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Acck!! I am not liking geometry.


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It isn't all bad, but the book I have doesn't explain everything I need it too, but I can figure it out if I look it over for awhile. It isn't hard now, but it's getting to that dreaded point. The book is called Geometry Concepts and Skills, and guess what? I don't have the TE! Most of the books I have came from the ps, and none of them came with the TE because they ran out. My mom is buying me a bunch of new books after Christmas that actually have everything we need. My mom said I am going to be getting a new geometry curriculum soon, very soon, but I need to know for once and for all, what curriculum to use. We are debating on Saxon and MUS geometry, and so far Saxon is in the lead.

 

The reason why I am looking into this now is because of the proofs and harder equations that I will have to solve as the book goes on. So far this book doesn't explain things so well, I am always going back and reviewing what I have learned. I just want a curriculum that will teach me the things I need to know before it is too late.

 

Can anyone compare these two, on how hard they are and whether or not they work well? I like a challenge, but not over the top and I want a curriculum that will help me get through the SAT/ACT. I will not be going into any field that will require geometry, so I just want something that explains things well, and has somewhat of a challenge to it as well.

 

(and is also on the cheaper side too)

 

Hopefully, I will not be posting about geometry anymore!

Edited by LuvingLife
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Saxon is considered a spiral approach. That means you'll learn a concept do a couple of problems covering it, learn a new concept do a couple of problems, add in a few problems for the concept you learned earlier etc. There are bits swirling around almost like a helix. It's scope and sequence is very different from MUS.

 

MUS is a mastery program. You are taught one concept and do lots of problems for that concept, review a little from what you've learned before and then move to next concept. It's assumption is that you'll learn everything there is to know or is connected to that concept before moving on to something new. There are very few proofs in MUS. The concept isn't covered until the last few chapters of the book. That for me was a plus since they don't test for proofs on the SAT/ACT.

 

MUS is considered light by many on this board. It is lighter than some of the programs but using the honors books to go with it makes it a little more of a challenge. I have seen parents whose kids did super with MUS and kids who have done average with MUS. I used it all the way for DD and she scored well above average, placed into calculus and was #1 student in class but she's good in math. Ds needed a little bit more explanation so we switched to Lial's which is a great math. He did MUS for Alg 1 and had very little problem but it did take him longer to grasp concepts, tried TT for Geomety and got good grades but forgot most of what he'd learn. Although he knows math we switched too many times and I think it affected his performance on the SAT but is in college now and has an A average so it was fine for him.

 

So the way you learn is going to make a huge difference in which program you pick.

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Another thing about Saxon is that the geometry book is not written by Mr. Saxon. I have not seen it or used it, but I've talked to those who felt it just wasn't up to par...?

 

Not only do I think you need an answer key, but I think a quality answer key with full answers is more important than the texbook :)

Julie

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Someone help out, I thought I read that Saxon Geometry was to be done after Saxon Alg. 1 & 2, it has only the geometry that is in Adv. Math, and that you still need to do Alg. 1 & 2 to get the other geometry. I don't use the program, I think it was in another recent thread.

 

I vote for the easiest geometry you can afford..... we got BJU because I needed the teacher on the dvds, but it was $300..... You know I was desperate! MUS would have been my next choice.

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Some highlights from this thread http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106121&page=2

 

"Find a book at Barnes and Noble such as "Geometry the Easy Way" and work through it. I wouldn't skip proofs entirely, though."

 

 

"I got this suggestion from LoriM a couple of years ago. She said just go through the Geometry Cliff Notes. The little yellow book is pretty thorough."

 

Lori then said, "Yes, I actually love that little yellow book. MUS Geometry is also very doable as a short course. I was one of those students who did Geometry and Algebra 2 concurrently in high school, and I finished the Geometry book in October (self-paced). So, I think I only spent 12 weeks on it until college. And I'm a math major, of course. You can find the Cliff Notes Geometry at Wal-Mart usually, for less than $10."

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Saxon geometry is a stand alone geometry course. You can do it if you're using Saxon for the algebra texts, or you can do it if you're using a different publisher for algebra. We used a different geometry text as this wasn't available yet, but in hindsight, there was no need to have a separate year of geometry as it's all covered in the Saxon texts - as long as you complete through at least the first half of Advanced Math.

 

From what I've seen of the Saxon geometry text, it's not as rigorous as the McDougal Littell, but it covers what needs to be covered, and would be so much easier. I can't compare it to MUS as I've never seen that program but Alyce summed it up well. :)

 

LuvingLife, an inexpensive way to learn the geometry you'll need for the SAT is to get one of the test prep books from the library and work from that. The "lessons" are explained very simply and there are related questions after each "lesson". This might help keep you moving forward in geometry while you're waiting to get a different text in December.

