After years of integrating high school geometry with their algebra and advanced math programs, Saxon Math has recently published a brand new Saxon Geometry textbook. Should homeschoolers continue using the traditional sequence, supplement with another geometry curriculum such as Alpha Omega Lifepac, or use the new Saxon Geometry?

The pluses to continuing with the traditional Saxon sequence – Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Advanced Math, and Calculus – are twofold. For one thing, integrating geometry with algebra is the way curriculums are written in Asia and Europe, and students there consistently outperform US students on international math examinations. For another, students who complete calculus prior to college statistically tend to have higher grades overall in college. While one might … Read the rest of this post…

The Alpha Omega Lifepac approach can be described as a somewhat unusual but effective way to teach 10th grade mathematics.  Rather than study from just one thick textbook, students study from ten single unit workbooks.  This method seems to help maintain motivation and drive, with the sense of accomplishment that comes from successful completion of each book.  The curriculum is fully Christian based, so good values are present in all the word problems and other sections.

Topics and Methodology:
Some of the topics that the high school student will master in his 10th grade geometry from Alpha Omega Lifepac are postulates and proofs, coordinate proofs; theorems and geometric terms; congruency; parallels and angles; constructions; triangles and circles; area and volume, … Read the rest of this post…

Strengths:
The strengths of the Alpha Omega Lifepac program for the high school student are that it provides a program package that is very straightforward.  There are just ten little workbooks to complete, and the teacher guide is one simple little book that contains notes as well as complete tests and answer keys.

With such simple, straightforward plans like “Complete one lesson per day and you will finish this workbook in three weeks,” the Alpha Omega Lifepac10th grade geometry program is like a breath of fresh air compared to some complicated high school curricula.  It is a bit out of the ordinary to have high school students working from thin workbooks instead of one thick hardbound geometry text, but it … Read the rest of this post…

Strengths:
For me, I love the fact that the Switched On Schoolhouse offers a completely automatic grading and lesson planning feature.  The teacher does not have to spend time making checklists for the students or creating deadlines for them.  You simply enter the start and end dates and any vacation days for the school year, and the computer lays everything out.  It even displays daily goals and upcoming 10th grade geometry deadlines on the student’s homepage so that they do not need nearly so many reminders from their teacher to keep up with their work.

For 10th grade geometry, it can be hard to picture how a student would be able to do all hi work on the computer.  Aren’t … Read the rest of this post…

Saxon Geometry is a new addition to the well-known Saxon math series. Until this point, geometry instruction in the Saxon textbooks had been integrated into Algebra 1 and 2 and Advanced Math. In the Singapore Math program, the approach is similar, there is no separate geometry course included in the four standard secondary level Singapore Math series of books. Like Saxon, Singapore Math does offer an optional separate course suitable for 9th or 10th grade students.

There are advantages to the integrated approach. Understanding the geometrical concepts as they fit into the “big picture” of algebra and other math may boost overall success in math. Asian and European countries that follow the integrated approach consistently rank higher than the … Read the rest of this post…

Teaching geometry is a crucial part of high school education.  Through this discipline, students learn to think abstractly and logically.  Sometimes teachers and students alike seem to consider geometry simply hoop to jump through to be ready for college, or at best, some tool that might be helpful in technological applications such as engineering.  But in fact, geometry is an important human study.  Its place is to foster intellectual development and ready students for mature reflection on higher things.

Geometry provides the student’s first real opportunity to think and reason at length about concepts which are truly intellectual, that is, abstract concepts, concepts which are simply understood, not imagined.  For instance, the concept of a geometric line is a line … Read the rest of this post…

1)  Give points for making flash cards.  Memorizing important information is so much easier for students if they have flash cards to study geometry from.  And making their own is far better than buying something.  Just the fact of doing it goes a long way towards imprinting the information in their mind before they ever study.

2)  Insist theorems, postulates, and axioms be memorized.  Certainly students can correctly work proofs by flipping back and forth through their books when they need to reference this or that theorem or proposition.  They can solve word problems and perform constructions without being able to articulate precisely the rules they are following.  However, the information is more truly and surely their own when … Read the rest of this post…

Strengths:
For me, I love the fact that the Switched On Schoolhouse offers a completely automatic grading and lesson planning feature.  The teacher does not have to spend time making checklists for the students or creating deadlines for them.  You simply enter the start and end dates and any vacation days for the school year, and the computer lays everything out.  It even displays daily goals and upcoming 10th grade geometry deadlines on the student’s homepage so that they do not need nearly so many reminders from their teacher to keep up with their work.

For 10th grade geometry, it can be hard to picture how a student would be able to do all hi work on the computer.  Aren’t … Read the rest of this post…

In any subject, a good study guide can make study more efficient and faster and help to improve grades.  No less in geometry.  To make a good geometry study guide, you will need to do three things, gather your material, format it for easy use, and then use a memorization and practice method that fits your personal style.

To gather material for your geometry study guide, collect together anything you have that pertains to the section being tested.  Textbook; notebook; homework sheets and handouts; quizzes; class notes; flash cards; etc.  Once you have these items in one place, begin making a list of key information.  For geometry, the easiest place to start is the textbook.  Open to … Read the rest of this post…