Product Description

The research-based strategies in this easy-to-navigate guide will help students master the content and skills recommended by the NCTM standards.

Customer Reviews (5)

"First Days of School" & "Tools for Teaching" for a math teacher
If you have read "The First Days of School" or "Tools for Teaching", but then thought to yourself, "yeah, but what about in a math class?", this book sort of answers that question. Most of the material has little to do with being a math teacher and more to do with being a teacher. Classroom management, teaching techniques such as graphic organizers, student learning through inquiry: these are all great teaching techniques. The examples and applications provided are of varying quality, and sometimes the authors even tell you to look at another resource for more detailed information! In this sense, the text is more like an index of education research with easily digested summaries. Some may enjoy the brevity, some may find it rather annoying.

The format of the book will appeal to math teachers. Each topic is structured the same way, although some topics do not even have the application piece. Let's think for a moment about what is being offered: 79 topics over 178 pages (the rest are refs and the index) - just over 2 pages a topic! Not much depth to each topic, is there?

I am a high school math teacher with 3 years of experience, so I am not a new teacher, but I'm not an experienced teacher either. This might have been more helpful as a 1st year teacher. On the other hand, there are so many topics, it might easily create some anxiety in a new teacher that there are so many things to think about! I would say the best way to use the book is to look up topics of specific concern to you, read the section, then see if there are specific references or other books that address that particular area. This requires some humility and self-reflection. Often we don't see our own weaknesses. Perhaps the best way to find weaknesses would be to survey your own students, then read up on a related topic and see what changes you can make.

I found the examples for pedagogy related topics particularly disappointing. Maybe Posamentier's other books cover that area in more detail? I was quite excited to peruse this book. Now I'm glad I checked it out from the library.

Overall, useful but short snippets on all aspects of teaching. If you're looking for more ideas on how to shake up your pedagogy, look elsewhere.

Outstanding book by two experts who deeply care about teaching Math well
Alfred Posamentier, one of my great heroes, and Daniel Jaye have collaborated to produce a discussion of "79 Research-based Strategies for the Standards-based Classroom", which is the subtitle of the book, What SUCCESSFUL Math Teachers Do, Grades 6-12.What SUCCESSFUL Math Teachers Do, Grades 6-12

Posamentier is dean of the School of Education and Professor of Mathematics Education of the City College of the City University of New York. He has written a number of books that inspire teachers and students to approach Math with a sense of wonder. Jaye is the assistant Principal for Mathematics at Stuyvesant High School, a school for gifted students in New York City.

The book has 6 chapters:

1. Managing Your Classroom
2. Enhancing Teaching Techniques
3. Facilitating Student Learning
4. Assessing Student Progress
5. Teaching Problem Solving
6. Considering Social Aspects in Teaching Mathematics

Additionally, there's a resource section where the authors list over 100 topics for classroom exploration.

Each chapter consists of a number of teaching strategies. Each strategy is methodically broken down into:

1. Title of the Strategy
2. What the Research Says. This section refers to and describes specific studies that support the strategy being discussed.
3. Teaching to the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) Standards. This is an important section in that it explains how employing a particular strategy meets one or more specific principles or standards of the NCTM.
4. Classroom Applications. This section explains and lists ways to implement the strategy in the classroom.
5. Precautions and Pitfalls. This section alerts teachers about potential obstacles to realizing the goal of the strategy plus recommends ways to avoid these traps.
6. Sources. These are the references to the research behind the strategies.

The book is comprehensive, well organized, and thoroughly researched. Although I'm not a teacher or student these strategies all seem very valuable to me.

Some of my favorite strategies include:

1. Strategy 16: Find out about your students' motivation regarding mathematics, and use that knowledge to refine your instruction.
2. Strategy 19. Praise mistakes! This strategy addresses the shame and anxiety that many students feel in the classroom.
3. Strategy 33: To reduce math anxiety, focus on both the thoughts and the emotions of the students.
4. Strategy 63: Emphasize the general principles that underly solving specific types of problems.
5. Strategy 69: Find out about your students' families and how their values and practices might affect students' attitudes and performance in mathematics.

Posamentier and Jaye clearly know what they're talking about, both having spent considerable amounts of time in the trenches and both caring very deeply for the success of their students. Their competence shows in the tying together of strategy, research, and application in support of NCTM guidelines. Their caring shows in the overall tone of the book.

I highly recommend this book to all teachers, coaches, and tutors. As a Math tutor and mentor I found a number of important considerations to incorporate in my work with students.

Heavy on the science and art of teaching high school math, dry on material display.
The significance of this book lies in its timely publication in the era of educational reform that aims at standardizing institutionalized education. Ensuring that the government delivers what it promises, in the field of shaping the minds of the new generations, has gained growing emphasis in many nations across the Globe. This book devotes its entire contents to 79 strategies of executing well-tested and established standards for teaching mathematics in high school.

