Michelle in GA Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Has anyone actually used this book and liked it? My ds has done Saxon Algebra I, Chalkdust Geometry, and is currently using Saxon Algebra II. He is flying through math with no problems at all. I figure he is one of those students that Saxon works well for. My fear, however, is the next book. I have seen a few people here whose dc did well with Saxon until they got to the Advanced Math book. Then, they hit the wall. I am really stuck about whether to plow ahead with Saxon or bail and find something else. Any insights that could help me choose would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langfam Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) DS who's mathy did well with Saxon Adv. Math using www.teachingtape.com DVD which is better than DIVE CD. He transitioned very smoothly to Chalkdust Calculus. DD who's not a math natural, though she tests well, on the other hand, stalled halfway through Saxon Adv. Math. At that point, Saxon stopped working for her. She really dreaded math everyday and was miserable. I think she just started getting lost as processes (algorithms) became more complicated and she couldn't rely on her ability to memorize. Whereas, DS could keep the concepts straight in his head and because he understood them, he could see how they related to one another and could apply them well. I think that it depends on what your child's strength is. If you have one that's naturally good at math and not just memorizing steps, he'll do fine with Saxon. Saxon's problem is the random jumping from topic to topic that some kids can't join the dots. DD is now doing TT Precalculus. Another thought, I think the Saxon Algebra II is one of the easier of the Saxon texts. DD did very well on the tests leading me to believe she would have no problem with Adv. Math. Comparing Saxon Algebra II to Chalkdust's Larson or Foerster's, the latter 2 are more challenging I find. Edited January 11, 2009 by langfam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in CA Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 My son has only used Saxon and is currently in Advanced Math. He's doing just as well in it as he did w/the other levels. I was really worried about it too, but it's been no different than the other levels. My personal list of ingredients necessary for Saxon success: 1. The child should have a low error rate. 95% accuracy per homework set is ideal. 2. The child should learn to show all work. 3. The child should be able to understand the material w/little help, or just the help of the DVD. I hope I'm not coming off as snobby, but I really feel Saxon was designed for the independent learner. I think a child who struggles to maintain 90% accuracy or needs lots of help may be better off with another program. If your child has at least 90% accuracy in Algebra II he'll probably be fine w/Adv. Math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moni Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 My son has only used Saxon and is currently in Advanced Math. He's doing just as well in it as he did w/the other levels. I was really worried about it too, but it's been no different than the other levels. My personal list of ingredients necessary for Saxon success: 1. The child should have a low error rate. 95% accuracy per homework set is ideal. 2. The child should learn to show all work. 3. The child should be able to understand the material w/little help, or just the help of the DVD. I hope I'm not coming off as snobby, but I really feel Saxon was designed for the independent learner. . I agree. And if the daily homework falls below, say, 86%, the student can just re-do that same lesson tne next day. And so on and so forth if the daily production level falls below 85 %. But I've found that the next Saxon book is just that... the next Book. :seeya: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yslek Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I did Saxon Advanced Math in PS; it was my best math year ever. :D One thing that my teacher did was ask the class at the beginning of each class period which problems from the previous days' assignment (we did every problem for every lesson!) gave us trouble. Every now and again I'd get stuck on a concept for a while. I remember one day my teacher asked "again?!" when I told him what problem I needed him to work through. Eventually I'd get it, though. My teacher's patience was definitely key to my success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in PA Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 ts. DD is now doing TT Precalculus. I was curious about how the TT precalculus was going for your dd. I am looking at that for my dd next year. She did Saxon Alg. I and II and is currently doing TT geometry. I had thought about going back to Saxon Adv. Math next year and she flipped. By the end of Algebra II she was burned out from Saxon. I looked at Chalkdust and even ordered the Larson precalculus text cheap. I think it would be too much for her. So I was wondering about you thoughts on TT. Thanks so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 My son is currently doing Adv. Math. Last year he finished Al. 2 -- his worst ever at 96%. He's struggling this year, currently on Lesson 48. I don't know what to tell you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in MA Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 My son is currently doing Adv. Math. Last year he finished Al. 2 -- his worst ever at 96%. He's struggling this year, currently on Lesson 48. I don't know what to tell you. Christine, This is exactly what happened with my son in 10th grade. He limped through about half of Advanced Math, but understood nothing. I really wrangled with what to do for 11th grade and then finally spent the money on Chalkdust PreCalc. What a relief. He had been introduced to a lot of the concepts in CD PreCalc, but he hadn't mastered them. CD PreCalc is a thorough book, but the presentation is completely different than Saxon, and it teaches using the graphing calculator along with the lessons. That simple device really helped my son to "see" math for the first time, and his understanding is so much better now. Besides, graphing calculators are pretty standard equipment for higher math now, and he was able to use it on the ACT and SAT2 Math Level 2 tests where speed with calculations is essential to scoring well. My son took the SAT2 Math Level 2 right after he finished Chalkdust PreCalc, and he said that he had seen every single concept on the SAT2 test. If your son has future plans that require higher maths, think about switching to something other than Saxon. JM2Cents, Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moni Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 My teacher's patience was definitely key to my success. This is quite often the truth in homeschooing, :) and quite often true about the opposite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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