Customer Rating: 
Summary: And you thought you hated math before...
Comment:
Wow, what can I say? Except that this is the worst math book ever written. Now I bet you're thinking come on, the worst math book ever written? It can't be that bad. Well, take it from someone who actually used this book, not some parent who told their kid to use it and think it's just awesome. I'm not to well rounded when it comes to math, and this book didn't help at all. It made it worse.
You would think this book was written to run you down to were you can't stand anything anymore. You get to do thirty problems every single lesson in what hast to be some of the worst explanation I've ever seen. I have teachers who dislike this book, and call it pitiful, but we just keep marching on with basically the same thing every lesson with four problems of the new stuff. Yep, nothing like tedious math. But is there such a thing as tedious math? Nah.
Bottom line, if you want to keep the sanity of your kid, please I beg you try something else.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Simply The Best Math Book Ever Written
Comment: As my 11 year old son begins his second semester of Calculus at our local college, he tends to take exception with parents that look down on the Saxon series of math books, with them often calling the books "boring" or "repetitive", as if math is intended to be loaded with excitement from day 1. Getting good at something, whether it's cutting lawns or learning pre-algebra, take practice. I just feel so bad for the kids with these parents, as the kids will never amount to anything, given that environment. Simply put, the Saxon series of books, if completed per their instructions (i.e., doing every problem), assures that your kid will NEVER have trouble in math.
This book, Algebra 1/2, is simply phenomenal. The problems and the design of this book assures that your kid will glide right into Algebra 1, and never look back (to this day, I wish that I could have been prepared to this level when I took Algebra 1). Of all the Saxon math books, I've always looked at this one as the best of a superb series. It is just amazing.
So I recommend to anyone that wants to listen, get the Saxon books and teach your kid yourself, otherwise you're at the mercy of programs and books that are almost designed to fail.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Works great with my advanced students!
Comment: As a 5th grade teacher, I use this book with several of my advanced students. It explains the concepts in enough detail that they can work primarily on their own. For my three students who are advancing especially quickly, I only have them do the mixed practice (review portion) for every other lesson. (They do two lesson each day.) I would not advise shortening the lessons for most students. The review provided truly solidifies the concepts in their minds.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Boring, but useful
Comment: For the most part, this book is useful for groups of kids on uneven footing, or who came from various math programs. We used it in grade 7 advanced math, and that worked out well enough because it went fast for the kids who were bored because they had done everything already, and helped those who had been a touch behind the grade six standard. But the writing isn't particularly inspired, and it was a good thing that we only used this book maybe 2/3 of the time.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Worked great with an ESL student who needed detailed info
Comment: This isn't a book for every student - but for those who need slow, careful explanations (easy to understand) and who are helped by lots of review, this is an ideal choice.
I worked wtih a n ESL student who needed to get up to grade level as quickly as possible. Within a very short time, using this book, his math skills were on a par with the other students and he felt confident about his ability to understand the concepts.
At least half the book is devoted to review of basic math concepts like adding mixed numbers, mixed number subtraction , decimal parts of a number and so on. Only in the later lessons are actual algebraic equations and concepts fully explained. I felt this was a good thing, giving the student a solid base to work with but I could see how more advanced math students might feel bored or impatient with the lengthy review sections.
This book does explain every single concept carefully and with simplified language which optimizes a student's ability to understand and use basic math concepts.
In short, know your student before purchasing your book. But for the right student, this could be an ideal choice.
Summary: And you thought you hated math before...
Comment:
Wow, what can I say? Except that this is the worst math book ever written. Now I bet you're thinking come on, the worst math book ever written? It can't be that bad. Well, take it from someone who actually used this book, not some parent who told their kid to use it and think it's just awesome. I'm not to well rounded when it comes to math, and this book didn't help at all. It made it worse.
You would think this book was written to run you down to were you can't stand anything anymore. You get to do thirty problems every single lesson in what hast to be some of the worst explanation I've ever seen. I have teachers who dislike this book, and call it pitiful, but we just keep marching on with basically the same thing every lesson with four problems of the new stuff. Yep, nothing like tedious math. But is there such a thing as tedious math? Nah.
Bottom line, if you want to keep the sanity of your kid, please I beg you try something else.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Simply The Best Math Book Ever Written
Comment: As my 11 year old son begins his second semester of Calculus at our local college, he tends to take exception with parents that look down on the Saxon series of math books, with them often calling the books "boring" or "repetitive", as if math is intended to be loaded with excitement from day 1. Getting good at something, whether it's cutting lawns or learning pre-algebra, take practice. I just feel so bad for the kids with these parents, as the kids will never amount to anything, given that environment. Simply put, the Saxon series of books, if completed per their instructions (i.e., doing every problem), assures that your kid will NEVER have trouble in math.
This book, Algebra 1/2, is simply phenomenal. The problems and the design of this book assures that your kid will glide right into Algebra 1, and never look back (to this day, I wish that I could have been prepared to this level when I took Algebra 1). Of all the Saxon math books, I've always looked at this one as the best of a superb series. It is just amazing.
So I recommend to anyone that wants to listen, get the Saxon books and teach your kid yourself, otherwise you're at the mercy of programs and books that are almost designed to fail.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Works great with my advanced students!
Comment: As a 5th grade teacher, I use this book with several of my advanced students. It explains the concepts in enough detail that they can work primarily on their own. For my three students who are advancing especially quickly, I only have them do the mixed practice (review portion) for every other lesson. (They do two lesson each day.) I would not advise shortening the lessons for most students. The review provided truly solidifies the concepts in their minds.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Boring, but useful
Comment: For the most part, this book is useful for groups of kids on uneven footing, or who came from various math programs. We used it in grade 7 advanced math, and that worked out well enough because it went fast for the kids who were bored because they had done everything already, and helped those who had been a touch behind the grade six standard. But the writing isn't particularly inspired, and it was a good thing that we only used this book maybe 2/3 of the time.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Worked great with an ESL student who needed detailed info
Comment: This isn't a book for every student - but for those who need slow, careful explanations (easy to understand) and who are helped by lots of review, this is an ideal choice.
I worked wtih a n ESL student who needed to get up to grade level as quickly as possible. Within a very short time, using this book, his math skills were on a par with the other students and he felt confident about his ability to understand the concepts.
At least half the book is devoted to review of basic math concepts like adding mixed numbers, mixed number subtraction , decimal parts of a number and so on. Only in the later lessons are actual algebraic equations and concepts fully explained. I felt this was a good thing, giving the student a solid base to work with but I could see how more advanced math students might feel bored or impatient with the lengthy review sections.
This book does explain every single concept carefully and with simplified language which optimizes a student's ability to understand and use basic math concepts.
In short, know your student before purchasing your book. But for the right student, this could be an ideal choice.