Beast Academy experts

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I currently use SM with my kids with pretty good success (TB, WB, and a recent add-on of CWP). We also do a couple of chapters of LOF a week - mostly for fun. Now I'm considering adding in BA also. I have been curious about it for a while - especially since everyone raves about it - but had been hesitant to add in another full math program. Now I am wondering if there may be some benefit for my kids that I shouldn't pass up.

 

 

DD10 is SM 4a. She is "behind" only because I used a hodge podge of things until she was in 2nd grade and then decided to start at the beginning with SM. She can go through the lesson in the TB on her own most of the time and then get nearly everything right in the WB pretty quickly. We're doing more lessons at a time now to get through the books faster. I'm wondering if BA will be helpful in trying to move faster or eliminating the need to do 6a and 6b.

 

DD8 finished SM 2b yesterday. She does ok with math. She seems to need a little more review than SM provides. It seems that anytime we're away from a topic for too long she forgets how to do it. I know that's normal but it seems to be a little worse for her than my other kids. She also struggles with word problems. I think she would really love the comic book feel of BA and doing the two programs together may be a good way to review.

 

DD7 seems to be a natural with math. She just "gets" it. She loves playing math games and trying to figure things out in the older girls' math books. She is nearly done with SM 2a. The biggest problem that I have with her is that she catches on to new topics quickly, gets really excited about it and eagerly does the WB pages only to quickly get bored of it just shy of mastery. I am wondering if BA might keep her engaged a little longer.

 

So, if you managed to get through all of that, how do you think BA would work for my girls?

 

I'm thinking about starting with 3a for all of them and working through it together. Is that crazy?

 

Could I get one each of the guide and practice book and have them share? I'm guessing that would work fine for the guide but wasn't sure about the practice book. I was thinking maybe I could just have them write things out on a separate sheet of paper but maybe that wouldn't work? Just trying to think of ways to keep the costs down a bit.

 

Thanks for the help! I don't want to go overboard with math but I really want my kids to have a very solid math foundation. Just trying to find that ever elusive balance.

[Farrar]

I don't think Beast works for every kid. I have twins and one of them simply does not click with it at all and the other really does. On the other hand, I think it can work with a variety of different ages and learners, so I think it might work with any or all of your kids. It might help your oldest go deeper with some math she's already mastered, your middle try something that's a different approach, and your youngest get the math challenge she needs. Since the math is really a bit different, I think it does make sense to let them all start by trying 3A and seeing how they take to it.

 

I don't know if Beast would help eliminate the need for 6th grade math though. The intention of the books is to take a kid through to be ready for AoPS pre-algebra by the end of the (not yet out) fifth grade books. And it does go deeper with the math. However, it also doesn't cover some things (at least yet) which a student would need to be ready to go into pre-algebra. My fifth grade ds who I'm hoping to have ready for pre-algebra by the end of the year is using Beast and also a host of other resources to cover topics that I think he needs, such as ratios and multiplication and division with mixed numbers and things like that which aren't necessarily trying, but aren't covered in Beast as yet. On the other hand, I know some kids go from SM5 into a pre-algebra, so I don't know.

 

You can totally just get one guide. It's basically just a comic book you read. They can take turns or you could do it like a read aloud and work the problems all together on a whiteboard.

 

Unless you're going to photocopy the whole thing, each kid really needs their own practice book. While some pages you could just write the answer, there are lots of puzzles and things which would be a pain to copy into a notebook, if not close to impossible. However, if you were just trying it out, you could get one practice book and pick and choose work for them each from it - photocopy a couple of pages, let them write in a notebook for others, do others on a whiteboard. And once you've seen which kids it works for, decide from there for the next books.

 

 

[sweetpea3829]

Like PP said, Beast isn't for everybody, but it's definitely worth a shot!  I used half of level 3 last summer as a summer bridge for my 7 yr old.  He finished Singapore 2 early in the spring and I didn't want to start Singapore 3 that early.  

 

Currently, he is finishing up 3B (He did part of 3D, all of 3A and part of 3B over the summer).  He is doing it concurrently with Singapore 3A, which he's nearly halfway through.

 

You can totally buy one workbook.  For all of my workbooks, I remove the binding, three-hole punch and put them in 3-ring binders.  My kids complete them with wet erase markers (Vis-A-Vis are good...and make a fine point).  I then refile the completed worksheets with each kids initial so I know who did what.  

 

If I had to buy a new workbook for each of my students, we could never afford homeschooling.  

 

I say give it a shot.  If anything, your mathy daughter will probably benefit from it!

 

I love the curriculum....can't say enough good things about it.  It has really stretched my son's math understanding.  For that matter, it's stretched my own math understanding.  It's very solid.  

[EndOfOrdinary]

I think it might be great to add if you are willing to allow them to progress differently with different math curricula.  AoPS in general is a great thing for a specific style of learning.  I was a total Saxon kid. AoPS would have been good for my perfection issues, but caused rather a significant amount of anxiety.  I would have gotten done with Saxon very quickly, but more tentatively used AoPS.  I definitely would not have flown through it.  Singapore would not work with my son - too much repetition and too slow a pace.  He does not do well with Spiral review or the idea of a concept being presented three separate times in different ways over long stretches.  The whole to parts aspects are fine, but he would drag his feet.  AoPS is great for him in this way.

