Homeschool Math: Teaching Textbooks Review

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Choosing the right homeschool math curriculum always seems to be a hard decision for many homeschool parents. We have been through a lot of different options in our home over the years. This year we are using the Teaching Textbooks math curriculum, again.

My kids actually begged to use it! Now what kid begs their parent to use a particular math program? I would say that’s a good sign.

This is a sponsored post in behalf of Teaching Textbooks. I received the program for free and am being compensated for my time writing this pot, however all thoughts are mine. 

When I was planning our school year, I was trying to figure out what math to use for my kids. We used Teaching Textbooks in the past, but due to the higher cost of their program, & the CD-Rom format, we moved away from it. Here’s the good part, though. Teaching Textbooks used to only have CD-Rom versions of their program, but now have a very affordable online version.

I was about to purchase it, when they contacted me to share about their program! I love that I can help promote something I really love and believe in with my readers. This year we are using levels 3, 7, and Pre-Algebra.

About Teaching Textbooks Math

I have to be honest, when I started homeschooling, math was my biggest fear. It was never my strongest subject, so I feared teaching it. Having a program that does the teaching for me makes it a breeze for me.

Teaching Textbooks series is a homeschool math program that is all done on the computer. With the online (3.0) program, you just log in and choose the lesson you are on. If you purchase the CD version, you insert a disc and still set up a login.

For the online version, there is a yearly fee that varies by level. For the CD version, it is a one-time fee, then you own it. They also have a workbook you can purchase, but the online version comes with an e-book of it.

At the start of the lesson there is a video lecture. It is an interactive lecture, which I love. It gives step by step instructions of the concept they are learning in that lesson. There are pauses for kids to answer questions during the lecture to make sure they are comprehending the material. These lectures are easy to understand and follow.

I like that they involve the kids in the lecture part because they can’t just completely tune out. Also, it helps them to better learn the subjects being presented.

Once they complete the lecture/teaching portion, they have practice problems to complete. This part is recorded and graded. As they go through the lesson, they can ask their buddy for a hint.

What is the buddy?  This is one of my kids’ favorite parts about this math program. They get to pick a silly little character, called the buddy, that sits in the upper left corner of the screen. It gives hints and also gives encouragement to them as they work on their math.

Kids can also choose a wallpaper for their account, which they love, too!

I can log in to my teacher account and see my kids progress and scores at any time. I just discovered yesterday that my daughter got a 65% on her math lesson. I have my kids re-do a lesson if they get below 80%. I might be mean, but I want them to really understand a concept before moving on, and it makes them try a little harder because they don’t want to re-do lessons!

Levels of Teaching Textbooks

From most reviews I have read in the past, the levels of this program do not exactly match grade levels. That is the case with us as well. My 2nd grader is using level 3, my 6th grader is using level 7 and my 8th grader is using Pre-Algebra.

There are placement tests to help you find the right level for your kids. Most people I have talked to go up a level from their grade level. My kids are feeling like these levels are just right.

Their curriculum goes from grade/level 3 through high school.

The Pros of Teaching Textbooks Homeschool Math

I love teaching textbooks and have been very pleased with it over the years. It has definitely improved my kids’ math skills and helped them progress.

• I love not having to teach math. I just love it. That is HUGE for me. My kids really enjoy this program and are happy to do it (as happy as one can be to do math) 😉
• I love the new online program. It is cost-effective & they have a Family plan.
• It is easy to use and can be done anywhere.
• I love the parent/teacher login. It makes it easy for me to keep track of all of my kids at once.
• I like that each child can customize their account to fit their personality.

The Cons

While I am thrilled with this program, there are a couple of improvements I wish they would make.

• When kids log in, it is not visible which lessons they have completed. I wish that from the main dashboard, there was a check mark or something showing that they did the lesson. Sometimes we forget where we are and have to open the lessons to see where we left off.
• Another program we have used allows parents to set a passing percentage for their kids. Like I mentioned above, if they do not get a certain grade, I have them do it again. I wish there were a way to program that into my kids accounts through the parent dashboard.
• While I am very happy they have moved to an online system, they have a lot of down time. My kids get kicked off in the middle of their lessons sometimes. The first week of school, we could not log in to their lessons for a few days because their servers were down. It is often slow to load. Most of the time it works just fine, but I do think it’s important to mention these things.
• If your kids do not finish the program within the year, you lose their place and their scores. You have to re-purchase that level for the year to finish it. I did have success contacting customer service to restore our places and scores, though.

 

Teaching Textbooks has a new Large Family Pricing plan, which I think is awesome!  Plus they have a FREE Trial so you can try it out first before making any final decisions.

Have you used Teaching Textbooks math?  I’d love to know your experience!