Compared to Harry K. Wong's "The First Days Of School", the current authors have contributed plenty of practical and theoretical research yet delegated their book's layout to a publisher with little concern of the friendly readability or attractive style of display of the book material. Relatively speaking, Wong relied merely on his personal experience yet managed to produce more attractive material display with his self-publishing and dedicated style.

On the subject matter, this book covers six, logically connected, aspects of teaching high school mathematics. The book starts with the strategies of "managing" the classroom environment and proceeds to strategies on the processes of "delivery" through teaching techniques, "reception" in student learning, and "measuring" through assessing students' progress. The four-process strategies are discussed in the first four chapters. Chapter five then refines the "delivery" process yet on problem solving, while chapter six refines the "reception" process yet on the social aspects of the receptors.

On the six aspects of teaching, the authors stuck to a simple and consistent methodology in reconciling research materials with the standards and principals of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and in applying such strategies to the classroom. The authors then discussed the precautions and pitfalls and followed by a reference source on each strategy. Extensive list of references is also enclosed at the end of the book. On each proposed teaching strategy, the authors answer four fundamental questions:

-- What trends were observed in experimental research?
-- What standards are adopted by the NCTM?
-- How to utilize those trends and standards in practical teaching?
-- What precautions should be taken/pitfalls should be expected in doing so?

On the book's outline, dryness of material display and lack of emphasizing tactics could have been avoided with minimal improvement. For example, the seventy nine strategies were listed in the table of contents in the form of lengthy sentences that spanned two lines or more. Such lengthy description of the 79 strategies renders their recollection or dissemination quite laboring. Strategy number 19 was the only one depicted in two words: "Praise Mistakes". I would rather truncate the four line description of strategy number 41, in the table of contents, for example, into few words such as: "Structuring Homework Assignment", which should also include strategies number 42 and 43. Had the 79 strategies been grouped under the six chapters, as sub-items, there would have been logical connection between their numbering and purpose. Six grouped strategies are less overwhelming than 79, in my opinion.

Although each strategy is well contained in few pages, there seems to be no use of modern font graying, bolding, or italicizing that emphasizes the main concepts in many long paragraphs. For example, in strategy number 46, emphasis could have been added by bolding the examples of high-level thinking objectives versus the low-level thinking objectives in the lengthy paragraph on research. Similar emphasis could have been made in the paragraph on the NCTM standards, yet on the most significant thought in that lengthy paragraph. Such modern techniques of enhancing book's readability not only extend the longevity and marketability of the publication, but also facilitate referencing and progression of thoughts on the attended topics.

On the book's main objective, it conveys the authors' emphasis on the fact that teaching is an evolving process that is founded on concerted efforts to understand the multiple variables that influence the management, delivery, reception, and assessment endeavors of the institutionalized educational process. The authors' work has further evolved into a newer one, "Exemplary Practices for Secondary Math Teachers", and picked a third contributor, in their course of developing their craft. One must however note that the current two authors have not delineated the specific contributions of each one of them. That leaves the reader uncertain on whose ideas have dominated certain aspects of the book than others. The newer title also addresses the practice of teaching rather than the teacher, which narrows the gap between the authors and the readers.

Putting substance over form, however, the 79 strategies of teaching high school math are grouped concisely in an appropriate book size and supported by classroom application that lend the busy and consumed teachers a helping hand in adhering to the professional standards and in furthering their research and bettering their craft.

Variation of"Tips for the Mathematics Teacher"
This book is essentially the same as "Tips for the Mathematics Teacher".Unfortunately, I did not know that before I purchased both online.The difference between the two books appears to be that the "Successful Math Teacher" also contains the NCTM standards that each strategy is supporting. Between the two, I prefer "What Successful Teachers Do". The book is very interesting and practical.Each strategy is supported by research and practical applications. I was happy to see that I was already using many of these strategies already and there are a few I plan to integrate into my teaching in the fall!

