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What is No-Nonsense Algebra

No-Nonsense Algebra is a math book that covers basic algebra taught in High school. The book is a softback book with almost 300 pages. The book has examples along with exercise problems and the answers. The book also includes quizzes and a final review test. There are 10 chapters in the book covering topics such as graphing, solving equations, and factoring. The first chapter covers all the “Necessary tools” for Algebra. The first chapter is basically a review of all the math required before High school algebra. Not only does the book have plenty of practice for algebra topics but it also includes a code to access online videos that explain all the algebra concepts included in the book. It never hurts to have more explanation for Algebra.

What did we think about No-Nonsense Algebra

Algebra is not necessarily something people consider fun. I actually enjoy Algebra but for my daughter, it’s a different story. I was glad (she was too) that No-Nonsense Algebra has videos she could watch to help explain algebra instead of me trying to explain things all the time.

Another thing we liked about No-Nonsense Algebra was the good examples that are in each chapter. The book recommends working out on a separate sheet of paper the example problems. For graphing you will want graph paper instead of regular paper. Each section also has helpful hints. The examples show in detail how to solve the problem. I really like that each step has notes to the side explaining what was done. This is really helpful when the students look back at the examples when working on the exercises. The exercises must be worked out on another sheet of paper which means the book can be re-used with multiple children.

My daughter and I thought the No-Nonsense Algebra, had just the right amount of problems for each lesson. Overall we thought the Algebra really was “No-Nonsense”. It wasn’t overwhelming and the video lessons were wonderful. Whether you are looking for a High school Algebra curriculum or as a review for a test I would recommend No-Nonsense Algebra.

We used No-Nonsense Algebra, but other families used other resources from Math Essentials so be sure to visit the Homeschool Review Crew to read more views.

No-Nonsense Algebra, Math Refresher for Adults & Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 Middle Grades/High School {Math Essentials Reviews}

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 was I compensated in any other way.

If you have a child working on Addition and Subtraction, you will want to be sure to check out Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Addition and Subtraction from Math-U-See. Even if you already use Math-U-See you can still benefit from using the AIM program.

What is AIM:

The AIM program is a program to help your child master addition and subtraction facts. The program comes with the Math-U-See manipulative blocks, colored pencils, a resource guide, Math Fact Strategy Posters, addition and subtraction fact check cards, and year-long access to the AIM program instructional videos and guides.

If you use Math-U-See, you will already be familiar with some aspects of the AIM program. The integer blocks will be familiar and the video lessons with Mr. Demme will also be familiar since they are the same as in the Alpha and Beta programs. We have been using Math-U-See with all our kids, but I had not seen the AIM program before though. When I looked at the program, I thought it would benefit my son since we can always improve math facts.

The program includes 12-month online access to Lesson videos, Instructions, Solutions, and printable resources. The online videos and website work both on a computer and with the iPad. You can download the pdf of each lesson, activities and resources.

The online instructional videos show

Instructions on How to administer the assessment
Instructions on how to use The Build, Write, Say method
Instructions on how to Fade from the Manipulatives
Instructions on how to perform the Mastery check
22 lessons for all the addition and subtraction lessons from Mr. Demme

Who is AIM for?

AIM is for children who struggle with math addition and subtraction facts and have not mastered those facts. To see where to start or where your child has problems there is a before AIM Assessment. When I gave my son the before assessment I was surprised how he didn’t know his facts like I thought he would. The assessment says that if it takes more than three seconds for the answer, then they do not have the fact mastered. If you already use the Math U See program you can use AIM to help ensure your child has a mastery of his addition and/or subtraction facts.

How we used AIM

The instructional videos for the lessons were the same as the Math U See Alpha and Beta math programs but they are online. The difference with AIM is the concepts used to practice the math facts. My kids always like playing with the Math U See blocks. It helps visualize the concepts of math with a base 10 system. The AIM program uses the manipulative blocks along with the colored pencils which stand for each block color. There are also fact check cards to check their knowledge. The fact check cards are basically flashcards with three stars on each one. If the child knows the fact, you color in one of the stars. When all three stars are colored in then you consider the fact known. If there are math facts they still have not mastered then they can work on activities suggested in the AIM program until they have mastered the particular math facts. When they have mastered all the facts for the lesson then you can move on to the next lesson. Since my son needed to improve his addition facts, we decided to use the AIM program and hold off on working more on his Math-U-See Alpha math book.

What we thought of AIM

My son enjoyed working with the manipulative blocks. The AIM program has many different activities using manipulatives to practice math facts. He really enjoyed the many manipulative block AIM activities like The Train Hitch, Building a Wall of Tens, Addend Sleuth, and many others. My son also liked using colored pencils but I don’t know if they really helped all that much. It is probably helpful if you are very visual. Overall we liked using the AIM program and I plan on using it instead of our math program until my son has mastered the addition facts up to where he is at with his Math-U-See math book.

Want to hear more about Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Addition and Subtraction? Click below to read what other members of the Review Crew thought.

Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Addition and Subtraction {Math-U-See Reviews}

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No-Nonsense Algebra review