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Some highlights from this thread http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106121&page=2

 

 

"I got this suggestion from LoriM a couple of years ago. She said just go through the Geometry Cliff Notes. The little yellow book is pretty thorough."

 

Lori then said, "Yes, I actually love that little yellow book. MUS Geometry is also very doable as a short course. I was one of those students who did Geometry and Algebra 2 concurrently in high school, and I finished the Geometry book in October (self-paced). So, I think I only spent 12 weeks on it until college. And I'm a math major, of course. You can find the Cliff Notes Geometry at Wal-Mart usually, for less than $10."

 

 

I'd second this advice. Also, a thought based on my son's experience...he struggled at first, but when he'd finished his course he realized that part of the early difficulties came from trying to understand too much, too soon. Constructions are fairly straightforward, but proofs are not really as difficult as they seem at first. My son found it helpful when dealing with proofs to (1) Draw good pictures. (2) Keep the givens (starting point) and the thing to be proved (end point) in mind. (3) Between the two extremes construct a logically valid chain of propositions. (Think of it like Hansel and Gretel's breadcrumbs--you place them close enough together that from any given one you can see the next, and so on until you reach the destination. The trick, of course, is learning the specific language used for stating each proposition.

 

Also, on a practical note; other than statistics, the form of math I've most used over the years is geometry. It has many, many useful applications.

 

HTH,

Martha

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Some highlights from this thread http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106121&page=2

 

"Find a book at Barnes and Noble such as "Geometry the Easy Way" and work through it. I wouldn't skip proofs entirely, though."

 

 

"I got this suggestion from LoriM a couple of years ago. She said just go through the Geometry Cliff Notes. The little yellow book is pretty thorough."

 

Lori then said, "Yes, I actually love that little yellow book. MUS Geometry is also very doable as a short course. I was one of those students who did Geometry and Algebra 2 concurrently in high school, and I finished the Geometry book in October (self-paced). So, I think I only spent 12 weeks on it until college. And I'm a math major, of course. You can find the Cliff Notes Geometry at Wal-Mart usually, for less than $10."

 

I have heard so much about this little yellow book, and I think I am going to buy it unitl I can get my new curriculum. I do want a text that covers some proofs at least, and I have Lial's algebra 1 right now, and I love it! It's amazing and I enjoy algebra now. Thanks for the link, I am really looking into this little yellow book. I don't want a long course in geometry, although MUS is looking good to me!

 

Saxon geometry is a stand alone geometry course. You can do it if you're using Saxon for the algebra texts' date=' or you can do it if you're using a different publisher for algebra. We used a different geometry text as this wasn't available yet, but in hindsight, there was no need to have a separate year of geometry as it's all covered in the Saxon texts - as long as you complete through at least the first half of Advanced Math.

 

From what I've seen of the Saxon geometry text, it's not as rigorous as the McDougal Littell, but it covers what needs to be covered, and would be so much easier. I can't compare it to MUS as I've never seen that program but Alyce summed it up well. :)

 

LuvingLife, an inexpensive way to learn the geometry you'll need for the SAT is to get one of the test prep books from the library and work from that. The "lessons" are explained very simply and there are related questions after each "lesson". This might help keep you moving forward in geometry while you're waiting to get a different text in December.[/quote']

 

So just getting a regular SAT prep book from the library will help cover the topics that I need to know for the test? That would make my life so much easier, and my mom and dad I think would back this up too! I do like the way Saxon teaches, and I have seen samples of both so I just need to choose now. Teachin Mine, do you have a specific name for the test prep book I should get? Or does it really matter?

 

I am going to get the Cliff Notes Geometry as well!

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So just getting a regular SAT prep book from the library will help cover the topics that I need to know for the test? That would make my life so much easier, and my mom and dad I think would back this up too! I do like the way Saxon teaches, and I have seen samples of both so I just need to choose now. Teachin Mine, do you have a specific name for the test prep book I should get? Or does it really matter?

 

I am going to get the Cliff Notes Geometry as well!

 

 

No, I don't think I said it clearly. I was just coming up with a no cost way of learning some geometry while you're waiting to purchase whatever geometry text you'll be getting in December. I think the suggestion for the little yellow book is a great one. I would definitely not recommend just using SAT prep books to learn math. As far as what test prep books to use, go to your library and take out a few different ones and see which you prefer.

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No' date=' I don't think I said it clearly. I was just coming up with a no cost way of learning some geometry while you're waiting to purchase whatever geometry text you'll be getting in December. I think the suggestion for the little yellow book is a great one. I would definitely not recommend just using SAT prep books to learn math. As far as what test prep books to use, go to your library and take out a few different ones and see which you prefer.[/quote']

 

No I know what you meant. Lol, that is actually what I meant, just using the books for now until I can get my other books in. I am going to try Saxon first and see how it goes. Then if that doesn't work, I will try MUS geometry.

 

Thank you for your help!:)

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