Would like some feedback from all you Saxon math users...

[lovinmykids]

I've always heard you either love it, or hate it.

So, for those of you who didn't like it, can you tell me why.

And for those of you who loved it, can you share with me all the positives.

We are in Saxon 3 so you know.

Oh, also, did you feel the need to supplement with Saxon or not?

Thanks so much.

[TheCoffeeChick]

We finished Saxon K and 1 and started 2 before switching. I actually really like the program, but ds was just not retaining the number facts. I think I blew that one in not making him review them everyday. Saxon is a solid program as long as you are willing to put in the time and do everything it says to do. :) I can't really fault the curriculum if I wasn't doing it properly.

 

That said, we went away from the spiral approach to R&S Arithmetic and ds is flourishing. But I think both programs are good.

[arcara]

I'm on the "hate-it" side of things, but I do think it's a solid program.

 

I used some of K, all of 1, half of 2, some of 3, all of 54 and half of 65.

 

The incremental method was just too slow for my kiddos. The bites were too small. The point when I threw up my hands with Saxon 65 was when there was one whole lesson on making sure you line up your decimal points before adding or subtracting decimals!!! My dd did not need a whole lesson on this. Just mentioning it once was plenty!!

 

The review was ok. It was a bit much, but I could select problems and cut down on it.

 

For the early levels, K-3, the lessons were just TOO long!!! It's SOOOOOO nice to have shorter lessons with Singapore now, and my kids are enjoying it much more.

 

In the end, I was having to adjust lessons, skip lessons, select problems, etc., etc. too much. We're much happier with Singapore now!

 

Oh, I did supplement 65 with Singapore's Challenging Word Problems.

[ChristyH]

I haven't used it long enough to give a really good review, but we do like it. My children's math skills have improved since starting with the review. We try and do all of the problems. Math is my least favorite subject, but I can tell that the constant review helps to solidify the concepts for them.

[Chris in VA]

I've posted so much about Saxon lately--these things do seem to go in cycles. Do a Saxon search and you will find a ton of info.

 

I love Saxon because it's so intentional and cleverly done. Everything leads to something else. Sometimes the reason for things is not clear until you get to a new lesson, and then it's a big "aha!" moment. The meeting (for K-3) and the "box/mental math" (for 5/4 and up) are designed to prepare for what will occur later in a lesson. Three examples--Doing the thermometer and the number line prepare you for a painless lesson on the coordinate plane. Doing the skip counting prepares you for multiplication facts. Doing the uneven divisions in 6/5 prepare you for several things--including simplifying fractions.

 

As far as a pp said about little bits of info in the lessons, like lining up the decimal points, I see it as really about giving an extra day to practice all the other things that come in the problem set. The problem set for that lesson, for example, contains 4 "story" problems --here's an example--

 

"Cynthia is half the age of her brother, but she is 2 years older than her sister. If Cynthia's brother is 18 years old, how old is her sister?"

 

Another problem--What fraction is equal to one half of one third?

And another--Three times a number y can be written 3y. If 3y=12, what number does 2y equal?

Still another--378 X 296=?

And so on.

 

The mental math for that lesson contains things like:

One third of 22 is 7 1/3. How much is 1/3 of 23? 1/3 of 25?

(square root sign)64,divided by 2,x 3,divided by 2, x 4, divided by 3

25% of 240 = ?

 

So, you can see there's a lot more to the lesson than just lining up decimals.

 

 

I love that every lesson has my dd practicing facts, doing mental math like the above (and much more), learning a bit of information in the actual lesson, and practicing what she's learned in the problem set. The explanations are extremely clear. It is much more than just working algorithms--anyone who says it does not teach the "why" of math has not worked with it all the way thru. More Why stuff comes as the child begins to seek that info in the logic stage (and actually comes way before, esp with the use of manipulatives). Because they have spent the grammar stage getting to the point of automaticity with facts and mental math, they can "fit more into their brains" as they do harder and harder things.

 

I'm a huge Saxon fan. There are just too many examples to really share thoroughly why I am.

[Robin in DFW]

would like to hear more as well

[momee]

I like it because it works :)

 

In the upper years, 8/7 and above, I bailed too quickly so I can't comment yet on how I like it after 7/6.

 

Now that I've learned more about how the program is designed to work, I think we'll have much better success. I've also learned (as you've probably read in a recent thread I started about it) that doing the problems given is crucial.

