Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 from Teaching Textbooks Review

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

As a busy homeschool parent of multiple kids in different grade levels, I was super excited to get the opportunity to review the new interface Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 from Teaching Textbooks.  

Anyone who has followed our blog over the last ten years knows that I do not enjoy teaching math, especially for the older grades.  Throw in the fact that I am now working full-time, and I am struggling to stay afloat.  Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 has been the answer to my math curriculum search.

Teaching Textbooks has been a program that we have used since beginning our homeschool journey.  We actually started out with the computer disk and printed workbook.  The boys worked their way through and they would work on the computer and also through the workbook.  This worked well.  But they have improved on the original options and now offer this completely online option for parents.

Teaching Textbook 4.0 offers interactive math lessons for students.  Each grade level can contain roughly 130 math lessons that includes quizzes over materials.  The lessons present the material with video how to solve the problems.  Students are asked to follow along with the step-by-step process and answer questions as the problem is solved.  This is meant to give extra practice that may be needed.

Each lesson builds on previous lessons, and this includes practice questions from previous lessons.  Those first 10 practice questions are great for building on skill to mastery.  It's a mix of past and current lesson.  Theses questions are not counted in the lesson grade.  And yes....I said grade.  Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 does track lesson grades and gives you this information for quick reference.  Under your parent account, parents can opt to delete lessons that students failed and have them repeat the activities to improve on their score.

I love that questions are read to the student.  The voice can usually be picked from a short list, as well as the avatar that students would like to be.  Usually there are even a couple of puns cracked during the lesson.  I can tell when Caty is truly paying attention because she'll either crack up or go "man, why???"  You know like most of us do when we hear a pun.

Originally the Teaching Textbooks Math 3.0 online platform was through a specific website.  We have been using that since it's upgrade in January 2021.  Now Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 is an app that we can download on our desktop.  We both have an individual login, so that I can track her.  I can also download ebook pages from her lessons if she is struggling and I want to verify how she is being taught to solve a problem.  I do not consider what Teaching Textbook uses as Common Core.  But you know how sometimes the way I learned math, and then adapted my way of understanding for my brain to get "it".  Well that's usually slightly different than the "teacher" in the app explains it.  With access to the online material, I can print out the lesson and help her to understand the lesson.

The new platform is extremely user friendly.  When you download the program to your computer platform, you do still need internet access to use the lessons.  You can download up to 6 lessons though if you are traveling or even struggle with internet access.

Teaching Textbooks Math 3.0 was a digital product also.  But you had to use the web interface.  I like that Teaching Textbooks 4.0 is a digital product, but you have a program on your device to access the materials.  Purchase of Teaching Textbooks 4.0 gives you access to the content for 12 months.  You do get lifetime access to the gradebook.  But say you are taking a few weeks off from school, you can actually pause your subscription for things like vacation and breaks.  That time will not count toward your 12 months, since you did not access the program.

Having such a long period to finish the lessons, this gives you time to your student to work through the entire grade level they are going through to take their time and not rush through the lessons if they need some help to master the material.

If you are not sure about the grade level your student will be tackling, you can easily take a placement test and find your student's placement level.

The benefits I have found using Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0:

• Students can work independently
• Automatic grading
• User friendly interface (Students can easily find there they left off)
• Access to the ebook for the program that your student is using
• Ability to download several lessons so that you can work on the go when you may have limited internet
• Parent login so that I can check their grades and what questions they are struggling on
• Questions are read to students
• Hints are given for various problems that allows for quick reminders on how to solve problems that students are struggling with
• Kid friendly avatars allow the student to personalize their lesson, but not be overly distracting.
• Very budget friendly for families.  They offer large family discounts also.
• Free trial subscription so that you can see if you like the program

We are definitely continuing to use Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0.  We have used them for many years, and I love the improved format.  I'll keep recommending them to my homeschooling friends.

Several members of the Homeschool Review Crew were given the opportunity to review various grade levels of Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0.  Click on the link below to see how they felt about using these in their homes.

   

                

MathandAlgebra.com Review

 

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.

It is not a secret that I do not like teaching math to my kids.  So I was very excited to get a chance to try a new to us online math program, MathandAlgebra.com  What a great program to use for core subject instruction, or just as a refresher for students who are struggling!

