Math Curriculums I've Used
About this time of year, many homeschoolers, like myself, are wrapping up yet another homeschool year and looking forward to a short summer break before starting a new school year. This is also a significant time in your homeschool when it comes to planning your upcoming year. If you homeschool, you know what time it is… it's curriculum-buying season!
Today's post focuses on the core subject of Math. In the next four posts on my blog, I will be sharing all the curriculums I've used for each subject over the almost decade I've spent homeschooling. Each curriculum I've used, no matter for how long, is listed below. For each curriculum, I share how long I used it, for what grade levels, and what I loved about it.
I also share if we ended up switching from it and why. Let me say this: if you know anything about me, I DO NOT BASH other curriculums. However, I will be transparent and let you know what didn't work for MY children. Before we go any further, please remember that this has been our experience with these curriculums. Every child will learn differently and benefit differently from curriculums.
HORIZONS
If you have been following me since the beginning you know that I have used Horizons will all my children. Horizons is genuinely a solid curriculum. In my opinion, it is a grade level above what is typical for the designated grade.
What I enjoyed about the curriculum:
I loved its thoroughness. I also loved the spiral learning method used in the curriculum that taught new concepts every so many lessons while other lessons focused on practice and review of past concepts. I also loved the development of concepts taught over the year, including when a concept was introduced, primary practice, secondary practice, break, and primary review and secondary review. A bonus was that it has fun pictures and many colors which drew my students in. The work pages also did not take a long time.
How long I used it:
2016-2020
I used Horizons Math for the first four years of my homeschool. I started using it when I first began homeschooling and used it up until my youngest daughter's 2nd-grade year.
What grade levels I used:
Kindergarten through 5th grade
Why we switched:
What ultimately made us change was how teacher intensive it was. As my children started getting older, I wanted to work toward more student-led curriculums versus teacher-led curriculums. If you have multiple children, you can relate. I also wanted my children to learn math in different ways. Not all classes are the same, not all teachers are the same, and not all professors are the same. Also, I wanted my students to be more comfortable using the computer for school to help prepare them for online high school and college courses.
Relevant Videos:
Each video below has a timestamp listed below for where I speak about Horizons. If there is no timestamp listed, then the entire video focus on the curriculum.
Minute 2:08
Minute 9:27
Minute 5:08
Minute 6:54
SIMPLY GOOD AND BEAUTIFUL
As many of you know, I LOVE the Good and the Beautiful curriculum company and have used their curriculum for Language Arts, Science, History, and Handwriting. However, I couldn't use their Math curriculum because my children were all older than the levels available at the time. That was until they released Math 3 while my youngest child was in 3rd grade. However, as we all learned, the Good and Beautiful decided to update their math to their newest version, Simply Good and Beautiful Math. We have been using this updated version for the past two years, which I will highlight below. Since the older versions are no longer sold on their website, I will not include that information.
What I enjoy about the curriculum:
We absolutely love this math curriculum. The beautiful illustrations, instructional videos, and all the revisions are fantastic. It is also very thorough.
How long I used it:
2019 - present
What grade levels I used:
Half of 2nd grade to 3rd grade (old version)
4th grade to 6th grade (new version)
Videos:
Each video below has a timestamp listed below for where I speak about Simply Good and Beautiful. If there is no timestamp listed, then the entire video focus on the curriculum.
Minute 26:28
TEACHING TEXTBOOKS 3.0
I will preface this by saying that after using Horizons Math, which I believe is a grade level above the level listed, my children were advanced in this curriculum. I made sure to place them according to the recommended level given in the placement test. Although my son was in 5th grade when he used this, he used Level 7. My oldest daughter began using this in 6th grade and was placed in Math 8/Pre-Algebra. So I highly recommend using the placement test to find the best level for your child.
