thinking of going to abeka curriculum

[SweetMissMagnolia]

we've been one to pick and choose and will probably still add other things but I'm seriously thinking of going to abeka curriculum....my sister uses it in her class (well the school she teaches at uses it) and from what she's shown me I like it...and have always had it in the back of my mind to have him go to abeka when he was older but the more I think of it I'm like "why not go ahead now while he's young"...... anyone have any pros? cons? about abeka?

[learningmama]

Haven't used the whole curriculum, but I know many that do and they are happy with it. It's a nice, solid program that can take you through the student's whole schooling career. I've used some of their social studies and Bible readers and like them.

[jdarling]

Some of the subjects are good to use others are not. I noticed that the math program has a lot of gaps. The history is good. I covers all of the major parts of history.

[RootAnn]

Pros:

- The curriculum manuals lay out many options for how you can teach the subject(s). (Even though they say they are for homeschooling, you don't want to try to do everything because it'll take forever for each subject.)

- No trying to decide what to use for each subject.

- Almost everything is open & go.

- Everything is there for you, so you don't have to hunt around & buy a little bit here & a little bit there.

 

Cons:

- Not optimized for your child & their interests.

- Very "school-at-home"ish (workbooks for everything). (This could be a pro for some people.)

- I think it is expensive if you buy everything they recommend.

- Can get very boring to use year after year for everything.

- At the upper grades, it is a lot of work, so takes awhile to get everything done.

 

** We use Abeka for arithmetic and I like it. I have a friend who used it for everything for her two dc while she homeschooled them. It worked for her up until about 7th, when she put her child in public school. (She used the DVDs the final year.)

[Ellie]

I don't recommend all ABeka, for anyone, ever, for homeschoolers. Individual subjects, yes; the whole ball of wax, no.

 

ABeka is the ultimate classroom product. It's academically good; it's been around for a long, long time; it's easy for schools to order because they can just go down the list and order one of everything.

 

At home...well, there are many more products which are much better suited for homeschoolers because they were written by and for homeschoolers.

 

I just wouldn't go there.

[Love2teach0307]

Be very aware that it is weak in teaching composition and critical thinking skills. It stresses rote memorization for every subject all through high school. While I love memorizing and we do alot of it, memorizing is just the grammar level of learning; eventually you have to think critically about things.

 

It is geared primarily toward visual learners and good test-takers. That's why I excelled growing up b/c my school used Abeka for PK-12th. But it doesn't work for my dd - it's very boring to her like another poster said. We do use Abeka Phonics for learning how to read at the K-1st grade level. It works great here. We started 1st graded primarily using only Abeka, and it quickly bombed. I agree there are so many good products now that make learning fun that using only Abeka is unnecessary.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

thanks for all the resplies...I will definately keep it all in mind....my sister's going out of town for a teacher thing for a week hopefully when she gets back she can come over again and let me look at a few more things......

[coffeefreak]

We used all A Beka for pre-school and Kindergarten. Then, we only use their math. It's very strong in reading and math in the early years. However, I have to agree with a pp that as you get into 2nd and 3rd grade, it is not strong in writing or grammar.

 

I only recommend ALL A Beka for 3 situations. First is for new homeschoolers that are pulling their kids out of public school. I find that it makes the transition easier for them, as well as their kids. It gets them going while they research and get their feet wet in the homeschooling world. Second, I recommend it for people who have a lifestyle that demands order. One of my friends would love to deviate from A Beka, but she works full time and needs the structure. There is also no prep with A Beka so that is a huge bonus to her. The third instance involves your goals. If you're going to enroll your kiddos in PS some day, you might want to use a curriculum like A Beka. Another friend of mine will put her kids in Public School some day so she uses the Academy DVDS. It works well for them, and gives them the assurance that their kids will transition into a PS classroom with minimal problems.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

[KrissiK]

I used A Beka K4 & K5 complete programs for my boys and it was great. I thought it provided a real solid foundation in phonics (in fact I completed their phonics program) and we still use their readers (we're going in to 2nd & 3rd grade now). I think their phonics and math programs are strong. I noticed one poster said math had gaps and I'm curious about that. We've only been through 1st & 2nd grade and I think the program is strong. Where would you consider the gaps to be? However, we are moving away from A Beka for the following reasons:

1) left A Beka for Singapore Math for DS1 and MCP for DS2 because my boys seem to need a more mastery based program, not spiral.

2) Will not be doing A Beka phonics for DD starting Kindergarten because she is a very "take charge of my own education" learner. I think A Beka is a program you "do to your child". My boys really didn't care if they learned to read. They accepted my teaching them. DD has taught herself how to write, she's taught herself all her letters. I don't think she'd put up with A Beka. Plus, she's beyond A Beka's K5 program.

