Apr. 27, 2009
Math? Which curriculum will you choose?
Posted in Homeschooling
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It seems that Math curriculum is a topic on most minds these days as we homeschooling moms are busy making plans for what curriculum we will use with our children next year. Unlike stories I've heard from veterans in the home school arena, we are blessed to have such a wide variety of educational materials available. Math programs are no exception. It can be overwhelming to make a decision on a math curriculum with so many programs available, but that can be a blessing in disguise. Any of you who have multiple children will most likely agree that each child has a little different learning style, and what works for one child doesn't always necessarily work for the others. So, having a variety of math programs to choose from is a great benefit when trying to choose curriculum to fit each child's math style. Over the years we have tried numerous math programs. All of the switching programs we did gave me some insight on what I wanted in a math program, but it also helped me to realize that I needed to find a good fit for my children and stick with it. I hope that we have now settled on a program that we will be able to stay with until my children graduate. In our last seven years of homeschooling we have tried math from Alpha Omega, ABeka, Singapore, and Saxon; all of which have their benefits and their weaknesses. This school year we found, upon recommendation from another home school mom, a program that really has made a tremendous difference in my childrens' understanding of math concepts. This year we used Teaching Textbooks Math 7 by Greg Sabouri, Shawn Sabouri. We are so pleased with the curriculum that I have just ordered Teaching Textbooks math for next year for all 3 of my children. What we like about Teaching Textbooks: * Easy to use! There is no teacher preparation. The student simply inserts the CD-ROM into the computer and selects the lesson he needs to do. * Great explanations Once the student selects the lesson he will do for that day, he will watch a lecture. Animated graphics on screen give the student a visual explanation while the narrator explains the lesson. The student will then read the lesson in the text/workbook before beginning the practice/problem set. If they do not understand something they can watch the lesson as many times as necessary to ensure they understand each step. The lecture video is easy to operate. It works like a DVD player in that you can fast forward, rewind, and pause with the click of the mouse. *Real world applications In addition to the traditional math topics you would expect to find in a math curriculum, Teaching Textbooks has incorporated real world math into their curriculum. Throughout the book there are practical applications of how a math concept would be used in the real world. In Math 7 we covered lessons on income taxes, computer hard drives, quilting, buying a car, clearance sales, checking accounts, stock prices, carpentry, etc. *Step by step solutions on the computer I loved that if my children missed a problem, and didn't understand why, they could watch the step by step solution on the computer. The explanations are clear and easily understandable by the student. *Grading The computer program grades each lesson and quiz as they are done. I don't have to check math anymore. I just open the grade book and print the pages that have the lessons we've covered in a semester. Then I just average the grades. It's very simple. *Can be used multiple times Once you own the CDs you can install them on more than one computer in your home, and can also use them over again for other children. When you are finished with them you can sell them or give them to someone else and they can call the company for a code to be able to install it on their computer. This program enables the student to do math more independently, for which I'm grateful. There are times when my children come to me with a question. I love that I can sit down with them and watch the lecture, then help them with their problem. The times they have required help have been very few with this curriculum compared to other programs we have used. I like that the lectures and explanations are communicated in a manner that is easily understood by the student. They have understood more about math from using this curriculum than any other we have tried. There are critics that say that Teaching Textbooks it isn't as rigorous as other programs and that it won't prepare students for college. Their concerns are mainly centered around when the program introduces certain topics rather than the fact that they aren't addressed at all. Teaching Textbooks has responded to my questions and assured me that the topics that some critics of the program express concern over are covered, but in a higher level of their program. Their purpose in doing this is that they believe the student is better prepared, and able, to understand the material at the higher level; therefore they present it when they believe it will be best understood. I think every program has it's faults and I'm certain that Teaching Textbooks is not perfect. After reading many reviews, and receiving a response from Teaching Textbooks that addressed my concerns, I am satisfied that we can continue to use this program until graduation and my children will have everything they need to succeed in their future endeavors. Here are some links if you are interested in finding out more about Teaching Textbooks, or if you want a quick link from which to order. You will find that Teaching Textbooks does not charge for shipping their products. That is true if you order from their site or if you order from Christian Book Distributors...FREE shipping, now that is a very good thing! We will be using Pre-Algebra and Grade 5 sets this year. Here are the links to those specific programs. Entire Set:
Text and Answer Key only if you already have the CDs or need an additional workbook for another child.
CD set only - use this option if you already have the student book and answer key.
Math 5 Complete Set
Math 5 CDs only - use this option if you already own the student text and solutions manual
Math 5 Student text/Answer Key only - use this option of you already own the CDs
For other levels of Teaching Textbooks Math Curriculum click here: Teaching Textbooks Math Curriculum For sample lectures and lessons, and for more information, please visit the Teaching Textbooks website: http://www.teachingtextbooks.com Blessings, Missy | ||||||||||||
Comments
Apr. 27, 2009 - Untitled Comment
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Posted by Anonymous
May. 2, 2009 - Hello
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May. 11, 2009 - bbullard
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