This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full Disclosure policy
Today I’m sharing about our favorite homeschool math curriculum, Denison Algebra.
I feel like we searched forever for a math curriculum that was simple, well organized, had video lessons, and was built for “non” math people.
It’s the only curriculum that has my dyslexic daughter doing algebra by herself.
Denison Math has been such a life savor for our homeschool math time and I’m going to dive into what we love about the program and who I think it would be a good fit for.
Denison Algebra Math Review: Homeschool Math
We’ve never been a strong math family and I’ve hopped math curriculums more than I’d like to admit trying to find a math curriculum for us.
I’ve been searching for a long while for a program similar to Denison that combines online AND textbooks.
A self-paced course that is well organized with short simple video lessons and practice problems.
I found Denison Math while I was searching for a math curriculum for our dyslexic daughter. She struggled with other heavy math programs or videos that were too busy to stay focused.
Teaching Textbooks was just too busy and “loud” for our needs, yet I know a lot of homeschool families that love it.
We found ourselves getting stuck on the practice problems because there weren’t video solutions to the problems we didn’t understand.
Saxon math was too heavy and dry for us. I think Saxon is a wonderful math curriculum but again, it wasn’t a good fit for my dyslexic daughter. There was so much to every lesson it seemed like a mountain to climb every day.
The others we have tried include Learn Math Fast, Abeka, Masterbooks, Christian Light Education, CTC Math, and ACE Pacs.
Having struggled with math myself in the past, I needed a math curriculum that was built for my brain and somehow Denison Math does just that.
What’s Included in Denison Algebra?
Each level contains:
- 1 Year Access to Denison Algebra Video Lessons
- Algebra 1 Student Textbook
- Solutions Manual
- Chapter Tests and Solutions
- Solutions Videos
- Parent Guide
The whole curriculum is very open and go each day. The students watch the video lesson with their textbook and do exactly what Dr. Denison instructs.
Then they have practice problems to do by themselves. They check the problems in the solutions manual and for anything they can’t figure out or get wrong, they watch the video solution.
The whole curriculum is very minimalistic without busy work or “noise” or special projects.
At the moment, Denison only has High School grade levels and a Pre-Algebra for middle school. They do have a placement test on their website so you can see what level would best fit your older kids.
What I Love About Denison Algebra
It feels like the Denison Math curriculum was built just for non-math people. The way it’s organized doesn’t feel overwhelming at all.
It’s really built for those who have had poor experiences in math, like myself.
The curriculum has a way of building confidence in your children and it constantly gives them “small wins” so they feel like they can finally learn math.
Each lesson has a short video and the student follows along in their workbook doing EXACTLY what the instructor does step by step. They are never left to guess or left without instructions.
All instruction is easy to understand with different symbols throughout which is perfect for my dyslexic daughter. It’s such a brain-friendly program and teaching style.
Every single math problem your child is asked to do has a video solution. Every single problem.
If they get stuck and can’t figure out how to solve a problem, just check the solutions video.
With other curriculums, we’ve had to navigate YouTube or Khan Academy to try and figure out what we were doing wrong and it was such a huge time waster.
Your child is never left to fend for themselves in a lesson.
The beginning of their textbook has a huge cheat sheet with formulas they use throughout the year so if they ever have a lapse in memory, the formulas are always available. They are never punished for not remembering a formula.
The instructor is so encouraging for the student.
David Denison is a homeschool dad and an amazing math teacher. He understands how to communicate with frustrated math students and bring out the best in them.
A summary of what I love about Denison Algebra:
- Brain friendly format
- Dyslexic friendly
- Video solutions for every problem
- Builds math confidence
- No fluff work
- Students workbook looks just like the videos
It’s not that Denison Math is easier, because it’s a full standard high school level math course, it’s the way the material is taught that makes the course amazing.
Deciding Between Denison Algebra and Algebra Success
I’ve used both the Algebra and Algebra Success so I feel I have a good handle on how the curriculums vary.
We purchased the Success course for our dyslexic daughter and used the regular Algebra for our non-mathy daughter.
The Success book is smaller and simpler than the regular book with fewer practice problems.
It still goes over most of the major algebra concepts but in a gentler way.
The Success course was built for students who have learning disorders such as ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism, or other learning challenges. It’s really a slimmed-down version of the regular Algebra course.
It’s great for students who get lost in multi-step problems or have special needs.
I would only choose the Success course if you have a student who is very behind, has math meltdowns, or has a learning disorder who isn’t going into a math-heavy field for college.
Most students will do great in the regular Algebra course with Denison Math.
Who Wouldn’t Be a Good Fit For Denison Math?
Just because we love Denison Math doesn’t mean it’s a good fit for everyone.
If your child isn’t struggling in math it might not be a rigorous enough curriculum for them. The curriculum has a lot of re-enforcing concepts over and over which might be too much if your child is strong in math.
Also, if your child plans on taking math-heavy college courses or a future career where math is center stage, it’s probably not going to push your child enough. It really is a curriculum built for struggling math students while still teaching them a lot.
If your child is an independent learner, a self-starter, and very organized they might not need the hand-holding in Denisonn Math.
Overall, I’m beyond thankful for Denison Math because it’s taught and organized in a way that our minds work.
If you have a struggling student in math, I can’t recommend it enough!
If you have used Denison Algebra, let us know in the comments how you like it!
Related: Free Homeschool Planner
