Strayer-Upton Practical Arithmetic

Overview

Strayer Upton Practical Arithmetic is a three book series that covers from 3^rd to 8^th grade mathematics. Each 500+ page, palm-sized (5"x7"x1.5") hardcover book includes two years of instruction. All instruction, exercises, problems, and tests are provided sequentially as a student independently works their way through a book.

This economical series was designed to give a child the ability to compute easily and accurately. It focuses on teaching the student how to interpret and solve situations involving numbers in everyday life. With lots of practice on each gradually introduced concept, the student builds confidence as mastery leads to success. This curriculum is designed in such a way that the student is successful with the current concept before moving on.

Written originally in the 1930's, it reflects the monetary values of the day. For instance, cupcakes cost 3 cents each, a dozen eggs is 34 cents, and a loaf of bread is 9 cents. There are also reviews of various technologies such as the telegraph and electric calculating machine and a variety of important industries from the 1930's. The historical perspective in no way takes away from the concepts and principles being taught.

Key Characteristics

1. This series is written for children in language they understand.
2. Math problems presented relate to the life and interest of the student.
3. Every new math operation or detail of a process is presented in connection with an interesting, life related problem or situation with which the student is already familiar. The "why you need to know this" is demonstrated for every concept.
4. The explanations have been made as clear and simple as possible.
5. Exercises have been designed so that all the fundamental number combinations are drilled with ample repetition. Simply by going through the exercises, students will acquire an automatic mastery of the basic combinations.
6. Exercises have been carefully ordered in increasing difficulty.
7. Checking of computations is an important habit for a student to develop. Throughout this series, checking their work is taught early and constantly required.
8. A variety of tests are provided to review skills and monitor progress
9. Carefully planned instruction in problem solving is provided throughout the series. Problem solving starts with one step problems in Book One, moves to two and three step problems in Book Two, and finishes with multi-step business, social, and economic life problems in Book Three.
10. Very few pages contain problems which may be worked using only the same operation such as addition only.
11. For students with superior ability in math, additional difficult questions are provided and marked with a *.
12. Each book covers two grades of material. Students complete one to two pages per day to finish in two school years. Some lessons have more questions and take longer than other days. Whatever a student can complete in 30 minutes is what they do that day.
13. All answers are included in the back of the textbook. Only the answers are shown - not how the answers were reached.
14. These books are hard covered textbooks. Students write their answers in a notebook.

Grade Information

Book 1 - 3^rd and 4^th Grade
Covers addition, subtraction multiplication, division, and introduces geometry, fractions, and measurement.

Book 2 - 5^th and 6^th Grade
Reviews basic operations and covers fractions, decimals and basic operations with each; measurement; consumer and personal applications; percentage; and graphs.

Book 3 - 7^th and 8^th Grade
Covers banking interest, geometry, installment buying, stocks, bonds, investments, ratio and proportion, square roots, writing and solving equations.