.... Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I'm sorry for all the math questions lately. Has anyone used this? http://rainbowresource.com/product/Elementary+Algebra+Student+Textbook+%28Jacobs%29/010028/af687464dd572de8490fc726?subject=10&category=2234 Is it any good? There seems to be teacher support for it...it has an answer guide and a teacher's guide. When my daughter finishes Math Mammoth, could she move into this? :confused: Thank-you for any replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Unless your DD needs lots of review, she shouldn't have any trouble going from MM6 to Jacobs. MM6 covers most prealgebra topics (including integers & functions), and the beginning of Jacobs is also a review of prealgebra topics, so it should be a smooth transition. My DS used MM4-6, and the beginning of Jacobs was all review for him. (We subsequently switched to a faster-moving online class, but he wouldn't have had any trouble completing Jacobs.) Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I own it, but we have not used it. Jacobs introduces graphing early, so that much of the algebra is explained visually, which I really like. I am considering it for my younger son, but I am still trying to figure out how challenging it is compared to Foersters or Dolciani. Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I'm on my second child with Jacobs Algebra and we love it. My dd is a math queen, and it worked very well for her. We used Singapore, did Lial's Basic College Math, and then moved on to the Jacobs. We could have gone straight from Singapore to Jacobs, but she was only in 6th grade so we did the BCM as a nice review. When we signed her up to go to public high school, they made her take an algebra test to get credit for it and she did well on it. My ds is using Jacobs now. He does well in math, but isn't a natural at it like my dd is. He is doing very well with it too and I'm assuming he will have good results on the test when we sign him up to go to high school this summer. I think it teaches things very straight forward with good examples. Each lesson has 3 sets of questions - the first one is a review of previous topics, and then the other 2 are similar sets on that lesson. I don't make them do the 3rd set unless they need more practice after the 2nd set. There is also a review at the end of each chapter, a midterm review and test, and final review and test. I love this book! Having not used MM, I can't answer that part of your question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Well, Jacobs is definitely on my list for consideration!! :001_smile: Thanks for the replies! I'm going to try to find samples online somewhere. I need to have my daughter look at samples of Jacobs and Singapore DM. I'm going to let her decide what she would like to continue with when she finishes MM. I really like the upper levels of MM. There's alot of prealgebra-type stuff in there. :thumbup1: I feel like she's going to be prepared for whatever we move onto... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 I am considering it for my younger son, but I am still trying to figure out how challenging it is compared to Foersters or Dolciani. Ruth in NZ :confused: I'm not sure if it's considered a rigorous program. I'm on the fence about that, anyway. I want her to get a great math foundation and score well on the SAT, but I also don't want something to take up a bulk of her day and burn her out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I'm going to try to find samples online somewhere. Really good sample here. I'm thinking about using this for my son as well. Too bad the used copies aren't super cheap like some of the texts out there. I just picked up Dolciani Pre-algebra 1985 for $6 shipped (and it's in great condition - no writing, tight binding). Jacobs tends to run at least $30 used. :tongue_smilie: But at least there is a lengthy sample on Google Books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 It's a good text. I used it with my oldest and with the student I tutored. My middle dd thought it was intimidating to look at after years of Singapore and preferred Kinetic Books, a computer-based program. Kinetic Books has immediate feedback for most of the problems so you don't do an entire lesson wrong. I like Kinetic Books a little better than Jacobs, but they are both solid programs. I think what I liked best about Kinetic Books was that it was more independent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I love Jacobs Algebra. Here is something I wrote about it on my blog. The first 5-6 chapters are prealgebra. If your daughter is a strong math student, she should be fine with Jacobs after MM6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Well, Jacobs is definitely on my list for consideration!! :001_smile: Thanks for the replies! I'm going to try to find samples online somewhere. I need to have my daughter look at samples of Jacobs and Singapore DM. I'm going to let her decide what she would like to continue with when she finishes MM. I really like the upper levels of MM. There's alot of prealgebra-type stuff in there. :thumbup1: I feel like she's going to be prepared for whatever we move onto... Thanks! Are you going to go all the way through MM6? If you're doing that, do you plan on skipping a Pre-A program? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 Really good sample here. This was extremely helpful. Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 Are you going to go all the way through MM6? If you're doing that, do you plan on skipping a Pre-A program? We're going to at least finish ratios and percentages before we start. The first half of Jacobs seems to be pre-algebra and a review of math mammoth. Also, my husband looked at samples of Jacobs and Singapore DM. He said that Jacobs might be a great bridge into Singapore's upper level math. He's from Korea and was on competitive math teams...he takes his math seriously. :tongue_smilie: Anyway, he said that he liked the looks of Jacobs - also, he liked the geometry book (we looked at that, too). He looked at Singapore's Discovering Mathematics and said that it looks exactly like the way he learned math in school. Also, he looked at AoPS Pre-Algebra and said No Way. He said the wording was overwhelming -even to him. He said that our daughter would be overwhelmed by it (which is what I think, too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 The first half of Jacobs seems to be pre-algebra and a review of math mammoth. In searching threads on here, I found that at least a few people have used the first half as pre-algebra, then they went to another text for Algebra 1. I'm kind of leaning towards that route at the moment (maybe even going all the way through it and then following up with Foerster's? Not sure if that would be too much overkill on the Algebra 1 or not). My student will be young, and Jacobs looks like something he would enjoy doing. We may use some AoPS later on, but I think he'll need more maturity first (and it may never be a good fit for him, in which case I'll have to find other things to pad his years with, but I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it :D). I got Dolciani Pre-algebra 1985 version, and I think my son would do better with Jacobs Algebra. :tongue_smilie: I might just use the Dolciani to hit anything that needs more explanation, or any topics that weren't covered in Singapore/MM that will be expected to be known in Jacobs. Dolciani just looks... boring. It's straightforward and has good explanations. I just don't think it will engage him in any way, whereas Jacobs probably will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 In searching threads on here, I found that at least a few people have used the first half as pre-algebra, then they went to another text for Algebra 1. I'm kind of leaning towards that route at the moment (maybe even going all the way through it and then following up with Foerster's? Not sure if that would be too much overkill on the Algebra 1 or not). My student will be young, and Jacobs looks like something he would enjoy doing. We may use some AoPS later on, but I think he'll need more maturity first (and it may never be a good fit for him, in which case I'll have to find other things to pad his years with, but I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it :D). Just to note, Jacobs is not "easy" algebra, so doing Foerster's could very well be overkill. It could also be just the thing to cement the concepts if you decide that is what is needed. My son was in 6th grade when he finished Jacobs and it has given him a firm foundation in algebra. He hasn't needed a redo, though Algebra II is mostly a redo with a little bit of new material added in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Just to note, Jacobs is not "easy" algebra, so doing Foerster's could very well be overkill. It could also be just the thing to cement the concepts if you decide that is what is needed. Thanks! That's just what I need to know. :) If we use it, we'd probably take it at a slower pace, possibly having the first half of the book take a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekmom Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My friend has a doctorate in statistics and teaches calculus at the local university. She also runs the math program at the homeschool co-op. She loves Jacobs algebra! She said you can't beat the explanations/applications in Jacobs. After viewing many texts (public/homeschool, etc.) she said she's sticking with Jacobs. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Jacobs from here ... yes, we used it and the geometry text. :) We skipped most of pre-algebra too with having done only the last Saxon text and not algebra 1/2. It was slow moving at first, but we picked up pace quickly enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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