Jacobs Geometry - 2nd edition Questions

[Jean in Newcastle]

a. Should I assign both sets of the Chapter Summary and Reviews?

 

b. Should I assign the Algebra Review?

 

c. I'm thinking of assigning only set 2's but giving some incentive (extra credit?) for completely set 3's correctly. Is this a bad idea?

[hswarden]

Mr. Jacobs sent me an email with the exercises he recommends. I would be glad to email it to you if you PM me with an email address.

 

Update: I apologize for the confusion. My list of exercises is for the 3rd edition. I have a half-shelf of Jacobs texts, and I did not go 'round the couch to look at them.

 

I do encourage you to contact Mr. Jacobs yourself for encouragement and help sorting out the editions. He is very kind.

http://bcs.whfreeman.com/geometry3e/default.asp?s=&n=&i=&v=&o=&ns=0&uid=0&rau=0

Edited September 4, 2012 by hswarden
correct error

[Jean in Newcastle]

PMing you:001_smile:

[hswarden]

I don't think Mr. Jacobs would mind me re-printing here the message he sent 4 years ago when I asked him whether my daughter ought not to be doing ALL the exercises in Geometry: Seeing, Doing 2nd Edition. Unfortunately the Word doc he sent is too large to attach here, and the formatting doesn't work if I paste it. So you will still have to PM me for the list of problems he recommends. The note shows what a kind an approachable teacher he is, and he encouraged me to keep in touch with him if I needed any further help. Which I did not, since I had my daughter studying geometry with someone else's mother.:hurray:

 

I have heard from many teachers and students with regard to this, causing me to realize that I should have included lists of suggested assignments in the Teachers Guide. (In the earlier editions of the book, it was much easier to pick and choose exercises to do.) In writing the new edition of Geometry, I tried very hard to make all of the exercises appealing and useful. As with any subject that one wants to master, the more practice the better. However, as your tutor realizes, I did not envision any student doing all of the problems. Such a task would indeed be burdensome.

To help in deciding which exercises your daughter might do, I am enclosing two suggested assignment lists as a Word attachment. I have also pasted it at the end of this letter in case you are unable to open the attachment. One list is for regular geometry classes and the other is for honors classes. (No Set III exercises are included in these assignments. I intended them to be optional on the student’s part. Some of them are comparatively easy and others quite a challenge, but most provide a good feeling of accomplishment to the student who has figured them out.)

A suggestion. In the classroom, some teachers use some of the Set I exercises as oral exercises to check the students’ understanding of the basic ideas of the lesson. As you look through the Teachers Guide answer sections, you or Emily's tutor might want to do the same with some of the exercises that have very short answers. This would take the pressure off your daughter in having to do so much writing. After **** has read the lesson and taken some brief notes, you could launch her into the assignment by letting her give you oral answers to the opening exercises before she continues with the written work.

With best wishes,

Harold Jacobs

[Jean in Newcastle]

Thank you so much for e-mailing me the attachment. That helped me so much. I am now done planning Geometry!

[EKS]

I don't think Mr. Jacobs would mind me re-printing here the message he sent 4 years ago when I asked him whether my daughter ought not to be doing ALL the exercises in Geometry: Seeing, Doing 2nd Edition. Unfortunately the Word doc he sent is too large to attach here, and the formatting doesn't work if I paste it. So you will still have to PM me for the list of problems he recommends. The note shows what a kind an approachable teacher he is, and he encouraged me to keep in touch with him if I needed any further help. Which I did not, since I had my daughter studying geometry with someone else's mother.:hurray:

 

I have heard from many teachers and students with regard to this, causing me to realize that I should have included lists of suggested assignments in the Teachers Guide. (In the earlier editions of the book, it was much easier to pick and choose exercises to do.) In writing the new edition of Geometry, I tried very hard to make all of the exercises appealing and useful. As with any subject that one wants to master, the more practice the better. However, as your tutor realizes, I did not envision any student doing all of the problems. Such a task would indeed be burdensome.

To help in deciding which exercises your daughter might do, I am enclosing two suggested assignment lists as a Word attachment. I have also pasted it at the end of this letter in case you are unable to open the attachment. One list is for regular geometry classes and the other is for honors classes. (No Set III exercises are included in these assignments. I intended them to be optional on the student’s part. Some of them are comparatively easy and others quite a challenge, but most provide a good feeling of accomplishment to the student who has figured them out.)

A suggestion. In the classroom, some teachers use some of the Set I exercises as oral exercises to check the students’ understanding of the basic ideas of the lesson. As you look through the Teachers Guide answer sections, you or Emily's tutor might want to do the same with some of the exercises that have very short answers. This would take the pressure off your daughter in having to do so much writing. After **** has read the lesson and taken some brief notes, you could launch her into the assignment by letting her give you oral answers to the opening exercises before she continues with the written work.

