Abeka math vs BJU Math

[MrsMe]

I've done a search but couldn't come up with these two together.

 

I've narrowed my Math to BJU, but am now looking at Abeka.

 

For grades 2-3 can you compare or tell me about the Abeka program and the TM for me? Oh and I'm not math oriented.

 

Thanks.

Edited May 28, 2009 by alilac

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[PeterPan]

http://www.hightestscores.com You can see the results for yourself. BJU's interpretation is that their slow and steady focus on understanding in the lower grades builds a stronger foundation to achieve what turn out to be higher test scores over the long run.

 

For me it was more simple. Abeka is spiral, little color. BJU is mastery with challenging application problems, fun themes, COLOR, interactive concept-based lessons, etc. BJU was everything I wanted in a math program and all the fun things my dd needed. But I do like the Abeka tests and speed drills books. ;)

 

I didn't know the cost of the tm's went up with the new editions, but it makes sense. You're now getting on those cd's everything that we had to buy as separate workbooks in the previous edition. I HIGHLY recommend using those supplementary materials, and I'd drool, salivate, and definitely use the new edition of the BJU math, not the old.

[1shortmomto4]

I've been using BJU Math both the 2nd and 3rd editions and my kids have tested way above the norm. My dd, who was math-phobic, when she came home from PS back in 2nd grade, started using BJU Math 3 (the 2nd edition) and on through until 6th grade and at the end of last year she tested above the 7th grade levels and was ready for Pre-Algebra. She is using BJU's DVD PreAlgebra this year and has done wonderfully. My ds who is 3rd this year has enjoyed all the new revisions to BJU Math from K right on up through 3rd and he has also scored way above his grade level. My youngest is currently using the program for K and he is doing great (haven't tested yet this year). My oldest son who is in 9th is using the BJU Algebra DVD and also doing wonderfully and tests high on his end-of-year test/state requirements. I absolutely LOVE the new editions and am disappointed that Math 4 will not be released this year! I had hoped to use the newest editions but oh well. Why do I like BJU - no drill, no timed-tests, no pressures. The concepts are built on, reviewed and mastered throughout the year. The new editions have a review portion on the worksheet each day and cummulative review at the end of each chapter (you can choose to do or not to do). Lessons don't take hours to work through - maybe 30 mins tops - no tears, no complaining, no fuss. You are free to use the TM's scripted lessons to your needs/child's needs. I've actually been using the 3rd grade this year without the TM because it came out later than the workbook. My son has been doing great and I was surprised at myself that I was able to do the teaching "all on my own." It's doable.

[TracyR]

BJU is a mastery math program. It focuses on one concept at a time. I agree, its a slow and steady wins the race type of math program. Its great for children who need color, and fun little themes to function. Its also good for children that pick math up easily as well. The teacher manuals are helpful and from the sounds of it the newer ones are even better( I've used BJU math for K, 1,2,3, and now 6th this year).

 

Cons:

1. Not for children where color distracts them.

2. Not for children who need continous review. BJU math does review but it doesn't continously review through out the entire program.

3. Not for children who aren't able to focus on one topic at a time and need to learn it small bits.

 

Abeka math is just as colorful in the younger grades. It starts getting less fun looking by about 4th grade. Many children do well with the math program. It is a spiral math program meaning they continously review concepts through out the whole math program. It does move fast for some children. But I've seen children test well in the early grades using Abeka. I've seen some families get to a point though where they feel they can't teach the math comfortabley. Not with all families but some.

Abeka is great for children needing to learn information a little bit at a time.

 

Abeka is not for:

1. Kids that get math quickly. They may find the constant review to be to much.

2. Kids that prefer to focus on one topic at a time rather then being given many different concepts at one time.

 

 

I'm sure there are more pros and cons to each math program. Those are the only ones I can think of at the moment. Either way you can't go wrong. BJU is a fun math program to use. They utilize all different types of learning styles whether its visual(using pictures), kinestetic( using manipulatives to see), or whether they are auditory( they include fun stories to read about the characters in each level up to 4th grade, then when it hits 5th grade it switches to textbook form and they can read their own stories). BJU teaches the hows and why's to math and teaches them different tricks to figure out how to come to an answer.

