General Information • Home Page • Our Company • Your Instructor • How to Use DVD or VHS • Quick Sketches - Homeschool Students • Quick Sketches - College Students • Frequently Asked Q's • Customer Comments Product Information • Prices, Ordering & Evaluations • Assessment Test Request • Textbooks & Solutions Guides • Course Outlines, Reviews & Demos Existing Customers • Quick Start Guide • Read Me First • Technical Support • Replacement DVD/CD • Tests and Measurement • Exhibit Schedule • Education Links Chalk Dust Company PMB 375 3506 Hwy 6 South Sugar Land, TX 77478-4401 800.588.7564 (USA) 281.265.2495 281.265.3197 fax Contact Sales	Chalk Dust Math Courses review by Cathy Duffy Professor Dana Mosely is your video instructor in this outstanding series of math courses for sixth grade through early college levels. High production quality and skillful presentation combine to make these top-notch video courses. Mosely's many years of teaching experience are obvious as he clarifies commonly confusing issues. He keeps the presentation moving at just the right pace, although students can always rewind and review if they don't catch it the first time around. Courses like these are critical for many families who are deciding whether or not they can handle homeschooling through high school. These courses really do allow students to work independently, which means parents who never went beyond Algebra 1 can still provide their children with a solid math education. Parents with weak math backgrounds should love these courses since they really do the teaching for you. Even better, purchase of a course entitles students to free technical assistance from Professor Mosely. Courses start with Basic Math (sixth grade level) and continue through Calculus I. (Chalk Dust also produces SAT* Math Review, which is not included in this review.) Each course has six to sixteen video tapes; DVDs are also available for all courses. The number of tapes or DVDs per course reflects both the size of textbooks and the complexity of concepts taught. All courses include a textbook and (complete) solutions guide. Mosely follows the textbook lessons in order of presentation, with the exception being the geometry course. In that course, Mosely provides different approaches to some topics. In all the courses, he usually expands upon the textbook presentation, some times adding his own learning strategies to the lessons. He covers the main concepts, then works out sample problems on a chalkboard with an occasional computer graphic or graphing calculator illustration. Students should watch a section of the video, then go to the text and work about thirty exercise problems in that particular section in the book. Each section requires about two days (or more) to complete. In most of the texts there are fare more problems than most students will ever need to complete, so use discretion in assigning exercises. Chalk Dust includes a missive with each course explaining how to assign problems. The (accredited) textbooks are from Houghton Mifflin, and the lead author on most of them is Ron Larson, one of the most respected and prolific math authors in the United States. However, the Basic Math text is authored by Aufmann, Barker, and Lockwood, and these authors are also responsible for the Prealgebra text. Some texts are identical to those used in schools, while some have been published as special editions for Chalk Dust. Algebra 1 and 2 texts are softbound texts standard with a hardbound text option for an extra $20.00 (Algebra 2). The textbooks are designed for classroom teachers, so they do not function well on their own for homeschooling students. However, the combination of video presentations and (complete) solution guides with the texts results in excellent courses that work well for independent study. This series of texts is strong on real-life applications and word problems that enhance conceptual understanding. They include calculator use at all levels. In addition to lessons, examples, and practice problems, textbooks also have reviews and tests. The softbound solution guides for all courses include complete solutions to all problems. Solution guides are a valuable component in these courses. You can purchase components separately, but you really need all three components --- text, videos (DVD or VHS), and solution guide. Chalk Dust's web site has short demos of programs available for free viewing, so you can check them out before purchasing. A (free) "evaluation tape" (volume 1 of the series) can be ordered for any program if you agree to return it within thirty days. Full-Set orders include a thirty-day money back guarantee, a one-year VHS tape replacement warranty, and a thirty-day DVD warranty. Also available on the Chalk Dust site (www.chalkdust.com) is information about creating tests (if you need to retest from time to time), grading tests, and assigning test and course grades. Courses: SAT Math Review | Prealgebra | Trigonometry | Algebra I | Geometry | Algebra 2 | College Algebra | Basic Math | Precalculus | Calculus I CURRENT PRICES Copyright © 1996-2008 Chalk Dust Company Website design and hosting by Mediawest Online.