what kind of curriculum is Abeka?

[Emmy]

I was at a friends' house last night and she mentioned using abeka in her homeschool; she also mentioned that our local Christian private school used portions of Abeka. I have heard of it but have never researched it - looking at their website I didn't really see an explanation of what kind of philosophy they use - is it textbook based?

[Tina in WA]

It is a Christian textbook program written for their schools. I have used it for years. Now I only use the Math (up to a certain grade then it is Teaching Textbooks).

 

Personally I found it hard to used Abeka for several children for all subjects. But that is just me. Others do fine with Abeka and LOVE it. :)

[HollyDay]

Abeka does have local hotel meetings if you are interested. It is similar to BJU or Christian Liberty. They have taken their school materials and made it available to homeschoolers. So, it is very textbooky/workbooky. It is doing "school at home". This is not a bad thing if that is your learning style. I have several friends who use only Abeka (I affectionately call them Abekites!). Most are doing elementary. My most devoted Abeka user friend uses only Abeka up until Jr High - then she switches to Sax math and BJU science. She recently switched over to BJU Reading as well. So now she is only using Abeka history, spelling, grammar, bible, and health.

 

It is a good program, but like everything else, it depends on your personality and that of your dc. One gf switched from Abeka to Sonlight because she hated the textbook approach of Abeka. Another switched from Sonlight to Abeka dvd because she needed more structure and a different approach with a new baby in the house. So, alot depends on what and how you want to do your home school.

[Ellie]

ABeka Book is a traditional, textbook-oriented, Christian publisher. Its materials are used by the majority of Christian schools; that is, of the Christian schools that use materials with a Christian POV, ABeka is the largest supplier (although BJUP is gaining ground). Many Christian homeschoolers use ABeka when they first start out because they took their dc out of Christian schools which used all ABeka, or the teachers at their churches teach at schools which use all ABeka and so that's what they are most familiar with.

 

Not as many hsers stay with ABeka through their whole hsing experience, though, as there are so many other products available which are better, not to mention the materials which have been written by and for hsers and so really have a hs philosophy/POV. ABeka's hs teacher manuals notwithstanding, it is still written for a classroom setting and therefor not always the best fit for hsers. (The same can be said for BJUP or R&S, although R&s lends itself well to hsing because all materials were written with the multi-grade, one-room school in mind.)

[LilyK]

Abeka's claim to fame is their phonics program. Between grades K through 3rd, I won't use anything else for phonics and language. I really love it.

 

It is very much a traditional workbook curriculum, which requires both a patient parent and child.

 

FYI, it is very conservative, something which comes across in all of their subjects, not just Bible or history.

[G5052]

My SIL is graduating her oldest next month, and they've always used all A Beka with Saxon math with their five children.

 

I'm not a textbook person and hate grading. My dear SIL spends several hours a night grading and recording each individual subject for her children. That would burn me out in no time!

[Emmy]

thank you for all the replies - I have to say, reading them I realize how much homeschooling stuff is "out there" that I've never even looked at. I have no idea what BJU is or Christian Liberty. I fell into homeschooling and this is only my 2nd year - all I've ever really researched at length are sonlight and winterpromise.

 

I think I'll look at abeka's phonics program, I've been using OPG + ETC and it works great at the beginning but we seem to flounder at around lesson 100....

[ckweyant]

My dd used Abeka throughout her Christain school years, 2nd through 7th. She has just been admitted to the local community college, she is only 14yo. I cant say enough about Abeka, however, I found it entirely too hard to teach, especially as they get into tougher material.

[Emmy]

Just so you know in case this is your first time teaching reading.... Most kids hit a couple of walls along the way and giving them time and backing up a bit usually does the trick. You could switch curriculums but usually by the time you research, and pick something else, and order it, and start it... the child has just gotten over their little wall and all would be well no matter what.

 

Hmmmm. this is probably a good point. My oldest floundered a bit once we got past the simple vowel combinations but then it just kind of went away and he ended up reading without much more phonics instruction at all. My 2nd son has hit a wall on the blends.....th is really tough for him and he looks at me like I have 3 heads when I try to tell him ph = fffff LOL. I probably just need to wait it out rather than switch. Sometimes I do feel like the order of phonics concepts in OPG is kind of hard.