Math can be a subject that is touchy to teach.  I struggle sometimes to remember all the steps that I learned in school.  But with MathandAlgebra.com, the steps needed to learn are done for me.  This video-based instruction program makes it so easy to teach upper level math.  Mathandalgebra.com is set up for instruction with levels of basic math through algebra.  

The program is extremely user friendly.  Each family has a parent login, and parents then input their students to have their own logins.  Inside of the parent account, then parents can track their student's progress.

Each lesson has a video lesson, downloadable worksheet to use after watching the video explain the steps and processes for solving the math problem.  Depending on the topics, roughly every 7-10 lessons there is an online quiz also.  Do not despair though, the downloadable worksheet also has an answer key.  So even if you are struggling keeping up with your child, you have the answers to check your student's work.

The video lessons are very well put together.  The length varies between 10-18 minutes.  I was worried about strange computer voices, which annoy Caty.  But it worked out real well for her.  We were able to start and stop each lesson as needed.  She could re-watch sections of the videos also.  This truly helped Caty.

I will be honest, we were using another math program when we began this review for MathandAlgebra.com.  At first we started out just watching the videos to help her understand topics that she was struggling with in her other program.  But I soon realized how well MathandAlgebra.com is truly laid out as a full math curriculum.  This is a very budget friendly option for families with multiple children.

The materials is laid out for students to work to mastery.  They can easily re-watch and work through problems again as the student is doing the work.  This is a great benefit for using MathandAlgebra.com.

I was on the fence in the beginning whether or not I would be steered away from the math program that we have used for many years.  This video based education style seemed to be working real well for Caty and her learning style.  So we will continue to use this program as we take a break from her current program, and work on the previous Basic Math areas that she struggles with. I can really see the benefit of using MathandAlgebra.com for students who are struggling in math or have learning delays.  I will continue to use this program with Caty and also with Lydia as supplemental to areas where she is struggling.

Several members of the Homeschool Review Crew had the opportunity to review MathandAlgebra.com in their homes.  Click on the link below to see how they used this program in their homes and how they feel about it.

CTCMath Family Membership Online Math Review

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.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a fan of teaching upper level math.  I was grateful to get the opportunity to review the CTCMath Family Membership Online Math program from CTCMath with the girls.  It has helped me out so much already these last few weeks.

CTCMath is a online math program that provides extra help for students who may be struggling in various areas of math.  It offers video instruction which can be repeated as many times as the student needs.  Each lesson includes quizzes to reinforce and provide practice in the skills that your student needs extra help in.  You could use it as a standalone curriculum/teaching program or as supplemental to help reinforce skills your student may be struggling with.

CTCMath allows students to work at a pace that encourages them to master a skill, not just learn it.  The videos are short and yet are full of information which helps those with short attention spans.

CTCMath provides 

• Almost 1,400 math videos and interactive lessons
• 57,000 interactive questions
• Diagnostic tests
• Instant feedback for both parents and students
• Help with higher level math such as algebra, trigonometry and calculus
• Math lessons are available for students in levels from kindergarten through high school

We have been using CTCMath Family Membership for the last few weeks with the girls as their full math curriculum.  

They like the short length of the lessons.  If they do not understand the steps being taught, they can easily watch the video again and work at the skill they need to master.  CTCMath has been great for Caty.  She is getting someone else to show her (yes it's a video explaining and showing the steps), but it's not just mom showing her what to do.

One of my favorite things about CTCMath Family Membership Online Math.  The simple videos.  The videos on CTCMath are simple and to the point.  They give a great explanation.  If they need to, the kids can easily watch them again.  These videos save me an extraordinarily large amount of time in dealing with math instruction.  The video below contains some sample lessons that you can watch to see how easy the video instruction is.

I like that I can adjust the girls learning to where they actually are.  In some aspects of math they are at grade level, while other math areas they may be behind or ahead of their grade level.  I can easily assign them the areas where they need help or where they excel.  The parent area is easy to use.  I can sit down and assign out their weekly tasks in roughly 15 minutes.

Under the parent account, I can also print a checklist to keep with my lesson plans.  This allows me to plan out their weekly lessons easier.

Each day I get an email that is called and Expired Task list.  This email shows me how the girls did on their math lessons the previous day, or even if they tried to skip their lesson.  Because it shows what was completed.  If they try to skip a lesson or forget to do their math, I can easily reassign the task to be completed.

The girls are also rewarded when they finish a section with a printable certificate.  This is at all grade levels.  They used to care more, but I still print them and they are very proud and grin when I hand them the paper.

