Abeka Arithmetic all the way through?

[Lovedtodeath]

Can you recommend sticking with it? There have been posts that say to switch between 3rd and 6th. Why would I do that? To what? Can we just stay with Abeka?

 

TIA!

[cslbda]

I'm curious to know people's experience w/ using Abeka all the way through as well. My 11yr old son has just finished w/ Abeka 7 and my 8 yr old w/ Abeka 4 and I still haven't ordered September books yet. I'm kind of tired of going through their math books first ,and crossing out so many problems because the lessons are just overkill. Honestly, I wonder if there is any child who would sit and do all the problems they give in 1 lesson w/o running sceaming from the room. :tongue_smilie:

[Lovedtodeath]

Well, I didn't go with Saxon for that reason, and the spiral approach makes it reallly hard to cross things out, IMO. Is it difficult to decide what to skip? What about mostly skipping the front of the page? When does it change from workbook to text book?

[Tiramisu]

We also experienced the screaming and running from the room with ABeka, but it started in third grade. We switched to CLE. CLE also uses a workbook format like ABeka which is helpful for some kids. I find the instructions in the student book much clearer in CLE and the introduction of concepts more incremental. There are still a lot of problems so if dd is having a hard day I may cross some out. CLE has a broader scope than ABeka but ABeka is more advanced in the introduction of certain operations like long division and multi-digit multiplication. From this board, I have the impression that many students go down a level in moving into CLE, but we moved up. There were things dd didn't know but there's so much review, she picked things up naturally.

 

I remember reading on a thread that ABeka isn't recommended for algebra on up because the content of the book hasn't been updated in generations and that it might not cover what is expected to be covered in an algebra class today.

 

HTH!

[Avila]

I can't answer the first part, but I think I can answer why some people and most private schools switch out. We do A Beka math for 1-3. Originally, I planned to do this because that is what the Mother of Divine Grace syllabus suggested, and I was too new to argue. But then, once we got going with it, I figured out why. When my oldest, who is not a mathy kid, got to A Beka math 3, she stalled out. It started to move too fast for her and it didn't give enough time to practicing new concepts before it moved on, so she was always feeling panicky and behind, like she didn't understand math. There really is a change in the 3rd grade book with regard to speed.

 

We had her tested that year, and math was actually her best score, but she hated the A Beka book, and so we went ahead and switched to Saxon, which doesn't make her cry. She did well enough with A Beka math 3, even with all the drama, to test into Saxon 65, but I put her in Saxon 54 because of her math phobia, and it was the right choice for her.

 

My next daughter has had no problems with A Beka so far, and she loves math, so we may stick it out with A Beka a little longer. I imagine we will still switch over to Saxon though. If you stay with A Beka, you will only make it to Pre-Algebra, instead of Algebra in 8th grade, and that can negatively affect your child's test scores in high school, since they won't have geometry in time for the first round of testing. A friend who uses A Beka all the way through once told me this was the only thing she would have changed for her kids, and she would have doubled up in the early years or done school round to stay with A Beka but still get through 8th grade Algebra.

 

I think this one is like most of the other homeschool decisions we make. If you like A Beka, and it is working for your child, you need to weigh that against whether improving a test score down the road is worth it and what kind of advantage or disadvantage that really is for the long- and short-term of it.

 

ETA: Saxon changes after 3rd grade. The homeschool version they sell is a soft-cover textbook that requires writing in another notebook to do the work, and only the test packet is consumable. If you have a child who really likes workbooks, Saxon 54 and up may be a problem in that respect. And it is a spiral program, but so is A Beka. I haven't skipped anything so far. We do the speed drill, then we do up to the last problem set orally. She has to write out the last problem set, but it is only about 25 problems so far, and I don't feel like that is excessive for her. I know if you post this part of how to adapt Saxon on the high school board or do a search, you will end up with tons of responses!

 

Good luck!

Edited June 20, 2009 by Asenik

[Paula in MS]

I went to a school that used Abeka all the way through except for 12th grade, they did Calculus using a college textbook. We all did very well on the math ACT. I scored a nearly perfect score (on the math portion, anyway :).) I also did very well on the GMAT (math portion) for grad school. All with Abeka. I'm very math-minded as well, but apparently, it taught me what I needed to know. (This school has a history of very high test scores using Abeka. It wasn't just me.)

 

Everyone who took Calculus in 12th grade did great with it. They had all the tools they needed from Abeka. I really felt like I understood math. I knew how to think through new problems that I had never seen before.

 

If you like it, keep using it, or add a supplement. I am using it with my dd and plan to continue through high school, but I may accelerate the sequence.

 

Good Luck!

 

Paula

[amtmcm]

My DD12 used A Beka through 5th grade. It's outstanding for elementary grades! However, by 5th grade my DD was ready to move onto Pre-Algebra (thanks to A Beka) so using another year of elementary math was out of the question.

 

I have only looked through A Beka's upper level books and I didn't care for the layout or the story problems. I found them to be poorly worded and unnecessarily confusing. But that's just my opinion - I'm sure it is a rigorous curriculum.

[Lovedtodeath]

My DD12 used A Beka through 5th grade. It's outstanding for elementary grades! However, by 5th grade my DD was ready to move onto Pre-Algebra (thanks to A Beka) so using another year of elementary math was out of the question.

 

I have only looked through A Beka's upper level books and I didn't care for the layout or the story problems. I found them to be poorly worded and unnecessarily confusing. But that's just my opinion - I'm sure it is a rigorous curriculum.

So what did you use after 5th grade Abeka? LOF alone?

