Text Set Collection #1

Topic: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

Books:

Schaum's Outline of PreCalculus

Grades: 11-12


Fred Safier (author)
McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (October 1, 1997) (publisher)

This book was created to help students study the concepts and ideas of pre-calculus without the overwhelming and unnecessary detail.  Students can get a complete overview of the subject, as well as plenty of practice exercises to test their knowledge and skill.  I chose this text because I really like the idea of giving students the opportunity to analyze and review the material through a different approach because sometimes students have a hard time understanding it with just the teacher's explanation.


Dr. Math Explains Algebra

Grades: 9-12

Dr. Math Explains Algebra is a book that sets a clear introduction of algebra for students, especially those who just got out of pre-algebra and believe things are going to get harder in algebra class.  Dr. Math is a popular online resource, has also created books to help students with their trickiest algebra problems. This book is filled with practice problems, clear explanations and helpful hints.  Students will find "the answers to dozens of real questions from students who needed help understanding the basic math concepts in a typical algebra class."  I absolutely love this aspect of the book because by using real students' problems, other students are more likely to find meaning in this type of resource and can easily connect to these common miscommunications.




Algebra I Essentials For Dummies

Grades: 9-12

Mary Jane Sterling (author)

Algebra I Essentials For Dummies was created to help students review and/or reference critical concepts of algebra that they need to fully understand before moving on to more challenging concepts and ideas.  This book focuses on the critical components of algebra but provides explanations that are clear and easy to understand by most, if not all students.  I chose this book because I think it is a wonderful resource for both students and their parents to reference while studying for tests or completing daily homework assignments.  The layout of this book is easy to follow and clearly states and highlights the imporant information that students really do need to succeed in algebra.





Algebra Survival Guide: A Conversational Guide for the Thoroughly Befuddled

Grades: 9-12

"If you think algebra has to be boring, confusing and unrelated to anything in the real world, think again! Written in a humorous, conversational style, this book gently nudges students toward success in pre-algebra and Algebra I."  I chose this book because I believe that the conversational tone is something that many students would find humorous and meaningful, hopefully allowing them to find an interest in algebra.  This book has a question/answer format, with also many practice problems for the students to complete on their own, with a tutor, or even with their parents.  It also includes lively cartoons created by Santa Fe artist Sally Blakemore, an Emergency Fact Sheet tear-out poster, and even an "Algebra Wilderness" board game, allowing students to actually have fun while learning algebra!




Painless Algebra (Barron's Painless Series)

Grades: 9-12

Lynette Long Ph. D (author)

Painless Algebra was particularly written for those students who find algebra unusually difficult and confusing, or even just plain boring.  This self-teaching guide helps students clear up any confusion and common misconceptions so that their interest in mathematics can become increasingly positive.  This book offers many intriguing and exciting ways that students can use the subject material and actually apply it for a practice use.  Dr. Long also presents the material in a fun and humorous way by always offering fun-learning exercises, including puzzles, games, and challenging "Brain Tickler" problems to solve.  I chose this book because it challenges the students but in a manor that is extremely approachable.


Practical Algebra: A Self-Teaching Guide, Second Edition

Grades: 9-12

Peter H. Selby (author)
Steve Slavin (author)

Practical Algebra: A Self-Teaching Guide is an excellent book for beginning algebra students because it is easy and fun to use.  By using this book as a reference, students quickly become in command of all the basic concepts and ideas of algebra.  This interactive book is filled with practical, real-life examples and practice problems that help students make meaning of the subject.  Selby and Slavin provide their readers with with techniques for solving problems in a wide range of disciplines.  " Step by step, Practical Algebra shows you how to solve algebraic problems in each of these areas, then allows you to tackle similar problems on your own, at your own pace."  Finally, self-tests are offered at the end of the book for students to test their knowledge at the end of each chapter before moving on.


