NancyR
- Reviewed on Saturday, July 14, 2012
- Grades Used: 8th & 9th
- Dates used: 2006-2008
I consider the Harold Jacobs Algebra and Geometry curriculum to be one of the best investments I have made for my son and daughter. I purchased the Student Text, Tests, and Solutions Manual from Rainbow Resource Center, which currently lists them as available on their web site. Although the set is much more expensive than most other curriculum, I am convinced that Jacobs Algebra and Jacobs Geometry provided a very strong foundation for my kids, and also was the primary factor for high Math scores on their SAT s (which resulted in scholarship money for both). My son is starting his third year of college in Engineering, while my daughter is majoring in English. Although my daughter is bright, math is not her natural strength, yet she managed to earn a higher SAT math score than some fellow students who are actually more gifted in that area than she is and who used other math curricula.
This curriculum is best suited for students who plan to continue math at least through Pre-Calculus. If a student struggles with math and only needs the basics, this is more thorough than necessary. Each lesson is structured so the homework is not just practice, but continues to guide the understanding of the student. My kids both spent about 1 - 1 ½ hours per lesson. Each lesson also includes optional problems that are similar to those found on the ACT/SAT.
The Jacobs Geometry curriculum includes doing proofs that start with a few steps and builds to proofs that require multiple steps. Based on my own experience, I found this process prepared me for the logic involved in the multiple steps of Calculus, so I wanted proofs included in my son’s math background.
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Eli Robert
- Reviewed on Saturday, April 3, 2010
- Grades Used: 9th-10th
- Dates used: 2009-2010
I love the Jacobs Algebra text, but I would agree that it is difficult to use without a solutions manual; the teacher's guide from Freeman (the publisher) offers limited support, often in the form of tiny copies of transparencies meant for a classroom, and it only includes a basic answer key.
But I was pleased to learn that a Dr. Callahan and his daughter Cassidy have released video lectures and a supplemental teacher's guide that work with the text. Also, they have worked with Mr. Jacobs to publish a solutions manual, released this year (2010). To me, this finally makes Jacobs a very usable text for homeschool families and tutors.
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LisaM
- Reviewed on Saturday, October 17, 2009
- Grades Used: Algebra
- Dates used: 2008-2009
At first, I did not like this curriculum. I considered switching, but did not know what to switch to. My children want to be engineers so I needed a very strong program. My husband and I have very strong math backgrounds.
But once we got about half way through the book, I found myself really "getting" how and why they were explaining things. We only finished through chapter 15 out of 17. But it says in the teachers guide that through chapter 13 is good for an algebra course and through 17 for an more extensive course.
Then, my daughter had to return to public school this year. We are in Texas and the local school district is awful about giving homeschoolers credit for anything. They told me they doubted she would pass the credit by exam as few students did. So she took the test. She got 100%!!!! The person at the district who told me her score told me in all her years of working here, she has never seen a 100 on this test. I had various people ranting on how brilliant she is. Ok, I love my daughter, and she is smart, but she is not off the charts. I credit this curriculum for being so thorough and explaining things so well. Now I highly recommend Jacob's Algebra.
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alpineld
- Reviewed on Saturday, February 25, 2006
- Grades Used: 9th
- Dates used: 2005-2006
We had grown tiresome of Saxon and had heard great things about Jacob's Algebra. My son is strong in math, but as the year went on, he would occasionally bog down on something. This set does not include a solutions manual or any support at all. After having used Saxon for so long, I was totally frustrated by this. We finally gave this set up at the end of January, because of a lack of solutions. I am not good in math and could not help my son.
I will say that he enjoyed it tremendously, and was quite disappointed that we had to give it up. He loved the cartoons and simplistic manner in which Jacobs taught. But we picked up Bob Jones Algebra, and are buzzing along now. Laura
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