What I enjoyed about the curriculum:
I loved that I was not the primary teacher for the subject matter. The program teaches higher-level math concepts, and I can check in and follow up with my child if they need assistance. Another thing we liked was the appropriate number of math problems. They use real-life applications in their word problems. Relevant and current. The ability for my kids to redo problems. Liked the hint. Learning how to take notes. Auto grading.
How long I used it:
2018-2021
I switched to Teaching Textbooks when my oldest daughter entered the 6th grade and my second child was in 5th grade. We stopped using it after her 8th-grade year. My oldest two were the only ones who used Teaching Textbooks for two years. My youngest son (third child) used it briefly before going back to Horizons.
What grade levels I used:
7th grade to Algebra I
Why we switched:
Ultimately, we needed a more advanced curriculum. I had a few issues with specific parts of the curriculum, but you can learn more about those in my YouTube videos listed under Shormann Math.
Videos:
Each video below has a timestamp listed below for where I speak about Teaching Textbooks. If there is no timestamp listed, then the entire video focus on the curriculum.
minute 8:46
minute 12:55
minute 14:53
PACES
When I noticed my oldest daughter struggling with the Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra course in her 6th-grade year, we paused it and resumed it in her 7th-grade year. Naturally, because we had completed part of the Pre-Algebra course the previous year, she finished the course before the end of her 7th-grade year. Instead of jumping into Algebra I, I ordered PACES or Packets of Accelerated Christian Education to bridge between Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra and the Algebra I course.
What I enjoyed about the curriculum:
I loved these workbooks because they were a great way for my daughter to review Pre-Algebra concepts she had learned over the past two years. However, another huge seller for me was that it helped me to see what areas of Pre-Algebra were strengths for my daughter but also weaknesses. It helped me identify those areas where she has been struggling and help her to rework and relearn those concepts before heading into Algebra I.
How long I used it:
2019-2020
What grade levels I used:
7th grade
Videos:
Each video below has a timestamp listed below for where I speak about Paces. If there is no timestamp listed, then the entire video focus on the curriculum.
minute 14:52
minute 13:30
MASTERBOOKS PRINCIPLES OF MATHEMATICS
As my third child was approaching middle school math, I did not want to use Teaching Textbooks after experiencing some of the issues I mentioned earlier with my two oldest children. So to help bridge Horizons 5 and Shormann Math Pre-Algebra, I tried this curriculum.
What I enjoyed about the curriculum:
I loved that this curriculum gave my son a solid foundation of math concepts that are the building blocks for Pre-Algebra. I also appreciated that it is a traditional math course. It did highlight some gaps, which was very helpful.
How long I used it:
2021-2022
What grade levels I used:
Technically the grade level listed is 7th-8th grade, but I used it with my 6th-grade son, who excels in Math.
Videos:
Each video below has a timestamp listed below for where I speak about Masterbooks. If there is no timestamp listed, then the entire video focus on the curriculum.
minute 17:36
minute 16:42
minute 22:38
minute 23:56
SHORMANN MATH
When I say this high school curriculum was an answered prayer, I mean it. This curriculum is exactly what I was looking for in a high school math curriculum.
What I enjoyed about the curriculum:
I absolutely love this math curriculum for high school. The explanations of math concepts are so thorough! Shormann has filled in the gaps left by previous curriculums and has opened my high schoolers' eyes to understanding why math works. It has been a game changer, and I will use this math with all my children for high school. Just to highlight a few more things that I love:
The price point is amazing.
It is Biblical
No tears when doing math
The instruction is fantastic
How long I used it:
2021-present
What grade levels I used:
Pre-Algebra, Algebra I/Geometry, Algebra II/Geometry
Videos:
Each video below has a timestamp listed below for where I speak about Shormann Math. If there is no timestamp listed, then the entire video focus on the curriculum.
minute 17:24
minute 20:43
minute 24:51
Well, that's a wrap, friends. These are all the curriculums I've used for Math up to this point. I hope this post was helpful to you, and be sure to check out the videos included if you want more information about each curriculum. Have a great week, and I'll talk soon.
