Horizons Math

Alpha Omega

This is one of my 100 Top Picks!

See the complete review in 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum.

Horizons is one of the best math programs for grades K through 6. There is a set for each level that includes a teacher handbook and two student workbooks. You will also need manipulatives, particularly for the early grades, but most of these might well be on hand: items such as dominoes, play money, movable numbers, ruler, and place value materials (such as craft sticks rubber-banded together).

Student books are printed in full color. Students complete from 2 to 4 pages per lesson depending upon their grade level. Even though student books are so substantial, this is not a self-teaching, worktext program. It needs to be taught from the teacher handbooks. Student workbooks provide the activity for lessons taught from the handbooks.

Teacher handbooks are very well designed and easy to use. They were designed with homeschoolers in mind so they rarely have activities geared toward groups.

Horizons uses a spiral approach with continuous review and incremental teaching of new material--each lesson addresses a number of topics rather than focusing on a single topic. Quarterly tests and a final plus answer keys are in the teacher handbooks except for level K. Student books have a test after every ten lessons.

Student books are printed in full color. The scope and sequence is a little advanced from the very beginning. For example, the kindergarten program teaches addition and subtraction (two digits plus or minus one digit) but with no regrouping. However, in recent years, more math programs are shifting towards a comparable level of difficulty because of more challenging state/national math standards. There are also extra supplemental, reproducible worksheets in the teacher books that you might use. This is a very academic program and might be too much for some kindergartners and first graders. Those ready for the academics and up to the challenge should love it.