This is the second time round that I am going to be doing Year 8 academics with one of our kids and there are lots of things that worked the first time around with my daughter that we will stick to but there are also some things that we need to change. One of the main reasons that I need to change some of our year 8 resources is so I can manage my time better and have more time for our IGCSE work. Luckily for me, my son is actually quite an independent worker and is quite capable with his academics so I know we can make a few changes and he will be totally fine. So one of the fist things that I know we are changing is the way we do our Year 8 Maths compared how we did it with my daughter.

For my son’s Year 8 Maths we are going to be using the Mastering Mathematics series book 2. I used this series for my daughter’s Year 9 Maths and was so impressed with it that I switched and used it for my son’s Year 7 (which is just completed) and am now going to use it for his Year 8. Honestly it is everything we need in 2 books (possibly 3 books if you are like me and enjoy having both of the practice books).

This series is split into 3 levels. So in theory Book 1 would be for Year 7, Book 2 for Year 8 and Book 3 for Year 9. Now within these 3 levels you get 3 different books. The main thick one is the student book, which contains all the explanations, worked examples and then questions for the kids to work through. No matter what you need to get this book (this is the main book).

There are also 2 practice books for each level. A practice book called Develop and Secure and a practice book called Extend. These contain extra practice questions (I want to stress there are no explanations in the practice books just questions for the kids to work through). You can choose if you want to use a practice book or not and you can choose which one suits your kids level. In the past I have actually gotten both practice books because with Maths there are sections which my kids naturally excel in and then we use the extend and there are sections that they need a bit more practice in and then we use the Secure and Develop. The decision on which practice book you get really depends on your knowledge of your own kids Maths level. (both of the photos below are from the Secure and Develop practice book)

Okay so contents wise what exactly does the Book 2 in this series cover? (The chapters in the student book and the practice book are identical – in other words the cover the exact same topics in the exact same order). Really it is everything they need to cover in their Year 8.

There are so many things that I like with this series but I want to start by stressing that all answers to all the questions are available (I get really frustrated when I get a workbook for the kids and there are no answers). To get the answers simply go onto the Hodder website and look up the Maths Book on the left hand side of the page there is a box which says quick links and inside that it says Answers. Click on the answers, it will take you to a page which allows you to download all the answers free of charge. All you need to do is download them and print them out and there you have it, all the answers for all the questions in the book.

Okay so what is it about the student book that I like. Everything, yip I like everything about this book. I like that they explain all the concepts and always include lots of worked examples. This means that the kids are able to work fairly independently – there are times when you need to help explain something but really for the most part, mine just get on and once they have read through the worked examples they normally know exactly what they need to do.

Then I like that the exercises are split into 3 different bands with each band getting more challenging. This means the kids can start with some easier examples and then work up.

I also like that they include Review exercises at the end of each chapter and then have progress review activities about every 2 or 3 chapters. (I am a big believer in practicing Maths and revising what we have already covered). I have found these Review exercises and the Progress review sections to be one of the best parts, really love that they have included these.

For our style of learning this series suits us. It allows my kids to work fairly independently and it gives me confidence in knowing that we have covered everything that we need to.

You can get mastering Mathematics directly from the Hodder website or from Amazon

Mastering Mathematics Book 2 (is the student book)

Practice Book 2 Develop and Secure

Practice Book 2 Extend

If you kids are at the KS3 level you may also find this series useful – KS3 maths catch-up book

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