Algebra 1 is the foundation of middle/high school mathematics. This course can help students establish good mathematical thinking habits, strengthen the understanding of basic concepts, improve problem solving skills, and build a solid foundation for high school math classes. This course is for incoming 6-8 graders who have completed pre-algebra classes. Course plan: This course needs a total of 22 lessons to cover the entire contents, starting from summer until mid-December. After completing this course, the student can continue to take Geometry class in the following winter/spring session.

MathCounts is the most prestigious middle school math competition in the United States. Participants are students in grades 6-8 and organized by middle schools. Students participate at school, regional, and state level competitions, and eventually, each state forms a team of 4 players to participate in the national competition in May. AMC-10 (American Mathematics Contest), is a mathematical competition organized by the Mathematics Association of American, open for all students who are grade 10 and below. This is the first-level competition in selecting the US Math Olympiad team. Hundreds of thousands of students participate every year. Each year, the top 5,000 students at AMC-10 and AMC-12 contests will advance to the next round test: American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME). This course is helping incoming 5-9 graders to prepare for MathCounts and AMC-10 Competition, teaching the problem solving strategies. The content includes algebra, geometry, number theory, combination and probability. Past MathCounts and AMC-10 questions will be used in the class, and the books from AOPS (Art of Problem Solving) can be used as the reference. A placement test will be conducted before the class starts, based on the scores of the test, students will be arranged to different levels (MC-beginner, MC-intermediate, MC-advanced/AMC-10. The class size is around 10-15 students. Each week there will be 2 hours in person instruction at Schoolcraft College on Saturdays, and 2 hours Zoom class on Wednesdays. Teachers will introduce various mathematical concepts, and explain the problem solving strategies. Homework will be assigned every week, typical time to complete the homework is about 2 ~ 3 hours.