 

Abeka really is made for the child that just wants to know 2+2=4 and wants to move on. For children who could care less about color. There is some color and pictures in the early grades. It continues to have color just begins to focus more on the math and less on pictures.

 

In the end it just depends on what you want and what works best for your child(ren).

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[Lovedtodeath]

I have not used BJU. Abeka kept me from having to put DD in PS. Horizons and MUS flopped along with supplements from Rightstart and Addition Made Easy.

 

The speed drills are exactly what we needed. If I switch to another program down the line (I have been warned that Abeka gets boring around 5th grade), I will most likely keep the speed drills. I have reviewed Abeka with a lot of information recently.

[MrsMe]

This is very helpful! Thanks ladies! I think slow and steady is best, especially coming from Saxon. So I think we'll give BJU a try over the summer. Abeka sounds like she'll get frustrated with the pace. My dd isn't particularily good with drill, but (go figure) she thinks they're fun. Not a biggy though. And Abeka while I'm sure their program is good, I'm a bit frustrated with their lack of samples and giving them out. I don't have time to wait a month for a materials display as I wish to get started over the summer. I emailed them and they're unwilling to send me any.

 

OhElizabeth...looking at your siggy line, I'm interested to know how long your school day is. You're using a lot of things I'm interested in using and after last year, I'm looking at "time" now.

[Lovedtodeath]

Abeka Arithmetic saved my homeschool! Before...

 

When we did Horizons it was all worksheet. The TM

 

DD was really struggling in math before we switched to Abeka. I do not think that it is too difficult.

[Lovedtodeath]

Lack of samples is frustrating! I have first and second grade, and I can take pictures. :)

 

I understand if you want to go with BJU. I am not trying to convince you. lol

 

It seems from what I have read that BJU may be easier to stick to for the long haul.

Edited May 28, 2009 by Lovedtodeath

[MrsMe]

Lack of samples is frustrating! I have first and second grade, and I can take pictures. :)

 

I understand if you want to go with BJU. I am not trying to convince you. lol

 

It seems from what I have read that BJU may be easier to stick to for the long haul.

 

Aw, you're so sweet. From all I'm taking in, I think Abeka may move too fast. We're coming from Saxon and it's very slow. I'm trying to do a lateral shift over, quick and painless as possible, but still make the changes we need. But isn't Abeka spiral and BJU mastery?

 

However....if you can send me a pic of the TE of latter 2nd grade, I can get an idea of the TM. BJU is scripted and since I stink at math, that is helpful. But Abeka's TE maye be just as helpful without scripting. Thanks! I'll pm you with my email address.

[Omma]

I absolutely LOVE the new editions and am disappointed that Math 4 will not be released this year! I had hoped to use the newest editions but oh well. .

 

I had heard that the new edition of Math 4 was to be released in September or so. Is this not true anymore? I had heard that the workbooks would be ready by July, but the TM's were to be ready in September. I had heard this from a BJU rep. at the end of April at a homeschool convention.

 

Let me know if this is now incorrect, as I was planning on buying the new TM in September.

 

Thanks!

 

Brenda

[PeterPan]

Lilac, our school days have always been pretty close to the old adage of grade + 1 for hours work. I don't count free reading in that time. Math especially is something where you have a real age-limiting tolerance. Or rather, each year my dd has worked a bit longer. Work what you can work and be done. However I will say that my dd works LONGER at the BJU math without complaining, because the way it's broken up makes it feel like less. Psychology, eh? :) Oh, and this was the first year I gave her any of it as homework to be completed in the evening. It actually went pretty well, so it's definitely a tool in my arsenal for the future.

[Amber in AUS]

Thanks for this thread. I had been wondering how they compared bc TWTM recommends Abeka but doesn't BJU and i don't have the new one to read for myself why.

[Lovedtodeath]

While taking pictures of the Abeka curriculum guide (I don't have a scanner, but they are legible), I noticed that there is indeed scripting. I can forward them to anyone else who wants them if you want to PM me an email address.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

However I will say that my dd works LONGER at the BJU math without complaining, because the way it's broken up makes it feel like less. Psychology, eh? :) Oh, and this was the first year I gave her any of it as homework to be completed in the evening. It actually went pretty well, so it's definitely a tool in my arsenal for the future.

