Homeschool Reviews

Saxon Math

THSM — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 19:13:49 +0000

According to its publisher, “Saxon Math is the only major math program on the market today that systematically distributes instruction, practice, and assessment throughout the academic year as opposed to concentrating, or massing, related concepts into a short period of time–usually within a unit or chapter. Saxon Math’s approach to math instruction ensures that students not only gain but also retain essential math skills.” The program transitions students from manipulatives and worksheets to a textbook approach as the students progress to middle school.

Saxon’s K-3 program is designed to teach basic arithmetic concepts as well as geometry, patterns, time, and more. Each lesson is scripted for the parent. Manipulatives accelerate understanding of abstract math concepts, and worksheets provide cumulative review. Saxon Math for middle grades transitions students from manipulatives and worksheets to a textbook approach. The emphasis in the middle grades is on developing algebraic reasoning as well as geometric concepts. Lessons include new concepts plus a review of previous concepts. Middle and upper grades have Solution Manuals which give step-by-step solutions for all problems in the book. Saxon’s high school program offers a textbook, tests, and a Solutions Manual. Homeschool kits are available for Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Advanced Math, and Calculus.

Math-U-See

Website Contributor — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:01:23 +0000

This is a hands-on curriculum that uses workbooks, videos and manipulative blocks to teach math concepts. Students learn how to perform math operations and understand why they are performing those operations so they can apply them to everyday life. The program was described in 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy as “easier than most.” Math·U·See is broken down to teach students specific skills that build as the student progresses. This systematic and cumulative approach uses a definite, logical sequence of concept instruction. The Math·U·See system is structured with step-by-step procedures for introducing, reviewing, and practicing concepts. Students spend as much or as little time as needed on any given concept until it is mastered.

Starfall

Website Contributor — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:29:53 +0000

Starfall offers both a free online phonics/reading program and a (fee-based) reading/language arts curriculum that is “magical, creative, sequential, integrated, and combines content area instruction in Social Studies and Science – that’s kindergarten, the Starfall Way. Starfall uses fantasy as a springboard for motivating children to use their natural sense of wonder and curiosity to enhance learning. Children interact with Starfall characters in the classroom as well as through stories, songs, rhymes, practice books, writing journals, and activities online.” More.Starfall.com is a separate membership area of the site that extends available offerings to include customizable worksheet generators, lesson plans, math games, more extensive phonics games, and more.

Easy Grammar

Website Contributor — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:17:05 +0000

“Easy Grammar texts use the prepositional approach combined with effective strategies. This helps students to understand grammar, a tool for speaking and writing properly.” The courses are for grades 2 – 12, and involve student texts, workbooks, a teacher’s guide and a mastery review intended to be used at the beginning of each days’ instruction. Course materials are very affordable. There is no multimedia component with the instruction. Student work pages are reproducible, making it cost-effective to use with several students. Easy Writing and Daily Grams are also offered.

My Father’s World

Website Contributor — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:30:41 +0000

My Father’s World is a full package curriculum (math & language arts are from other vendors) with a Christian perspective that, like Sonlight but less intense, has history as its backbone and relates the rest of the curriculum to it. It was originally created for missionaries.

Rod and Staff

Website Contributor — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:05:11 +0000

Rod & Staff curriculum is designed to make the child God-conscious. This curriculum not only teaches the Bible but uses many illustrations of how Bible principles can be applied in everyday life. The various courses are comprised of texts, workbooks, and teacher guides. The science text is written from the perspective that evolution is “logically and mathematically impossible.”

The Story of the World

Website Contributor — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:34:47 +0000

This extensive collection of texts, workbooks, tests and recordings presents the history of the world from ancient times to the modern ages as a series of narratives. Told in a straightforward, engaging style that has become Susan Wise Bauer’s trademark, The Story of the World series covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. Each Story of the World volume provides a full year of history study when combined with the Activity Book, Audiobook, and Tests—each available separately to accompany each volume of The Story of the World Text Book. The texts are suitable to be read aloud for the entire family. Available activity guides supplement the texts: Color a picture of a Minoan bull-jumper, make a model of the Nile River, create Roman armor and Celtic jewelry and more…don’t just read about history—experience it! This comprehensive, 8.5″ x 11″ curriculum guide and activity book contains map activities, coloring pages, games, projects, review questions, cross-references to illustrated encyclopedias, and extensive book lists. Children and parents love the activities, ranging from cooking projects to crafts, board games to science experiments, and puzzles to projects.

Life of Fred Math

Website Contributor — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:06:41 +0000

Life of Fred, written by Stanley F. Schmidt, Ph.D., is a series of math books that are based on the story of 5 year old math genius Fred Gauss. Once children have mastered addition, subtraction and the multipication tables, they are ready to begin using Life of Fred, which carries the student from fractions through two years of calculus and beyond.

“In one of the Life of Fred books, Fred Gauss was born on the western slopes of the Siberian mountains. By the end of the eleven books, he is six years old. In his everyday life he first encounters the need for each new part of mathematics, and then comes the mathematics. Never again will students have to ask their perennial question: ‘When are we ever gonna use this stuff?’”

Apologia

THSM — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:48:01 +0000

Apologia provides fun and challenging K-12 creation-based science curriculum specifically designed for the home school. Written by a former university professor and homeschool parent, the courses provide college-preparatory science in a way that is both clear and challenging. The texts are readable, easy to understand, and full of engaging experiments that can be performed at home. This is a science course designed for the student to self-teach. Publisher materials indicate that this curriculum is that is truly God honoring, user friendly, and scientifically sound. The elementary science course covers zoology, botany and astronomy. The high school course is designed for two different tracks, Not Science-Oriented, and Science-Oriented. Courses that require a Math Prerequisite are identified. They even provide a FREE help line to answer any questions or problems you may encounter and a money-back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied.

Teaching Textbooks™

Website Contributor — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:28:06 +0000

Teaching Textbooks™ is a math curriculum based on 3 easy steps: watch the lesson, do the problems, and watch a tutor explain the ones you missed. Teaching Textbooks™ were designed specifically for independent learners (they focus on teaching/explanations). From the website:

A Teaching Textbook™, with its approximately 700 pages of text and 120 – 160 hours of teacher instruction on CD-ROM, is both a teacher and a textbook combined into one. And the CD-ROM teaching isn’t just abstract lectures either. There are also down-to-earth, audiovisual step-by-step explanations for every single one of the almost 3,500 problems in the book … [The Teaching Textbook™] introduces proper terminology only after first presenting the underlying concept in plain language.