[happyhomemaker25]

Im a huge fan of Saxon. I love the format of the lessons, the review, the skill building starting in K. I just love it.

That being said, when we got to the upper level Saxon 6/5, my daughter stopped doing it. Completely. She just gave up. She could not handle the approach. I had to switch to Teaching Textbooks which she loves and is doing well with. I strongly dislike it, but I grit my teethe and bear it.

Looking back I wish I'd been more detailed with her using Saxon 6/5 and tried to see if we could overcome the problems she had with it. Now that she is in love with TT, DH will not hear of switching back.

I still do Saxon in the younger years, but after Saxon 3 we switch to TT.

[Love2Smile]

We love Saxon in our house, in fact it saved our homeschool!

 

My 6th grader uses 7/6 and my 9th grader uses Alg. 1 with the newest *teacher* DVD's, it's been wonderful, explained VERY WELL and they both are getting 100% on lessons and tests, if you have any more questions feel free to PM me!

[Melanie]

We've used Saxon from 5/4 to Algebra 2. I actually just wrote a blog post about it. I agree that the "whys of math" discussed so passionately on this board are taught by Saxon - they're all right there in the lesson, and all one has to do is read it. It is not a lot of fun, but it is a solid program.

 

If my kids were interested in participating in math competitions, I would supplement with something like Art of Problem Solving, but I would do that no matter what program they were using.

[selh09]

I haven't had the experience as others have had with saxon, but can tell you our experience so far. We just finished saxon k and will be starting saxon 1 in Feb. My dd LOVED math. We tried just about all the math programs out there, literally. I narrowed it down to singapore and saxon. When we started singapore my dd would shut down and said she didn't like it. We pulled out saxon and she *perked* up. She would do 3 lessons in one sitting. Again, that's with saxon k. I sat down yesterday and read thru saxon 1 because of all the threads that I've read about saxon not teaching the *whys*. I just don't see it. I agree with Melanie that saxon is not a lot of fun, no colorful workbooks like other programs, but I feel that saxon is a solid program. I have a friend that taught saxon in the ps system and their students always scored high on standardized state tests. I hope this helps.

 

BTW: I'm glad this thread was started!!

[Ellie]

Couldn't tolerate the primary levels of Saxon, but I did like what I used in Math 54 and up.

[Tammyla]

I especially like the upper levels too. The TWTM rec helped me see and appreciate completing Saxon through high school at home would be possible, without me being a math professional.

 

My ds and dd test well on the ITBS, don't hate math and the lessons are easily accomplished in a year. They began using the DIVE cd roms with 8/7 or Algebra 1/2.

 

It works for us and gets done daily. ymmv:)

[Karen in CO]

I am a new Saxon "convert." We started using 5/4 right before Thanksgiving for two reasons - my brother is a high school math teacher and had previewed it for use in his school (the board decided to not use it) but he loved how it covered things in many ways, made sure the kids truly knew their facts, and covered topics deeply. At the time he recommended it, I was set against it. A few weeks later, I learned that my dd didn't know how to read numbers greater than a thousand and had forgotten how to do elapsed time. Yikes! She was also struggling in long division because she didn't have her math facts down pat. She had also been embarrassed to tell me that she didn't know how to do these things. I realized that what my brother had been saying about Saxon was exactly why I should be using it.

 

I previewed all of the levels at the local teacher supply store and chose 54 because that is where the whole multiplication fact set it taught. My dd was relieved. She isn't excited about Saxon, but she also isn't resistant either. I learned that much of the math resistance was due to her having holes in her learning that she didn't know she had. After explaining that it is my fault that I never taught her some topics, she now works through her lessons without complaint.

 

However, she loves Life of Fred so we do that once or twice a week to keep her excited about math until her computation ability catches up with the rest of her math ability.

[LinRTX]

Yes! The "whys" of math are taught by Saxon. It is sometimes taught in the lesson and sometimes taught in the mental math and sometimes taught in the problem set. You must do all the problems to completely benefit from the pogram.

 

I get frustrated with people who looked at Saxon and choose something else bashing the program. It may not be the program for you but it is a good program. It has taught all my kids well ( most of them anyway -- the youngest is still in Saxon 65) though Calculus. My kids have never had a problem applying what they know to other math curriculums. My 16yo actually spends her free time at her fine arts program helping the other kids. (Actually she is just finishing Advanced Math in 10 lessons so she hasn't had Calculus yet either.)