With best wishes,

Harold Jacobs

 

This seems to be regarding the 3rd edition rather than the 2nd edition.

[Jean in Newcastle]

This seems to be regarding the 3rd edition rather than the 2nd edition.

 

It is, but it gave enough basic information on what sets he assigned so I could extrapolate.

[EKS]

It is, but it gave enough basic information on what sets he assigned so I could extrapolate.

 

Have you seen the 3rd edition? The differences between it and the 2nd edition are pretty big.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Have you seen the 3rd edition? The differences between it and the 2nd edition are pretty big.

 

Yes. But if you look at the text of the e-mail, he says that set 1 was designed as something that the teacher would use in class for oral work. I already knew from the other Jacobs books that set 1 was a review set. He also said that set 3 was a challenge set that he had to entice some students to go farther. I already sort of knew that one too just by the way the problems look for that. Mainly it gave me the go ahead to do what I was thinking of doing already - just assign Set 2! I got the impression from the e-mail that assigning all of set 2 (which is what I do) is "honors" and that assigning only part of it was "regular". Do you think I'm correct on that? I could tell from the e-mail that he assigned both sets of the summary and review (or at least some problems from both of them). I was wondering about that and this gives me the confidence to do that! And that he assigns the Algebra review. Again, that just gave me that little bit of extra confidence that I should do the same! I ignored the page numbers and problem numbers. I sure hope what I did is good, because I spend all day yesterday making our schedule like this!

[EKS]

Yes. But if you look at the text of the e-mail, he says that set 1 was designed as something that the teacher would use in class for oral work. I already knew from the other Jacobs books that set 1 was a review set. He also said that set 3 was a challenge set that he had to entice some students to go farther. I already sort of knew that one too just by the way the problems look for that. Mainly it gave me the go ahead to do what I was thinking of doing already - just assign Set 2! I got the impression from the e-mail that assigning all of set 2 (which is what I do) is "honors" and that assigning only part of it was "regular". Do you think I'm correct on that? I could tell from the e-mail that he assigned both sets of the summary and review (or at least some problems from both of them). I was wondering about that and this gives me the confidence to do that! And that he assigns the Algebra review. Again, that just gave me that little bit of extra confidence that I should do the same! I ignored the page numbers and problem numbers. I sure hope what I did is good, because I spend all day yesterday making our schedule like this!

 

Do you have the teacher's guide? Here is what he says about assignments:

 

For most classes, the normal assignment might consist of a selection of exercises from Sets I and II. The exercises are often sequential, and so it is best to assign groups of them rather than odd or even problems. Ordinarily, but not always, the exercises in Set I are the easiest and emphasize the basic ideas of the lesson. The Set III exercises are meant to be optional and I give extra credit to those students who do them correctly. Set III exercises should be sufficiently interesting so that brighter students will want to do them; although some of the exercises are fairly easy, others are quite challenging.

 

If it were me, since I am less than confident in my ability to choose appropriate problems, I would probably do the Set I problems orally as they are not review like they are in the algebra book, but serve to ease the student into the material (I wish I had thought of that a few years ago, LOL!) and then assign all of the Set IIs, with an option of assigning fewer proofs if my student was getting bogged down.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Do you have the teacher's guide? Here is what he says about assignments:

 

For most classes, the normal assignment might consist of a selection of exercises from Sets I and II. The exercises are often sequential, and so it is best to assign groups of them rather than odd or even problems. Ordinarily, but not always, the exercises in Set I are the easiest and emphasize the basic ideas of the lesson. The Set III exercises are meant to be optional and I give extra credit to those students who do them correctly. Set III exercises should be sufficiently interesting so that brighter students will want to do them; although some of the exercises are fairly easy, others are quite challenging.

 

If it were me, since I am less than confident in my ability to choose appropriate problems, I would probably do the Set I problems orally as they are not review like they are in the algebra book, but serve to ease the student into the material (I wish I had thought of that a few years ago, LOL!) and then assign all of the Set IIs, with an option of assigning fewer proofs if my student was getting bogged down.

 

I've just ordered the Teacher's guide. That was part of my problem! Thank you for this. This is helpful too.

[shanvan]

I've just ordered the Teacher's guide. That was part of my problem! Thank you for this. This is helpful too.

 

Glad you found a TE, Jean. Thanks for posting your thoughts about scheduling. I'm finding this thread very helpful. I realized the schedule was really for the 3rd ed and wasn't sure what that might mean for us. I think you've helped me sort it out. I'll be working on our Jacob's schecule today and tomorrow. We start next week.