Thinkwell Online Learning Math Review

As my homeschoolers get older, I really prefer for them to have video-based instruction when it comes to math.  A, B and C recently added Thinkwell's 6th to 8th Grade Math and High School Math courses to their workload.  More specifically - C is going through their Honors 7th Grade Math, B is going through their 8th Grade Math (PreAlgebra) and A is using their Algebra 2 online course.

A, B and C

Our Math Courses

Thinkwell Homeschool offers math courses for grades 6th - high school.  I love that they also have advanced math (honors) courses and college level (Calculus) math as well.  I had the kids take placement tests in order to determine which class to enroll them in.  I highly recommend doing this because it will give you a better idea where to place your child in the program.

I love that A, B and C have access to their courses and materials 24/7 so it is super convenient.  Because these course are online you need a device and Internet service to use them.  A, B and C are using both our Ipad and computer.

Their courses are broken down into a 36 week schedule that includes day-by-day and week-by-week lists of what to do so it's easy for both you and your student to track their progress.  The course lesson plan can be found in the resources area.  I also want to note that there is a lot of flexibility within these courses.  Students can jump ahead and also slow down as needed.  We have access to our courses for one year so I can adapt them to suit our needs.

  Here is the schedule overview for A's Algebra 2 course.

And here is an example of the day-by-day and week-by-week breakdown for the first two weeks.

Each day, students study a different topic and watch the video lectures, complete the exercises and worksheets.  Some days there may be one or more topics to complete.  It is estimated that students will spend an hour to an hour and a half a day on the suggested content.  A typical day for a student would begin with opening up the notes section for that topic.  This section may include key terms, definitions, formulas, and illustrations.  These notes can be printed so your student can add to the notes as they watch the videos or already printed notes are available for purchase.

Here's an example of a notes section from B's 8th Grade Math course.

Students then watch the video lessons in their entirety, taking notes as needed.  Video lessons are anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes for each lesson topic, so they are super manageable.  I love that they include examples and illustrations so students can follow along easily.  Videos can be paused and rewatched as needed for mastery.

   

Above is a video from B's 8th grade math on exponents.

Here is the same video lesson a bit later.  You can see the examples being worked out during the video instruction.  This format is really great.

Here you can see that B completed her video lessons above.

C watching a video lesson on our Ipad.

After completing the videos, students then complete the topic worksheet and online exercises.  I do want to note here that the worksheets and exercises do not count toward their grade as they are for practice only.  I really like that students are given immediate feedback.

 Above you can see one of C's worksheets for Applying Exponents in Scientific Notation.

I love that all the worksheets have answer keys like the one above.

Here is the result of one of C's exercises.  If your student misses a problem or doesn't understand, they can click the review link next to the problem and it will show them the correct answer and explanation for it.  Easy peasy.

Students take section quizzes after completing a section of topics.  Quizzes are taken once and do count towards the course grade. There are also practice and chapter tests scheduled at the end of each chapter as well with midterm and final exams scheduled in to boot.  I really appreciate all the legwork and forethought that these courses provide as my kids progress through their math programs.  If you are looking for video-based math curriculum I would recommend Thinkwell.  I'm looking forward to A, B and C finishing their courses.

You can use these courses as your entire math curriculum or you can even use them to supplement other programs as needed.

Want to hear more?  Be sure to click on the banner below to visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read even more reviews of Thinkwell's math courses.

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