 

My two oldest have graduated highschool and are either doing well in college or have already graduated and done well in college.

 

Linda

Edited January 26, 2010 by Linda in TX
spelling

[momto2Cs]

We've only done Saxon Math K to halfway through Saxon Math 3 so far. I had thought about changing curriculums next year, but the more I think about it, the more I think we'll stick with Saxon. It WORKS, if you put in the work. My kids are developing a very strong math sense, and I like that. We don't tend to do the meeting, etc., but I do take time to explain new concepts to them as we go. My dd at 6 understands some math I didn't understand until I was much older, due to listening in on her brother's math lessons.

 

And as for color, my kids use colored pencils (and crayons) to do their math, so it ends up colorful!

[selh09]

Yes! The "whys" of math are taught by Saxon. It is sometimes taught in the lesson and sometimes taught in the mental mat and sometimes taught in the problem set. You must do all the problems to completely benefit from the pogram.

 

I get frustrated with people who looked at Saxon and choose something else bashing the program.

 

Linda

:iagree:

[KarenNC]

I am trying to figure out placement in Saxon for my daughter who is 9.5 and in 4th grade. She is accelerated, but math is comparatively weaker for her. She is currently doing Singapore Standards 4a and we have had to detour again to help give more practice, in fractions this time. We are using the Key to Fractions and she likes it a *lot* better, so I think something that was more along the lines of Saxon might work well--additional practice and encountering it on a more regular basis. She could use the reinforcement to cement the ideas.

 

Today I had her take the placement test. She scored 13/20 on 5/4 and 11/20 on 6/5. I looked back over and if I take out the careless errors and a couple that were pure terminology (once I gave her the definition of the word she got the right answer easily), that changed to 16/20 for 5/4 and 14/20 for 6/5, which I feel represents her actual scores in the conceptual area. The cutoff for each level to go on to the next is 16/20. The areas in both levels that she missed were consistent---fractions (mixed numbers and word problems), decimals (she's done none except with money), and geometry (area, perimeter and line segments).

 

As I already have the materials, I plan to finish the Key to Fractions books 1 and 2 (multiplying, dividing, adding and subtracting fractions) and the rest of her Singapore 4A (mixed numbers, improper fractions, fractions and division,

fraction of a set, right angles, measuring angles, perpendicular lines, quadrilaterals, triangles, circles, solid figures, nets, area and perimeter, perimeter of rectangles, composite figures). She tends to do well on the geometry lessons and go through those more quickly and easily.

 

So, should I start her in 6/5 once I finish the Singapore book or do the 4A, my Key to Fractions 1 and 2 and a couple of the Key to decimals workbooks to cover some of the holes then start her in 7/6 this coming summer?

[gingersmom]

My son has done Saxon 2, 3 and we are currently in 54.

 

My daughter has done Saxon 76 and is currently in 87.

 

We love Saxon. I can't think of one thing about it I don't like.

 

For me the proof is in how well my kids are doing in math, they both love math and test quite well on the standarized tests.

[AngelBee]

Im a huge fan of Saxon. I love the format of the lessons, the review, the skill building starting in K. I just love it.

That being said, when we got to the upper level Saxon 6/5, my daughter stopped doing it. Completely. She just gave up. She could not handle the approach. I had to switch to Teaching Textbooks which she loves and is doing well with. I strongly dislike it, but I grit my teethe and bear it.

Looking back I wish I'd been more detailed with her using Saxon 6/5 and tried to see if we could overcome the problems she had with it. Now that she is in love with TT, DH will not hear of switching back.

I still do Saxon in the younger years, but after Saxon 3 we switch to TT.

 

Darn kids! Why can't they just LOVE what we love??? :D

 

This happens everytime I really "get" a curriculum. I loose the kids. :(

[amtmcm]

My DD8th used Saxon Algebra 1/2 last year with a paid co-op and did very well (consistently scored in the 90's on quizzes and received highest grade in the class on the midterm). However, every time she needed my help on a problem I did NOT like hunting through the book 20 lessons back to find the explanations. Plus, when I gave her an Algebra placement test from another math curriculum she missed a lot of problems which I expected her to know from Saxon. It was like she couldn't translate the math she had learned in Saxon into other areas.

