How many Beast Acedemy books in a year with SM?

[redsquirrel]

I am seriously considering BA for my third grader. We have used SM and also some MEP and cuisinaire rods etc.

 

However, the price is just :w00t:  That is more than I can really justify for something supplemental. OTOH, my older boy has been doing very well with AoPS pre-algebra and we are continuing with AoPS Algebra this year. I know they make a good product.  I do want to add that I do not question the cost. I know the books were printed with nice paper and lots of colour, and they put a lot of work into them. They are allowed to charge what they believe is a fair price. It is just a lot for me.

 

I also hesitate to buy a full set A-D if it is unlikely that we will complete four books in a school year. I am thinking this is something we can do two or three days a week. I am sticking with SM as our main math curriculum. I have gone through it once with my older boy and I am very happy with it.

 

So, how quickly are people working through them? Is it likely that I will get through all four in 9 months if we don't use them 5 days a week?  I see that 3A guide and practice books are both over 100 pages. That seems like a pretty long book to me. I can get just 3a, but if people think I will run through that in a couple weeks, then maybe I should get 3a&3b.

 

So, how long does it take you to get through a guide and practice book and how do you use them?

[Chanley]

Red, I plan on selling our BA books as soon as we are done with them. I HIGHLY reccomend them. If you want to talk turkey, let me know.

 

We started 3A this summer and because summer scheduling is hit and miss due to camps etc..I cannot really give you an accurate amount of time but we are about to finish 3B. They go pretty quickly. I LOVE this curriculum and we are all benefitting from it. I never thought I would learn so much from a third grade curriculum.

[mom2boys030507]

My middle did Singapore 3A and 3B IP's as well as Beast 3A and 3B last year. It was a comfortable pace for him, as he is a mathy kid who loves the challenge of both programs.  We also do Life of Fred on Fridays.

[redsquirrel]

Chanley.... is that you? My chan?

[Crimson Wife]

If you do SM 3A/B then a number of chapters in BA will likely go very quickly. The skip-counting, multiplication, and division chapters in BA you'll probably end up skimming and just pulling out the harder practice problems.

[redsquirrel]

Ah, that is a good point. 

 

 

[CrunchyGirl]

Right now we use SM3 in the mornings probably 6 days a week on average. We use BA3 in the afternoons probably 3 days a week (we need to be more consistent). Lego Man is finishing up SM3A now and just finished BA3A today. Because he's so young, I'm hoping to just switch to BA only if we run out of SM3 first. We need to slow him down a bit.

[Julie of KY]

We use SM and BA. I haven't paid too much attention to how long it takes to do a single book as we've been finishing each before the next is published. I don't think it is unreasonable to be able to do all four books of Beast level 3 in your schoolyear alongside SM. It really depends on your student - how fast they get it and how many pages per day. My daughter is loving it.

[Chanley]

Chanley.... is that you? My chan?

 

The one and only. :)