Are you wondering which math curriculum to use after completing Singapore Math? Let me make a suggestion to you – Math-U-See. Before I present you with the facts about this exceptional curriculum, let me share with you, how we arrived to using it in our school at home.
We were always a Singapore Math family. Since my son entered Kindergarten, Singapore Math was the thing. [You can read about our adventures with Singapore Math here.] However, once he reached his high school years, we were somewhat puzzled which direction to take. Unfortunately, Singapore Math ends in 8th grade. Our aim was to continue in the same venue that Singapore Math led us, i.e. to master the specific concept before moving on to the next one. [You can read about two different teaching approaches in two leading math curricula in Singapore vs. Saxon Math – Which Is Better?] Another thing, which was important to us, was the principle of thinking “why?” when it came to math problems. All my research began to point to Math-U-See as a natural continuation.
Generally, it is suggested that Singapore Math “graduates” find Math-U-See Geometry and Algebra 2 very easy as at least half of the concepts had already been studied during junior high years. [If that is your case and you still see Math-U-See as a good fit for your family, you may consider teaching both Geometry and Algebra 2 in Grade 9 one semester each and follow on to higher math from Grade 10 on.] However, let me share with you our experience with Math-U-See Geometry:
- After the rigorous Singapore Math, we found it very refreshing not having to spend two hours each day doing math.
- We also found it refreshing to watch short understandable video lessons, be able to apply them immediately and retain them long-term.
- The material provided enough challenge so that taking tests didn’t come without work.
- Honors lessons added welcomed brain teasers and practical application of math problems.
How to Determine Which Specific Math-U-See High School Curriculum to Purchase?
Math-U-See offers placement tests for schools and a homeschool placement tool in order to determine which of their curriculum to use. You can either diagnose your student’s math level using these tools or, you can follow a natural high school path as suggested by many other curricula:
- Grade 9: Algebra 1
- Grade 10: Geometry
- Grade 11: Algebra 2
- Grade 12: Pre-Calculus, Consumer Math, etc.
However, if your student followed a more rigorous math curriculum in their previous years, they have already completed Algebra 1.
How Is Math-U-See Geometry Structured?
The complete curriculum (Geometry Universal Set) includes:
- Instruction Manual with complete solutions
- Instruction DVD set (2 DVDs)
- Student Workbook
- Test Booklet
- Lifetime access to a Geometry Digital Pack
The program is combined into 30 lessons which can be accomplished in about a week each and the students achieve mastery of the topic before they can move on to the next one. Unlike 7th and 8th grade Dimensional Singapore Math, Math-U-See Geometry includes excellent reviews for all previously studied concepts throughout the entire school year. The students are capable of completing their lessons independently; however, depending on your particular situation, some concepts may require the teacher’s involvement. An additional bonus of this curriculum is a frequently reviewed Algebra at the end of most lessons. This helps the student to review basic algebraic concepts and be prepared to take Algebra 2 the following year.
If you had asked my son about Math-U-See Geometry, he would tell you that he very much enjoyed the lighter math “burden” after all the hard work in the previous years. I can understand why some people consider this curriculum to be too easy. However, we learned that it provided my son with a very thorough review of his previous geometry knowledge plus built new concepts upon it. Based on our experiences, we have determined to continue with Math-U-See Algebra 2 in Grade 10.
Have you used Math-U-See Geometry in your homeschool? If yes, please let us know about your experience in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!
You Might Also Like
Thank you for this review. Two of my three kids have gone through Singapore. My oldest is working through the complete algebra course from videotext online, and it has been super challenging! He should finish up this summer, at which point I need a good option for geometry. It will be his senior year, and I need to make sure he will finish by next May. I am leaning toward this program, and it is encouraging to read it should just take about 30 weeks.
Thank you for your note, Kristyn. It sounds like your experience with math has been similar to ours. We trust you will make the right “math” decision for your graduating student. Please let us know if we can answer any more of your questions.
I’ve used MUS Geometry in a parent-partner program with advanced 8th graders. I only get to use it every 5 years or so, unfortunately, as I enjoy teaching this subject quite a bit.
For those who think it is “too easy” I will counter that when I taught it about 10 years ago, I was able to have our students take the district End of Course test for Geometry, and all the students who were doing the classwork regularly (barring one student with severe math LD issues) was able to pass, with all getting 4s (highest level) except one. Granted that is a small sample size, but having four kids achieve a 4 grade, and one a 3, I thought they did a fantastic job applying what they’d learned on that test!
In short, I think why it is perceived as “easy” is that they distill what the students will really need to remember and use, and just teach that, instead of cluttering up the year with a lot of one-off “oh, isn’t that interesting” topics that they won’t really remember, or need to.
And finally, I really appreciate that on their tests, they give other choices of answer that are usually answers you could get if you did something incorrectly, so they really have to know what they’re doing to answer correctly. (Not geometry, but for example if an algebra question was to solve for x for x/9 -5 = -10, the answers might be a) 45, b) -135, c) -45, d) -85, e) 135. (I did that incorrectly several times to figure out possible options.)
It’s not “too easy” just easy to work with and remember what you need to remember.
Thank you, Laura, for your note. It is nice to read about the success you had with this curriculum.