Disclaimer~ I received a Complementary 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.
After years of homeschooling, I swear we have tried just about every math curriculum out there trying to find the right one for both Michael and Therese. As a homeschooling mom, I wanted to find the best curriculum for them so they would master and understand math. Oddly, math has been the most challenging of subjects to find just the right curriculum. What worked for one student definitely didn't work for the other one. One of the nice things about homeschooling is the ability to find the curriculum that works best for your student. I was thrilled when we were given the opportunity to review Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0 from Teaching Textbooks.
Teaching Textbooks is a well-known math curriculum company in the homeschooling world. Almost every homeschooling parent will stumble across Teaching Textbooks within their first few years of homeschooling. It is well known and extremely popular among many families. The biggest reason that Teaching Textbooks is so popular is that this particular program teaches the subject and grades all the work. Everything is done for mom or dad. It is like having a math tutor come into your home each and every day. There goal is be make math learnable and somewhat enjoyable. Most parents do not hear their kids say they love math, but they often hear that the kids like using Teaching Textbooks.
What is Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0?
Teaching Textbooks 4.0 is an app-based program. To use the program, families will need a Teaching Textbooks account and download the app. The new 4.0 app can be used on a variety of devices: Computers (Windows or MAC), Android phones and tablets, iOS, and Kindle Fire.
that teaches all the math concepts to the student and grades all the work. The program provides instructional lessons for the student to watch, assignments for the student to complete, and each unit includes a test at the end. The program allows students to work independently with little to no help from mom or dad. This is prefect for parents who may have struggled with the higher math courses. If a student is struggling, the company does offer a free helpline for students to call.
Teaching Textbooks 4.0 provides math courses for grades 3rd through 7th, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Pre-Calculus.
Students are given a twelve-month access to their course, while parents have a lifetime access to the gradebook. Parents can pick the day when they would like their students to start the course allowing for lots of flexibility. One of the nice features that Teaching Textbooks offers is a 3 month pause period. The pause time is set by parents and must be done in 7-day increments. The pause time does not count against the 12-month access period.
Course enrolment is for one student only and only one level. So, if a student finished one level before the 12 month period, the next level would have to be purchased.
Teaching Textbooks teaching math using the spiral method. Concepts are reviewed in later lessons. This approach allows students to build on their math skills and helps them retain the information. This is essential for success!
How Did We Use Teaching Textbooks 4.0?
When we were assigned this review, we started out using the 3.0 version. We were to use the 3.0 version for a little bit and then switch over to the 4.0 version. The switch over hit a few bumps along the way (to be expected with a big change) and we ended up using the 3.0 version a little longer than planned. Therese was signed up for Algebra 1, while Michael was signed up for Geometry.
The initial account set up was fairly simple. Any questions I had were answered quickly, politely, and resolved any of the issues I had. Teaching Textbooks has amazing customer service!
Set up for the 4.0 version was a little more work. We had a few issues with the app downloading, but we were doing it in the middle of the companies switch over. Everything was corrected and fixed with in a day or two. Again, the customer service department is fantastic!
I download both levels on to my computer, while the kids download their specific level to their own computers. This was easy once the kinks were worked out. Each level has their own icon. Algebra 1 is A1 and geometry is GEO. This allows for me to quickly see what level I want to click on!
Since the App is downloaded, we don't have to worry about our internet connection as much as we did with the 3.0 version.
When the program is opened there are two options given for log in: parent or student.
The parent log in allows me to check the grade book and make any changes I may want to make. I can change the assignments, allow for the student to personalize their screen and turn off sound effects. This is where I can pause the course to. I love the pause feature. My only complaint is that parents can pause the course but can not unpause it if they need to. I paused Michael's geometry course because of a few things going on here. I chose a later date (more than the 7 days required), but when I decided we could get back to the course; there was no way to unpuase it on my end. I had to contact customer service. They were wonderful and helped me resolve the issues that day. It would be nice if parents had that feature. Sometimes unexpected things come up and the flexibility to pause and unpause the course is a tremendous help to use homeschooling mamas.
Under the student log in, students can customize their page. Students can choose their wallpaper, graphic stickers, and sound effects. I know Therese customized her wallpaper, but Michael was not overly concerned with that feature. Having the option might make math more appealing to some
students.
How Do the Lessons Work?
Each lesson starts off with audio instruction. Therese would love to know how long these instructional lessons are, so she can better plan her day and schoolwork. During the instructional part, key points are presented on the screen for the student. Problems are presented on the screen and students are shown how to compete them. Practice problems do require student participation, just they would in a regular classroom setting.
Students do have the option to skip the lesson if they want to. Obviously, this is not recommended, especially if the student is learning about a new topic. I know Michael has used this feature if he already understands the topic being taught.
A new feature that the 4.0 app offers is the scratch pad. This feature works well on tablets. It doesn't work that well on a computer. Trying to use the computer mouse just doesn't work out that well. Therese has a computer than can be a tablet too. She tried the scratch pad a few times, but decided it wasn't for her. She refers to use a notebook for her work. This way she can go back and look at if she needs to.
What Did We Think of Teaching Textbooks Math 4.0?
I have just three complaints. First, your log in information can't be stored and you must log in each time. This is a little annoying. Second, the students grades are stored in two different places. I have to log into both apps to record their grades. With the 3.0 version, it was located in one area. Third, parents can't unpause the course. Other than those three issues, I have no complaints. The program teaches students well, provides a good amount of practice, and the cost is reasonable.
Michael (Geometry) is a huge fan of old-school book and paper. He hates online lessons. The switch over for geometry was a little later than other levels and he became a little annoyed with the program. During the switch over, the company was nice enough to send the 2.0 version for students to continue to work through their lessons. Michael actually found that version more appealing.
Therese (Algebra 1) is enjoying the 4.0 version. She found the switch from 3.0 to 4.0 rather simple. She said she really didn't notice to much of change. She mentioned they added more stickers and wallpapers, but she said she really hasn't explored all that. She said younger students would probably enjoy that more. Therese has been using Teaching Textbooks for a few years now. We switched to them when she was in 8th grade. She loves the program. She learns from the lessons and has done well in math ever since. Teaching Textbooks has allowed her to understand math, catch up to grade level, and excel in math. This program has made her enjoy math and that is a huge bonus to this mama!
After using a variety of math curriculums over the years, Teaching Textbooks is one our favorites. For high school math, it tops at number one! We highly recommend this program to other families looking for a math curriculum.
Learn More About Teaching Textbooks
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Till Next Time,
Monique