During the review period, I used several grade levels for the girls.  Some things I assigned identical, since they are both struggling there.  Others I was able to assign at various grade levels.  If Lydia was able to tackle higher level addition/subtraction, great.  That is what I assigned.  But other areas she needed help, so I would assign more practice.  This provides great flexibility when work with students who have learning disabilities.

I am recommending many parents that are new to homeschooling to check out the CTCMath Family Membership Online Math for their families.  We have used it for several years now, and my favorite recommendation for using CTCMath is for multi-grade level teaching.  The ease of use is also a great benefit.  And you can use CTCMath Family Membership Online Math for all levels PK through high school.  This is a great budget saver for families.

Click below to see what other Homeschool Review Crew families thought of the CTCMath Family Membership Online Math.

Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Addition and Subtraction Program - Math U See Review

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.

Math can be a tricky subject for students with learning disabilities. We recently had the opportunity to review the Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Addition and Subtraction program from Math-U-See. What a great way to give that extra practice that students need to have a firm foundation for their math skills.

The Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) program takes the time-tested Math-U-See strategies and combines them along with visual manipulatives (blocks) to help students to excel in learning single digit addition and subtraction problems. Students who do not master these problems at a young age can and will struggle with their future math levels.

Included in the AIM program kit that you receive are Math-U-See integer blocks, Math-U-See colored pencils, the Accelerated Individualized Mastery Resource Guide (teachers guide), 12-month Digital content code, fact check flashcards, and math facts strategy posters.  

Unlike the traditional Math-U-See, there is not a DVD.  The 12 month digital code gives your student online access to their class.  They can watch each lesson, and re-watch whatever they are struggling with.  I did have PDFs that I printed.  These were located in the online area of her login.  They were easy to download and print out for the week.  This made my planning easy.  I simply just stapled her packet together for that week and marked them for her to find easily.

Even though you do have the lesson taught online, there is a thorough explanation for each lesson in the Resource Guide.  This allows parents to not only plan what the student will be covering, but also gives them the ability to answer questions.

There are twenty-two lessons in the AIM program. The length of the lesson really depends on the student. Each lesson tackles a new number that needs to be learned.  The next lesson continues to reinforce concepts from the previous lesson. Thus just continuing the building of confidence in each student. 

The AIM program is very visual (like most Math-U-See levels).  Flashcards are made of a thicker card stock and can be used repeatedly.  They display the problems that the student is working on in each lesson.  They really help students to visualize the how and why of a problem and the solution.

The problems are easy to understand and not overwhelming for students that may already be struggling with learning disabilities.

Caty has struggled with math her whole life.  The AIM program has helped her really grasp some of those hard to remember addition/subtraction facts where she has been struggling.  During our review period, we took a step back from her regular math and concentrated on concreting these facts into her memory.  She worked hard and managed to now move up to reviewing her multiplication/division facts.  

The AIM program really helped her gain confidence and move up to the next level.  Each day her lessons only lasted roughly 15-20 minutes, so not an overwhelming time. Very manageable for someone with ADD and other learning disabilities.

The Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Addition and Subtraction program can be used with students from ages 8-16, and with any learning style.

Click on the link below to see how other members of the Homeschool Review Crew used the Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Addition and Subtraction program from Math-U-See.  See how they used this in their home and the benefits they have seen.

Monk Life, Microscopes, US Regions, and Co-op Begins

Lots of changes for us this week.   This week was our first week of Science Club.  We took the summer off.  So I was prepping for that....AND...Minecraft classes for both the co-op and our online learning center, Homeschool With Minecraft.  With gymnastics added back in and getting used to Joey's "full-time" schedule, it's been a true balancing act.  I'm literally working at all hours and cramming in work whenever I can.  I'm hoping to be caught up soon, but we all know that will never happen. 

In our School this week....

History

History took a turn...We decided to start back with Story of the World.  I didn't like the direction the other program was using.  I decided to start them with Volume 2.  This meant we are going to do review the next couple weeks.  But that's ok.  This week we learned about Monks, Christianity being introduced in Britain and Illuminated Manuscript.

Working together they made a Monk's lunch of split pea soup and bread.  We added turkey ham, because we could.  Caty reminded me though that "Ham" is from a 4-legged animal which the Monks would not have eaten.  I said, well it's a good thing we have turkey ham and not pork.  Turkey's walk on two legs!  They ate lunch with pear slices, since monks ate apples with lunch usually.  This is going to be a Thursday tradition for the girls almost every week.  Both the boys are at work on Thursdays.  So they can make themselves a unique lunch.

