While software to accompany the upper level Saxon math curriculum has been around for a while, Saxon Teacher "is the first ever official multimedia supplement to the Saxon homeschool program."

The six-CD set I received is for Saxon Algebra 1. It contains all of the 120 lessons and step-by-step solutions for all problems and tests. It is designed to supplement--not replace--the Saxon curriculum. The student is instructed to follow along in his text as the CD plays.

The voice-over on the CD is a pleasant woman's voice. This audio instructor presents the lesson not in exactly the same words but very close, and she follows the same order and uses the same procedures. The image is a small black curser writing out the lessons and problems in what looks like the black ink of a calligraphy pen on a light blue background.

You simply choose a lesson number and then one of several videos per lesson: Instruction 1, 2, or 3, which corresponds to the subparts of each lesson in the text, Practice, or Problems 1-30.

I can think of many practical applications for these instructional CDs. The student and parent-teacher could go through the lessons together with the CDs, the student could use them to teach himself the lesson, or they could be used before the lesson as a primer or after as a review to reinforce the concepts.

All thirty problems in every lesson are covered step-by-step, complete with answers. This is helpful in seeing precisely where one has erred on missed problems. Hopefully, families will use the problem section in this way--as a checking system for the work and not as a way to bypass the independent working of the problems by the student.

Saxon Teacher will be a welcome addition to busy homeschools with upper level Saxon math students, providing extra help and flexibility in teaching and learning.

Product review by Kathy Gelzer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, September 2008