[coffeefreak]

I think it could be one of several things:

1. There's a lot of new information in any third grade book. No matter what you're using, it could be that you need to slow down and supplement, or switch programs altogether.

2. While a program may work for you to teach addition and subtraction, when you get to multiplication and division it may fall short.

3. The kids may just need something new to keep it interesting and switch it up a bit.

 

When we first started homeschooling, EVERYONE told me to find a math program and stick with it. The public schools don't even do that. Do you know how many math programs we've been through just to teach the basics? I don't think there was anything wrong with the math programs, my DD just wasn't getting it. Every program teaches the concepts differently, and you sometimes have to switch just to keep them engaged. We were using Horizons and things were great. Then, their 3rd grade book threw us for a loop. We switched to A Beka and now, we're doing great again.

 

One last thing I wanted to mention, my dd is a soon to be 3rd grader half way through A Beka's 3rd grade book. We'll finish it in the fall and then move on to 4th grade. That might also be the issue. A Beka, Horizons, and BJU seem to be advanced to me. That might be why people switch to something different.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

[Lovedtodeath]

Thanks!

[cslbda]

What I do for my kids, is have them work the 1st page which usually presents all new material. The 2nd page is where I cross out problems. For example, instead of 3 long division problems, they'll only have to do one. My theory is that if you know how to do a problem, you don't need to do 10 of the same problem on the same day. So my my philosophy is to introduce a new principle and then work on some old ones. Of course, the great thing about homeschooling is that you know which area your kids need extra work in and what they don't.

[amtmcm]

So what did you use after 5th grade Abeka? LOF alone?

 

We used Saxon Algebra 1/2. My DD did well with it, but all the jumping around made me nuts. We're reviewing with LOF Fractions & Decimals during the summer and my DD loves it! We'll use LOF Beg Alg in the fall and TT Alg 2 in the spring for extra practice. Then back to LOF Adv Alg the following year.

[LadyAberlin]

Well when I was teaching highschool math at a homeschool co-op about 5 yrs ago, I considered Abeka for out text. I decided against it because it is outdated. Some of the methods that they use for solving problems are not the methods used now since we have graphing calculators. I chose to go with BJU instead who had updated their texts. But there is religious content in their math texts, so you aren't going to want to go with that. It is a very good curriculum though. I would encourage you to read the review about Abeka at cathyduffyreviews.com. CLE is good, I don't know about religious content though. You could switch to Key to... as well.

[Lovedtodeath]

Thanks for yet another perspective Lady A. Now it ocurred to me that by the time I need to switch DD will be mature enough to handle other's beliefs cropping up in a math program. At what point would the graphing calculator come in? Of course, there is always the possibility of an update to Abeka or a whole new secular math program by that point as well. She is only 7 now.

Edited June 21, 2009 by Lovedtodeath

[RootAnn]

Some of the methods that they use for solving problems are not the methods used now since we have graphing calculators.

 

Being the neo-Luddite that I am, that would be a definite plus for me. I don't plan on letting my kids use a calculator *for math* until they are older. (Not sure how much older, but definitely "older.")

 

I remember having to use a graphing calculator for my pre-Calc class in high school. Every one of the kids in my class bought theirs and got absolutely hooked onto it. I borrowed one from the high school for that year (an offered alternative) and turned it in at the end of the year. The rest of the kids used theirs for Calculus the following year. I didn't and found I didn't lose anything (and actually understood some of the basic concepts better) by it. Most of my college classmates (for my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering) were ultra-reliant on their graphing calculators. I got along with my solar powered "scientific" calculator that I'd had for years (and still keep in my purse).

 

I don't know what we will use after A Beka 3. My oldest started it this spring but we are taking the summer off to solidify math facts before jumping back in at some point this fall. We plan on taking it year-by-year.

[Lovedtodeath]

Being the neo-Luddite that I am, that would be a definite plus for me. I don't plan on letting my kids use a calculator *for math* until they are older. (Not sure how much older, but definitely "older.")

 

I remember having to use a graphing calculator for my pre-Calc class in high school. Every one of the kids in my class bought theirs and got absolutely hooked onto it. I borrowed one from the high school for that year (an offered alternative) and turned it in at the end of the year. The rest of the kids used theirs for Calculus the following year. I didn't and found I didn't lose anything (and actually understood some of the basic concepts better) by it. Most of my college classmates (for my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering) were ultra-reliant on their graphing calculators. I got along with my solar powered "scientific" calculator that I'd had for years (and still keep in my purse).

 

I don't know what we will use after A Beka 3. My oldest started it this spring but we are taking the summer off to solidify math facts before jumping back in at some point this fall. We plan on taking it year-by-year.

Keep me posted!:bigear:

[LadyAberlin]

I'm talking about the highschool programs. They've updated their younger programs. See I didn't use a graphing calculator in highschool either, but I wish I had. I was having to get crash calculator courses in my Calc classes when everyone else already knew how to use them. What I'm referring to is that the book had you looking up tables in the back of the book instead of using a calculator. I do agree you probably will have a better understanding, especially of graphing if you actually have ot manually graph something. I kind of would like a mix. BJU introduces the graphing calculator but it isn't real heavy into using it. It is just enough to familiarize you with it. Plus BJU has a way of making you do it the hard way first and then after you finally get the hand of it, they show you the eay way. I remember in highschool how they had me factoring quadratic equations and I hated it and then they introduced the quadratic formula. I never loved a formula so much in my life LOL. With BJU it is easy to skip religious content once you are in highschool. There aren't the drawings in the highschool texts like there are in the younger texts. Plus like you said, once they are in highschool then it really wouldn't be a problem.