A Very Helpful Book for a Young Teacher
This book is a terrific guide for an inexperienced teacher like myself. The strategies are provacative yet simple to employ. The authors also point out some of the "pitfalls" in implementing the strategies. All in all, I really like the book because it gets right to the heart of classroom instruction and does not dwell on educational theories, just practical hints that are gleaned from them. I have already improved my teaching after implementing just a few of the tips. I recommend this book highly. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the second edition of the bestselling resource for mathematics teachers. This time-saving reference provides over 300 useful lists for developing instructional materials and planning lessons for middle school and secondary students. Some of the lists supply teacher background; others are to copy for student use, and many offer new twists to traditional classroom topics. For quick access and easy use, the lists are numbered consecutively, organized into sections focusing on the different areas of math, and printed in a large 8-1/2" x 11" lay-flat format for easy photocopying. Here's an overview of the ready-to-use lists you'll find in each section:

• I. NUMBERS: THEORY AND OPERATIONS presents 40 lists including classification of real numbers, types of fractions, types of decimals, rules for various operations, big numbers, and mathematical signs and symbols.
• II. MEASUREMENT contains over 30 lists including, things that measure, measurement abbreviations, the English and Metric Systems, and U.S. money¾coins and bills.
• III. GEOMETRY offers more than 50 lists covering topics such as lines and planes, types of polygons, types of quadrilaterals, circles, Pythagorean triples, and formulas for finding area and volume.
• IV. ALGEBRA gives you over 40 lists including how to express operations algebraically, powers and roots, common factoring formulas, quadratic functions, and types of matrices.
• V. TRIGONOMETRY AND CALCULUS provides more than 30 lists including the quadrant signs of the functions, reduction formulas, integration rules, and natural logarithmic functions.
• VI. MATH IN OTHER AREAS offers more than 30 lists that tie math to other content areas, such as descriptive statistics, probability and odds, numbers in popular sports, and some mathematical facts about space.
• VII. POTPOURRI features 16 lists that explore the various aspects of math including, famous mathematicians through history, world firsts, math and superstition, and the Greek alphabet.
• VIII. SPECIAL REFERENCE LISTS FOR STUDENTS provides 10 lists of interest to students such as overcoming math anxiety, steps for solving word problems, and math web sites for students.
• IX. LISTS FOR TEACHERS’ REFERENCE contains 25 lists such as how to manage a cooperative math class, sources of problems-of-the-day, how to have a parents’ math night, and math web sites for teachers.
• X. REPRODUCIBLE TECHING AIDS contains an assortment of helpful reproducibles including number lines, fraction strips, algebra tiles, and various nets for making 3-D geometric shapes.

Customer Reviews (3)

WOW!!! Must have for first year teachers and beyond.
I wasn't sure exactly how I would use this book since it is my first year teaching.The resources compiled in this book are so simple that any student can follow along.There are teacher only lists that deal with things like struggling students, students who hate math, student who just like to be a pain in the butt, etc.The back of the book also contains some cool hands on projects that can be used.Geometry nets, tangram cutouts, blank checks for a financial unit, graph paper that you can copy or scan to use in the classroom.The book goes from pre-algebra to calculus.Besides all the problems, definitions, and explanations, the book has specific strategies to help students with all types of learning styles get a grasp of the material.Testing strategies are also in one of the "lists".Don't let the word list fool you this book is soooo much more!!!Buy it you won't be disappointed.

A Math Teacher's Must
I use my copy of The Math Teacher's Book of Lists frequently. It's full of great reproduceable templates, and info pages such as lists of primes, perect numbers, square numbers, triangular numbers, etc. It's also a great reference to refresh your own memory on topics that have gotten rusty. I purchase a copy for each new math teacher I mentor. It makes a great gift. Every year I get my copy of The Math Teacher's Book of Lists off the shelf and page through it. Each time I do this, I find several pages that I can use to make my job easier or to explain a concept more clearly to the kids.

Great way to review and summarize material.
I'm a first-year math teacher in high school and I use this book very often.It's a great way to summarize the material for a review in general and before a test.It's an essential tool for a quick reference because it puts all the rules on a subject together on one page.For example, a page "Common Forms of Linear Equations" lists 6 equations: Standard form, Slope-Intercept form, Point-Slope form along with equations for Vertical Line, Horizontal Line and Slope-Intercept form passing through origin.When we did the unit on linear functions, this was a great way to put all that we have learned together and have a flash card for easy reference.

I would definitely recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
From bestselling authors Judith and Gary Muschla, The Math Teacher's Problem-a-Day is a hands-on resource containing 180 handy worksheets, one for each day of the school year, to help students in grades 4-8 acquire the skills needed to master mathematics. These reproducible worksheets are perfect for "sponge activities"—five-minute challenges to start or end a class period—that can also be used as supplemental lessons, homework, or extra credit.

