Geometry

[Serena]

Looking for a thorough "college/ACT prep" geometry course for my 13 year old son for next year. He will have completed Saxon Algebra 1 and 2. He is doing well and likes math. Which of the two texts is best for clear explainations and coverage of all concepts?

Any thoughts are appreciated!

[Jane in NC]

Looking for a thorough "college/ACT prep" geometry course for my 13 year old son for next year. He will have completed Saxon Algebra 1 and 2. He is doing well and likes math. Which of the two texts is best for clear explainations and coverage of all concepts?

Any thoughts are appreciated!

You asked, "Which of the two texts...?" Are there particular texts on which you'd like to solicit comments?

I think that you should first decide on your goal. Many feel that a non-proof oriented geometry is sufficient for testing purposes. I am of the school that believes a proof oriented course is preferable in order to help a student polish logic skills and develop the art of argument.

I am also not clear on what you mean by "all concepts". Could you fill us in?

Jane

[Serena]

Ooops! I am sorry. I am considering Chalkdust and Jacob's Geometry. I DO want proofs because I feel the reasoning skills developed through this method are very important in development. Also, I want a curriculum that doesn't leave any gaps and prepares the student for the ACT/SAT.

Thanks!

[Anne/Ankara]

Jane, since my son is in a similar situation as Serena's, can I ask what textbook you would recommend as a proof-oriented geometry course for a student who has gone through Saxon Alg 1 and 2. I have the Lial: Geometry book (old copy) and I was considering Jacob's Geometry... any suggestions for us?

[Barb F. PA in AZ]

We actually just used ALEKS as our main Geometry course. My 17yo had used Merrill's years back and was okay with it, but my 13yo wasn't so much into Geometry. We began with ALEKS to pique her interest and never really got around to doing the text. She got to 97% mastered in about 3.5 months.

In general, I don't believe ALEKS is sufficient as a stand-alone curriculum, but I make the exception for Geometry because it is so concrete. ALEKS includes more proofs than I expected it would, and in recent months they've upgraded the proof section to make it more involved. ALEKS is ideal for learning the material for the SAT without spending hours on construction after construction. If getting through it painlessly as possible is your goal, I'd give it a try.

Barb

[percytruffle]

Why not continue on with Saxon Advanced Math. Once the first half of the book or so is completed he will have a full credit of Geometry, including proofs. This is what we did. We stop after the first half of Advanced Math and they continue on at the community college after that.

I also like the Chalkdust math programs and have used ALEKS for a while (this was for pre-calc though and not for geometry)

[Jane in NC]

Jane, since my son is in a similar situation as Serena's, can I ask what textbook you would recommend as a proof-oriented geometry course for a student who has gone through Saxon Alg 1 and 2. I have the Lial: Geometry book (old copy) and I was considering Jacob's Geometry... any suggestions for us?

I may of little help here. In general, I am satisfied using old Dolciani texts. However, I found another 70's out of print text at a library sale (Dressler) which I felt was satisfactory for my son with some Euclid thrown in. I cannot recommend Dressler to most though since the book is dry, hard to find and there are no additional materials (at least to my knowledge). Most parent/teachers want a detailed solutions manual or videos--this has neither.

I have never had the opportunity to have more than a cursory look at Jacobs and have never cracked the spine of Lial's Geometry. My teaching experience has been at the university level or community college where remedial Lial texts were used. In general I find Lial to be uninspiring--I never would have become a math major if Lial had introduced me to the subject. But many parents and students are completely satisfied with these texts.

Sorry not to be more helpful.

Jane

[Bev in B'ville]

My dd is doing Saxon Algebra 2 concurrently with Teaching Textbooks Geometry. Every test that she's taken thus far have included proofs. She tried Jacob's, but really disliked the videos component and wasn't do as well as I'd have liked. She really likes TT and is constantly selling it to her younger brother, telling him that he'll get to do TT next year and he'll love it.

As always, just my $.02.

Bev

[Anne/Ankara]

Lisa, thanks for your comments. I am planning on continuing with Saxon Advanced Math, but I didn't know if the geometry was "proof-based" since it really isn't so far, in Saxon Alg II... Maybe Saxon does have enough proof-based geometry if you cover the Advanced Math book.

Thanks!