 

She wants to go into science and needs to have a very solid math foundation so she's doing a second year of pre-Algebra. She's working through CLE 8 at an accelerated pace and will start Algebra 1 later this spring. CLE 8 is incredible. I love the way it explains things and the extensive practice with geometry and consumer math. She is currently covering trigonometry and how to extract a square root by hand (I don't remember learning this and I went through calculus in high school & college). Last year she would do half the problems in a Saxon lesson and it would take her forever and she complained. With CLE she does ALL of the problems in each lesson and never complains - she's even told me several times that math is her favorite subject this year and that is saying a lot for her.

 

My 2 cents..... for a child who likes spiral method, I would choose CLE over Saxon. As I've read many times on this board - the best curriculum is the one that works for YOUR child. That may be Saxon for you - but I wanted to share my experience and suggest CLE if you haven't looked at it yet.

[Tammyla]

:iagree: Many times it is the student, teacher, age or some other factor that make a program not a good fit, but that doesn't mean there is something wrong with the program. kwim...?

 

Yes! The "whys" of math are taught by Saxon. It is sometimes taught in the lesson and sometimes taught in the mental math and sometimes taught in the problem set. You must do all the problems to completely benefit from the pogram.

 

I get frustrated with people who looked at Saxon and choose something else bashing the program. It may not be the program for you but it is a good program. It has taught all my kids well ( most of them anyway -- the youngest is still in Saxon 65) though Calculus. My kids have never had a problem applying what they know to other math curriculums. My 16yo actually spends her free time at her fine arts program helping the other kids. (Actually she is just finishing Advanced Math in 10 lessons so she hasn't had Calculus yet either.)

 

My two oldest have graduated highschool and are either doing well in college or have already graduated and done well in college.

 

Linda

 

Interesting.

I am a new Saxon "convert." We started using 5/4 right before Thanksgiving for two reasons - my brother is a high school math teacher and had previewed it for use in his school (the board decided to not use it) but he loved how it covered things in many ways, made sure the kids truly knew their facts, and covered topics deeply. At the time he recommended it, I was set against it. A few weeks later, I learned that my dd didn't know how to read numbers greater than a thousand and had forgotten how to do elapsed time. Yikes! She was also struggling in long division because she didn't have her math facts down pat. She had also been embarrassed to tell me that she didn't know how to do these things. I realized that what my brother had been saying about Saxon was exactly why I should be using it.

 

I previewed all of the levels at the local teacher supply store and chose 54 because that is where the whole multiplication fact set it taught. My dd was relieved. She isn't excited about Saxon, but she also isn't resistant either. I learned that much of the math resistance was due to her having holes in her learning that she didn't know she had. After explaining that it is my fault that I never taught her some topics, she now works through her lessons without complaint.

 

However, she loves Life of Fred so we do that once or twice a week to keep her excited about math until her computation ability catches up with the rest of her math ability.

[Just Robyn]

We have used Saxon K twice, and 1 and 2 each once. I LOVE Saxon K. I think of it as fun and cuddly math. My oldest did not like Saxon 1 or 2 and I am so-so on them. I agree with posters who complained about whole lessons on very little things, but I usually just skip those if we already know them, or do two lessons that day. I really like SOME of the lessons. I would actually like it if Saxon made a book similar to Family Math with their lesson ideas for me to use at will. I'm not sure the full spiral approach works for my oldest. We end up supplementing with A LOT of workbooks. I am thinking about switching to Right Start.

[s.z.ichigo]

We're just finishing Saxon 3, and have used it since K. I asked my daughter to say something about it:

 

"Well, it's pretty easy. I also like it because it's really fun. What's fun about it is you get to use blocks and other types of materials. I can say that it's a really great math program, and everybody should use it, cause it's so good and people learn a lot from it."

 

She does sometimes balk at doing the worksheets, but she usually gets through it with minimal fuss. She was a little slow to learn the +/- facts, but I think that was more my fault for not doing enough flash cards with her. The multiplication facts she memorized very quickly. I find I learned a lot this year with her as well, as I never had to learn to skip count by every number, nor did I learn the easier way of multiplying larger numbers mentally that she has.

[MamaT]

I used Saxon all the way through for my oldest two (except K-3 because it wasn't around then), and they did very well in college math. That's enough reason to stick with it for me.

 

IMO Saxon is a great math program. My 16yo is in Algebra II and my youngest is in Saxon 67. I plan to use it all the way through high school for all of them.