With problems based on the Standards and Focal Points of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the book is designed to give students valuable practice in math skills, using specific activities to enhance critical thinking and boost test scores. The topics covered focus on the core math concepts and skills required for middle school students, including:

• Numbers and Operations
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Measurement
• Data Analysis

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent classrrom resource
I found this collection of problems to be an excellent source of material for my classroom and at a great value ... Read more

Product Description
Packed with ready-to-use examples and teaching ideas, this innovative resource is ideal for grades 4-12 lesson plans and instructional materials. Organized into eight sections: Numbers, Measurement, Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus, Math in Everyday Life, Potpourri, and Teacher Reference Lists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A fantastic info. source for math teachers in any grade.
This book contains mathematical information on a huge variety of subjects as well as steps to solving almost any type of problem you can think of.Topics covered include number theory and operations, measurement,geometry,algebra, trigonometry, calculus,and two sections titled "Math in OtherAreas" and "Potpourri".The last two sections containinformation invaluable in planning and implementing integrated mathematicslessons.This book is an excellent source for the neat facts that makemath exciting and interesting for students and teachers. ... Read more

Product Description
The authors present dynamic learning activities with research-based strategies and sources for further reading to increase students' confidence in math while effectively addressing NCTM standards. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Helpfl resource
This is a helpful teacher resource.The book gives NCTM standards, Pre-K through 2nd, and 3rd-5th grade teaching vignettes and applications, research summaries and sources, as well as problems to watch for.The chapters are broken into content areas.

Great!
This is such a great book with many resources and ideas for math teachers everywhere.So often we get run down by the students in our classroom that do not excel at math despite our best efforts to help.This book offers great research-based ideas teachers can use right away to begin helping their students excel at math. ... Read more

Product Description
This unique, time-saving resource for teachers offers lists of concepts, topics, algorithms, activities, and methods of instruction for every aspect of K-6 mathematics. ... Read more

Product Description

Classroom-tested strategies to help new and experienced math teachers thrive

• Math teachers must not only instruct their students in basic mathematical skills and concepts, they must also prepare them for standardized tests, provide instruction in the use of technology, and teach problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.At the same time, they must also manage their other responsibilities – taking attendance, planning, grading, record-keeping, disciplining, and communicating with parents and administrators.This book provides efficient and practical information on the management skills necessary to succeed in this most challenging profession.
• Offers realistic suggestions and strategies for planning and delivering effective math instruction
• Helps math teachers achieve excellence and continue to be enthusiastic and successful in their teaching careers
• Includes reproducible forms to help math teachers stay on top of everything they need to do
• The Math Teacher's Survival Guide contains a wealth of useful tools and strategies that can help any math teacher succeed in the classroom.

Product Description
Teacher's Book, A Resource for Planning and Teaching. Contains the pages of the pupil book(answers in red), with teacher's information in the side and bottom margins. ... Read more

Product Description
Spiral bound SCOTT FORESMAN-ADDISON WESLEY MATH grade 5 Volume 1, Chapters 1-6 TEACHER'S EDITION. Contains the pages of the student book (answers in red), with teacher's information in the side and bottom margins. Also includes a TEACHER'S RESOURCE PLANNER CD-ROM. ... Read more

Product Description
Help students achieve bull's-eye accuracy in math with Targeting Math. This exceptional teaching tool features ready-to-use activities, with a focus on practice pages, that support national and state standards for specific math skills. Teacher-friendly extras include objectives, assessments and extensions. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (12)

Worth a Read
This is definitely worth a read through. I finished the exam with an hour to spare. My exam was loaded with Algebra I. I passed easily but lost some sleep worried about it. This book was good to look through and take the practice test which is much more difficult than the real thing. Concentrate on functions and function rules. Know your measurments, Areas, and basic probabilities and you will pass with confidence. Good luck.

XAM - not good choice
The book is full of errors, not only grammatical type errors like forgeting a misspelling here or there.There are errors in the mutliple choice answers and in the explanations of the answers.It makes me feel uncomfortable about the posibility of errors that I did not catch in the subjects I am not as familiar with.It also doesn't cover the "teaching _____ (science, math, ss, english)" so it doesn't even touch on the last competency required in each subject.I ended up having to use the REA individual subject book for more throrough information.I would not recommend this if you don't have time to carefully go through and check the information given in the text.

XAM Math 5-9
I got the older edition of the book but it is essentially the same (maybe a few more typos than the new one) - same examples, sample test, etc. I haven't taken a math class in over 15 years and after reading through this book and studying it, it all came back to me. The book itself was ok. It has typos as other noted and some things are not explained that well, but overall it was good. I did have help with the few things I didn't remember from my dad who is a retired high school math teacher. The practice test is much harder than the actual test. I passed on my first try.

FTCE Middle Grades Math 5-9 (XAM FTCE)
This book is average at best. The book contains a considerable amount of typo errors. But I contacted the manufacture and they are replacing the copy I purchased for free with the latest edition. According to the manufacture the latest edition does not have the errors as this edition. My advice, wait and buy the next edition.

