Homeschool math at the high school level can be intimidating so I’d like to introduce you to No-Nonsense Algebra from Math Essentials. Finding a math program that our 14-year-old daughter likes and understands can be challenging. But with the included videos for the lessons taught by Richard W. Fisher, our daughter has found this program to be understandable.
Our daughter is our 4th and last child and she is definitely more gifted in the area of art than math. So we have tried a variety of math programs through the years. Like most parents, we have found some work and some do not. So when I saw the chance for our family to review No-Nonsense Algebra, I was glad to get it for our daughter.
This is a soft cover book that is meant to be used as a textbook, and the students need to do their work in a notebook. Since it is not consumable, it would work well for families with more than one child. As I have already stated, our daughter is not a math whiz kid. She loves art a lot more. So in her own words, she stated, “Some of the instructions and problems are worded in ‘mathease’, which is a language our daughter feels she does not speak. However, the videos provided our daughter with clear and concise instructions that made the lessons understandable for her.
I feel like the videos are well-executed, easy to hear and easy to understand. The instructions really helped our daughter. This course covers everything from integers to the quadratic equation along with everything in between.
I felt like the lessons were reasonable in the material being covered, the examples that were given and the number of practice problems. Each lesson contains an introduction which includes helpful hints, example problems worked out showing each step for solving the problem, exercises, and several review questions.
Since I have taught high school math and realize how it builds upon itself, I love the review problems. It helps to ensure the students remember past materials. I also loved the fact the book starts off with problems involving integers. This is a necessary skill for solving most algebraic problems. If a student can not solve problems with integers properly, he or she will probably have extreme difficulty later in Algebra. Also, from my experience in teaching Algebra, the majority of mistakes in Algebra are caused by mathematical computations. So ensuring students have a firm grasp on working with integers will help with their success. The pictures below show two days of my daughter’s work and answers. As I have stated, she is very artistic so her pages have to include some drawings.
I feel this book is perfect for a variety of situations. It is perfect as a stand-alone textbook for Algebra. It is also perfect for a student who just wants to brush up on certain skills. It also would be perfect for a student just wanting to review Algebra for any reason. I also like the fact Math Essentials offers a variety of other products ranging from materials for 4th/5th grade all the way through this Algebra course.
I was very pleased with this book and the videos are provided with it. This course is definitely worth taking a look at in my opinion. If you would like to read more reviews about No-Nonsense Algebra from Math Essentials, click here or on the graphic below.
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy 
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