My 8th and 9th grade DS are taking Geometry this year. Our school permits the customization of course materials, and so I looked carefully at two different textbooks. I thought I'd share what I found in case it's useful to others here.
The Jacobs textbook is old-school in the best possible way. It emphasizes deduction and proofs, and all in a literate and smart style. The applications are fascinating. The book is relentlessly logical in its organization and presentation. The full title is GEOMETRY: SEEING, DOING, UNDERSTANDING.
By contrast, I rejected the Michael Serra DISCOVERING GEOMETRY, even though it it the standard text for our school. (Jacobs used to be the standard text; the rationale for the change isn't transparent to me.) This book may be well-suited to some learners, but it adopts an inductive and group-work approach that would drive my logical kids nuts. Cerra's website explains that most high-school students aren't ready for deductive logic, and so his textbook meets that large group where they stand, beginning each inquiry with exploration and induction and only then introducing proofs so that students can prove what they have already surmised to be true:
"Geometry has traditionally been the course in which a deductive structure is first taught and formalized. This is tradition, but not good pedagogy. In a subject that is highly visual we ask students to deny what they see until they have performed this mysterious ritual called a two-column proof."
I hope this is useful to others. I have no brief against the Cerra book, but the Jacobs is so well-suited to us.
