Mrs. Lilac Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 So I think I've narrowed it down to these two for my 5th-grader-to-be.....thoughts, anyone? I love that the Abeka is colorful, she is ALL about that. I love that the Hake incorporates dictation/journaling. The Abeka sample only shows a grammar section, not a writing section- so not sure how much Abeka breaks down the writing process/writes to the student, so that could be a concern. Based on the tables of contents, I'm thinking they look equally rigorous. Love to hear feedback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 We use Hake for the grammar only - really like it for grammar. The other parts, not so much, but I knew that going in. We usually read the dictation/journal entry, but don't physically write anything . . . so not really used as intended. I think Hake's writing portion leaves a lot to be desired - there are better programs for writing. The grammar is thorough, efficient, no-nonsense (some would say boring but I think most grammar books are), if you write in the book it doesn't take much physical handwriting, which is a real bonus for us, and offers spiral review daily if you want it. It is secular, independent, written to the student. We're sticking with Hake for next year's grammar, which says something. Hake is definitely not colorful! (That's a plus for us, but sounds like a negative for you.) I'm afraid you might not like Hake, based on what you've included in your post. Have you used Abeka previously? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 One more thought, would BJU's English be a possibility for you? It is colorful and said to be very solid, although I've never used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleep-Deprived Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Last summer I was trying to decide where to go after FLL4 for my son heading into 5th grade. I narrowed it down to Hake and Rod & Staff. I went ahead and ordered Hake (both levels 5 & 6), but got my hands on it and felt like it was SO dry. We went with R&S and we're happy with it. It's not FLL, but it is a good follow-up. Another mom and I both had the same reaction to Hake (I gave her my Hake stuff to look at and she had the same reaction). We were both drawn to it because it looked like it would follow well on the heels of FLL4, but neither of us liked it when we got our hands on it. My advice would be to at least get your hands on the books to see if FEELS like a good fit. Like Taryn, we only use R&S for grammar...and that was all I intended to use from Hake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Lilac Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 bleh.....I just cannot find a good solution to the language arts dilemma! Taryn, we did BJU- the problem is that the TM is way too expensive and hard to use. As far as Abeka, the only thing I've used from them is Health. Abeka is not really my cup of tea, but I'm getting desperate for LA ideas! It looked complete enough. This year we're doing Growing with Grammar and Winning with Writing......Growing with Grammar is fine, but WwW is eh, not so much. I've been looking for something that's grammar/writing combined because the simplicity so appeals to me, but that may not be possible. I DO like R&S.....it's just that, even though we are strong Christians, the Biblical content is SOOOO much. How many sentences in a row can you diagram about prophets? Maybe that's just the feel I get from the samples- if it's not as bad in person, let me know. If all else fails I can stick with GwG and find something for writing I suppose.....any hints down that road are welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 bleh.....I just cannot find a good solution to the language arts dilemma! Taryn, we did BJU- the problem is that the TM is way too expensive and hard to use. As far as Abeka, the only thing I've used from them is Health. Abeka is not really my cup of tea, but I'm getting desperate for LA ideas! It looked complete enough. This year we're doing Growing with Grammar and Winning with Writing......Growing with Grammar is fine, but WwW is eh, not so much. I've been looking for something that's grammar/writing combined because the simplicity so appeals to me, but that may not be possible. I DO like R&S.....it's just that, even though we are strong Christians, the Biblical content is SOOOO much. How many sentences in a row can you diagram about prophets? Maybe that's just the feel I get from the samples- if it's not as bad in person, let me know. If all else fails I can stick with GwG and find something for writing I suppose.....any hints down that road are welcome! Yeah, I've heard that about the BJU TM's before. I hear you about Abeka and R&S too. I'm sure they work great for some families, but that's just not our thing. I don't know of any great programs that combine writing and grammar, except MCT. I haven't personally used it, but I think it works best as a teacher-intensive program, not independent. Although I could be wrong about that at the middle school levels so maybe worth your time to look. We just finished the SWI-B and ancient history theme books from IEW. I love what IEW has done for my DS's confidence and enthusiasm for writing. But it is expensive compared to some other programs, so that may not fit what you need. However, the used market is very strong, so maybe you could consider that. (If you watch ebay for deals you can buy used and save, or buy new and recoup a lot of your cost when you sell it later.) I just ordered Writing Skills to beef up some of DS's writing organization/outlining skills before we dive into WWS this fall. I learned about it on the boards and it gets good reviews. Not too pricey. There are a few levels if you want to stick with it for the middle school years. Hope that gives you some ideas, or others will chime in. ETA: Have you looked at Kilgallon? There are sentence composing and grammar workbooks for middle school. Not sure how complete it is or if it is best used as a supplement. Haven't used it myself. There have been threads here if you want to search for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Lilac Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 I've been looking at getting one of the IEW theme-based books without doing the whole IEW she-bang, but I hear that's a big no-no. Deciding whether to chance it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I've been looking at getting one of the IEW theme-based books without doing the whole IEW she-bang, but I hear that's a big no-no. Deciding whether to chance it. Yeah, we did SWI-B followed immediately by the theme unit. Having done that, I personally wouldn't recommend doing a theme without first doing a SWI or going through the TWSS (teaches you how to teach it independently). I just don't think you'll get the full value of the program doing a theme unit only. Of course you can always try it and then back up to SWI if you feel like you've missed something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckles Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I love ABeka Grammar. We are going to use their 7th grade program this next year. I've never used the 5th grade books. Have you looked at the ABeka website for a materials display near your home? You could go and get your hands on the text before you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Lilac Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 Good idea about looking at Abeka close up. Anyone tried CQLA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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