Algebra: Structure and Method, Book 1 Hardcover – January 1, 2000

I use this book even though it is out of print and teacher resources are hard to find. The authors did an excellent job beginning each chapter with a familiar review in sections 1 and then building rapidly into ever more complex problems. For example chapter on fractions begins with simplifying regular old fractions and then section 2 jumps into fractions with monomials, relating fractions with monomials allows most students to successfully simplify/transform complex fractions with monomials and polunomials. Within polynomials. Within each section e.g. 1-1, 1-2, there are sections A, B and C. With B and C being closer to Algebra 2 level, or honors Algebra 1. I love this book and don't know what is do if I had to use the newer Algebra 1 textbooks with useless images and multi color fonts and headings all over the pages which do not enhance student interest or learning, but rather detract from learning and clutter the page. I deslise the new math books, not only for the CC pollution, but for the cluttered pages. Brown et al. wrote an algebra book in black and white and images/illustrations only when referring directly to a problem (e.g. parabolas, area problems, etc.) And there is a page each chapter talking about a mathematician, so his/her photo and invention illustration/photo is there. My students like this book too. If you can get your hands on the study guide by cleo meek, it gives extra practice for students who need it (most students today).

After reviewing this book, I selected it for my seven-year-old son. So far he has been learning from it without any problems, and with little input from me. While he's accelerated to start with and good at picking things up, I think this shows that the book is well constructed and laid out.As for me, I find the book exceptionally clear in its layout and introduction of new material. The problems are well-constructed and everything is nicely formatted to clearly convey the information. Instead of huge glossy pictures on every page, consistent text formatting using fonts and colors is used (there are a few pictures in sidebars, but mostly tied to challenge or enrichment sections). Exceptionally clear sample problems are given for new material, and the book shows how to work them.My only complaint about this book, which is not severe, is that it definitely takes an approach of direct instruction for new concepts, instead of letting a student noodle through a new concept on his own. (Run a web search on "Art of Problem Solving" for an example of a curriculum that encourages deep thought and mastery by challenging students to discover mathematical principles even before a new concept is fully explained.) However, nothing prevents one from adding in extra material and using this book as a curriculum "spine".For its exceptional clarity and good problem sets, I can't rate this book more highly. With the addition of some extra challenge work, it makes for a quite good introduction to algebra.

This book is a comprehensive algebra 1 course despite the implications of the words "Book 1" in its title. You can use it for self-instruction, because the answers to the odd-numbered problems are given at the back of the book -- and there are lots of problems. It is also a great source of supplementary material for students who are taking algebra 1 in school. Supplementary material is necessary because most algebra 1 courses these days are "dumbed down." The District of Columbia Public Schools, for example, uses a book (ISBN 0618250182) that has been stripped of traditional problems that show students the power of algebra -- "work problems," "mixture problems," "age problems" and so on. And it has been stripped of difficult problems in all of the topics that remain. The book under review here covers the traditional topics and has difficult problems in all topics. The book would be good for a differentiated course, because the problems in each section are grouped into three levels of difficulty, labeled A, B and C.-- Jeff Schmidt, Washington, D.C. (e-mail: jeffschmidt at alumni.uci.edu)

I bought this book to help my 12 year old daughter with her first class in algebra. I highly recommend it. I was able tutor my daughter without having to spend a lot of time explaining concepts, this book did that for me. Algebra: Structure and Method Book 1, while starting with the basic foundations, gets right into the harder structure of algebra and does not just glance over the concepts. This book will get you ready for college courses. Algebra: Structure and Method Book 1, is being used by our high school and one class at our middle school.

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 practiceCons:*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