This independent attitude, coupled with the fact that she
was nearing the end of the MOTL curriculum which covered up until pre-algebra
prompted me to consider what Math curriculum I should consider next. My fourth
grader had always shown signs that she naturally embraced Math and I believed
that she would be up for the challenge that I knew Saxon would present. While
we had been using the MOTL curriculum as the main Math curriculum, the girls
had been completing Saxon exercises as supplemental practice for the three
years of homeschool. Saxon was not foreign to them.
Two months before the end of their 3rd homeschool
year, I challenged them to only do Saxon for their Math assignments all week.
Presenting this challenge to them made me very anxious and nervous. The
homeschool classroom is supposed to be an inviting and non-threatening
environment. Was I pushing them too hard and too fast? I prayed about the
situation, gave them encouraging bible verses on Day 1 of the Challenge, and to
my surprise they flourished well beyond my expectations. I was so proud of my
girls.
Ten months later, both girls are going strong with the Saxon
curriculum and I am ecstatic with their progress. Saxon is an extremely
complete and rigorous math curriculum that leaves nothing out! When I used the
MOTL curriculum, my one complaint was that as I developed their 5-A-Day
worksheets everyday, it was difficult for me to challenge them to their
fullest potential. I didn’t have the ability to generate a complete set of math
problems to administer everyday to make them recall concepts that they’ve
mastered. Through tracking their past progress with MOTL, I could come up with
some problems to exercise their knowledge, but not a complete set like Saxon does. The Saxon problem set changes
with each lesson. Once a child learns a new concept, with each lesson they are
asked a problem from a concept in a new way, to keep challenging the child. To
keep them thinking about what they’ve learned in a new way. This is extremely
beneficial when it comes to preparing your child for test questions which vary
in how they are worded and in complexity.
Saxon assignments are setup to first present a concept with
an introduction. The wording is laid out in a conversational manner so that the
reader can understand what is being presented. As the concept introduction is
presented, example problems are given along with the solution so that the
student has the ability to demonstrate that they understand the concept as they
read. What I appreciate most about the concept introduction is that it’s worded
clearly enough for my fifth grader to read independently and understand. After
the reader has read the concept introduction, they then proceed to a number of
Problem Set exercises that gives them a chance to again demonstrate their
understanding of the new concept. Lastly, the lesson finishes with 30+ mixed problems
that test their long term memory. The student is given a cumulative set of
problems from previous lessons along with problems from the lesson that they’ve
just completed.
Completing all of these problems may seem a little overkill
and to a certain extent, I agree. To alleviate the overkill, I create a list
for each lesson that the girls will complete each week. It looks like this,
Lesson 33- Lesson Introduction: Read pages 130-131 and do all examples
- Problem Set: Complete a, c, f, g, h, k
- Mixed Set: Complete 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8a, 9, 11, 12 b/c, 13, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 a/b, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
You’ll notice from the listing that I do not assign every
single problem, but I do assign enough to exercise their long term memory and
understanding of previously learned and
new concepts.
If the girls have trouble with any of the sections assigned,
I am ready and available to assist them. Once they are done, I check their
work. For any problems, that they’ve missed they immediately correct their
problems. This completes their math work for the day. On any given day they spend
about an hour on math work. Periodically throughout the Saxon curriculum they
also complete an “Investigation” assignment where they are challenged to learn
about a concept that requires them to manually graph, measure, or manipulate
fractions. For my 7th grader I also administer tests every fifth
lesson to measure her progress and understanding of concepts.
Note that the curriculum is numbered based on grade level.
Once your child has reached the fourth grade, the curriculum changes to a
2-numbered schema. For example the curriculum for the 4th grade is
called 5/4, which stands for remedial level 5th grade and standard 4th
grade. The 5th grade curriculum is 6/5, which stands for remedial
level 6th grade and standard 5th grade. You can find
placement tests on the Saxon website to gauge the level that your student should
start out in. Additionally, keep in mind that the Saxon lessons start out with
review of previously learned concepts and gradually introduce new concepts.
- An exhaustive curriculum (i.e. includes word problems, investigations, math drill practice, tests, etc.)
- Exercises long term memory of math concept
- Fosters independent study and therefore requires minimal parent involvement for older students who have the ability to read and work independently
- Includes tests and fact practice tests
Cons:
-
You may consider the curriculum pricey (to alleviate cost, buy used
copies)
(I was not contacted or solicited for this review. Comments above are my own personal opinions of the product.)
No comments:
Post a Comment