You can homeschool math, even if you haven’t taken Calculus

The last math class I took was over 20 years ago. Since I was an elementary education major, I only had to take “Math for Elmentary Teachers,” basically it teaches you how to teach math. The last time I took a high math class was Calculus in high school, way back in 1996. It was with a bit of trepidation I faced teaching high school math, because I didn’t really want to retake all of those math lessons, even if I enjoyed it in high school. I was quite glad to find Teaching Textbooks 3.0, online math curriculum, to save the day.

(This post is sponsored by Teaching Textbooks 3.0, I received a free copy, but all opinions are my own, in complete honesty, I had already bouth Teaching Textbooks 3.0 to use for last year, so this review comes after I’ve been using it awhile)

The best feature of Teaching Textbooks for my family

I want my kids to completely understand a math lesson before they move on. That means, I don’t just want my kids to scrape by with a 70.

No, I make those kids earn an A before they can move on to the next lesson, you know because I’m mean and like to torture my children.

Or, because I have a boy who wants to be an engineer when he grows up, and he’s going to need math to do well in college.

Teaching Textbooks 3.0 is completely on the computer. Yes, you can print off the lessons, and write it all out, but you don’t have to.

They grade it for me (SCORE!), and I can go in after my child has completed the lesson, and if he didn’t get the required 90 on his work (because he is sloppy and doesn’t take the time to double check his work), I can delete the lesson and he completes it again.

 

THIS IS AWESOME!

 

The downside, is my son will hurry through and not check to make sure he’s doing his best work. Want to know what I did to counteract that?

 

View this post on Instagram

 

5 push ups, wrong homophone. Improving his grammar and his body at the same time. #homeschoolmom

A post shared by Ticia (@ticiam) on Feb 1, 2019 at 9:31am PST

Push-ups. He does 5 push-ups for every 10 points below 90. This particular example is for the wrong homophone.

He is getting very good at push-ups.

 

What my boys like about Teaching Textbooks 3.0 (it’s an online math curriculum)

My boys like that it’s on their computer. They can complete their math lesson for the day before I even wake up, if they so desire.

They can pick their own avatar, and that means Superman picked a hotdog breathing fire, and Batman picked a Viking Fox. Isn’t it cute up there? While Princess was using Teaching Textbooks, she had a Chihuahua as her avatar (more on that in a bit).

They like controling their own schedule. They don’t have to wait for me to start the math lesson and explain a concept, or to start a video for them. They can completely complete the lesson on their own.

They like listening to the math problem being read (hence the headphones). My boys are much more of auditory learners than I am. I actually would mute the person reading it, but it’s a benefit for my boys.

 

What I love about Teaching Textbooks 3.0 (it’s a hands-off homeschool math curriculum)

Did I mention they grade it? You really don’t understand how big of a deal that is for me. It is HUGE. I don’t have to sit and puzzle over their math problems and solve it myself to figure out where they went wrong on their steps, but they handle it all.

I can’t lose the Teacher Edition. I may have lost the printed teacher edition of other math curriculums. Seriously, it’s a thing. I don’t have to order a new teacher edition when I lose it.

 

Worried Teaching Textbooks 3.0 won’t work for you?

Teaching Textbooks 3.0 did not work for my daughter. Teaching Textbooks 3.0 has a free trial, and we tried it for all three of my kids. Check out the Free Trial FAQ.

At the end of the free trial, we had figured out it did not work for my daughter. We’ve figured out online math curriculum does not work for her, and she is now using an old-fashioned textbook and paper.

As a side point, their customer service is amazing, because for the first few days Princess loved it, so I went ahead and bought a full year of service for Princess. We got a few more days in, and she was hating it. Seriously hating it, I emailed their customer service and they transferred her subscription over to a subscription for her brother.

 

All right, let’s get started with this online math curriculum

Yes, that does mean you will need internet and a computer, though I just learned it , which I look forward to trying this coming year.

First, take the placement test. Now, if you’re like me and starting high school math with Algebra, it’s pretty easy to find the right level, but I still had my kids take the test to make sure, and it was the right level. Just because your kids are in 5th grade, don’t assume your child is in TT5. It’s better to check and know for sure.

Then, try out that free trial. See how it goes. Use the full trial, that was my mistake with Princess, I should have waited for her to finish the full trial and get her reactions. It gives you a pretty good idea of what the lessons are like.

If it’s a fit, then sign up. If you have a large family, check out their large family discount, sadly we don’t qualify for a large family discount, but really in homeschool circles, we are not a large family.

 

Looking for more math or curriculum ideas?

I do not excell at Hands on Math ideas, but I’ve got a whole slew of Hands-on Math ideas on my Pinterest board.

• 8th Grade Homeschool Curriculum– the year we first used Teaching Textbooks 3.0 (for Algebra)
• Totally Tut math game– great for elmentary
• Apologia Writing Curriculum– A nice all in one curriculum
• Addition Math Game– I’m totally forgetting the name, but this is what Chutes and Ladders should be
• 9th Grade Homeschool Curriculum– this will be the second year we use Teaching Textbooks 3.0 (for Algebra 2)