Be careful
I used this resource along with several others to prepare for the Middle Grades Math 5 - 9 test in March of 08.I passed the test and I would recommend the XAM resource as a study guide; however, I would caution you to not use this text alone to study for the test.There are hundreds of typos and simply wrong answers in this book.I used this book along with the REA, FTCE Mathematics 6 - 12 to study for the test.I took all of the applicable questions from both texts and wrote them on note cards.I worked out each question before I put the answer on the card.I would say that nearly 25% of the XAM's answers were incorrect.I do think that the sample questions in the XAM book were very similar to the actual questions on the test that I took, so I would recommend the XAM as a study guide for the test--just be careful. ... Read more

Product Description
Differentiated Instruction for the Middle School Math Teacher is a practical and easy-to-use resource for teaching a standards-based math curriculum to all learners. It gives you effective ways to present math concepts, shows how to provide opportunities for guided practice, and offers ideas for modifying the material to provide access to the same content standard for all students in the inclusive classroom. This book also contains key strategies for collaborating with other professionals, suggestions for involving the students' families by tying math concepts to students' everyday lives, and valuable assessment strategies.

The lessons in the book cover middle school math topics correlated to the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Math, ranging from numbers and operations to problem solving and reasoning. Each lesson includes:

• Instructions for presenting the lesson to the whole class
• Worksheets designed to help review and reinforce theconcepts presented in each lesson
• A section on how to adapt the lesson for the inclusive classroom, including descriptions of different stations for different learners
• A home-school connection with family-based everyday math activities
• Suggestions for how to assess students' grasp of the concepts presented in the lesson

Customer Reviews (6)

There are much better books on this topic
The approach is teacher-centered and expository, based on learning formulas, but without giving students experiences to back up the formulas.The template for a class is 1) Present lesson [rules, formula, step-by-step procedure] to entire class, 2) Hand out worksheets "designed to reinforce and review the material.Students can also complete the worksheet in stations or small groups, where the instruction is differentiated."There is a small bibliography, but references to it are few and far-between - not what I would call "researched-based work".

Example: "Multiplying Integers.Purpose: To understand how to multiply positive and negative integers."First step is to have students write down rules (+ * + = +, - * + = -, - * - = +).Then write down an example of each.Then hand out a worksheet with multiplication problems on it.

Most of the suggested adaptations are trivial: e.g. "use audiocassette for students with visual problems or to reinforce auditory learners."They focus on ways to help students memorize and remember rules and step-by-step procedures.For example, the adaptations suggested for the lesson above are:

Learning Disabled Students: Use problems with small whole numbers.Estimate answer on a number line.Use 2-colored counters, where one color represents positive and the other represents negative: 3 * -4: make three rows of 4 negative-colored counters [actually, this I think is a great way to present this, but for all students]
Resistant Learners and Students with ADD/ADHD or Short Term Memory or Organizational Difficulties: Teach students to use "self-talk" where they repeat out loud the steps you model.
Gifted Learners: have them develop additional problems - word problems and math computation facts - and present them to the class.
For all learners: Use large activities that are interactive and fun.An example is given of a game that is OK, although I don't think it effectively helps understand multiplication of positive and negative integers (it might help with the distributive property :-)
Home/School Connection: have students develop a song, jingle, rap, or poster design to aid in remembering the 3 rules.Include as many family members as possible.

Better alternatives, also addressing all types of learners:
- Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics: Grades 5-8, by John A. Van de Walle and LouAnn H. Lovin, Pearson Education, 2006
- Teaching Mathematics in Elementary and Middle School: Developing Mathematical Thinking, by Joseph G. R. Martinez and Nancy C. Martinez. (more elementary than Van de Walle)
- How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, by Carol Ann Tomlinson, 2nd edition [practical methods that are easy to apply for any subject; researched-based; excellent set of references and "further reading"]

Includes Differentiated Lessons for each Standard Topic
This book is an excellent resource for both special and regular education middle school math teachers. What makes this book stand out are the thirty-one differentiated 're-teach' lessons provided. Each lesson is partially scripted--very useful for teachers who are unsure how to approach re-teaching certain topics.
I really enjoy the easy to follow format of the book--the first part includes various important educational theory and methodology all in one place. The second part includes actual lessons for re-teaching many math topics (31), as well as ways to differentiate for gifted and various special needs. Each lesson comes with worksheets ready to be printed for classroom use. Homework ideas are also listed with each lesson.
The 2007 version of this book comes with an insert with eight (8) numerical/mathematical corrections to mistakes found in the book. Keep that in mind to make sure it is included when ordering this book. I used pen to write in the corrections directly over the listed errors. This was a minor nuisance, but doesn't negatively affect my opinion about the quality of this book. The ideas in this book can be used in any math classroom. I use the lessons when I make focus groups.