Making biscuits to go with their lunch. 

Science/Geography

In Science Club we continued work with microscopes.  We attempted to build one with small magnifying glasses.  It was an experiment in our book.  But it didn't work out very well.  Plus everyone was having a blast using the new one.

We learned about convex and concave lens used in microscopes.

We got way off the plan, because the kids were having a blast looking at just about everything they could with the microscope....including fresh chicken poop.  They looked at eyelashes, hair, and learned how to use the microscope and prepare slides.  So even though we didn't finish everything...no big deal.  They had a blast!!

Geography

Our country this week for Geography was the United States.  We learned about the five regions and made a poster to represent each section.  We had cheeseburgers and fries and chocolate chip cookies to go with our studies.

Sports

Working on her unfinished book work at gymnastics.

This was our last week of softball.  It's a short, but busy season.  I got the nicest card from Lydia's softball team!  They are such great kids (and adults), so I'll say athletes.  I love that I get to volunteer and work with them throughout various sports year around!

I'm sad to see softball over, but ready for tennis and swimming...and bowling to start up.

Joe got to keep the score at the game.  He had fun with that one!

Warming up at the batting cages.

Minecraft Classes

My newest endeavor...not only teaching classes online, but at a local co-op.  I'm teaching two classes using Minecraft.  It was a rough technology week...but I think we'll make it!  The girls are each taking a class.  Caty is taking a beginning sewing class and Lydia is taking piano.

The girls have a little time to kill before their first classes, so they sit in the corner of my classroom and work on their bookwork at a table.

I'm teaching two classes this semester, since NO ONE signed up for any of the 9 am classes!!  Homeschoolers do not like early wake up times....lol.  I'm teaching Explorers (World Geography) and Ancient Minecraft (Heroes of History).

Joey is helping me assist all the kids building.

This guy was hanging out the front of our house all week.

Health

So for health this year.  I have 3 different curriculums going.  Caty's is actually being made up as we go along.  We will be using the American Girl girls health book and we also started in Vintage Remedies with her.  I've used it before with the boys, but she was so tiny when we did it, I decided to use it one more time with her.  It's a lot on healthy eating, but whole food healthy eating!!  I'm not even sure if you can buy this book anymore, I have had it 8 years now.  These books below were her reading this week.

Lydia is using Total Health Middle school level.  This is going to be a challenge program for her.  With all the attention issues she has been facing, she is being forced to keep herself organized.  I had to make adjustments for her this week, and will experiment more next week.

Brayden is using the new Apologia Exploring Health and Nutrition program.

Math

Nothing exciting in Math class.  The girls are still working their way through their review levels of Teaching Textbooks.  

Online Classes

So I've been using Outschool.com more often this year.  I discovered a series of classes that incorporate Art and Poetry.  Caty wasn't interested, but it's something Lydia would love.  She took her first class a couple weeks ago, and I just keep signing her up as new ones are posted.  This week her class was on Edgar Allen Poe - The Raven.  I found these really cool watercolor paint pens, and she is loving them.

This is her finished project.  They concentrated on the head of the raven.

Project Learning

Caty is working on a Create Your Own Taco Truck project.  Another Homeschool Mom introduced me to this project.  So this week, I took Caty to a location in our town that WAS a taco truck.  They have been working at this location for several months out of a trailer.  They finally were able to prep the building enough and get approval to move in.  So She was able to see their set up.  Next week she'll be working on her menu and recipes.

  

Of course we took take-out home.  They all said it was really good.

Brayden is taking a Video Game development project and Lydia is doing one on how to start an animal shelter.  Nothing big going with either of those this week.  More info on their projects next week!

It's an annual tradition for my brother and his family to hold a formal dance for the members of our Kingdom Hall.  It was this weekend.  We had so much fun, just like we did last year!

The boys didn't go this year.  They DO NOT like dances in any form.  We decided that they could skip this year.  They had fun gaming all evening, and we were able to enjoy ourselves also at the dance.  So everyone was happy!

Well that is our week in a nutshell.  Stay tuned for more fun and adventures next week!

Linking up with other homeschool moms....

They are sponsoring a wonderful set of ideas: