43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is ALL you need for one student, September 28, 2008
This review is from: Math 5 / 4: Homeschool Set (Paperback)
The set includes the three items you should have for a complete package: a Student/Teacher manual, the Solutions manual and the (reproducible) Tests and Worksheets. If you have one student, buy the COMPLETE kit. If you have 2 or more students, you should buy one complete set and as many extra student/teacher books, as you may need. If you do not have the ability to copy the worksheets, which is LEGAL, then you should also order additional Tests and Worksheets books. However, for one child, this is ALL you need. You will end up paying A LOT more if you bought these items individually.
Having 2 kids, and this is my experience for the past 5 years, from 3d to 7th grade, I order the complete kit from an education bookseller or from Amazon if I can find it here and an extra textbook from Amazon or one of the alternative sellers supported by Amazon.
By the way, Saxon's Math works. I am not a home schooler because I have a full-time job but I've been using it with my kids since 3d grade as a Math booster and I am happy with their A's. Besides math, children acquire some discipline, study skills, test-taking skills and, me having 2 'students', they learn to compete as well.
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On the Saxon method:
A one-year Math cycle is comprised of 120 lessons, 12 investigations and 23 review tests.
Each lesson begins with a quick daily test where certain skills such as addition or multiplication are drilled. Following that, there are warm-up activities that ask the students to perform mental math and solve a problem. The body of the lesson follows, where one or sometimes 2 topics are discussed. The lesson practice that follows asks students to answer/solve a number of questions related to the subject matters covered by the lesson. Finally, the 'mixed practice' asks students to answer/solve 25-30 questions that could be on EVERYTHING covered by Saxon Math up to that point. Each individual question has references to the lesson(s) which the students may want to review if they are having trouble with the answer/solution.
After every 5 lessons, beginning with the 10th, there is a 20-question test that covers material covered up to 5 lessons prior to that test. For example, the test given after lesson 25 will cover everything up to lesson 20.
Every 10 lessons there is an Investigation. Investigations are in-depth and largely 'hands on' studies of specific and important topics such as 'calculating odds' or 'measuring liquids'.
The expectation is for each lesson to last for about one hour. In practice, with 2 kids, I found that we spend anything from 60 to 90 minutes per lesson. At this point - doing 7th grade math - the children are capable to work on their own and my role is limited to reviewing the tests, 'teaching' the new topics and helping them with whatever questions or clarifications they may need.
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Math Curriculum, October 20, 2007
This review is from: Math 5 / 4: Homeschool Set (Paperback)
This is our first year of homeschooling and we have been extremely pleased with this curriculum. What we like about it is that your student doesn't learn one thing and go on to the next, but there is constant review in the daily work so no concepts are forgotten. It's a great reinforcement. Plan on 45 minutes or so for math, though.
On Saxon's website, your child can take a test to determine which books to buy.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Math, teaches well, goes quickly, March 25, 2009
This review is from: Math 5 / 4: Homeschool Set (Paperback)
by homeschool4Him.com This review kind of covers lots of grades. My children are average or above average learners with no major difficulties. We began with A Beka, but over time it gets tedious. We switched to Saxon 7/6 and 8/7, and with a year, my older 7th grade son was ready to move right to Algebra 1! This is my first time with daughter in 5/4. She loves it! It moves quickly from drills to lesson, to practice to mixed practice. She feels independent and mature when doing this program, and she loves it!
Another bonus is that you can give them a day off of math once in a while. I built in a day off every other week with this program, plus a week off of math mid-year versus A Beka where you have a sheet every day for 170 days plus tests.
The way Saxon spirals its concepts is wonderful. Can't say enough good things about Saxon math!!! We were not sure with the high school math with Saxon, so we decided to go with Teaching Textbooks in Algebra. It may be a good program for higher math, I don't know. Hope this helps!
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