Algebra I: Expressions, Equations, and Applications

Rating:
Summary: This book is a great teacher!
Review: I searched long and hard for a text like this. It is well organized, well illustrated, and has plenty of example and practice problems with solutions to odd problems found in the back of the book. It is not like some of the newer algebra texts, which take an inductive approach and rely on "group discovery" of mathematical concepts. It delivers a thorough explanation of concepts in a logical and intuitive fashion, and proceeds at a deliberate pace that ensures a mastery of each concept before moving on to the next.

As a home schooling resource:
I use this for home schooling. It explains things so well that my 12 yr. old daughter is able to read a section and work the homework problems with little or no help from me. I supplement it with more drill and explanation found in the Key to Algebra workbooks from Key Press Curriculum. We proceed at a comfortable pace and have covered the first six chapters in one year. I plan to use Geometer's Sketchpad (also from Key Press Curriculum) as a supplemental graphing tool beginning in chapter seven.

I don't mean to infer that home school parents with no knowledge of algebra can successfully use this book. It does not have a teacher's guide and one probably is not appropriate. As with any home school scenario, you will need to understand the topic yourself so that you can answer questions. I far prefer this text to Saxon and other texts designed for home school use.

I spent over a year looking for a good algebra textbook and was surprised and disturbed to find that most are poor examples of how to explain a concept to a student. This book stands out as a wonderful exception. Compared to other algebra texts, it beats all I have found hands down.

Here is the table of contents:
1Expressions and Equations
2Operations with Negative Numbers
3Distributing: Axioms and Other Properties
4Harder Equations
5Some Operations with Polynomials and Radicals
6Quadratic Equations
7Expressions and Equations Containing Two Variables
8Linear Function, Scattered Data, and Probability
9Properties of Exponents
10More Operations with Polynomials
11Rational Algebraic Expressions
12Radical Algebraic Expressions
13Inequalities
14Functions and Advanced Topics

Rating:
Summary: True Excellence!
Review: Our school district has misguidedly adapted one of those fuzzy math curriculums, and I have chosen to teach my mathematically talented daughter at home rather than have her lose her love of math entirely. This book has made the job easier! Clear, elegant reasoning that doesn't skimp on rigor, plus problem solving with a humorous bent. It also covers all of the topics that I think "should" be covered. I am not finding the lack of a teacher's guide to be a problem, however, I do have a strong math background. I compared several math books before settling on this one. A close second, or maybe first, depending on your taste, is the Houghton Mifflin Algebra text. I have both, and sometimes it is enlightening to a non-teacher to see the different ways material can be presented.

Rating:
Summary: A former student of Mr. Foerster's
Review: Until I met Mr. Foerster, I thought I desperately hated math. I scored well in it, yet I just hated the whole subject.

Mr. Foerster is truly an inspiring man; the whole high school was in awe of him. His courses were reputed to be extremely tough. But the hallway gossip was soon dispelled. Although Algebra isn't always "easy", I was quite surprised and delighted to discover that Mr. Foerster's classes - and especially his textbooks - were extremely user-friendly! Mr. Foerster writes clearly, and is able to address Algebra from the beginning, rather than talking several levels over students' heads. His kindness, humor, and gentle personality show through in the books. Wow! Math is fun after all!

I am now homeschooling my three kids, and Foerster's books are the texts of choice in this family.

Rating:
Summary: I could not have chosen a better textbook for my son!
Review: We homeschool most of our children. I search carefully to find school materials that I believe are of high caliber. When algebra appeared on the teaching horizon, I read reviews of Mr. Foerster's algebra texts from both the homeschooling press and from the public/private school sectors. Having read nothing negative about this textbook, I went ahead and purchased the textbook, teacher's guide, and tests. I could not have chosen a better textbook for my son! As a ninth grader, he worked his way through the textbook completely, asking for assistance only a handful of times. The explainations are clear, and the range of problems assigned is both wide and in-depth. My son made an "A" in the course (on the 90-100 scale), despite my "picky" grading. I will not use Mr. Foerster's textbook with my next-down son, because mathematics is difficult for him. But I recommend the book unreservedly for anyone who is comfortable with math.