Algebra: Structure and Method Book 1

It is arguably one of the best algebra books available, and is one of the top algebra textbooks as rated by Mathematically Correct, a group that is concerned with the quality of mathematics instruction in California (and beyond).


Far better than most others   May 5, 2006
Derek Owens (Atlanta, GA United States)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

This is a well thought out Algebra textbook. I started teaching from it earlier this year and have grown to appreciate it very much. I am especially pleased the more I compare this to other books. Most math books these days are little more than pretty colors, crazy fonts, neat pictures, lots of distractions, and very little actual math instruction. This book, on the other hand, actually focuses on the math, explains it reasonably well, and has great sets of real example problems and practice problems of all difficulty levels, including lots of practical problems that aren't forced or contrived. It is not perfect, but it is the best I have seen.

Pros:
*Lots of math rather than lots of silly distractions
*Appropriate difficulty level - not "dumbed down"
*Good examples worked out and explained
*Good problem sets for homework and practice

Cons:
*Some explanations are just a bit short, although most are good
*Factoring, the hardest topic, is early in the book, which makes it difficult for some students


This book is still out there and still looks the same!   November 24, 2004
Adam (Pittsburgh, PA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I was searching for a good textbook to learn Latin and for some reason this book popped up since somebody had purchased it with the Latin text I was considering. I used Algebra Structure and Method Book 1 as a student in 1991 and 1992 in my high school Algebra 1 class. This was a very good textbook and I had previously hated mathematics. My school also used the second book in this series as well as the Geometry book that goes with it. I learned math and did well at it. I think this series would benefit any high school math student still today in spite of the fact that the cover has not changed in almost 14 years.


The Best Algebra I Book Available   April 18, 2000
James M. Kilbane (Brook Park, Ohio USA)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I used this book (when it was written by Mary P. Dolciani) in 1971-72 as a freshman in high school and loved it. The recent revisions continue the excellence of Dolciani and the series. The theory is sound and the examples are easy to follow. Especially important is the numerous exercises graded in difficulty that help the student master the material. Check out various Algebra web sites and you will see that this book CONSISTENTLY receives rave reviews as far as the material and difficulty level presented to students. This book actually makes students THINK and does not spoon feed the material. Check out Algebra and Trigonometry: Structure and Method Book 2 as a follow-up. Again, I used it as a junior in high school and it's revisions have continued the high standards of its predecessors.


Great material   July 3, 2000
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This book is a very informative and, for me, very easy to understand, stating clear examples, which gave you the basic ideas of how to solve the problem without completely giving it away. I will admit, being a 6th grader, that this had it's downpoints, mainly not giving many clues on how to do the problem, which in it's self is a good thing and bad. The book makes the student very good at figuring things out for themselves. My teacher also helped with the work, explaining things that the book didn't cover. This is a great book, excellent teaching material.