[Testimony]

It is one of the first traditional textbook programs that started selling to homeschoolers. It is a safe way to go if you are just starting. It will cover all the bases. As you feel more confident, you tweek more to fit your family. Also, I know a family where the mother was hospitalized and in a wheelchair. The A Beka DVD program helped them to continue homeschooling their son while mom was in and out of the hospital. Praise God there are many options available for homeschoolers.

 

Just so that you know, there are different teaching philosophies or different approaches to teaching. You stated that you did not know what BJ and Christian Liberty were. They are "traditional" or textbook approach program.

 

Other approaches out there are:

 

1. Classical Approach - which is the Well Trained Mind

2. Principle Approach

3. Charlotte Mason Approach

4. Unschooling Approach

 

Blessings in your homeschooling journey.:auto:

 

Sincerely,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Pine Ledge Academy]

I used Abeka in school and did not like it much, for example,...it was good in grammar but terrible in lit, which i loved. We read MacBeth and the test questions were "who said...", never seemed to get any deeper than that. I would not use it for my children, but some do really like it.

[mnllj7]

I live in Pensacola where they make the Abeka Books, We have a school called Pensacola Christian Academy and PEnsacola Christian College, the college is where they make the books.

 

It is a textbook approach just as a public school would have, but it is with a christian worldview.

 

Their phonics program is great it is recommended in the well trained mind. Their grammar program is really good too.

 

I have used alot of their material. I really enjoy their readers for each year, they are Character based training. History stories. and are very enjoyable.

 

For Grammar i prefer Rod and Staff, it is also a textbook approach, but being a mennonite based program, it is not colorful like Abeka.

however, it is very thorough, and much cheaper to buy.

 

living in Pensacola, I am not able to purchase the curriculum guides from Abeka. not allowed unless i live more than 50 miles away from the school. I can however buy the texts and tests and answer keys, but i have to sign a paper saying i wont show it to anyone especially who goes to the school.

 

Having the Abeka program here, and the private school here, Their school is the most inexpensive private school in pensacola, and one of the best. nancyt.

[2cents]

We've only used A Beka for our math through grade 7 then we switch to another for higher math. According to what I've researched, A Beka is not a good in the higher math area. Others report there are gaps in Algebra and up. We have had great success with the math through 7 though. My kids like math a lot so that is part of it. Some people say it moves too quickly but we've found that since we do all the review and don't skip anything, it has not been a problem. I've found it to be generally about a grade or more ahead of the average grade level work and that is a nice thing if the children use standardized testing for the evaluation. I don't use any of the other A Beka products because we try to stay with secular material as much as possible. A Beka math has very little religious content and it doesn't affect the math portions at all. I have know several hs'ers that are just using the A Beka math as well.

Edited March 15, 2010 by 2cents

[mnllj7]

I live in Pensacola, Fl where they make the Abeka Curriculum. So many homeschoolers in my area use it all the time. My two older daughters actually went to their private school. Pensacola CHristian Academy. I loved their books. We still use their readers. They are extremely traditional. Teaches like a public school but with Christian values and scriptures every now and then. It is a great Phonics program that Well trained mind has recommended, their grammar is good also. I find their math is a little too hard for 3rd grade. but that is just a personal opinion. The one thing i dont like is having so many books to go with each subject. I would tend to get lost. I like simplicity. nancyt.

[KrissiK]

I used A Beka for pre-K and kinder for my boys. I'm using A Beka phonics and math now for first grade. I love their phonics and math programs. They're awesome. My boys love them and they are both reading well. I started out the year doing all subjects (history I did BJU, but I scrapped that mid-year and went with SOTW1) A Beka, but am slowly moving toward TWTM in science, history and writing. Of course, TWTM does recommend A Beka's phonics and math programs, so it's not like a person would stray from Classical education by doing some A Beka. It's just a very traditional, workbooky program. But, I've said this before, I think their presentation is really really good. Their graphics, pictures, etc. is very appealing to young children. The stories in their readers are morally uplifting and my boys like them. So, there you have it!:D

[curlygirlzx2]

My older dd went to a private Christian school for K-6th grade that used Abeka. She skipped 5th grade and 11th grade in public school so it worked well for her. I have quite a few friends that currently use it for hs'ing and love it.

