Math Essentials

My boys love math. It is their instant answer when anyone asks them what their favorite subject is. I'm their mom, so I can brag: they are very good at math. It seems to come pretty naturally for them. As much as I love math, it doesn't come naturally to me at all, so they didn't get it from me. And I only thought I liked math. My boys take it to a whole new level. You see, whenever I have a new review opportunity, I run it by the kids to see if they are interested. I was shocked when the boys jumped at the chance to review an algebra book. They were already well into their algebra books and doing fine, but they both loved the idea of mastering the subject. When they found out they would also receive a bonus geometry book, they were excited about it! Freaks. They had learned a little geometry but wanted to get better at it. 

All that to say, we loved the books, but I'm not the best judge of saying if it's great for people who have never had algebra exposure or not. I think so, but no promises. Truly, the book does seem to make everything so simple. Each day, a subject is introduced, helpful hints are given, an example is shared, and then around 12 exercises are given for students to work through on their own. At the end of each lesson, 4 review problems are given to keep students memories fresh with old lessons. In addition to the easy-to-understand lessons, there are also online video lessons your student can watch.

Things I like:

• All answers are in the back of the book so there is no separate teacher's text to purchase. 
• Students are encouraged to work through the example problems on paper for themselves to solidify their learning.
• Lessons only take about 20 minutes per day.

I love that halfway through the book, there is a full page reminder to utilize the resources in the back of the of the book. These resources were listed at the beginning as well and they include:

• Glossary
• Important Formulas
• Important Symbols
• Multiplication Table
• Commonly Used Prime Numbers
• Squares and Square Roots
• Fraction/Decimal Equivalents
• Solutions

There are 105 lessons, including reviews, giving you 21 weeks of algebra. It is intended for Grades 8 and up, but my 12 yo, going into 7th grade hasn't had any trouble with it. The cost is $27.95, making it just an absolutely amazing deal for an Algebra credit course!

The Geometry book includes 29 lessons followed by 4 pages of Review Tests. It contains a beautiful dose of review of basic math, necessary to proceed very far into geometry. There is a word problem at the bottom of every page, which I really appreciate. Each lesson begins with 6 Review Problems to keep students fresh in their basics, a very brief "Helpful Hint" to help introduce new concepts, 7 Exercises, and a Word Problem at the end. Brief and easy lessons that help students master geometry. You can view samples here. This workbook is also very reasonably priced at $11.95.    

There are several more books in the series and you can read reviews on them all over at The Crew Blog. Be sure to check it out!

Disclaimer: I received this material in exchange for my honest opinion as a member of the TOS Crew, and received no other form of compensation. For whatever they're worth, the opinions are mine and mine alone, as stated in my disclosure policy.

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