Mastering Essential Math Skills - TOS Review

 Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

I decided to have my boys do a bit of 'summer school' over our summer break. It's too easy to forget the important math concepts learned during the schoolyear over the summer break. When I was given the chance to review Math Essentials Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2, I knew it would be the perfect book for Silas to use between his 6th and 7th grade year. I've used the Math Refresher for Adults from Math Essentials, so I knew this would be a thorough workbook.

Math Essentials teaches the math that you need to know in short lessons with built-in review. There are video tutorials available online by "America's Math Teacher" Richard W. Fisher. Each unit and chapter in the workbook have a short video lesson you can watch before completing the workbook page. Since Silas was working on review concepts, he didn't find it necessary to watch any tutorials.

Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 is for middle grades and high school. The cover of the book claims "20 Minutes a Day to Success"! There are eight chapters in this workbook that cover the following topics:

1. Whole Numbers
2. Fractions
3. Decimals
4. Percent
5. Geometry
6. Integers
7. Charts and Graphs
8. Word Problems

There is also a Final Review section in the back along with the Answer Key, Glossary, and helpful charts.

Each lesson is designed in the same way. There is a "Speed Drills" portion at the top that cover addition and multiplication facts. Next to this, there is a "Review Exercises" part with four review problems. Below that there is a section called "Helpful Hints" with, well, helpful hints for the concepts being taught! 

The actual lesson has two sample problems and around ten problems. There is a table to record your answers in that really makes checking the answer key a breeze! There is also a word problem at the bottom of each lesson called "Problem Solving."

Within each unit there are several "Review" lessons with twenty problems. I really appreciate the built-in review lessons because it does ensure that your child is working toward mastery. The review lessons can show you at-a-glance if your child is understanding the topic or if he/she needs more practice. 

Silas worked in this workbook several times a week over the review period. He finished the first unit, which is "Whole Numbers." The lessons really did take him twenty minutes or less to complete each day. I am very glad for the math review he is getting by using this workbook. He doesn't mind using it when I ask him to do the next lesson. I did start circling every other problem for him to work since it was mostly review, and if he got them all correct, he didn't have to do the rest on the page.

There isn't a lot of room to work out some of the longer problems if your child writes larger than normal. Silas used smaller handwriting so he could fit the work on the page. Having the table on the side to record answers in really does help with grading each page!

Math Essentials is offering a free, three-month trial to their website mathandalgebra.com to my followers and readers. This is an online math and algebra program that is based on their workbooks and provides printable worksheets as well as online lessons. Just use the code CREW2022 to receive three months of access. I reviewed this program back in 2020 and you can read that by clicking here.

I am pleased with Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2 for my rising 7th grader. I think it would be a great way to work on those math skills during the summer or to use this as your main math curriculum for the year. Click the banner below to see what other Crew Members thought of Mastering Essential Math Skill Book 2 and Mastering Essential Math Skills, Pre-Algebra Concepts.