Hi there!

I have two Geometry curriculums available to me for next year.  I was wondering if anyone had actually used either of them, and could share what they liked and/or didn't like about them.  Here are my choices:

• Teaching Textbooks Geometry
• Jacob's Geometry

Thanks for your input!

Dana

I've never heard of Jacob's Geometry, so I can't comment on that one.  My DD is currently doing Teaching Textbooks Geometry after completing their Algebra, and we have no complaints about either.  She finds that they explain concepts well, and actually almost enjoys math with their curriculum.  I have never seen a bad review for TT.

I'm not familar with either one of these, so being the curious cat that I am, I searched for reviews.

HomeSchoolReviews has 7 pages of reviews for TT but not all of them are math specific. http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/reviews/curriculum/reviews.aspx?id=349

I thought I was all set for next year with my curriculum choices but now you've got me thinking!

Please excuse my lack of editing; I'm tired and going with stream-of-consciousness here.  My impressions are:

TT: seems more for a non-math-oriented student, who is looking more towards a college degree/career that is not math or science-related;  perhaps more for a traditional diploma rather than college-prep?  Jeannie Fulbright (Apologia Elem. writer) wrote about her daughter (who is very into the fine arts and doesn't anticipate a math/science career) who loved how gentle and easy the lessons were

Jacobs Geometry:  may well be the "gold" standard in geometry textbooks; highly recommended for years; one Amazon reviewer states that the newest edition is much-improved over the older ones; I own Jacob's Algebra, bought it due to good price and I also thought my daughters would enjoy the comic strips sprinkled throughout (looks way more entertaining than my past texts); recommended for a most thorough preparation in mathematics for the future math/science major, and probably also better prep for college-entrance exams

A few other things to consider:  Saxon weaves geometry into their algebra texts, so they don't have a stand-alone geometry book; geometry needs to be taken prior to taking SAT or ACT; Life of Fred math texts (polka dot publishing) look very good for math-a-phobes also or for a more fun or non-traditional review or even as a more relaxed summer math course

Hope maybe a few ideas here are useful to you...

Danielle

My DS is currently doing TT Algebra I and he LOVES it.  He is many grades ahead in math, as he started Alg when he was 9.  He'll be doing TT's Geometry next.

I'm on many gifted boards (both HS'ing and non), and many people love Jacobs.  It's just not a good fit *at all* for my son's learning style - which is always the first item on my consideration lists.  Many "mathy" gifted kids do love the Life of Fred books also.

I've found that the "Saxon-types" don't like TT at ALL, many people say they aren't great for the college-bound, etc.  BUT for us, if my son is using a curriculum that doesn't fit his style, he's not going to learn it all, so it's not worth having the "meatier" course - KWIM?  Also, since he's only 10 and will have a LOT of time before he gets to full-time college courses (but will have them in 2-3 yrs for science), it really doesn't matter that much to me how much it preps him for college.  He'll have so many math credits before he gets there, he'll cover it all.

I wish Thinkwell had Geometry, b/c it would also be a perfect fit for DS.  So we'll stick with TT for Geomety, then see what to do for  Alg II, if it's still the best option or not.

JMO and not worth much!  :-)

Oh, TT has a great return policy, so if you try it and it doesn't work, you can always return it.

Julie C.