The Studies in Geometry Series is composed of four paperback workbooks for geometry practice. Each book focuses on one topic of high school geometry (circles, triangles, constructions, and proofs) and each may be used independently of the others. The workbooks have colorful laminated covers, include 50-64 pages, and sell for $10.95 each. The Proofs Workbook should be used after the student has mastered most basic geometry concepts, but the other books could be completed in any order.

Each lesson explains a concept, gives examples, then provides practice activities. The lessons are short, so more than one could be completed in one day, especially if the concept is review for the student. Each book starts instruction with the basics (diameter and radius of a circle, types of triangles), so even if a student has missed some elementary level concepts, the books don’t assume previous knowledge.

My daughter is studying geometry this year, so we have been using the series as a supplement to fill in gaps and to make sure she has thoroughly mastered concepts. Although the books are fairly short, they do seem thorough and cover all of the important concepts about circles and triangles. The Constructions Workbook is much more thorough than her regular textbook, requiring the student to construct figures such as circles inscribed inside triangles and tangents to circles. In order to work through the material more quickly and to enable me to assess how well my daughter has mastered the material, we are working through the books together, doing lessons orally when possible.

The Proofs Workbook is especially helpful for us. Proofs are taught as a separate unit after the student has learned the basic concepts instead being spread throughout various chapters as I have seen in other texts. First, the student is taught strategies for solving proofs— write down everything you know; develop ideas into lines of reasoning; work backward from the statement to be proved, and so on. Not until the last chapter is the student required to write formal 2-column proofs; by then, he or she should find the process easy.

This series does seem to be pretty thorough in its coverage of triangles, circles, constructions, and proofs. Because geometry covers some additional topics, the series cannot be considered a complete course, but is an excellent tool for summer review or additional practice, particularly if the student needs review in one particular topic.

—Product Review by Debbie Lott, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, October, 2015