saxon math : When Saxon is an Appropriate Choice

am not a fan of Saxon math, but a few years ago my daughter used Saxon 65 and started Saxon 76 the following year.

Before we got to this point, I had heard all the negatives about Saxon math. I had also heard a lot of so-called positives: the higher test scores, the spiral approach, the constant review, and the fact that my daughter could probably do it independently. These pluses didn't address criteria that are important to me in a math program, however, so I remained mostly unpersuaded that Saxon was a great choice.

The one positive I had heard from time to time, almost as an aside, is that Saxon is good for building confidence. Kids who had had a bad time in math, once they got going with Saxon, often found math easier, liked it better as a result, and felt better about math in general.

It was confidence I was after for my daughter. She had burned out on heavy thinking programs like Miquon, and then a long break from formal math had left her feeling as if she couldn't do math. So, despite my years of promising never to use Saxon, Saxon was the program of choice for us that year.

My daughter did find math to be fairly easy with Saxon's incremental approach. She did well, rarely making anything but careless mistakes. My guess is that, had we tested her, she would have scored well. Her confidence grew, thanks to the daily practice and hand-holding Saxon provided. I found the promise that Saxon could build confidence to be true in our case. (No doubt it would not hold true for every child!)

The negatives I'd heard also proved to be true, so we abandoned Saxon 76 for Singapore Math. We are much happier in general with Singapore Math, but Saxon served its purpose. Had I not been willing to work at Singapore Math with my daughter, Saxon might have remained a viable choice because my daughter, like most children, really was able to use it independently. For families where there isn't an adult who is willing or able to teach math, Saxon may be the best choice. Not everyone needs an excellent understanding of math in their adult lives, though everyone will benefit from the best math education. Some children are more natural mathematical thinkers than others, and they may have no trouble bridging Saxon's gaps on their own. If the family's goals are merely good scores on the SATs and reasonable computing skills, Saxon may fit the bill.

I don't regret using Saxon for that year. I don't recommend it lightly, but Saxon has its benefits that may, in some cases, outweigh the negatives, especially for short-term use.

From: Laura in CT

saxon math : What do Math Professors Say?

Saxon Math is generally held in such high regard by the homeschooling community that I seldom open my "mouth" to offer a dissenting opinion. However, if the day and mood are right I will venture forth with my "heresy." Today is such a day...

Before retirement, my father was the Dean of Instruction at a community college in a community that shifted their high school math instruction to Saxon. The teachers in his math department were UNANIMOUS in their observations that the Saxon math program did not deliver students capable of performing well in higher math. In fact my father, who resolutely keeps his nose out of my curriculum decisions (even when asked), went out of his way to make sure that I did not use Saxon math. I was surprised at his firm resolve in this issue and over the years have questioned him at length regarding the distaste his math faculty had for Saxon and looked at program in detail.

Our hypothesis is this. Saxon's emphasis on drill and repetition allows a student to perform well within a concept; thus, the results on standardized testing are good. Saxon does not adequately emphasize problem solving and certainly not problem solving that requires creatively moving from one concept to another or thinking "outside the box." This is precisely the sort of skill necessary to excel in higher mathematics.

As for Kindergarten....I was going to use Saxon anyway because I figured that perhaps the effects would not be profound at such an early level. My father reminded me that math is a skill that builds on a firm foundation and that whatever the flaws were in the Saxon program, they would be evident in the lower levels as well. So I use Scott-Foresman and supplement with drill as necessary.

From: Tracy in TX

saxon math :Elementary Math Help

Mathematics classes get increasingly harder toward the end of elementary school. This article offers parents advice for helping their fifth and sixth graders with their math skills.

The fifth and sixth grades mark the end of elementary school. From there they move on to a middle school or junior high where they will encounter tougher, more demanding subjects and lessons. In order for your child to succeed in that new environment, he needs to fully understand the skills that are presented to him in elementary school. Fifth and sixth grade saxon math puts a heavy focus on pre-algebra and geometry skills as well as probability. Here are some tips and activities that will help you ensure your child's success in late elementary school mathematics.

First, be aware of the resources and programs available to you and your child. A professional tutor can help alleviate the stress of learning at home. Since both both you and your child feel invested in your child's success, it's easy for tension to arise between you when the going gets hard. Qualified outside help can work wonders. Taking your child to a tutoring center is another great option. And look into the many online tutoring services out there. Many of these have state-certified teachers and boast an effectiveness at or above the standards of the best tutoring programs. Finally, check out all the great computer programs and games. A bit of fun can make learning a lot easier, especially when a child isn't interested.

But you don't have to have a computer. There are lots of simple things you can do to help your child get the hang of math. One of the first things a child encounters in the early stages of algebra is the order of operations. He'll need to learn to find that missing varialble. If x+5=9, then what is x? It's just addition and subtraction presented in a new way, but it's the first step into a huge new world. Use beans or macaronis to solve it. Put a pile nine on the table, then ask your child to make two piles out of it: one for the five in the equation, one for the y. The answer become clear pretty fast.

Geometry opens the door onto more hands on activities. Children in fifth and sixth grades are learning about angles, triangles and other shapes. Break out the protractor at home. Encourage your child to draw various angles and triangles and properly label them, then use them in a picture. Make three dimensional shapes out of straws and pipe cleaners. See who can make the largest object, or construct a specific shape the fastest.

Probability experiments are also easy to create at home. Ask your child to see how many times out of fifty a tossed coin will land on heads. Explain that because there are two sides to a coin, each toss has a 50/50 chance of landing on heads and teh same odds for landing on tails. You can conduct similar experiments with dice. When you're done, help your student create a chart or graph to represent the results. Your child should be practicing probability experiments and learning graphs in school so he should be able to tell you what type of graph is the best to use. These probability and graph activities are easy to do and will give your child the practice he needs to do well in the fifth and sixth grade.

Be sure your child spends enough time on her homework. Talk with herr teacher to see approximately how long it should take students to complete a given assignment. If it seems that your child is struggling, ask her what parts of the problem they do not understand. Read through it with her and watch her carry it out, step by step, identify the weak spot. If you're a little out of your league, a good homework help site could be the answer. These sites provide students with explanations for mathematical concepts but do not answer their homework problems for them.

fifth and sixth grade saxon math is a major block in your child's academic foundation. By monitoring their homework and helping them with fun activities, you will be helping them excel in the long run as well as in the classes they take every day. And remember the traditional and online tutoring centers, as well as other online mathematics resources. These educational supplemental programs could make the difference between failing or passing into the next grade level.

saxon math : Eighth Grade Math

Eighth grade math is critical to a child's success in high school. Parents can help their eighth graders achieve success by monitoring the math skills discussed in this guide.

Eighth grade is an exciting time for families; it marks the transition to high school and the preparation for college. Success in the eighth grade is critical for success in high school and beyond because many important skills are introduced to this age level.

Eighth grade math is especially important because this is the year when many students take a formal algebra class. Even if your eighth grader is not in algebra, their math class will be concentrating on many of the same principles along with other skills such as measurements and probability. These important skills are listed below so parents know what is expected of their eighth grade student.

Eighth Grade Lesson Plans
By the time a student reaches the eighth grade, they should already have a firm understanding of measurement units. In the eighth grade, a student is likely to learn how to use their measurement knowledge with two and three dimensional objects. Eighth grade word problems also incorporate measurements through capacity, mass and time. It is likely that your student will also be expected to learn and understand how to use the Pythagorean Theorem.

As far as probability goes, this age group is expected to have mastered many graphs and charts through elementary school and the seventh grade. Eighth grade saxon math class will allow the student to learn about statistical experiments. From the result of their experiments, the youth should be able to argue logical inferences and conclusions, using data for support. An understanding of these statistical principles is critical for eighth grade students because they will be used in geometry and other math classes, as well as high school and college science.

Eighth graders are expected to be able to do algebraic work such as using linear, quadratic, polynomial, trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic and rational functions to solve problems. These algebra students should also be able to solve problems using the four basic operations and inverse operations to solve variables in a formula. If your child is in a difficult algebra class it is very important that they can perform these and more basic math skills.

Helping Your Eighth Grader Succeed
If your eighth grade student is behind, there are many things a parent can do to help their child, including tutoring. Professional math tutors present students the information and instruction they need to master the math skills that are expected of them. Finding the perfect tutor for your family can be hard, especially if you live in a small or rural community. Thankfully, professional learning centers are beginning to understand parents' frustrations and are making their services available online. To learn more about online tutoring centers, please visit the online tutoring section of this Web site.

saxon math : Oviedo council reviews change in impact fees

The Oviedo City Council will discuss possible changes in its impact fees at its Monday meeting.

City Manager Gerald Seeber said it has been a few years since the city reviewed its impact-fee structure. But officials also want to bring in more business.
"Our City Council is sensitive to the fact that impact fees can sometimes be a turnoff for new investment," he said. "We're trying to grow our tax base. We know this is an important factor."

A consultant's report recommends that many of the fees decrease, though the council also will consider a new category of fees for administrative facilities, and some residential fees could "slide upward a little bit," Seeber said.

The commission meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 400 Alexandria Blvd.

7-Eleven on the way

A 7-Eleven is coming to the southeast corner of State Road 436 and Bear Lake Road.

The final site plan goes before the County Commission on Tuesday.

Goin' Postal opens

Goin' Postal has opened at 1285 Seminola Blvd. in Casselberry.

It is the first store in the 175-store chain for Seminole County.

Goin' Postal is a Zephyrhills franchise that specializes in shipping and packing using UPS, FedEx and DHL. The store is an authorized U.S. postal center.

The Casselberry location also has a mobile unit that will go to customers' doors upon request.

New Ireland flights

Flyglobespan plans to begin nonstop service Nov. 7 from Orlando Sanford International Airport to Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland.

Belfast will be the second destination served by Fly- globespan since it began flying daily scheduled service to Glasgow, Scotland, from Sanford in June.

Flyglobespan will use a Boeing 767-300ER on the route, with flights departing Sanford on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and arriving in Belfast at 7:15 a.m. the next day. Return service is scheduled to leave Belfast each Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. and arrive at Sanford at 3:25 p.m. local time.

StarChild Academy opens

A StarChild Academy opened last month in Oviedo.

The day-care center, preschool and private kindergarten also has branches in Wekiva and Waterford Lakes and is considering opening in Lake Mary.

The day-care center teaches several languages and uses the A Beka Phonics, Saxon math and SRA Open Court reading programs.

© 2006 Orlando Sentinel Communications

saxon math : KAOL students excel on Terra Nova test

KINGMAN ­ Students in grades 2-9 at Kingman Academy of Learning scored in the top half of the nation in the spring administration of the Terra Nova test.

Terra Nova is a norm-referenced test given nationwide to children in grades 2 and 9. Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards test, also given in the spring, contains Terra Nova "embedded" questions that are scored and results released for students in grades 3-8.

Scores are given as percentiles. A grade level and subject with a 42 percentile score was surpassed by 58 percent of its peers in the country.

KAOL students scored 50 or higher in all grade levels and in all subjects (language, math, reading) in which they tested, with the lone exception of 48 in math for ninth-graders.

"We made a change in our high school math curriculum last year," said Susan Chan, KAOL district administrator.

"We sensed it was not meeting enough of the state standards, so we kept the Saxon math program through our eighth grade, but switched to a more traditional textbook from the McDougal-Little Co., for our high school. We ordered the books this summer for implementation in August."

There were numerous scores at or above the 60-percentile rank. In addition, second-graders scored at the 70th percentile in math.

Chan said her district always looks at language because it's a test that encompasses many disciplines within language arts. That is where the emphasis will be in classrooms in the coming school year.

She was asked if the Terra Nova test is less important that AIMS, which students must pass in high school to graduate.

"No," she said. "Terra Nova gives us a different glimpse of the academic progress of students," Chan said.

"While we need to teach to the standards, we also need to be aware other states and national boards have their own sets of standards that are included in some of the norm-referenced tests, so it gives us a good guideline on how we fare with other students around the country."

By Terry Organ

saxon math : Grade 1 Home Study Kit

Overview
Home study kits for grades 1 to 3 include
+ A spiralbound Teacher's Manual that features scripted lessons, step-by-step directions, and answer keys
+ A Meeting Book that uses calendars to keep track of your child's progress and is used for the daily opening exercise where your student practices skills ranging from time and temperature to counting money and problem solving.
+ A Student Work Kit
+ and color-coded Fact Cards that give your child plenty of practice in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Saxon math curriculum starts your children with a foundation to ensure success for a lifetime.
This series is a hands-on, success-oriented series that emphasizes Manipulatives and mental mathematics.
It guides your child in a multi-sensory approach, building confidence and developing a solid foundation in the language and basic concepts of mathematics.


Grade 1 - Saxon Level 1:

Children learn to:

+ skip count by 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10's
+ compare and order numbers
+ identify ordinal position to the tenth
+ identify a sorting rule
+ identify and extend patterns
+ solve routine and non-routine problems
+ master all basic addition facts and most of the basic subtraction facts
+ add two-digit numbers
+ picture and name fractions
+ measure using inches, feet, and centimeters
+ compare volume, mass, and area
+ tell time to the half hour
+ count pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters
+ identify and draw polygons
+ identify geometric solids
+ tally
+ and create, read, and write observations from real graphs, pictographs, and bar graphs.
(130 lessons)
+ tell time to the half hour
+ count pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters
+ identify and draw polygons
+ identify geometric solids
+ tally
+ and create, read, and write observations from real graphs, pictographs, and bar graphs.
(130 lessons)

Copyright © 2006 by Account Wizard Business Services.

Saxon Math - Kindergarten Home Study Kit

Saxon Level K
Kindergarteners will build skills including
+ oral counting
+ recognizing and sequencing numbers
+ identifying ordinal position
+ acting out addition and subtraction stories
+ counting with one-to-one correspondence
+ sorting
+ patterning
+ graphing real objects and pictures
+ identifying and counting pennies, dimes, and nickels
+ identifying one half
+ identifying shapes
+ covering and replicating geometric designs
+ measuring using nonstandard units of measure
+ telling time to the hour
+ and using a calendar.
Individual oral assessments are built into the program. (112 lessons)

SAXON MATH K
This kit contains a teacher's manual and meeting book which include all the information that you will need to teach kindergarten math concepts to your child.
There are two parts to the program: the Meeting and the Lesson.
During the Meeting, your child will answer questions about the calendar and practice counting, patterning, telling time, and estimation. A new increment or skill is taught during the Lesson.

The scripted lessons in the Teacher's Manual provide language and techniques that have proven effective for teachers in a variety of settings, and include work sheets for your child to complete.

The program is designed so that 12 lessons are taught per month (about three lessons per week). On the other two days of the week, repeat the Meeting from the day before and use the materials that you have used in previous lessons to practice the skills and concepts introduced.

Note that certain manipulative materials need to be improvised or purchased separately.

Portions Copyright © 2006 by Account Wizard Business Services