[mommyrooch]

We've only used A Beka for our math through grade 7 then we switch to another for higher math. According to what I've researched, A Beka is not a good in the higher math area. Others report there are gaps in Algebra and up. We have had great success with the math through 7 though. My kids like math a lot so that is part of it. Some people say it moves too quickly but we've found that since we do all the review and don't skip anything, it has not been a problem. I've found it to be generally about a grade or more ahead of the average grade level work and that is a nice thing if the children use standardized testing for the evaluation. I don't use any of the other A Beka products because we try to stay with secular material as much as possible. A Beka math has very little religious content and it doesn't affect the math portions at all. I have know several hs'ers that are just using the A Beka math as well.

 

Yep, this is us. We only use the A Beka math. I have used it for years now and we (including the kids) really like it.

 

It is a really strong math program and I too have noticed that it seems to be ahead of the average programs. My son is using 5th grade A Beka math and his best friend, who is also in the 5th grade but in public school, hasn't even started doing most of the things my son has already covered.

 

I highly recommend A Beka. It is definitely worth trying out. :001_smile:

[Ellie]

It is one of the first traditional textbook programs that started selling to homeschoolers. It is a safe way to go if you are just starting. It will cover all the bases.

It *used* to be, but with more and more people writing materials specifcally for homeschoolers, fewer baby hsers are starting out with ABeka. I rarely, if ever, recommend ABeka for anyone because now there are so many excellent alternatives.

[Peaceful Isle]

It's really neat to discover all the curriculum out there! I remember it just amazed me when I first learned about it all, and I am still learning. :) One piece of advice I would give, is to go with what you are comfortable with! Go online and research until you are positive on what you want to use. You may want to use bits and pieces of all different kinds of curriculum. ( ex . abeka phonics, sonlight readers, Story of the World History .... etc...) It has been really fun for me to mix and match my curriculum to the likes and dislikes of my family. Not everyone is the same though. Good luck with your journey! :)

[skaterbabs]

Personally, I think CLE's materials are superior to Abeka's in every way...and are significantly cheaper to boot.

[Guest amymarine]

This is only our first year homeschooling so I dont have any experience with comparing curriculum. We have been mostly using Abeka this year and I am super impressed with their phonics program. My youngest (1st grade) started out the school year not knowing how to read at all and is now 2nd to 3rd grade books with ease. My oldest (4th grd) has always been behind with his reading through public school. I make him sit through the phonics review with his brother and it has been a great remedial review for him. He has gone leaps and bounds in his reading and spelling. It has even helped me in teaching them how to sound words out properly.

 

As far as the rest of the curriculum goes, it's not that it's bad, I think it's pretty good in general. The math and language are very thorough. The history and Science, we basically dropped and have been working with Apologia and other alternatives (for history) because they were too dry.

 

I'm planning on using something completely different for us next year. I will keep the phonics cards though, to hang on to for our younger one (or any future children :) ).

[Mrs Mungo]

It *used* to be, but with more and more people writing materials specifcally for homeschoolers, fewer baby hsers are starting out with ABeka. I rarely, if ever, recommend ABeka for anyone because now there are so many excellent alternatives.

 

:iagree: The only people I know who do Abeka are those who pulled their kids out of private schools.

[Emmy]

Because I see people replying I'll point out that this thread is 2 years old....:tongue_smilie:

 

And if anyone would like an update - no, I never did abeka, but at least I could come here to find out what it was. :)

[Donna A.]

Because I see people replying I'll point out that this thread is 2 years old....:tongue_smilie:

 

 

Yes, I don't know WHY people do that. The person who resurrected this thread, mnllj7, resurrected several other old threads in the past week or so, as well. :001_unsure:

[Georgiana Daniels]

Because I see people replying I'll point out that this thread is 2 years old....:tongue_smilie:

 

And if anyone would like an update - no, I never did abeka, but at least I could come here to find out what it was. :)

 

LOL, good that you pointed this out. I was about to chime in. Oh well, I still love A Beka phonics :D My 5yo is reading beyond her 1st grade ps friends with ease, and she sooo enjoys it. It's our favorite part of school.

[skaterbabs]

Yes, I don't know WHY people do that. The person who resurrected this thread, mnllj7, resurrected several other old threads in the past week or so, as well. :001_unsure:

 

My guess is they did a forum search and these threads were the closest to what the were look for.

[Donna A.]

My guess is they did a forum search and these threads were the closest to what the were look for.

 

Right, I get that. But why post replies to them when they've got to know that surely the OP has moved on by now? I mean, a TWO year old thread? :001_huh: