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When my girls were younger, I read an interesting article about how girls learn math differently. It stuck with me, even though I did not agree with every point the author made. The article inspired me to add games and books to our regular math curriculum, and my kids loved it. I would read a book, like Sir Cumference, and we would play a game, like Clumsy Thief, and then we would do a lesson in Life of Fred. Man, I miss those days. Homeschool Momma, don’t blink, it goes by so fast. We still have those Life of Fred books. I’m saving them for my grandkids someday.
Back to the present year. My 10th grader has used Saxon the past two years for Algebra 1 and Algebra 2. This year, she moved into the Advanced Mathematics book. Monday through Thursday she will work through this curriculum along with lesson from Nicole the Math Lady. On Fridays, she will do two lessons from Life of Fred Geometry (the LOF book is great at explaining proofs, better than Saxon in my opinion). However, this is the year that we slow down in math. Let me explain.
For Algebra 1 and 2, my kids would watch the videos and do the practice problems with Nicole, then do half the problems (evens on even numbered lessons, odds on odd numbered lessons), asking me for help when needed. Nicole’s website has a grading feature which I utilize and love! On Fridays, we used the coordinating high school math Life of Fred book for fun and added challenge.
Once my kids got to Advanced Mathematics, we slowed down to use this book over two years. The book’s author recommends using the book over a year and a half, but two years works well for us. We use Life of Fred Geometry the first year and Life of Fred Trigonometry the second year. This is also how I notate the math credits on their high school transcripts, one year of geometry and one year of trigonometry. Both of my older two passed the TSI to go on to college math courses after completing the book in this fashion.
At the beginning of the year, we print the notes pages that Nicole supplies for the textbook (formulas, vocabulary, etc.) and place those in the front of the binder. Then, we use index cards for additional note taking when a concept is hard to grasp. Because Saxon uses a spiral method of teaching, those same concepts come up on repeat with increasing complexity. I also love that Saxon places the lesson number in parenthesis next to each problem so students know which lesson to refer back to for help.
This has been our tried and true method of approaching high school math for the past 5 years and 3 kids, and it has worked well for us. I expect when my youngest begins her dual credit journey at the community college, that Saxon, Nicole, Fred, and I will have prepared her well for what lies ahead.