Websites:

https://www.khanacademy.org/math/trigonometry/exponential_and_logarithmic_func

Grades: 8 and up

Salman Khan (author)

Khan Academy is an organization with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere, anytime.  Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to everyone (teachers, students, parents) completely free of charge.  The Exponential and Logarithmic Functions page provides students with many YouTube videos that they can watch, as well as interactive notes for them to reference.  I chose this website for a reference because it allows the opportunity for more instruction for the students.  These videos reinvent education.




http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/Alg/ExpAndLog.aspx

Grades: 9-college

Paul's Online Math Notes is a free website that includes math tutorials and notes pertaining to Algebra all the way through Calculus III.  I have personally used this website many times to answer any questions I had or simply have an explanation clarified a different way.  These notes are very well organized and students can quickly see the connections between different topics from simply scrolling through his notes. 


http://www.sosmath.com/algebra/logs/log4/log4.html

Grades: 9-12

S.O.S. MATH is a free online resource of math review material for students, ranging from Algebra to Differential Equations.  This website is an excellent resource for high school students, especially while studying because it offers help with homework and quickly refreshes your prior-knowledge memory of many key concepts.  This site is filled with more than 2,500 pages of mathematical resources and easy to understand explanations.




http://www.ixl.com/search?q=exponential+and+logarithmic+function

Grades: All grades

IXL is an excellent resource for students to use at home or in the classroom!  "Practice makes perfect, and IXL makes math practice fun!  IXL motivates students through interactive games and exercises. With more than 2,500 skills spanning pre-school through high school, IXL offers a dynamic and enjoyable environment suitable for any learning style. Students who use IXL are succeeding like never before."  After exploring the website I was beyond pleased with what I found.  Every grade and/or mathematical subject has links that bring the students to an array of  questions, even word problems, that are algorithmically generated, which means that student will never come across the same problem, no matter how long they visit the website to practice.


http://www.sparknotes.com/math/precalc/exponentialandlogarithmicfunctions/

Grades: 9-12

SparkNotes is known for containing "today's most popular study guides."  This website offers study guides and discussion forums for many mathematical subject.  I chose this site because I really liked the way SparkNotes broke down the information, resources and examples of exponential and logarithmic functions.  I was thrilled to find out that this site offers detailed, educational study guides for mathematics because most students are already extremely familiar with SparkNotes!


http://www.brightstorm.com/math/precalculus/exponential-and-logarithmic-functions/logarithmic-functions/

Grades: 9-12

Brightstorm provides students with quick homework help through expert videos lessons and instant answers.  The creators of this website find the best teachers, film them teaching, and build learning solutions around those great teacher videos for students to easily reference.  I really liked this video of logarithmic functions because I think the teacher clearly portrays the meaning and provides many useful examples.  By watching videos online, students are able to pause them whenever they would like, so writing notes and solving problems doesn't become as rushed, as it would be in a normal classroom.


http://library.thinkquest.org/20991/alg2/log.html

Grades: 8-12

This site was created to help the students who struggle in math (may even consider themselves "morons") clarify some of those confusing math concepts that they just cannot understand.  ThinkQuest is an educational foundation that offers tutorials, same problems, and quizzes, as well as message boards (problems already solved) and formula databases (equations) that any students can reference anytime, anywhere.  I really liked how much this website had to offer and how interactive it is with the students.


http://mathforum.org/index.html  

Grades: All grades

This site is one of the largest and most useful math sites found on the Internet. Math Forum is an online resource for "teachers, mathematicians, researchers, students, and parents using the power of the Web to learn math and improve math education."  This site includes practice problems, team problem solving, research, and online mentoring for students.  Math Forum is one of the most comprehensive resource for math education on the Internet.  It provides Problems of the Week, engages students though Math Help and Math Talk, as well as creating a Student Center, which provides resources for all students.




http://www.purplemath.com/index.htm

Grades: 9-12

"Purplemath contains practical algebra lessons demonstrating useful techniques and pointing out common errors. Lessons are written with the struggling student in mind."  I chose this website as a resource because it contains practical algebra lessons in order, quizzes, worksheets, and free online tutoring to help students gain self-confidence in algebra.