Our Year in Review: Math Curriculum

As we wind down our homeschool year, I wanted to post a quick review of our curriculum choices by subject.  I will evaluate them with a thumbs up, down or sideways along with a brief description of the product and its strengths and weaknesses (in my opinion of course).  As you will see, I am more eclectic in my curriculum choices, but I lean more toward the classical and Charlotte Mason approaches.  I'll start with math.

Grades 9 (Algebra), 6, and 3:  Teaching Textbooks -- A thumbs up for all three grades!  I love, love, love Teaching Textbooks!  It is a computer based math program that we have used for the past 3 years.  Grades 3 through 7 provide audio/animated teaching and automated grading. The students listen/view the animated lecture then complete the work on the computer.

Pros: One benefit to this program is automatic feedback regarding errors.  The students see the correct answer and then can view the step by step solution.  Although the textbook is available for grades 3-7, it is not necessary to buy it unless you want the student to be able to complete his/her work away from the computer. Grades 8 and up, however do not do their work on the computer.  The work for these grades is done out of the textbook and there is NO automated grading.  There are teaching CD's and solutions CD's that can be viewed on the computer, but the textbook is absolutely necessary in order to complete this curriculum.

One thing I love about this curriculum is that my daughter with dyslexia is able to complete her math in a quarter of the time it used to take her because she doesn't have to take time to read the directions, word problems, etc. If she doesn't understand a procedure, she can go back and listen to the lecture without laboring over mathematical text. Her math scores have improved significantly.

Cons: The students are dependent on the computer to complete their math.  The CD's can scratch.  Although she highly recommends the curriculum, Cathy Duffy mentions in her review that Teaching Textbooks tends to move at a slower pace than other math programs.  Cost is also a drawback.  It is more expensive than other math curricula we have bought in the past. Prices range from $119.00 for third grade to $184 for
Pre-calculus.

You can read a complete review of this curriculum by Cathy Duffy here.