Textbook Review, Grade Five
D.C. Heath and Company
Heath Mathematics Connections

Strengths

1. There are a lot of story problems, which students need in order to actually be thinking about how to solve a problem. In addition, they help kids to relate to real world situations.
2. The book is broken into sections, at the end of each section there is a chance for the child to review what they have just learned.
3. At each new topic, there is a small blue box, which entails a "think" story problem; this should get the students in the right frame of mind for the practice problems to come.
4. During each section there is a project for children to do, this gives them a chance to work in groups and share their knowledge.
5. Most topics have a "guided practice" section and then an "independent practice" section, this allows children to go through some problems with the teacher and ask questions.
6. Each chapter review involves a language connection problem, so students can be using language skills and mathematics skills at the same time.

Weaknesses

1. At times, I felt like the pages were too crowed with information, which could be distracting.
2. Some of the pictures in the book I feel are not necessarily age appropriate.
3. The book should possibly use less story problems and more straight numeration problems.
4. The order of the information in the book should have been arranged differently so that expressions were one of the last items, because I feel they are more difficult for children to pick up.
5. I didn’t like some of the excursion sections that were located at the end of each chapter, for example the using technology, I feel math time could be better used. As a teacher, I would probably not use these sections.
6. I think the "more practice" section at the end of the book is wasted space; they should have just put those problems in the chapter itself.

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