Great Ideas for middle school kids at learning Level!
This book is great!It is filled with relevant and fun activities that even the most experienced math teacher can utilize in their classroom.I especially liked the detailed and "user friendly lesson plan format", the inclusion of national standards, and the Home/School Connection section.I also really liked the Geometry Activity in Chapter 6! Here various types of learners identify many types of angles using different learning strategies, such as making a sun-dial with the teacher to conceptualizing and creating their own oragami figures.Inexpensive and common classroom supplies make these imaginative activities possible for kids with all types of learning levels and schools with all types of budgets.

A Must have for anyone working with Middle School Aged Students!!
I just received my copy and plan to utilize it in my classroom!It really can help any middle school math teacher that has different ranges of students learning styles in their classroom.These days with the strong push to have inclusion classrooms rather than having students pulled out this book will quickly become an asset to any teacher.This book provides the teacher with classroom lessons that are broken down so that they are able to gear the lesson to the different learners in the classroom.It also gives examples of the home/school connection, which is particularly important to reinforcing the lessons being taught at home.I would STRONGLY recommend all middle school teachers or anyone that works with middle school aged students grab a copy of this and utilize in your everyday practice.

An Amazing Book!
This book is awesome!The lessons are easy to follow, fun, and engaging for all different types of learners.The book is designed in a way that will make it easy to differentiate instruction in the classroom.These approaches to Math will take the stress off of so many students struggling to learn the subject.Learning about integers can be frustrating and confusing.I really love the lessons in Chapter 5 that engage students in games or dance to learn....I think children will really connect with that. ... Read more

Product Description
Help students achieve bull's-eye accuracy in math with Targeting Math. This exceptional teaching tool features ready-to-use activities, with a focus on practice pages, that support national and state standards for specific math skills. Teacher-friendly extras include objectives, assessments and extensions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Horizons Math Teachers Guide
Not Horizons Math I thought it was.Apparently, there are more than one "Horizons" math 3 book so now I have purchased the correct Horizons 3 teacher's guide.My mistake, but be sure to check the author first!!

HORIZONS IS ONE OF THE BEST!!!!!
The Horizons math books are excellent for young minds! My daughter, who has not even started Kindergarten yet completed the Horizons Kindergarten set at home before starting Preschool, the 1st grade set during her first year of Preschool, and the 2nd grade set while she was in Pre-Kindergarten. She has always had a love for numbers. I bought these books and began to homeschool her because she was already counting to 200 forward and backward at age 2,which is how she completed the addition and subtraction sections of Horizons Grade 1 with so much ease, and skip counting to 100 by 2's,3's,4's,5's,6's,7's,8's,9's and 10's at the age of 2, which is how she completed the multiplication sections of Horizons Grade 2 with so much ease. She loves math and does well with the spiral approach of learning several different math concepts all at once. I do agree that these books are not for everyone. My daughter was reading 1st Grade books on her own at the age of 2 but she was also a VERY late talker/listener. At 2 years of age, she could count well and read almost any word in print, but had trouble processing and understanding LANGUAGE. At the age of 2, we were told by doctors that our daughter may be Autistic. By specialist, we were told she had the characteristics of an Autistic Savant. She was diagnosed as being on the low end of the Autism spectrum because her only trouble was language. She is an only child. Initially, we put her in Preschool so she could be around other children her age. She was very young, we could only hope that she would pick up on language and get better. Well, she has. She didn't start processing and understanding language until she was 3.5 years old but she will be 5 years old this December and is not the same child. She talks a lot, ask questions, follows directions, tells us what she is thinking, what she thinks of others and much more. She reads 3rd Grade books and answers comprehension questions with 100% accuracy. Her language skills have improved and so have her math skills, we are now working on Horizons Grade 3 and she is doing well in a private school. The public school in our area would not accept her because she has a December birthday which misses the cut-off date for admittance. We have decided to keep her in private school and continue homeschooling her with Horizons math through the Grade 6 level, which is where the Horizons math books end, sadly.

Loving it!
So far we(4yr old and I) are loving this math(K). Actually, at the moment we are doing more than one(up to 3 per day) lesson in a day because she is not challenged by these early lessons. However, after glancing through the back portion of the book, I believe she will be adequately challeneged.

Horizons Math 3: Books 1 & 2
We started homeschooling our oldest child beginning in 3rd grade. She had been in a Montessori school from preschool through 2nd grade and was advanced in math. We started with Level 3 because everyone said Horizons was so advanced. Overall the books are fantastic. They offer a variety of problems with each lesson. The lessons regularly provide review of past material. It is bright and pleasant to look at (no color is very dull for an 8 year old). Each lesson also provides a reasonable number of problems especially for a student who gets bored easily/tired of doing the same type of problem repeatedly.

