Customer Reviews

Algebra: Structure and Method Book 1

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a well thought out Algebra textbook. I started teaching from it earlier this year and have grown to appreciate it very much. I am especially pleased the more I compare this to other books. Most math books these days are little more than pretty colors, crazy fonts, neat pictures, lots of distractions, and very little actual math instruction. This book, on the other hand, actually focuses on the math, explains it reasonably well, and has great sets of real example problems and practice problems of all difficulty levels, including lots of practical problems that aren't forced or contrived. It is not perfect, but it is the best I have seen.

Pros:
*Lots of math rather than lots of silly distractions
*Appropriate difficulty level - not "dumbed down"
*Good examples worked out and explained
*Good problem sets for homework and practice

Cons:
*Some explanations are just a bit short, although most are good
*Factoring, the hardest topic, is early in the book, which makes it difficult for some students

This is one of only a handful of books that actually covers Algebra 1 in detail, and in an order that builds a strong foundation along the way. Sure, there will be students who find this book hard to understand -- they are the ones who are not really ready for algebra and should be either taking pre-algebra or one of the many "algebra lite" books that are available. Well-prepared students will find this book a great resource, and should find themselves extremely well-prepared for future classes in mathematics.

It is arguably one of the best algebra books available, and is one of the top algebra textbooks as rated by Mathematically Correct, a group that is concerned with the quality of mathematics instruction in California (and beyond).

I think overall, the book, Algebra Structure and method is wonderful. The book provides the odd answers to the problems, in the back, which is nice, because it gives me sense of if I'm getting the problems correct, without telling me all the answers. I also like how the difficulty of problems is catagorized, with "a" problems being the easiest, "b"problems, in the middle and "c" problems the hardest. Sometimes the explanations of how to do the problem are a little confusing,though. All in all, this book is a good teacher.

This is a pretty good comprehensive textbook for students of all levels. There are twelve chapters in the book, plus a glossary, various helpful appendices, and an index. The book contains "A" (easy), "B" (intermediate), and "C" (challenging( problem sets for every topic covered. Also, enrichment topics are included, including "Extra," "Challenge," "Historical Note," "Application," and "Career."

Like any other book, this book does, however, isn't absolutely perfect. One thing about this book is that the explanations in this book at the top of every section summarizes important concepts and gives some examples and definitions; however, the examples often only cover the "A" and half of the "B" problem sets, and the "C" problems are often unexplained. Also, the textbook seems to be designed for slightly more advanced students, as the problems and pace of the text isn't for beginning or struggling students.

One note is that this book isn't the best tool to teach yourself math, although it is an excellent source for problem sets, and also serves as an excellent reference for algebraic concepts. I would recommend "CliffsStudy Solver Algebra I" if you are having trouble with Algebra I or if you want to teach yourself math, because this textbook is not designed to be a tutorial. I have tried to teach myself many new math concepts, but this book didn't always help - though I did some new problem solving strategies from here. Sometimes the explanations were simply skimmed over too quickly.

Overall, this is a great book. It's really helped me with my math grade, but this is just one of my math books which helped me. With teacher guidance, one or two more study guides, and most importantly, a dedicated self-motivated mind, you are bound to be a success in algebra.

I was searching for a good textbook to learn Latin and for some reason this book popped up since somebody had purchased it with the Latin text I was considering. I used Algebra Structure and Method Book 1 as a student in 1991 and 1992 in my high school Algebra 1 class. This was a very good textbook and I had previously hated mathematics. My school also used the second book in this series as well as the Geometry book that goes with it. I learned math and did well at it. I think this series would benefit any high school math student still today in spite of the fact that the cover has not changed in almost 14 years.

I am currently an eigth grader using this book in the challengers program at my school. It is an informative textbook, filled with lots of examples on how to solve mixture problems, polynomials, etc. But, I warn you, if you do not master the concepts in the previous chapters, you will have a hard time understanding the material from Chapter 7 on.

This book is a comprehensive algebra 1 course despite the implications of the words "Book 1" in its title. You can use it for self-instruction, because the answers to the odd-numbered problems are given at the back of the book -- and there are lots of problems. It is also a great source of supplementary material for students who are taking algebra 1 in school. Supplementary material is necessary because most algebra 1 courses these days are "dumbed down." The District of Columbia Public Schools, for example, uses a book (ISBN 0618250182) that has been stripped of traditional problems that show students the power of algebra -- "work problems," "mixture problems," "age problems" and so on. And it has been stripped of difficult problems in all of the topics that remain. The book under review here covers the traditional topics and has difficult problems in all topics. The book would be good for a differentiated course, because the problems in each section are grouped into three levels of difficulty, labeled A, B and C.

-- Jeff Schmidt, Washington, D.C. (e-mail: jeffschmidt at alumni.uci.edu)

I found this book easy to use. The only time I had trouble in Algebra was when we were getting into factoring and our teacher decided to go outside the book >.< But other then that it is easy to understand and it explains very well.

I used this book (when it was written by Mary P. Dolciani) in 1971-72 as a freshman in high school and loved it. The recent revisions continue the excellence of Dolciani and the series. The theory is sound and the examples are easy to follow. Especially important is the numerous exercises graded in difficulty that help the student master the material. Check out various Algebra web sites and you will see that this book CONSISTENTLY receives rave reviews as far as the material and difficulty level presented to students. This book actually makes students THINK and does not spoon feed the material. Check out Algebra and Trigonometry: Structure and Method Book 2 as a follow-up. Again, I used it as a junior in high school and it's revisions have continued the high standards of its predecessors.

I have been using this book for over a semester now, and I think it's pretty good. It does have some areas in which I think it needs more explanation, but otherwise, it's great!