prealgebra textbook, engaging videos, and various types of homework problems.

While many students will complete Prealgebra 1 in 3–6 months, we offer unlimited access to the class for 9 months.

$445 $504 w/books

What's Included?

50 interactive lessons featuring lively, adaptive mathematical conversations to help students deepen their understanding
More than 80 supplementary videos from AoPS founder and Prelgebra co-author Richard Rusczyk, providing expert insights and guidance
Scheduling tools that allow students to set their preferred study hours each week, ensuring that activities are aligned with their personal schedule
Class message board where students can collaborate with peers, ask questions, and receive support from instructors and teaching assistants outside of class time
Periodic homework assignments including challenging short-answer problems, assigned readings from our Prelgebra textbook, and personalized practice through our adaptive online learning system, Alcumus
Detailed instructor evaluation of students' written solutions to open-response problems, designed to enhance mathematical writing and problem-solving skills
Comprehensive reporting that allows students and parents to track progress and performance throughout the course

Why AoPS?

Innovative Interactive Instruction

In our self-paced courses, students progress through interactive lessons that engage them in mathematical conversations, guiding them step-by-step and addressing common misconceptions. Students learn in various ways, so we offer multiple learning avenues: interactive lessons, a textbook, videos, diverse homework problems, and opportunities to engage in discussions with instructors and peers on the class message board.

Active Learning

Learning is not a spectator sport, and students learn best by tackling hard problems themselves. Our lessons start with challenging questions to help students develop new mathematical strategies. If students get stuck, our learning technology supplies helpful hints and adapts lesson structure to further reinforce key concepts.

Focus on Non-Routine, Challenging Problems

To prepare our students for the challenges of tomorrow, we teach them how to apply fundamentals to different types of problems, not just variations on the same problem they’ve seen before. Building a critical problem-solving skill set, our students are prepared for the rigors of top-tier colleges and internationally competitive careers.

Who Should Take This Class?

This course is ideal for students who have completed an elementary school (grades 1-5) math curriculum and are eager for a more challenging mathematical experience.

Prealgebra 1 is also the next step for students who have completed grade 5 of our elementary school curriculum, Beast Academy. (But you don't have to be a Beast Academy student to take Prealgebra 1!)

Self-Paced vs. Weekly Live

Our self-paced class is designed for students who prefer to set their own study schedule. In this format, students can engage with peers and receive support from staff through the class message board. For students interested in a live group experience with real-time interactions in an online classroom setting, we recommend considering the weekly live version of this course.

Instructional Videos

Expand your conceptual understanding with free instructional videos! Featuring AoPS Founder Richard Rusczyk, these step-by-step tutorials model problem solving strategies to help students master key ideas from almost every lesson in the prealgebra textbook.

Chapters

Show All Topics
Chapter 1
Properties of Arithmetic
  • Rigorous definition of arithmetic basics
  • Clever applications of arithmetic rules to make seemingly-complicated calculations simple
Chapter 2
Exponents
  • Exponentiation and powers
  • Exponent laws
  • Zero as an exponent
  • Negative exponents
Chapter 3
Number Theory
  • Multiples and divisibility
  • Primes, composites, and prime factorization
  • Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic
  • Least common multiple (LCM) and greatest common divisor (GCD)
Chapter 4
Fractions
  • Rigorous definition of fractions
  • Arithmetic with fractions and mixed numbers
  • Fraction comparison and simplification
  • Challenging word problems with fractions
Chapter 5
Equations and Inequalities
  • Expressions and equations
  • Linear equations
  • Applications of linear equations to word problems
  • Principles of inequalities
  • Linear inequalities
Chapter 6
Decimals
  • Definition of decimal notation
  • Rigorous exploration of arithmetic with decimals
  • Decimal comparison and approximation
  • Conversion between fractions and decimals
  • Rational numbers and their decimal representation
Chapter 7
Ratios, Conversions, and Rates
  • Definition of ratio and proportion
  • Proportional thinking
  • Problem-solving with part-to-part and part-to-whole ratios
  • Variables in ratios and proportions
  • Unit conversion with conversion factors
  • Relationship between speed, distance, and time
  • Joint work, relative speed, and average speed

Required Textbook

Prealgebra By Richard Rusczyk, David Patrick, Ravi Boppana
Prealgebra prepares students for the rigors of algebra and also teaches students problem-solving techniques to prepare them for prestigious middle school math contests such as MATHCOUNTS, MOEMS, and the AMC 8. The text is written to challenge students at a much deeper level than a traditional middle school prealgebra course.
Related courses: Prealgebra 1 and Prealgebra 2
View Details
$445 $504 w/books

I am enjoying the course because it is both interactive and challenging and therefore keeps me focused and occupied.