Violet Crown Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 The comic book format of Beast Academy is a hurdle I can't get over, but looking at the sample pages, they don't seem to be in that format at all (other than annoying cartoon creatures at the tops of the pages), and seemed to have interesting games and problems. Has anybody used just the Practice books, without the Guide books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 IMO, the practice books don't make much sense without the guide books. I wouldn't waste the $$ on it. You can buy other puzzle/problem books that are specifically for that purpose, if that is what you're looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I'd get both also. The material is TAUGHT in such fabulous way in the comic book texts that I wouldn't skip it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelsi Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 What's wrong with a comic book style? Personally I'd get both but that's because my ds reads the guidebook for fun. He takes it to bed at night as one of his books to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Oh, I dunno, I think you could use the practice book alone, if you want to, and they do have lots of interesting problems in them. My dd reads the Guide chapter on her own before she starts the practice book exercises, but she hasn't ever referred back to them or anything. Clearly, it's an off-label use ;), but I don't see why you couldn't do it successfully if you want to. A little monster shows up at the top of each exercise section page, giving the directions in little talk-bubbles, but they are in black & white and are pretty minimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 The comic book format of Beast Academy is a hurdle I can't get over, but looking at the sample pages, they don't seem to be in that format at all (other than annoying cartoon creatures at the tops of the pages), and seemed to have interesting games and problems. Has anybody used just the Practice books, without the Guide books? There is a great deal of teaching that happens in the Guide. The Practice book is mainly "practice." I think most kids (mine certainly) are drawn in by the story, the art, the comic book style, the discovery aspect, and the characters in the Guide. I really don't see using the Practice books without the Guide books. Sorry. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 You know, the guide irked me when I first saw it too. Way too busy, and I don't like comic books. But you know what? My son LOVED it. Well, once he understood how to read a comic book. :tongue_smilie: He reads the guide over and over and over again. He's learned a lot from it. The practice book? Eh. He isn't crazy about it. It's just another workbook, except it has harder problems, which doesn't make him happy. ;) I personally would not bother without the guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Hmmm. Food for thought. i don't feel we need the teaching from the Guides - it seems to be pretty much what dh and I teach at that level, and I think we do it pretty well - it really is just more fun ways to practice the math that we're interested in. But we really like to do the teaching ourselves. I wouldn't say there's anything "wrong" with the comic book format inherently ... it's just a visceral dislike of the format for learning. Anyway, I'll ponder before I order. Thanks for the input. Y'all are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma_Bear Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 You know, the guide irked me when I first saw it too. Way too busy, and I don't like comic books. But you know what? My son LOVED it. Well, once he understood how to read a comic book. :tongue_smilie: He reads the guide over and over and over again. He's learned a lot from it. The practice book? Eh. He isn't crazy about it. It's just another workbook, except it has harder problems, which doesn't make him happy. ;) I personally would not bother without the guide. :iagree:My ds LOVES the guide I wouldn't get the practice books without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Hmmm. Food for thought. i don't feel we need the teaching from the Guides - it seems to be pretty much what dh and I teach at that level, and I think we do it pretty well - it really is just more fun ways to practice the math that we're interested in. But we really like to do the teaching ourselves. I wouldn't say there's anything "wrong" with the comic book format inherently ... it's just a visceral dislike of the format for learning. Anyway, I'll ponder before I order. Thanks for the input. Y'all are great. Is it your dislike, or your child's dislike? I know the comic format just makes my son nuts; he can't even look at it, let alone learn anything that way. He doesn't even like magazines that use different color panels behind the text to spiff up their pages, because that makes the text look like different articles to him. He's gifted in math and reading though, so for him, we'd be foolish to rock the Singapore/Life of Fred boat; it's working wonderfully. You might consider alternatives if the BA format is just not right for your family; they are hardly the only game in town for bright/gifted kids. Or try just the workbook if the puzzles look cool. Are the sample pages still available for download so you can give it a shot for free? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 I don't want to imply that I'm looking for a curriculum. Dh, when he does his "Daddy Math" time with the littles, makes up a lot of problems and games. The BA practice books look like a good source for them. We don't need a resource for teaching the concepts in the first place. When Beast Academy first came out, he and I looked at it as a possible fun supplement. We were very turned off by the format (forgive me, and of course YMMV, but comic-book teaching is one of the things we homeschool to avoid), and the guides didn't seem to differ greatly from how we already teach math. Except it's cartoon monsters saying the words, instead of Mommy or Daddy next to you. But I hadn't seen the Practice books until recently, and wondered if anybody had used them as a supplement, without the Guides, and if so, whether they thought it was worth it. But it doesn't sound like anybody has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I wouldn't say there's anything "wrong" with the comic book format inherently ... it's just a visceral dislike of the format for learning. FWIW, I'm totally with you on the comic book format. Moreover, so far, every time I have come across a mom/teacher with a student who sounded like a great student for BA, they were not eager to see it once I mentioned the comic aspect, which I think is unfortunate - the niche is a bit too narrow. I wish there were a more straightforward format for the same info, even if it were boring. I've used bits and pieces of the workbooks without the Guides, just randomly. We haven't gotten around to going straight through (much of it is probably too tough for ds6, though on the other hand he already multiplies so the skip counting stuff was kind of boring... now that he forgot a lot of that over the summer, lol, maybe I should try again). In your particular situation, I'd be game to try the practice books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 A bit off-topic, but if you're looking for interesting puzzles or thought-provoking problem, you might consider looking at MEP and pulling certain problems for enrichment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Some of the pages in the practice book can be used without the guide if you teach to the page, but there are some that need the guide for the explanation . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Some of the pages in the practice book can be used without the guide if you teach to the page, but there are some that need the guide for the explanation . Interesting. All the on-line samples could be one on their own; I'd wondered if some pages required the Guide. Thanks. Blondeviolin, thanks for the tip. I'll take a look at MEP. Wapiti, I'd wondered about the focus on skip counting too; none of my girls ever skip counted - we just don't teach multiplication that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Interesting. All the on-line samples could be one on their own; I'd wondered if some pages required the Guide. Thanks. Blondeviolin, thanks for the tip. I'll take a look at MEP. Wapiti, I'd wondered about the focus on skip counting too; none of my girls ever skip counted - we just don't teach multiplication that way. The "skip counting" section is really not what one would expect given the name. I did an eye-roll when I saw the preview of the table of contents. But the skip counting chapter was pretty cool. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I agree that some sections of the workbook seem more independent of the guide than others. However, the answers in the back of the workbook are quite detailed and give a fair amount of context for the questions, so I doubt you'd have much trouble synchronizing the puzzles with your own curriculum. The guide does have additional problems that generally lead up to (some of) the problems in the workbook. I couldn't do the program without the guide, myself, but given that you already have your own math program, I'm not sure that the guides would be worth the cost for the problems in there alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmac Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 (edited) I just got both of 3b. I looked over a fifth of the pages, and haven't seen anything that wasn't explained or wouldn't be self explanatory for someone who is using it as a supplement and is comfortable with teaching their own math. I agree with another pp, check out MEP's student practice sheets. I think you can easily find puzzles in there too. Haven't tried LOF. Beast Academy's workbook format is definitely more fun compared to MEP's practice sheets. They have a character called Calamitous Clod.(He doesn't appear that often) They have robots called duplibots that double the number of items you give it. And combobots that connect two bots. They also cover perfect squares and the distributive property in 3b. ETA: my first impression, the guide book is too busy for me to read! Edited August 28, 2012 by cmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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