O.K. – I admit it. I was the total math geek in high school and college. One might say I was a “geek in disguise” for a lot of that time because I outwardly acted like I hated it, yet I took every math class possible and did well. I even survived five semesters of Calculus in college (before the existence of graphing calculators), and I did it just for fun.
Now, my kids idea of fun is definitely not stalking Calculus classes. Right now, we are in the middle school and high school years of math classes which means the dreaded Algebra 
and Geometry. Two of the boys have already worked through these classes, but they are trying to prepare for the ACT and need a lot of review. When we were given the Math Essentials No-Nonsense Algebra and Mastering Essential Skills Series – Geometry, I knew this was just what we needed. Both workbooks are intended for high school level students. I am using them with a rising 10th grader and a rising 12th grader.
First of all, when we received No-Nonsense Algebra, we used a special code that is unique to purchasers of the workbook to register for access to online instructional videos. Being the math geek that I am, I love the logical presentation of each concept in the videos; however, being the math haters that my sons are, they did not care for the videos. They are used to more of a live teacher who they can interact with and didn’t like the smartboard presentations. The boys thought they were boring and opted to complete the lessons without the videos. I am fine with that as long as they are 
understanding the lessons and correctly completing their assignments. So far, they have done a great job. I know the videos are a great fit for others, they just are not for us right now. My daughter is starting Pre-algebra and I really think she will like to use the videos when she gets to Algebra. She is a much more independent worker.
Beyond the videos, the No-Nonsense Algebra workbook is excellent. I am using one workbook with two students right now, so they are working out the problems on their own paper. I have mixed feelings about the answers to the problems being in the back of the workbook. I think that sometimes, especially once a student reaches higher math, when a student is stuck on a problem it is helpful to see what the answer is so that he can figure out where that answer came from. I, like Rick Fisher – the developer of Math Essentials, require my kids to show their work, so the possibility of just writing down the answer and cheating is eliminated. On the other hand, I would prefer the answers be in a separate teacher guide so I could choose when my kids could view the answers.
As for the content of No-Nonsense Algebra, it begins with integer operations and moves quickly into algebraic concepts such as solving equations, factoring equations, and algebraic word problems. Each lesson contains review, highlights of the concept being examined in the lesson, and practice problems. The lessons are short and to the point. This is a very solid and complete Algebra curriculum.
Math Essentials Geometry is a much shorter workbook. It is designed in the same way as No-Nonsense Algebra and covers 29 basic Geometry skills. Again, answers are included in the back of the workbook. This workbook could be used as a stand alone curriculum, but I feel it is too short for an entire high school Geometry credit. We are using it as review and reinforcement to the full length Geometry curriculum that we typically use. It is terrific for that purpose. The lessons are pointed at specific topics and all of the problems on a lesson are geared toward that topic. It is very helpful to my boys to have a focused math lesson. They are not fans of the type of curriculum that mixes many different types of problems into one lesson. They have actually enjoyed the lessons in both the No-Nonsense Algebra and the Math Essentials Geometry because of the fact that they are short lessons and they are very focused. It takes them about 20 minutes to complete an entire lesson.
Now for what you have all been waiting for – how to get these workbooks and how much they cost. No-Nonsense Algebra is available for $27.95, a price which includes free access to the complete set of instructional videos. Math Essentials Geometry is $11.95 (sorry, no videos for this title). There are many other titles available through Math Essentials. To purchase any of the titles, simply visit the Math Essentials website.
Other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been using and reviewing many titles from Math Essentials. To read their reviews, simply visit the main Crew Blog by clicking here or by clicking on the banner below.
1 comment:
I always thought that I was the only math nerd that took college calculus classes just for fun. Thanks for letting me know that I had a kindred spirit out there!
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