With that said, my only 'negative' comment is if you have a very advanced math learner. By the end of the 1st book, my child was getting bored with doing the problems over concepts she had 'mastered'. Therefore by the 2nd book, if it was a review concept, I would select a few problems from that particular section of the lesson (for example if there were 8 subtraction problems I would have her do 3 or 4). If a concept was being reviewed more frequently through a series of lessons, sometimes I would allow her to completely skip sections of review problems.

We will continue with the Horizons program next school year.

Horizons Mathematics: Level K
I agree with another reviewer, this approach is for a very bright child.Saying that, my daughter really thrived with it.If your child is "average" or you don't want to push them too hard, stick with Alpha Omega's LifePacs.Alpha Omega Horizons are specifically made to go quicker.
I loved this series, too.My daughter started at 4 (almost 5) and just finished up the 2nd workbook.I'm ordering the 1st grade set for her too.She LOVES math! ... Read more

Product Description
Are your students engaged and motivated to read and write but hesitant during math instruction? Do you want your students to be as excited about math as they are about literacy? This unique resource explores how best practices for teaching reading and writing can help you become a better math teacher. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Good Introduction
This book is a good introduction and reminder of the workshop model so often used in reading and writing.The book provides a few good ideas however most of it is just taking what is already known about the workshop model without adding a lot of new ideas. ... Read more

Product Description
Overview: Albert B. Bennett, Jr. and L. Ted Nelson have presented hundreds of workshops on how to give future teachers the conceptual understanding and procedural fluency they will need in order to successfully teach elementary-school mathematics. The Eighth Edition of Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: A Conceptual Approach continues their innovative, time-tested approach: an emphasis on learning via specific, realistic examples and the extensive use of visual aids, hands-on activities, problem-solving strategies and active classroom participation. Special features in the text ensure that prospective teachers will gain not only a deeper understanding of the mathematical concepts, but also a better sense of the connections between their college math courses and their future teaching experiences, along with helpful ideas for presenting math to their students in a way that will generate interest and enthusiasm. The text draws heavily on NCTM Standards and contains many pedagogical elements designed to foster reasoning, problem-solving and communication skills. The text also incorporates references to the virtual manipulative kit and other online resources that enhance the authors’ explanations and examples. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Wrong Edition!!!
Be very careful to clarify that this is the right edition.I thought it was the old edition but when it arrived it was the new addition and not only could I not use it for my class, but you can find the old edition online for about $5.

It's my fault that I waited too long to return it (it was a really hectic time) but it really sucks that I wasted SO much money.Be careful!!

Math Book
I got this product shipped to me in no time-- the textbook looks in wonderful shape! Everything went great!

Waste of money!
This book is a waste of money. I have no idea why it was even made. It pretty much has only the same solutions as those in the back of the textbook.

Good Book
The book was in very good condition and it arrived at the perfect time.I didn't have to wonder when I would recieve it, nor did I hace to give my instructor excuses for not having my textbook yet.

It's a Textbook
Anyone who wants to save money can get the 5th edition for a fraction of the cost.The main difference is that sections 7.1 and 7.2 are reversed.

I have taught many times from this book and since I didn't choose the text I have no way to compare it to the alternatives.

My students find the book confusing, in part, because the book attempts to cover everything an instructor might want to teach from it.Any text covering this material would have the same characteristic.It is critical to guide students as to what is important and what is not.One cannot simply teach this textbook as is.

Much of the material covered in the text is middle school level and not part of the K-5 curriculum.That's fine as long as the instructor realizes that students aspiring to teach Kindergarten will find middle school material difficult, confusing and irrelevant to their goals.

There is not enough practice in this book to build any skill in which the student is deficient or to cover any gaps in the student's preparation.It is simply not possible to do this in a math for elementary teachers course.Students must rely on tutors for this kind of help.The textbook, then, does not proceed sequentially - like an algebra textbook would - to build skills in a systematic way but rather topically.The book veers from the very abstract to the very concrete and students have trouble with this also.

Most students who will use this book have a good grasp of place-value, operations with fractions and decimals, factoring and simple algegra.This material is covered in Chapters 1, 3-6.3.This is not the case for sets, functions, logic, all topics in geometry, and simple probability and statistics.These topics may be in the official high school curriculum but are rarely taught to mastery to the typical student who decides to become an elementary teacher.Furthermore, these topics are ignored in college math placement tests and in remedial math courses.Those responsible for designing a course that might use this book must take this reality into account.