3) I agree with other posters, after phonics, I do not see their LA program as particularly strong.

4) I do not think their science and history are good at all, especially in the early years. My kids were bored silly with the books. I also feel like they focus waaaaay too much on American history/culture. I think their history program has only one year of world history. I could be wrong. But it's no more than two, I know that.

Edited June 12, 2011 by KrissiK

[gevs4him]

We have used Abeka for Health, History, and Science for the past 4 years. However, I use them like a spine b/c our ds loves the readings - I add lapbook components, notebook pages, hands on projects, and science experiments.(we keep notebooks on each subject) We also read books, listen to Cds, do computer work, and watch any movies, shows, etc. that follow the material we are learning. For us the science lacks experiments and needs the most tweaking. So this year (yr.4), we are planning to start with RS4K Chemistry then do Physics - then move back to Abeka science grade 4. The other subjects I have looked at many times, but just don’t seem to care for them. In all for us Abeka is only a good program if you tweak and I do not plan to use it for High school.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

We have used Abeka for Health, History, and Science for the past 4 years. However, I use them like a spine b/c our ds loves the readings - I add lapbook components, notebook pages, hands on projects, and science experiments.(we keep notebooks on each subject) We also read books, listen to Cds, do computer work, and watch any movies, shows, etc. that follow the material we are learning. For us the science lacks experiments and needs the most tweaking. So this year (yr.4), we are planning to start with RS4K Chemistry then do Physics - then move back to Abeka science grade 4. The other subjects I have looked at many times, but just don’t seem to care for them. In all for us Abeka is only a good program if you tweak and I do not plan to use it for High school.

 

 

I think this is basicly what we're going to do--add other things in to supplement what we need that isn't there.......

[RootAnn]

I don't recommend all ABeka, for anyone, ever, for homeschoolers. Individual subjects, yes; the whole ball of wax, no.

 

:iagree:

 

And you should be willing to cross things off & skip things sometimes.

[susesmiles]

I'm only familiar with the early grades. We've done Abeka Math and Phonics for K4, K & 1 and will continue for 2nd. It has worked well for my kids. We use other curriculums for History & Science. This works very well for us because it provides a variety of curriculum styles so the kids don't get tired out from one particular style. I've heard ALL Abeka can get boring, I've heard ALL Sonlight can get to be too much work. I may make some changes for 3rd grade...but that's a year away :)

[Mesa]

I've used Abeka many times in the past 6 years of homeschooling. I'm currently using Abeka dvd's for all of my kids, 5th, 2nd, k5 and k4.

Here are my thoughts. It's a good rigorous program, is it the best? no. Will it "be enough" Yes. My kids would get a fantastic education using only Abeka. It'd be dull, no doubt.

 

Math= Rote memorization, I'd prefer to see it explain the whys more. We do like the spiral approach. If we werent using the dvd's this year we wouldnt be using Abeka math. (I normally use something else like MUS, or MM, and then use either a Saxon workbook, or an Abeka workbook for the "spiral" reinforcement my kids need. It's works well for us.)

 

LA= Composition is lacking in teaching the steps to writing. You definitely need to supplement. Grammar is fantastic IMO. (We LOVE Abeka grammar and will continue to use it, along with IEW for composition.)

 

Science and History, boring but it gets the job done and it gets done every school day. (We normally use a Literature based curricula. We will be buying more SL in a few weeks)

 

Spelling= We actually dropped it, it's pretty bad.

 

Phonics= Phonics is fantastic, I wouldnt teach reading without it... or at least the workbook, It's great for reinforcement. I also use a lot of other things too, like OPGTR, and a readers kit from SL. We also use online programs too.

 

Reading= eh we dont care for the books, we prefer meaty books like those from SL, or other Literature rich programs. We do use their reading program though. We dont love it, but it is something that also gets done each day consistently and so we are using it for the time being.

 

Art= It's not really art as it is a project program. Most of everything is cut and paste and make a cutesy do-dad to hang up.

 

Handwriting= It's pretty, but my oldest has delays with his motor skills so this would never work for him. I use HWT for all of my kids now. We will stick with it.

 

Those are my thoughts... If you arent using the dvd's I'd make sure you sit down with your sister and make sure you order only the things you need. I ordered everything they recommended on their site and I didnt need half of it, and didnt use it. Had I known it wasnt needed sooner I'd have sent it back. But I ordered it a little early and by the time I realized it, I doubt I could return it. It was a waste of my money. Lesson learned.

 

Good luck in whatever you choose to do. There are a lot of programs out there.

[JessReplanted]

We do use Abeka Phonics for learning how to read at the K-1st grade level. It works great here. We started 1st graded primarily using only Abeka, and it quickly bombed. I agree there are so many good products now that make learning fun that using only Abeka is unnecessary.

