Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
My 11 year old son, Daniel, has been using MathandAlgebra.com for his homeschool math curriculum this month. He is always ready to try a new curriculum and was immediately excited about independently working through his math course, and the combination of instructional videos and written practice that this program offered.
What is MathandAlgebra.com
MathandAlgebra.com is an online based Math Program for Upper Elementary, Middle School or High School students. It could be a resource for teachers to use in school, however we are using it for our homeschool math curriculum with my middle schooler. With a Subscription to MathandAlgebra.com you receive access to 4 complete Math Courses for up to 3 students. The courses include Basic Math, Advanced Math, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra. The courses are broken up into chapters and lessons. Each lesson includes a video with examples and step by step instructions on how to use the strategies given. Then their are 1 or more printable worksheets provided to practice the skill taught in the lesson. Answer keys are also provided for each worksheet.
One important thing to note about this program is that it is not grade level based. The courses do not specify that they are best for an certain grade level or age. The Basic Math course is at Upper Elementary math level. I would compare it to a 5th or 6th grade math curriculum. Younger students with advanced math skills may also benefit from it. Advanced Math is a Middle School Level Math Course. (I am currently using this with my 6th grader.) Pre-Algebra and Algebra could both be great courses for Middle or High School Students.
The Basic and/or Advanced Math Courses are aimed to prepare students for Higher level Math courses like Algebra. The great thing about this course system is that if you have an older student who is not ready for algebra they could easily brush up on their math skills with the basic and advanced math courses without needing to assign them a grade specific 5th or 6th grade math course. Then when they are ready then can move on to Algebra!
How to Use MathandAlgebra.com
One of the things we enjoyed about MathandAlgebra.com is that it is very easy to use. As the Teacher or “Group Leader” you add your students by assigning them a username and password. There are no assignments to create and no more planning for you as the teacher after that point other than deciding what course your student needs to start with. Give your student their login information and direct them to the course they need to work on. Your student will work through each lesson. They will watch the video and work problems with the instructor. Then they can directly print the practice page and practice problems on their own. After that your student can even print the answer key where you or your student can check their work and find their mistakes! If they are struggling have them watch the video again and practice more!
At the end of the chapter the student will complete a quiz. If they achieve 80% or higher they earn a badge for completing the chapter. The student can then can move on if they fully understand the concepts that were taught in the chapter. The student continues this work daily through each course. The parent, teacher, or group leader can monitor the students progress on quizzes, seeing results. If a student does not do well on a quiz they can be directed to repeat lessons that they are struggling with and then they can retake the quiz. Quiz questions are randomly generated so the student will be given different questions each time insuring you are getting a good measure of whether or not the student actually understand the concepts.
How did MathandAlgebra.com work in our Homeschool Family
MathandAlgebra.com has been a perfect for my oldest son’s homeschool math curriculum. We had been using another online based math program that we liked before we decided to give this a try. I have seen that MathandAlgebra.com has provided my son, Daniel with a better mix of online based instruction and paper and pencil practice work for him. The instructional videos are shorter and very direct which works well for him. As their parent/teacher I am satisfied that I can easily monitor his progress by checking his daily written practice, and seeing the scores on the quizzes he takes in the Reports section of my Dashboard. There I can also monitor his progress through the course.
The practice pages also provide review of previous taught skills each day before practice on the current lesson. This review is excellent for him to stay sharp in what he is learning as he is continually building on and using these concepts in the daily lessons. In the month that we have had MathandAlgebra.com he has completed the first chapter and is almost finished working through the lessons in Chapter 2 of Advanced Math. The skill level is perfect for him and he prefers this Math program over any that we have done in the past. I like that each day he is completing lessons, checking work and correcting mistakes and that I see his confidence in math growing. I feel the content and instruction provided by MathandAlgebra.com will more than prepare him to begin Pre-algebra early next school year.
The Other Math Courses on MathandAlegbra.com
We have not used the other courses the way we used the Advanced math course on MathandAlgebra.com. I looked over the outline and a few of the lessons in the Pre-Algebra and Algebra courses. The content and instruction is clear and organized well. It is presented in a very straight-forward manor that I could see my boys having great success with in the future. I did try the Basic Math Course with my 9 year old son Caleb. He really likes math and I thought possibly he could handle the course. It was a bit challenging for him, and not quite what he needed this year. However, I could see next year (5th Grade) or even later this year, the course being more appropriate for him.
Try MathandAlgebra.com for your Homeschool Math Curriculum
MathandAlgebra.com is a quality Math curriculum that is an excellent resource for homeschool families. This math program provides short instructional videos and daily practice that will appeal to many students. MathandAlgebra.com offers a 30 day Free Trial which is an excellent way to experience the program and see if it is what you are looking for in your homeschool.
Also, many other families in the Homeschool Review Crew have been working with MathandAlgebra.com this month! Click below to read more about their experiences, and decide if this homeschool math program might be for you!
