Geometry (McDougal Littell Jurgensen Geometry)

Great book like new! Great deal!!

I am a physician with an undergraduate degree in math and some graduate work in math, as well. Having elected to reenter the world of mathematics after thirty years, I found this text a wonderful exposition to geometry. I did read this after watching a course on geometry published by The Teaching Company, which was quite good as well.

I had to use this book for a UW Independent Learing course because I failed the geometry course offered at my school. It is a great book for talented student that are planning to take more advanced math courses. When I started the book, it was difficult to follow; (there are very few examples, and a firm grasp of number operations and algebra is needed). But as I moved from one chapter to the next, I developed the skills neccesary to solve difficult geometry problems. I not only learned the content of the book, I also learned how to approach geometry problem with not-so-obvious solutions, and identify certain types of problems quickly. Geometry portions of standerdized tests are now a breeze for me. I agree that there are too few examples in the book, but as a student develops his problem solving skills, he won't need examples! My advice for those students who are struggling with a problem is to take a short break and review the parts of the book already read. The book is extremely well integrated, and a student needs to keep in mind what he learned in previous sections. It is no surprise to me that most teachers really like the book. Most books teach the theorems and postulates, and then give an erormous amount of problem that are essentially the same. They use repition rather than teach critical thinking. I feel priviliged to have learned from this book. I am a step ahead of my classmates. Awsome book.

I taught geometry for five years. I taught with this book and tutored in a neighboring district with the Larson book so I am uniquely and extremely familiar with both books. The Jurgensen book is superb. The exercises are well thought out and carefully take each level of student through the necessary thinking processes to thoroughly learn each concept. The challenge problems in the C (third) section of the Exercise Sections are perfect for the most capable students. Students who learn with this book will not only have learned geometry but will have honed their critical thinking skills and be well prepared for subsequent math and science courses and for the various standardized tests that they are required to take. I honestly feel sorry for the students who are using some of the other newer books. Those kids will not be competitive with the students who are using Jurgensen. The other texts simply omit the real critical thinking types of problems, even those that are doable for the average high school math student. And the school districts that choose these more "accessible" texts are just setting their students up for future mediocrity. My only thought is that the school district textbook committees simply want to get kids through their courses without parents complaining about grades. There is no other explanation.

This is an awesome book for an honors geometry course. The material is presented in a logical manner. Proofs are emphasized early and often. Homework problems have a wide range of difficulty from easy to prep school challenging. If you are a teacher teaching a non honors course, this is a great resource book for finding problems to challenge your top students. I do not recommend this book for non honors courses. If you're interested in a non-honors Geometry text, check out Larson's Geometry. There are tons of examples with clear, lengthy explanations. Perfect for the kid who can not handle a rigorous, proof based honors course. I taught honors Geometry using this book for three years. My students never had trouble doing the 15 or so problems I assigned per night. In the age of watered down school textbooks, Jurgenson's Geometry is the exception.

I have been using Geometry as the primary text in both my Geometry and Honors Geometry classes for several years. The book is very well organized and has a logical flow of topics. I have been able to teach from this book without changing the topic order. Geometry is a very traditional book, giving a substantial amount of time to the art of writing a two column proof. To me that is one of the objectives of my course; to help students to think logically. If I were to cite any objection to the book it is that I have to work hard to integrate technology into the course since the book does not readily lend itself to that. All in all however, I highly recommend the book.