I.Dup. Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 For those of you who are familiar with or use these programs, what are the reasons you chose the one you did, above the others? We did R&S for 1st and found it too dry and dull. We're trying out 1B in Singapore now, but I'm finding the concepts so fast moving and difficult to grasp, and very difficult to teach (still waiting on the HIG though- didn't think I'd need it for 1st grade :tongue_smilie:). So these are the 4 programs I've narrowed down to. WDYT? Why do you like one of these, above the others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) I think it depends on if you want spiral or mastery. Singapore is highly regarded as an excellent mastery curriculum. We used A Beka for K-3 and it is a rigorous spiral method. Saxon is also spiral. My only experience with Saxon was Algebra 1/2 and I hated teaching from it because it jumped around too much and didn't stay on any concept - it kept building on previous concepts and would come back. For me, that spiral was extreme and literally gave me a headache. We were very happy with A Beka for K-3 and my children liked the colorful pages. Drill is so important in the grammar stage - I strongly believe children should quickly be able to calculate basic addition, subtraction, times tables, etc... in their head and A Beka builds this strong math foundation. I think it is lacking in beginning geometry and estimation, so I personally would switch to something else after 3rd or 4th - I like CLE (spiral) and my DD is using TT6 for 4th because she in kinesthetic and thrives with a multimedia approach. I've never used Horizons. So, if you want mastery then Singapore would be your best option. If your child learns and retains better with a spiral approach then you'd be looking at A Beka or Saxon. Edited July 20, 2009 by amtmcm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeegal Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 For those of you who are familiar with or use these programs, what are the reasons you chose the one you did, above the others? We did R&S for 1st and found it too dry and dull. We're trying out 1B in Singapore now, but I'm finding the concepts so fast moving and difficult to grasp, and very difficult to teach (still waiting on the HIG though- didn't think I'd need it for 1st grade :tongue_smilie:). So these are the 4 programs I've narrowed down to. WDYT? Why do you like one of these, above the others? We started with Singapore, back during the days of the Singapore/Saxon math wars. Singapore was not working for us because the concepts jumped too fast for my children. After struggling with Singapore for months and even attempting to restart a couple of times, I decided to jump ship to Saxon. It was one of the best homeschooling decisions I've made. The incremental lessons are perfect for my children. They're often able to intuit the next step being taught. The constant review drills the concepts into their heads, and they love the variety in each problem set. Nothing drives them more crazy than an entire page of 1 type of problem. :lol: I've never used Abeka, and only glanced at Horizon. Horizon looked like it would move too fast for my children without enough review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 Thank you both! That helps a lot. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenS Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 We picked Horizons because it was colorful, and varied (spiral), and it looked easy to skip extra review bits that we didn't need. And, well, I was tired of looking. :) It's worked well for us so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 We like Horizons because it's color, worksheets, and a spiral method--lots of review. That said, some people find Horizons to move quickly. We use it a level below what their grade level is, and my kids still test high in math, so I think it's advanced. If you can, check out samples of all the books online. We started with Singapore but it didn't have enough review for us. Sonlight has samples of Horizons online. Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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