What perfect timing. As we leave the 7th grade and enter into the 8th grade we were given an opportunity to try out UnLock Algebra1 from UnLock Math. I was especially excited about trying this because it is an online video curriculum much like what we have been doing for math for the past few years. This curriculum is a complete program but can also be used as a supplement. It is accessible through a one-year subscription.
We have been using this program over the past month or so and find it pretty similar to our past math program. You log in online and there are parent and student accounts. From the Parent Login you are able to manage your student's account (assignment of courses, billing, payment info and passwords). You are also able to login to the Student Account from the Parent Login. If you give your student a password they can then login to their account by themselves. The program tracks progress and grades for you.
The lessons are broken down into units and there is a 472-page Complete Reference Notes document (for UnLock Algebra1) that you can refer to or printout that covers the material shown in the lesson videos. Each Unit consists of Daily Lessons and Review and Quizzes and Tests if applicable. A lesson consists of:
- Warm up - to get your student in math mode
- Short Video (less than 10 minutes)
- Practice Problems - may be completed as many times as necessary and best grade will be recorded.
- Stay Sharp problems for review
- Challenge questions - can add 5% bonus on overall grade
- Reference Notes - a link for that particular lesson
To start each unit the student clicks on the Unit to activate it then the Launch icon to begin that unit. This unlocks the unit and allows the student to begin lessons in that unit. Once lessons are complete they are graded and entered into the students record. There is also a Pacing Guide available as a pdf file to print or view online. It lists how many days it takes for each unit and the total days in the program. Each lesson is expected to take approximately 30 minutes (takes us closer to an hour). There are 170 days worth of lessons, reviews, and tests. If you work 4 days per week it can be completed in 43 weeks (10 3/4 months). If you work 5 days a week it would take 34 weeks (8 1/2 months).
The weighting of the grades is as follows:
- Warm-ups - 0%
- Practice Problems - 30%
- Stay Sharp - 10%
- Challenge - 5% bonus to overall grade but not penalized for bad grade
- Review - 0%
- Quizzes - 15%
- Test - (can be taken multiple times with best grade recorded) 30%
- Midterm - (can be taken multiple times with best grade recorded) 5%
- Final Exam - (can be taken multiple times with best grade recorded) 10 %
The program tracks your student's progress in all areas. You can see if they are completing the warm ups, practice problems, stay sharp, and quizzes. I really like this program and think it is a good fit for how my son learns. The short video lessons are great for him. The lessons are not too long or cumbersome. The only challenge that I don't like compared to our old program is that he does not get immediate feedback on each problem. In UnLock Math when he answers a question he does not know until the end of the lesson what he got wrong or right. In the past this was a necessity for him (knowing immediately if he got problem right or wrong) just because of the way his mind works. But I can see a little maturity in him and it didn't seem to bother him as much as I thought it would. Score! Based on our experience we recommend this program for your consideration when looking for a math curriculum.
You can connect with UnLock Math at FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or PINTEREST.
They also provide courses in Pre-Algebra, Algebra2 and now their newest release, Geometry! Be sure to check out the other reviews on UnLock Algebra1 and the other courses they offer by clicking on the banner below.