 

I started out using Abeka. I like their K phonics/learning to read. It is hard (for some kids) but it really works. But when my son hit 1st grade and we used mostly Abeka stuff, he was miserable. It was a terrible year!! He had no desire to sit at a table and write all day.

[Katiebug_1976]

I used it early on when my two older girls were just starting school and we enjoyed it for the most part. But it was very time consuming! As we added more children to our family it became very clear that Abeka was not going to work for very long (there are just not enough hours in the day to teach 5 different grades of Abeka imho). But if you only have 1 or 2 dc, then you could probably manage it just fine as long as you like the traditional school/workbook learning style. This was another reason we left Abeka. I wanted to go "outside the box" and teach my kids with more than just workbooks. We do still use and Abeka book here and there, just not the whole package.

[misidawnrn]

I haven't read all the replies but like Coffeefreak said for her #2 reason, I need order. I work 24 hours a week, just finished 19 credits Spring semester and am taking 18 this semester (although I have chosen to not HS over this summer) I have a 2 year old, I am a farmers wife and I am the sole cook/dishwasher/laundry maid at our house. I need order, plans laid out for me, etc. Maybe when I am done with school for me, I can do more ecclectic but for now it is what works for us. If I had a choice between ABeka and public school (or the church school she I pulled her out of in K) I would use ABeka hands down. DD likes the workbook style, she likes the colorful pages and she learns well with it. She didn't learn well at all with the classical method of just reading it to her. She hated that style. It works for us.

[mom31257]

I like A Beka's approach to phonics, but that is the only thing I would ever use of theirs. Several years ago I taught some of A Beka's subjects in 5th - 8th grades. It seemed that the early grades go very fast and seem much more advanced in some ways, but in a subject like math, it slowed way down in middle school and was just review, review, review. The pre-algebra book had one chapter on algebra and that was all. The middle school subjects had lots of memorization, but not much critical thinking.

 

If you are interested in Christian curricula that provides everything, Bob Jones is much better, IMHO. BJU includes much more critical thinking and relevant material due to the fact that they are regularly updating the material.

[haystackholly]

I would say, if you're going to use Abeka, it's BEST in the early years! But I wouldn't say its not customizable! I'd say it's as customizable as any other curriculum.

The best parts are Grammar (with spelling) and Math (for sure in the little years.) I you like the rest, go for it. If not, customize.

[haystackholly]

For reference, I started both kids at 4yo in their K5 program. I wouldn't say my kids are "gifted" but they had no problems ( other than ds not liking seaworthy in 1st grade) and both score very well on standardized tests. The only thing my daughter was "only" proficient on was algebraic functions and probability in math. Abeka hadn't covered that, but she was way ahead in everything else.

[Hockey Mom]

Be very aware that it is weak in teaching composition and critical thinking skills. It stresses rote memorization for every subject all through high school.

 

A few years ago, I pulled my DD out of 11th grade PS, and put her in a private Christian school that used Abeka exclusively. She was so far ahead of her peers AND the Seniors. She was not 'gifted' either (bright, but not gifted). We were disappointed with the curriculum for her. The school gave her additional work that helped to keep her focused, challenged and on track to graduate though.

 

During that same year, my boys (PreK, and K5) were doing the Abeka program in their classes, and it was wonderful! They both loved it, and the methods just clicked for both of them quickly.

[raceNzanesmom]

All I could think of when I read you title was "Why????".

 

Sorry, I know it works for some people/schools. It didn't work for us at.all.

 

If you like it, try it. I wouldn't try to do every single thing they schedule tho, or you'll end up with a very long school day.

[Ruthie in MS]

I don't recommend all ABeka, for anyone, ever, for homeschoolers. Individual subjects, yes; the whole ball of wax, no.

 

ABeka is the ultimate classroom product. It's academically good; it's been around for a long, long time; it's easy for schools to order because they can just go down the list and order one of everything.

 

At home...well, there are many more products which are much better suited for homeschoolers because they were written by and for homeschoolers.

 

I just wouldn't go there.

 

 

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree: Next year we will only be using A Beka Math and then I will never use it again. Hallelujah! I'm free at last!

[AnnaM]

I have not read all of the replies but I agree with this one

 

 

4) I do not think their science and history are good at all, especially in the early years. My kids were bored silly with the books. I also feel like they focus waaaaay too much on American history/culture. I think their history program has only one year of world history. I could be wrong. But it's no more than two, I know that.

 

I went through Abeka growing up (k-12th) and we had MASSIVE amounts of American history.

 

The amount of drill and kill is unreal and even in a classroom setting I found it to be quite boring. I am with other who said to pick and choose from some of it's stronger points (I actually LOVE the pre-k and early phonics) but leave the rest. There are better homeschool geared curricula to choose from.