Another challenge for students is to approach mathematics concepts in which they have a sound working knowledge from multiple learning styles.This is difficult even for those who are well prepared.The book is good resource for this. ... Read more

Product Description

What knowledge of mathematics do secondary school math teachers need to facilitate understanding, competency, and interest in mathematics for all of their students? This unique text and resource bridges the gap between the mathematics learned in college and the mathematics taught in secondary schools. Written in an informal, clear, and interactive learner-centered style, it is designed to help pre-service and in-service teachers gain the deep mathematical insight they need to engage their students in learning mathematics in a multifaceted way that is interesting, developmental, connected, deep, understandable, and often, surprising and entertaining.

Features include Launch questions at the beginning of each section, Student Learning Opportunities, Questions from the Classroom, and highlighted themes throughout to aid readers in becoming teachers who have great "MATH-N-SIGHT":

M Multiple Approaches/Representations

A Applications to Real Life

T Technology

H History

N Nature of Mathematics: Reasoning and Proof

S Solving Problems

I Interlinking Concepts: Connections

G Grade Levels

H Honing of Mathematical Skills

T Typical Errors

This text is aligned with the recently released Common Core State Standards, and is ideally suited for a capstone mathematics course in a secondary mathematics certification program. It is also appropriate for any methods or mathematics course for pre- or in-service secondary mathematics teachers, and is a valuable resource for classroom teachers.

Customer Reviews (1)

An absolute must!
When I first decided to look at this book, I thought that a thirty-minute span would be sufficient.I spent over four hours on the first go-round because I simply couldn't put it down.It is SO well-written and SO well thought-out that I can't imagine it not being on the shelf of every secondary-school mathematics teacher who is serious about his or her craft.The text is attractive, the topics covered are extensive, and the writing style is downright interesting.Despite the fact that I know most of the mathematical content, I was intrigued by many of the problems and examples.Particularly nice were the "Launch" problems which successfully whet the reader's appetite for more.The chapter on fallacious proofs is exactly the kind of spice that a teacher can use to make an otherwise bland mathematical dish into a savory one.Bravo to both authors and their editor for an extremely well-done project!! ... Read more

Product Description
Let the award-winning author, America's Math Teacher, Richard W. Fisher, guide you through each and every lesson on your way to mastery! It's like having your own personal math tutor who is available 24/7 to take your learning to a whole new level. Why pay hundreds of dollars at a tutoring center when you can have your own personal tutor who is always there for you at a fraction of the cost? Master the topics that will ensure that you are algebra-ready. Eight Chapters: *Whole Numbers *Fractions *Decimals *Percent *Geometry *Integers *Charts & Graphs *Word Problems. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR OTHER MASTERING ESSENTIAL MATH SKILLS BOOKS AND DVD'S! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Use of our Time!
Bought this as a summer review book to expose any skills that my son may be lacking before heading off to High School.I watched many of the dvd sessions and I really enjoyed the way the math was taught.The author was very easy to watch and his "math tricks" were some that my son never picked up in school.

Unfortunately, I did find a few errors in the answers in the back of the book.I'll try to find the time to publish them when I get a chance.(so 4 stars)

But overall, this was a great way to do a summer program, learn a new method of solving, or advance your skills.I'm surprised that there is only 1 review for this great series!

This book really cover basics up to pre-algebra.The pages go fast, so I knew immediately when we got to a "hole" in my sons math foundation.

FYI-After this book, we spent 3 weeks reviewing algebra.I would love to see the author produce a series on Algebra!

I will be using the basic elementary books next summer to introduce 3rd grade math to my younger child before school starts.That is how much confidence I have in these books.

Exactly what I was looking for!
There's nothing like having a personal tour guide to lead you through the jungle of math skills. Richard Fisher's 30 years of experience teaching math shines through in his Mastering Essential Math Skills Books 1 and 2, shedding light on the dark and daunting paths to the realm of math comprehension. Book One for Grades 4 and 5, takes us all the way from basic adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing to number theory and Algebra: effectively, concisely, and simply. I'm not a math expert but I would say both books will not only bring your student up to grade level (if they weren't there already) but, I dare say, will accelerate them. In the companion DVDs included with both books, Mr. Fisher's easy-going, encouraging manner walks us, at a comfortable pace, through the maze of math. A feature I consider ingenious is the built in speed drills on each one page lesson. It is so cleverly designed, it leaves one thinking, "why didn't I think of that?" Book Two is designated for Middle Grades and High school. It contains the same sequence of development but goes a little further into each skill giving students a more comprehensive understanding of the necessary skills to tackle Algebra I (coming soon). I plan to use Book One with my 14 year old as a review to begin with this fall before taking on Algebra second semester. After going through Mr. Fisher's Pre-Algebra Concepts book with DVD this year, my son has actually requested, nay, begged, to use Mr. Fisher's math curriculum for the remainder of his schooling! Need I say more? ... Read more