Homeschooling has been going relatively smooth for our family. Our guys are bright, not too much attitude and just plain fun to be with. They have excelled on their standardized tests. They are learning composition skills in conjunction with American Lit and US History. Biology is coming along well. Robotics has been a blast (team placed 14th in Alabama FLL). Algebra though has been a snag. Not a bust, just a snag.
We have been using Saxon. Last year with 87, they did pretty good. I like the incremental approach of Saxon, the spiralling review. But the instruction is just not there. The book (3rd edition, newest) has just been dry. Also because of the nature of Saxon, per new lesson you might only do a total of 8-10 problems on the new skill. That is just not enough to make it stick. So I began the search for a new Algebra and I hit the jackpot.
I found a wonderful computer based program at Teaching Textbooks. If you have high speed, check out the demo. This program can truly replace a teacher, but more importantly the instruction is clear, step by step and the interactive factor is more fun than just flipping a textbook page (it does come with a book but also CD lectures, tutorials, etc). If you are looking for a better algebra curriculum, check it out.
Both of my sons agree that this program explains the lesson much better than the Saxon.
