Many parents successfully homeschool their children, from the preschool years through graduation from high school. As your child grows and studies more complex subjects, you may wonder if you are able to teach advanced-level courses such as geometry, even if you once took the classes yourself. Online courses teach students the important concepts of geometry through complete and interactive methods, so you can know that your child is receiving a good education.
Math in a Box
Math in a Box is a self-paced geometry course that consists of two different semesters of the subject. The first semester of geometry is the equivalent of early geometry at the high school level, while the second semester covers more advanced concepts. Students work through a series of lessons that cover such topics as angles, lines, points and shapes and move into more advanced subjects, including theorems, ratios, probability and distance. Each section has homework, and various sections also require completion of a quiz before moving on.
The courses are delivered entirely online and are designed for students who study at home. You can register and pay for each course separately, and there are required textbooks that accompany the material. All communication with the instructor is via email, and students have 6 months to complete each course. At the completion, each student is given a certificate if he passes all tests and quizzes.
Math in a Box is administered by Susan O. Johnsey, a state-certified teacher with a master's degree in mathematics and an experienced homeschooler. She offers this geometry course online as part of a small series of curriculum that covers either algebra or geometry only.
Geometry Online
Geometry Online is a course designed by mathematician Cynthia Lanius, and hosted by Rice University. It is designed to teach geometry to students in middle or high school and meets the guidelines for education through the Texas Education Agency. The lessons begin with the history of geometry and move through such topics as triangles, polygons and volume. There is a quiz that mimics some of the questions found on the SAT, which is graded online. All of the course materials are offered free of charge.
GeoGebra
GeoGebra is a free program that incorporates geometry, graphs, tables and algebra. It contains interactive graphics and has learning materials for students between elementary grades through university level materials. It was developed for use within classrooms, but homeschooling students may use the program in their home educations. GeoGebra is considered open-sourced, meaning that it is available for anyone to download the information and use it for learning. The course materials are interesting for students because they provide hands-on learning; students can learn formulas and theories and directly apply them to the program using the software and see immediate results.
Geogebra also contains information for how to download the program and how to navigate through the materials. Topics covered include lines, points, vectors and angles; all of which are available to learn using the animation and graphics to solve the problems.
Making Decisions
With continuous increases in technology, homeschooling students now have more resources than ever at their fingertips to take courses or complete their educations online. Whatever type of online geometry course you choose, your child can learn about geometry in a hands-on experience that is often much more interesting than sitting in a classroom. Many programs that are available make learning geometry exciting enough for students that they may want to continue learning more. With the number of programs and courses available, you can expect to find one that will fit your child's needs.
