Algebra 1: An Incremental Development (Hardcover)

by John H. Saxon Jr. (Author)

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 564 pages
• Publisher: Saxon Publishers; 3rd edition (2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565771346
• ISBN-13: 978-1565771345
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,647 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Algebra made... understandable, February 17, 2005

By	Robert Kalabus (Cheyenne, Wyoming) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Algebra 1: An Incremental Development (Hardcover)

John Saxon, former Air Force test pilot, published an article in the May 29, 1981 issue of National Review titled "al-ge-bra MADE UNDERSTANDABLE." It was a screed against mathematics textbooks that "...confuse and frighten students by belaboring concepts that are trivial and by giving insufficient emphasis to concepts that are fundamental." Saxon condemned mastery learning and advocated teaching mathematics using "... an incremental development with a continuous review." In the mathematics textbooks he wrote himself, Saxon used an innovation he called "general repetition" -- presenting lots of problems so that students practiced doing what they learned over and over again so that they mastered necessary skills. Saxon's books, Algebra 1/2 - Algebra 1 - Algebra 2 - Advanced Mathematics - and Calculus, are an excellent way to learn mathematics. You can teach yourself by using them. I worked through the Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 books by myself when my son was in school, quite an accomplishment for a 40+ year old math dummy, and my son finished the entire sequence of books as supplemental work while using other textbooks in his school classes. The Saxon books helped make him a great mathematics student.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Text - produced PhD biophysical chemist!, October 22, 1999

By	"hranda" (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Algebra 1 : An Incremental Development (Hardcover)

I used the Saxon books through all of my High school math courses, and think they are *the* best way to learn algebra. The key to the success is really twofold. 1) New types of problems are introduced with every lesson - but these are not drilled into the student by giving them 20 or more "practice problems" to do. Instead, only about 5 of the "new" problems are given for practice - letting the new ideas "sink in" over a period of days. 2) Constant review. Because the student is not burdened with lots of new ideas every lesson, the remaining homework problems are review of everything the student has done to date. This ensures that the student doesn't forget how to do the math, and makes reviewing for a test almost obsolete. I am now in graduate school, soon to get my PhD in theoretical biophysics. Learning Algebra so well in high school put me far ahead in college. I now tutor out of the Saxon books (and others, depending on which schools the kids go to), and the Saxon kids are far ahead of the others in terms of retention and understanding. 'nuff said.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars for a mathbook, that is, December 27, 1999

By	Louise Dana (Rosemont, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Algebra 1: An Incremental Development - Solutions Manual (Paperback)

Saxon's explanations are lucid, but sometimes over-laboured; he's perfectly willing to repeat himself over and over. Following each chapter's explanation is a problem set of 30 or so problems, which tests the student on the latest concept and every single other concept covered so far. Needless to say, doing the same kind of problems over and over and over again gets very old. The one redeeming feature is Saxon's word problems, which are inventive and sometimes (as I found against my will) quite funny. Repetitive though the book is, though, it succeeds very well at teaching the student basic algebra; no one can go through this book and not know the material cold.