I have had the exact same experience with Abeka.

[5ray2006]

I had heard that the new edition of Math 4 was to be released in September or so. Is this not true anymore? I had heard that the workbooks would be ready by July, but the TM's were to be ready in September. I had heard this from a BJU rep. at the end of April at a homeschool convention.

 

Let me know if this is now incorrect, as I was planning on buying the new TM in September.

 

Thanks!

 

Brenda

 

I talked to a BJU rep at our homeschool convention earlier this month. She said they are revising the math one year at a time. The 4th grade should be ready for Spring of next year. However, they may release the student worktext earlier like they did with Math 3. The worktext was out a long time before the TE. The TE for Math 3 has only been out for several months, so it may be awhile before Math 4 is available in the new edition.

[HiddenJewel]

It can depend on what direction you want to go with math. If you don't mind more of a drill aspect with emphasis on learning the formulas then Abeka will work just fine for you. If you want a more thorough understanding of the formulas, then BJU would be the better choice.

[1shortmomto4]

Omma -

 

I emailed BJU (haven't been to a conference or motel meeting yet) and they wouldn't commit on an answer to Math 4. Last year, when you did a search on Math 3 Third Edition on the BJU website I was able to find the item #s for the worktext and TM. I was able to buy the worktext in July (it had just been released) but the TM didn't release until the end of September. Hmmm... maybe there are hopes after all. I ended up not getting the TM since I forgot about it and just worked through the worktext and we've been fine. I did recently get a little stuck on some geometry (needing some visuals) but still had my Math 4 charts from the 2nd edition, so I pulled that and we were off and running. I guess I'll keep checking the website and see if something doesn't come up soon. That would be awesome and you've given me reason to hope for the new edition!

 

P.S. I have found the reps much more reliable than the website.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

It can depend on what direction you want to go with math. If you don't mind more of a drill aspect with emphasis on learning the formulas then Abeka will work just fine for you. If you want a more thorough understanding of the formulas, then BJU would be the better choice.

What do you base this on? I am not being argumentative, I am wondering b/c I want what is best for DD and we are using Abeka. We are starting fractions and we cut an apple in half and put it back together, then we took groups of crayons and divided them in half. I think it was teaching the concept really well. :confused:

[Melissa in CA]

What do you base this on? I am not being argumentative, I am wondering b/c I want what is best for DD and we are using Abeka. We are starting fractions and we cut an apple in half and put it back together, then we took groups of crayons and divided them in half. I think it was teaching the concept really well. :confused:

 

What grade of Abeka math is your dd using? I used grades 1 and 2 and loved, loved, loved the Curriculum guide. I thought it helped me teach math so very well with things like you have stated. It would boggle my mind when people would say that Abeka did not have any hands-on aspect to it. :confused: That was until I purchased the 3rd grade Math Curriculum Manual (guide, or whatever it is called! lol) and saw that it did not have nearly as much hands-on to it. I was very disappointed in it. In fact, that was one of the reasons I began looking for another curriculum in 3rd which lead me to MUS for a year and ultimately to BJU. The other being that Abeka began zooming through multiplication at a rate faster than the speed of sound. :blink: :lol:

 

In comparison, even in 4th grade BJU uses lots and lots of manipulatives for teaching the whys and this has continued all the way through 6th...though in 6th my son has not really needed manips. So, perhaps that is the difference between the two? Abeka doesn't continue in the manips as long as BJU?

 

Anyhow, I don't know how the 4th grade+ Abeka manuals are, I truly don't. Perhaps they have changed since then, but I noticed a big difference between the 2nd grade and the 3rd. I am guessing you are using 1st or 2nd grade? :D

[Lovedtodeath]

I am using first and I have the second on the shelf. Thanks for the run-down. I will probably switch to BJU or CLE at some point b/c I have heard that Abeka isn't as good later on. I have also contemplated TT. So, maybe I will do that in third rather than later. :)

[HiddenJewel]

What do you base this on? I am not being argumentative, I am wondering b/c I want what is best for DD and we are using Abeka. We are starting fractions and we cut an apple in half and put it back together, then we took groups of crayons and divided them in half. I think it was teaching the concept really well. :confused:

 

Personal experience and observing other children who use Abeka. The day I discovered my dd could get the correct answer without understanding what she was doing was a real wake up call. We were in grade 3. I thought that if you could get the problem correct, you understood the process. So not true.

