a glimpse of our life: UnLock Math ~ A Schoolhouse Crew Review

Jennifer

Math is necessary, but teaching that to kids that don't call it their favorite subject just isn't easy. UnLock Math is an online math curriculum that explains math to visual learners and some of them even call it fun! We received online access for this review. An internet connection is required for these lessons.

If you decide to sign up, click this referral link for a coupon code for $100 off of your subscription!

The program provides seperate log-in accounts with dashboards for both the parent and the student. The student dashboard includes a gradebook which includes all completed problems as well as complete explanations of each problem. An included pacing guide suggests how many days students should spend on each student. Even if assignments are stopped mid-lesson, their work is saved! Sixteen units progress from whole numbers to probability and statistics.

With a math lesson starting off by launching a rocket, I was hopeful that that UnLock Pre-Algebra would capture my son's attention. Each new component of the homeschool math curriculum is unlocked by working through it in an orderly pattern. Once the student clicks the rocket to launch that section, a new page opens.

UnLock Math Pre-Algebra lessons are presented in an orderly sequence. They begin with such simple problems that my son questioned if I had him at the right level. (Every student begins at the same point.) The level of difficulty quickly progressed. The sequenced steps include: Warm Up, the UnLock video lesson, Practice, Stay Sharp, Reference (printable notes,) and Challenge. Everything starts out locked, and the student actually sees each locked graphic change to an image of an unlocked padlock as they progress through the steps. Carefully planned videos teach and explain new steps. The first five units are a review but are also foundational for the rest of the program.

The UnLock Math lessons can be done on a computer or iPad, and my son tried both. While working through the initial problems on the computer, a pop up said to let the page keep loading before progressing, so even with rapid answers we were forced to slow down.

I appreciate how feedback is provided immediately after completing the last problem and clicking submit. If any problems were missed, the exact problem is shown so students can learn from their mistakes.

Matthew and Alesia Blackwood created UnLock Math to be "the best middle/high school homeschool curriculum on the market." They now offer this homeschool pre-algebra and their UnLock Algebra1 recently launched. Algebra2 is planned for 2016.They also reached out by email and offered assistance. They even included their phone number in the welcome letter provided on the student's launch page. Their program is offered as a one year subscription, and a discount is offered for the second student in the same family.

My son's opinion is: "It is not easy." He actually described it as looking at a map of Africa upside down and trying to figure out what to do next. In hindsight, I should have had my middle child do this program as a reinforcement. The new material was just too advanced for my son's current level of math skills. He will likely be ready to tackle this math in 7th grade.