Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor compensated in any other way.
If you're looking for a no-nonsense way for your child to review and learn foundational math skills at a middle school level, I would suggest looking at Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 Middle Grades/High School from Math Essentials - a 158 page, softcover worktext written by "America's Math Teacher" Richard W. Fisher.
This worktext offers a concise, self-contained, easy-to-follow math program which includes daily exercises that can help students master, maintain, and reinforce math skills through consistent practice and review in less than a half hour a day.
Each one-page lesson in the book is meant to be completed in about 20 minute and can be accompanied by free video tutorials - with access information on the first page of the book.
Our Experience with Mastering Essential Math Skills Book Two
My daughter, who has been hit or miss with math through the years, was interested in trying Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 Middle Grades/High School as a way to solidify her math skills, since she had dabbled in the first pages of Math Essentials' No-Nonsense Algebra and Math Refresher for Adults, which we already own, and found their style pleasing even if the problems in the books were a bit beyond her level.
Thus, she's been using Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 Middle Grades/High School consistently since it arrived at our home for review.
Thus, she's been using Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 Middle Grades/High School consistently since it arrived at our home for review.
When I asked her for her thoughts about the book for this review, she said:
Mastering Essential Math Skills is a softcover math textbook that is for middle school and high school students. Students are supposed to do one page a day, which is meant to take around 20 minutes. Doing this, they will progress with math learning and reviewing:
- addition
- subtraction
- multiplication
- division
- fractions
- decimals
- percents
- geometry
- integers
- charts and graphs
- word problems
I use the book 15' or one page at a time, whichever comes first.
Each page is one lesson and includes a speed drill, review exercises, your main lesson, and a word problem (which I often forget to do if my mom does not remind me, because it is written at the bottom of the page. So, Moms and teachers, remind your children.)
There is also a helpful hint on each page. I never read these because I don't care that much about them and, if I need a hint, I ask my parents.
There are also video lessons available to help you, but I don't use those. I use my parents, because I prefer real life human interaction.
At the back of the book is a section that tells you all the answers, so beware what section your children are in. I use it honestly to check my answers and tell my mom what I did wrong. I also grade myself. But, someone in my house, I know, may not use this section like this. That person has been known to, you know, seek ways to do work without really doing it at all. So, beware.
With this program, I like that I don't have to ask my mom to do all the problems to tell me if I got them correct and that the program is not online (although there are online video lessons if you want to use them.)
I also like the amount of white space on the pages and the multiplication chart and other charts in the back.
There is also a Table of Contents, Glossary, List of Symbols, and some helpful charts if anyone is wondering.
I don't like that the word problems are at the bottom of the page and written so small, because it makes me forget that it is actually there. I would like them where the Helpful Hints are and the Helpful Hints at the bottom of the page.
It is kind of dry, but, you know, that's how work books are.
I like that I can do it for the day and be done. I don't have to worry about a long math lesson where I have to listen to a long math video before I even get to doing the math.
I will probably continue using it all through next year. It will give me offline math work that will actually prepare me for high school math.
When I was younger, I did not like workbook math like this, but now it is not that bad. I appreciate that it is a straightforward math workbook without needless text that I have to read.
I would recommend it to other students who just want to have their math done simply and independently (asking for help as needed) and then go do something else.
It gets the job done!
I had to laugh at the honest assessment my daughter offered and wish to expand upon a number of things:
- The lessons are concise and broken into parts. Each lesson is self-contained on one which can be completed - sans video - within 20'. My daughter, however, has some dyslexia / dyscalculia-type issues, so we opt to do the program in sittings of completion of one page or 15', whichever comes first. Since each lessons page is divided into a speed drill, review exercises, examples, problems, and problem solving, it is easy to break when a 15' timer goes off.
- If you have someone with dyslexia or vision issues, please note that the book has little text and plenty of white space around problems. This made it easy on my daughter's eyes overall, however the Helpful Hints/Examples and Problem Solving font is small, which leads her to skip those portions unless I remind her not to.
- A Notebook of Whiteboard could be hepful. Despite the relatively generous white space on the clean, no-nonsense pages of the worktext, there is not enough space for my daughter to work out problems. So, she tend to copy problems onto a small whiteboard one by one or in groups of 2-4 at a time to figure them out.
- The online videos are helpful, but not necessary, depending on your child's style. To be honest, my daughter only watched a few of the video tutorials, because she much prefers to ask my husband or I for help/teaching as needed than to watch a video. I have watched some of the tutorials, however, and found them clear and well done. In fact, have a feeling that if my youngest child opts to use this program for his middle school math, he will use it 100% independently using the videos as his teacher.
- If you have a child that likes to cut corners, you may wish to tear our the answer key. My daughter, as she said, used the key as it should be used, so I left the key in the book. If another child in my house were using the book instead, however, I would have ripped it out, because that child looks for "easy ways out". Thus, I thought my daughter's warning to parents was a wise one.
- For those with children who have memory issues, the Math Resource Center at the end of the book is helpful. My daughter appreciates using the charts in the back to check that her memory is remembering basic facts and figures correctly.
- It really does get the job done. Because math has been hit or miss with my child, I often wished for a "Holy Grail" of math which would unlock skills and concepts for her and help her love math. I cannot say this book- or any resource - has consistently done both those things, but I can say this book has helped my daughter build and review skills without undue frustration. She appreciates that she can just sit down, get her math for the day done, and move on to other things. Meanwhile, I appreciate that she is actually progressing steadily. I fully intend to have her complete the book within the next year, which, I believe, will ready her for high school math.
There are no bells, whistles, nor gimmicks with Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 Middle Grades/High School. Rather, the worktext provides clear, concise, and well-designed drill and practice which can lead struggling math learners to greater confidence and success.
Learn More
See our prior reviews of other Math Essentials products:
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Are You Looking for an All-in-One Math Refresher? {A Review}
It Really Is Non-Nonsense Algebra {a Review}
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