 

If the parent is taking the time each lesson to make sure the student can explain the process thoroughly then this problem can be averted. Of course, this needs to happen with any curriculum. However, there are some programs that are better at requiring a student to understand the steps and aren't so focused on just the formula.

Edited May 29, 2009 by HiddenJewel

[Lovedtodeath]

Ah, I see... yes, I know some people do not even use the guide for Abeka, but only the worksheets.

[lovemykids]

We used Abeka and it was the best math program I have found for grades K-3. It does go faster than the speed of light in third grade, but not faster than the new University of Chicago School of Mathematics project that they are using in some PS classes now. :lol:

 

I have used BJU, Horizons, Saxon, McRuffy and Math Mammoth (which I love as a supplement). CLE looks very good but we have not used it.

 

Oh, and your child should be ready for TT math 5 halfway through Abeka 3. LOL. :confused:

[BeckyFL]

When I was doing testing, Abeka students often scored high in computations but low in concepts.

[amtmcm]

We used Abeka and it was the best math program I have found for grades K-3. .....

 

Oh, and your child should be ready for TT math 5 halfway through Abeka 3. LOL. :confused:

 

:iagree:

 

A Beka has been outstanding for both of my DD's in elementary school. My 3rd grader has her math facts down cold and we'll be doing TT next year because she fell in love with it when I was researching for my DD12. I tested her and she'll be doing TT Math 6 for 4th grade. I figure it this way: A Beka is a year ahead (so she'd be 5th grade equivalent) and TT is a year behind, so TT6 is more like 5th grade).

 

If I were to do it over with my DD12, I would have switched her out of A Beka after 3rd or 4th grade. Her skills were solid enough to test into Saxon 1/2 (Pre-Algebra) for 6th grade, but she had very little previous exposure to negative numbers, estimation or geometry from A Beka.

 

In other words, I also agree with the above statement that A Beka is great for K-3. My DD12 attended a Math class this year with a professional instructor and he swears by A Beka for K-3 or K-4.

 

Hope this helps,

[74Heaven]

We have used the Curriculum Lesson Plan guides all the way through. They are excellent for teaching full understanding and complete concepts. I think many people use A beka w/o the Curric/Lesson plan books and then just teach from the student text/teacher answer key combo. This is not completely wise imho unless the parent is very clear on adding info and problem solving skill work that is included in the Curric/Lesson plans.

 

I am using A beka for my 5th child [Ker] and have stuck with it after several detours with my firstborn always brought me back to A beka.

 

I will say that I make sure math is a huge priority in our homeschool and we spend a minimum of 40minutes most days for math in the early grades even an hour [sometimes needs to be broken down into smaller time periods ] when we are hauling out those manips. [we used Cuisinaire rods in grades 1-4 as our manipulatives].

 

We have been thrilled, two of our five are solid A students in math and two others are in the B-plus range usually. My Ker has no grades -smile. Btw I don't use the K math book, we just take the grade one book slowly with the Ker over 1.5 to 2 years. I just started doing this with my two youngest [both boys] and have found they are ending up 1/2 to 1 year ahead of grade level without me really meaning for them to be ahead.

 

One caveat, I abandon A beka in the algebra stage after 8th grade because I found I needed more teacher help that is not available in the older grades. We do Videotext Alg 1 and 2; followed by BJU DVDs for Geometry.

 

A second caveat, I have never used BJU for math so have no opinion on that. We started with Chalkdust Geometry and dtr was just not getting it/enjoying it so we switched to BJU because I had bought the grade-level package and I had it on the shelf. IT has worked well and I have no complaints.

 

Lisaj

[Lovedtodeath]

I am convinced that I have the best for now. Now I am worried about when I should switch to BJU. :o

[Brindee]

With ds15, we loved A Beka K-2. 3 was okay, but we did NOT like the 4th grade book, so switched to something else. If we would've used A Beka with our dd, we would've used K-2 then switched to a different program.