Saxon Math 1-3 -- Have you completed it?

[elmerRex]

We start with Saxon Math 54, but a friend wants to know about the lower grades books. Can anyone give a review?

 

How does the child like the program? How did they learn the materials? What are the best ways to tweak it for success? Etc.

 

Thank you.

[musicalmom1125]

We used Saxon 1-3 with both boys and found them thorough and gentle.  They consist of a teachers guide with scripted lessons for the teacher to read and worksheets for the kiddos.  There's a front and back to each worksheet.  Both the front and back cover the same topics.  Each worksheet has several (4-6) types of problems on it with just a few of each type.  There are also flash cards for practicing math facts and you are supposed to purchase a number of manipulatives to go with the program.  Rainbow Resource Center sells them in a set.

 

We skipped the flash cards and the manipulatives.  I also didn't read the script.  I found that I was able to teach the concepts just fine without the script but it was nice knowing the script was there if I needed it.  I used stuff from around the house (Pennies, blocks, crayons) if I felt manipulatives were needed.  We also did only the front of the worksheets.  Both boys went into upper elementary math just fine from Saxon 3.

 

It was a low stress program for us to use.

 

ETA:  The boys both liked and completed the 1-3 program.  So much so that they didn't like the move to Saxon 54 and we went to Horizons math from Saxon since Horizons was also a workbook approach.  They learned through interaction with me and repetition.  It's the same incremental steps that Saxon is known for.  Each day they learn a little more of the concept until one day they've got the whole thing.  I think it makes a good solid foundation.

Edited October 11, 2016 by musicalmom1125

[shanezomom]

It's funny you ask because ds 15 and I were just talking about this last night as we went through his Saxon books to sell. We tried Saxon 1 and 3  a couple times when he was little and it was so boring for both of us. Ds and I both agree starting at 5/4 book is good. 

[Tenaj]

My oldest two went through Saxon 1 through 3 and now I'm using it again for my youngest two.  I realized that most of the math issues I had seen in some of my middle children would have been avoided if I had stuck with the Saxon elementary math books.

 

I will say that I don't follow the scripted lessons completely as written and I also don't do everything in the meeting everyday mainly because I simply don't have time and it makes the lessons really long some days.  But if you are willing to be a bit flexible, I think it's a great program.  We also don't stress if we don't get the whole lesson done in one day.  I'm very willing to split up lessons into two days.

[coffeegal]

I worked through Saxon 1-3 with my oldest 4 children and now am starting again with my 5th. It's a gentle program that the children enjoyed. My oldest two kids had a few issues moving into Saxon 54 because of the change from worksheet to textbook. We began with 1/2 lessons for a time before working up to full lessons. The next two children had no problems, probably because they expected and looked forward to using textbooks like their older siblings.

 

The teacher's manuals are scripted, but I never followed the script. Instead I'd glance over the lesson and teach it to my child using my own words.

 

[...................]

We used 2 and 3 before heading onto 5/4.  My son has used 5/4 through ALg 2 although he used AOPS for Alg 1.

 

I am ambivalent about the lower grade books.  They aren't in color, they aren't a lot of fun, and they aren't very interesting, and I had a REALLY hard time with the scripted lessons.  I hated them and would just look at them and teach the concept my own way.  

 

BUT it is easy to use, very gentle and more than solidifies the facts.  My son did use Times Tales alongside it because it was fun, but the Saxon books still provided plenty of practice and gentle introduction.  If I recall, you do teach the times tables Waaaayyy before they show up in the workbook so it's a VERY bad idea to skip the lessons - you really do need to use the scripted lessons whether you teach the info in your own words or not....it does have to be taught on schedule. (which again for some concepts is before it shows up in the workbooks)....

 

One thing I liked better about Saxon than Horizons is that it's gentler and moves more slowly with no rush so everything has time to stick.

 

However, we used Miquon for a few months and to this day my son wishes we had stuck with Miquon.  :)  You can just add Kumon books on the side to drill whatever you're learning.