Algebra 2: An Incremental Development, Second edition (Saxon Algebra) [Hardcover]

John H. Saxon (Author)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 577 pages
• Publisher: Saxon Pub; 2nd edition (February 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093979862X
• ISBN-13: 978-0939798629
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > Teens > Education & Reference > Science & Technology > Mathematics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellence in Mathematics, March 4, 2006

By 

L. Strube - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Algebra 2: An Incremental Development, Second edition (Saxon Algebra) (Hardcover)

I have been using Saxon mathematics for 15 years, first as a 5th-12th grade student and more recently as a tutor. This program is excellent and like one of the other reviewers I can agree that even my "average" Saxon students have significantly better mathematics skills that those students using other programs.

I began using Saxon math in 5th grade. Prior to that I used a typical "learn and drill" method. A new concept was taught and drilled for 20+ problems and then the instruction moved on to another topic. By the time I reached an end of unit exam I had forgotten the early material.

Then in 5th grade we changed curriculums. I didn't become a "math lover" overnight. In fact, although my math skills improved, I adamently hated math all the way through junior high. Then I began algebra. By the end of Saxon's algebra 2 textbook I loved algebra and was making high A's in my homework.

A couple of years after highschool I was invited to begin tutoring math at a private school. At this point I reviewed my Saxon Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 eventually going on to study Advanced Mathematics for the fun of it. I would spend 2-3 hours a day studying math and loving every minute of it.

This independant study was 2 1/2 years ago. I recently decided to attend college as a math major. Last semester I passed Calculus I near or at the top of all the Cal I classes combined. My Saxon skills gave me the tools I needed to study well and grasp rather abstract concepts.

The one area that has concerned me is trigonometry. The Advanced Mathematics covered the topic quite thoroughly, however Calculus requires a lot of trig and it has been so long since I studied Advanced Math I've been afraid my professors will "spring" something on me I don't remember.

Yesterday my fears were alleviated. The math department held an extra credit exam for the Cal 2 students. The exam was a trig placement exam they would like to implement in the future. Because of my other classes I didn't have time to study so I decided to "wing" it and hope my studies 2 1/2 years ago would award me at least partial credit.

I'm quite pleased to say that thanks to Saxon I knew how to work every single problem on the test even though it has been 2 1/2 years since I studied trigonometry and I have not had any trig students since that time. Saxon works... Excellently.

If you are considering the Saxon texts let me encourage you to read the introductions to the texts. They are quite inspiring, imparting the vision Saxon had for math.

In addition students must work every problem. This is the whole reason Saxon works -- lots and lots of review. What most people fail to realize is that mathematics is like music; practice creates excellence.

Finally for those concerned about Saxon's lack of a dedicated geometry text, after having tutored math for 5 years I am convinced that Saxon's integrated approach is far more effective than traditional methods. Saxon teaches geometry concepts throughout the junior high and high school grades allowing for mastery of the ideas long before the formal proofs are introduced in Advanced Mathematics. This is excellent as I believe that older students have a greater capacity to grasp the rather abstract skills required for geometric proofs.

I'm very thankful for the curriculum switch in 5th grade. Because of Saxon I have transformed from a math-hating elementary student to a very succesful math major.

38 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Depressing... but probably useful for many students, April 15, 2004

By 

D. A Flory (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Algebra 2: An Incremental Development, Second edition (Saxon Algebra) (Hardcover)

As a math graduate student who used this book in high school, it amazes me that I ever gave mathematics another chance when I got to college.

I hated this book. The assignments were never challenging, just tedious and time-consuming. I never felt that I was learning anything. When I began to study "real" mathematics (i.e. proof based analysis, abstract algebra, etc.) I found myself far behind the other students, even though I had done well with books like this in high school. I was pretty angry that I had spent years doing mindless calculations instead of learning to solve hard algebra problems.

That said, this book does teach basic computation very well, and that's more than most students get out of high school. For the many students who could care less about math the Saxon series is probably not a bad choice, particularly if the teacher isn't a mathematician.

I noticed that many users of this book homeschool--and I can see why this book would work well in such an environment. If you find that your kid is bored with this book, though, I urge you to find him or her a tutor with advanced mathematical training. The Saxon books (and most high schools, I'm afraid) are just not equipped for the talented math student, and it's a terrible thing to be intellectually bored and frustrated during the teen years.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Skill and Drill, July 25, 2005

By 

Edward C. Hill (MADISON, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Algebra 2: An Incremental Development, Second edition (Saxon Algebra) (Hardcover)

Math is both a skill and a creative intellectual activity. Students need to master the basics (skill drill) and be challenged with unique and interesting problems (creative activity) that they have never seen before.

Saxon Algebra II is very good for skill drill: every lesson is followed by 30 problems. The same problem types keep recurring lesson after lesson. Because of this, students do gain mastery of basic algebraic manipulations.

However, there are no unique or creative problems whatsoever: NONE. There are no problems to challenge the student to apply what they have learned to a 'unique context.' Also the student is never asked to prove any thing. A few proofs are presented to the student so they can see what a proof is, but this is very rare.

To get through the entire book and work every problem will take a lot of discipline. This is because the material is so repetitive. Yes, students do need repetition to master the basics. However they should also be presented with some interesting, unique, and challenging problems.