Key to Geometry is a complete waste of time...

[ThelmaLou]

Thought I'd have my son do some polishing up on Geometry and Algebra I this summer before jumping into Algebra II, so I bought the Key to Geometry and Key to Algebra series for him.

 

Key to Geometry, as he would put it, was basically drawing. No proofs or anything. It was nothing like his Geometry book (Chalkdust/Houghton Mifflin) What a complete waste of money. Just wanted to warn everyone not to buy it.

 

The Algebra books seem helpful, though. At least that.

[EKS]

For brushing up on things, I really love ALEKS.

[ThelmaLou]

Thanks! I've heard Aleks mentioned on these boards, but have never looked into it. I'll take a look today!

[Deniseibase]

To be fair, while Key to Geometry would not be a great review or complete course, it IS a great introduction to geometric ideas for upper elementary students or middle school students. We've used it as a fun supplement & it works very well for that.

[Julie in MN]

To be fair, while Key to Geometry would not be a great review or complete course, it IS a great introduction to geometric ideas for upper elementary students or middle school students. We've used it as a fun supplement & it works very well for that.

 

Yes, Key To is not going to include proofs whatsoever. It would be hard for me to imagine that it would?

[MyThreeSons]

the publisher never claims that it is a complete Geometry course. From their website:

 

Ease Your Students Into Geometry

 

Key to Geometry offers a non-intimidating way to prepare students for formal geometry as they do step-by-step constructions.

 

• Students begin by drawing lines, bisecting angles, and reproducing segments using only a pencil, compass, and straightedge.
  
• Later they do sophisticated constructions involving more than a dozen steps and are prompted to form their own generalizations.
  
• When they finish, students have been introduced to 134 geometric terms and are ready to tackle formal proofs.
  

 

As a Geometry teacher, I think that Key to Geometry is incredibly valuable. Students who have worked their way thru the workbooks are going to truly understand, for example, that every point on a perpendicular bisector is equidistant from the endpoints of the bisected segment.

 

As a Mechanical Engineering major in college, I took a course called Descriptive Geometry, which contained a lot of what is taught in Key to Geometry.

[Nan in Mass]

I haven't seen Key to Geometry, but I want to second the importance of construction. It is the lab that goes with the class. Historically it is interesting, too. Singapore does some construction and I always wished it did more. Construction is akin to proofs in that it involves problem-solving using the principles of geometry. I can see how you might be disappointed if you were looking for something that involved formulas and formal written proofs, but construction is a time-honoured foundation or accompagniment for geometry. My father insisted that my children do "drafting" with him and part of the reason was to make sure that they knew how to do those geometric constructions. I think his thinking was more along the lines of "this is something that is useful if as an adult if you are trying to lay out a garden or a foundation with string and stakes or make a pattern for a sewing or woodworking project" but still... My two college sons have specifically thanked their Grandfather for making them do this (to my surprise). Apparently, they found it useful. If you didn't have to do constructions in high school, though, or didn't see the connection between those and geometric principles, then I can see how you would be inclined to think the whole book useless.

 

-Nan

[MyThreeSons]

Historically it is interesting, too.

 

 

My co-op students always laugh when I tell them that the ancient Greeks used to do geometric constructions for fun.

[4wildberrys]

the publisher never claims that it is a complete Geometry course. From their website:

 

Ease Your Students Into Geometry

 

Key to Geometry offers a non-intimidating way to prepare students for formal geometry as they do step-by-step constructions.

 

• Students begin by drawing lines, bisecting angles, and reproducing segments using only a pencil, compass, and straightedge.

• Later they do sophisticated constructions involving more than a dozen steps and are prompted to form their own generalizations.

• When they finish, students have been introduced to 134 geometric terms and are ready to tackle formal proofs.

 

As a Geometry teacher, I think that Key to Geometry is incredibly valuable. Students who have worked their way thru the workbooks are going to truly understand, for example, that every point on a perpendicular bisector is equidistant from the endpoints of the bisected segment.

 

As a Mechanical Engineering major in college, I took a course called Descriptive Geometry, which contained a lot of what is taught in Key to Geometry.

:iagree: It is quite valuable as a primer leading up to doing formal proofs in a very hands on way. In fact, we were using a Geometry program that jumped right into formal proofs, which left our heads spinning. I hauled our Key To Geometry books out of the closet (put there because I too thought they were just 'baby' drawing and busywork) and I am amazed at how they really are helpful in showing how proofs come about in the first place. Very happy with the program and very happy I never sold them.

[Matryoshka]

This has got me thinking about what "summer math" we should do next year (yes, I know, way ahead yet...)

 

They're doing Algebra I this year and would do Geometry the next.

 

Which do you think would be a more helpful summer math before Geometry:

 

1. Key to Geometry

2. LOF Geometry

 

And does the answer change if we've actually managed to make it through some/most of Patty Paper Geometry as a supplement during Algebra (which is the plan, but you know how those go sometimes...)

[Paintedlady]

To be fair, while Key to Geometry would not be a great review or complete course, it IS a great introduction to geometric ideas for upper elementary students or middle school students. We've used it as a fun supplement & it works very well for that.

 

I agree. That's how I'm using it as well.