Harold Jacobs
Math books
Elementary Algebra
"Suitable for either classroom use or
self-paced study. Combines real-life examples, carefully
structured exercises, and humor to help students learn and remember."
Price: $40-50, instructor's manual $15.
Geometry
"Harold Jacobs's Geometry created a
revolution in the approach to teaching this subject, one that gave rise to
many ideas now seen in the NCTM Standards and in many current texts. It uses innovative
discussions, cartoons, anecdotes, examples, and exercises that unfailingly
capture and hold student interest. The approach focuses on guided discovery
to help students develop geometric intuition." $50, instructor's manual
$21
Mathematics: A Human Endeavor "For instructors of liberal arts mathematics
classes who focus on problem-solving, Harold Jacobs's remarkable textbook has
long been the answer. The current edition is designed to connect with today's
generation math-anxious students. Shows students how to make observations, discover
relationships, and solve problems in the context of ordinary experience."
$60, instructor's manual $18
Add a review
Review of Harold Jacobs Elementary Algebra
| Jacobs Algebra & Geometry |
|
Time: 4 years |
Your situation:
In our homeschool, we used these two books for our oldest 2 girls after using Saxon math (and prior to that A Beka). Oldest did Algebra 1 in 7th grade, 2nd in 8th. Geometry came a year later, respectively. My 2 youngest are too young for either.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
My girls were frustrated and bored with Saxon. They were not challenged and we happened upon Jacobs books and were thrilled to find them. The work was challenging and they were able to follow each lesson on their own with a little help from Dad (granted they are both very comfortable with math). My oldest, currently a computer science/electrical engineering student in college, has found math in college trivial due in part to Jacobs' math and his recommendations for upper level courses (from Key Curriculum Press, Forester's Algebra II, Trig & Calculus).
Any other helpful hints:
These curriculums work well with motivated, math-savvy students.
Patt Courtemanche
|
| Saxon vs. Jacobs |
|
Time: 4 years |
I used Saxon with my two older girls who are now struggling and terrified of college math; despite high test scores on entry.
On the other hand, my fourth grade daughter is DEVOURING math using Mathematics; a Human Endeavor
Saxon did what is was supposed to do. Make sure my girls stayed abreast of other schoolers and pass tests, but when it came to knowing why or when to use the knowledge it is a complete mystery.
I recently discovered and sent my college students Harold Jacobs books, and my eldest is seriously considering adding another two years to her degree! She had quit because she had four more classes of math to go through and froze.
Saxon has it's place. I use it when I want my daughter to use some time on her own. Drill, drill, drill - but it's not at the core of our math curriculum. This may be the last year I use it at all.
Tess Petigru
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| Grades: 9 |
|
Time: currently |
While trying to find an interesting, alternative approach to using Saxon for math, I read several reviews of Harold Jacob's Elementary Algebra and decided to give it a try with my ninth grade daughter. Math, mind you, is not her favorite subject nor is it mine. I was, however, impressed with Harold Jacob's approach. It seems more light-hearted and not as stoic as some math texts. We are currently about half-way through the book. I have found that I understand Algebra better than I ever have. My daughter is also doing pretty well using this text. Our biggest complaint lies in the fact that at least one problem in the set II or III exercises is a total twist on the topic covered in the lesson and there is not much to rely on to help you solve it other than just looking up the answer and reasoning out the solution. We have to do this at least once in every set. The instructor's manual is pretty useless for explanation. We use it for the set I and III answers only. However, we have been able to figure everything out when we have gotten stuck on a particular problem without getting a headach. With all that said, I do think this is an excellent choice for Algebra. It seems to be more comprehensive than Saxon and much more interesting.
kelly davis
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Review of Harold Jacobs math books - and comparison to Saxon by Susan Richman
Reviews of Harold Jacobs Algebra
at HomeschoolReviews.com.
Review of the Algebra book at Books4Homeschool.com
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