 

Since you have three very different mathematical kids, bringing in different curriculum is a really great idea.  However, trying to keep all of them in the same place at the same time would probably cancel out the differentiation.

 

 

[Arcadia]

You can get the practice book and just have the kids work the questions out in their math journals. My kids are happy to copy out the puzzles anyway onto their notebooks and just give verbal answers for the non-puzzle questions. They will flip the practice book to look for the puzzle questions only. They have fun reading the guides but only my younger was interested in reading. My older read because he was out of reading materials.

[kiwik]

At least one of your kids will like beast (they all sound different) and maybe they all will. If you are in the US it is cost effective to buy one to try.

[Crimson Wife]

In general, I think BA is more challenging than SM. I'm running BA slightly behind SM with my DS. I started BA 3 towards the end of SM 3, and plan to start BA 4 after my DS finishes up SM 4A (he's got 1 chapter left).

[SarahW]

My current plan is to run BA a bit "behind" other programs as well.

 

BA doesn't give a lot of basic computation practice. Which is great for some kids. But not mine. BA dives rather quickly into challenging conceptual puzzles and word problems. So it's easy to tack on as a further challenge + review to another program.

 

While some of the topics in BA are grade-level, those are done differently. And there's other topics, like the first chapter of 3A, that other math books barely touch. So it doesn't bother the S&S of a main curriculum. It's sort of like LOF in that respect. Except much better, imo.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm leaning towards ordering it and seeing who it works for. With four kids it's bound to work for someone! I do have a couple mmore questions though.

 

Do you consider BA a supplement or a full program? I'm thinking that I'll use it as a supplement but maybe it's more comprehensive than that. I like SM. I would like to continue with it. My kids seem to be doing well with it. It teaches math the way my brain works which makes it easier for me to teach. I think sticking with one thing long term (provided it is working) is the best way to prevent bad gaps that will cause problems later. That being said, I'm open to doing just BA if it really works for one of my kids and is thorough.

 

How do you schedule two math programs? Do you do them both every day? I'm not sure that would go over well around here. Maybe a chapter of one and then a chapter of the other? Right now we do LOF and CWP one day a week in place of our regular math. Could I do BA on that day instead? It seems like maybe BA is less of a supplement than LOF though so maybe that wouldn't work well.

 

Maybe I should quit thinking about it and just order it already! :-P

[redsquirrel]

BA is a full program and it is Common Core aligned.

 

I switched from SM to only using BA and SM CWP. My younger boy was giving me a lot of pushback with SM and it had become a point of contention between us. I started using BA as a 'reward' for getting through SM without a fight. Then, we switched to BA as our main math program and it has been smooth sailing ever since. He does some problems from SM CWP every day as well.

[Farrar]

Agreed that it's a full program. I think you can always adapt something to use as a supplement and there are lots of people using Beast as one. I wouldn't switch until you know it clicks with your kids though. And I wouldn't switch for your oldest at all since she's technically ahead of its highest level already, even if some of it would be a challenge for her.

[Soror]

It is certainly a full program but whether or not it works on its own for your kids is a different question. My son needs review and at least a bit of a spiral. If we do straight up BA he tends to forget things, he has a weak memory though and needs practice to remember and be fluent. He also doesn't like using just BA, every time I go to trying to use it long-term he balks, he enjoys it but too much and it is drudgery for him.

[sweetpea3829]

I'll be the dissenting opinion, lol.

 

It's definitely more than just a supplement.  But I don't find it complete.  I feel like my son is getting a lot more from Singapore 3, as far as breadth of content, while Beast comes along and provides excellent depth.  

 

Singapore has a lot more in the way of review and follow-up.  You don't have to use it all, but it's there.  On the other hand, there have been quite a few times that I wish Beast had additional resources so I could follow up on a topic some time after initially learning it.  

 

My son has forgotten quite a bit of what he learned in Beast.  While every student is different, I find that overall, a student will more effectively cement these concepts if they are exposed to them more than just the initial teaching and WB pages.  So, pretty much combining spiral and mastery approaches.  

 

So how do I do them concurrently?  Well Singapore is our spine right now...he has direct instruction from me every day.  We are working systematically through 3A right now...he'll be done with it shortly.  

 

Then, I assign him WB pages that correspond to the Singapore unit we're in.  He does those independently.  

 

Every day, I assign a page or two of work that covers topics he's learned previously.  I use Singapore's Test book, or the IP book, or extra WB pages we never completed when we initially covered a topic.  He does these independently, and seeing these topics from time to time really helps those concepts to stick.  

 

I have a section for Math Drill, but he hasn't really needed to do much in the way of facts drill.  When he does, I give him a page 2-3 times a week of just math facts.  

 

He also has a section scheduled for Word Problems.  Instead of assigning him work, currently, he and I will work through a problem or two of Competitive Math.  We do that on M,W,F, and Logic on T, and TH.  

 

So where does Beast come in?  Well each day, he either has a reading assignment from the Beast book, or I assign one side of one Beast page.  

 

I am working on Beast chapters AFTER we've studied it in Singapore, because Beast takes these concepts deeper.  

 

Typing it all out, it seems like a lot of work, but for him, its not.  He flies through most of it.  And when he's stuck on something in Beast, we cover it during his 1:1 math lesson time.  

[Crimson Wife]

When all the BA levels are available, I think it could be a full program for a bright student. But what a lot of us with mathy kids are finding right now is that the publishing schedule is not keeping up with the need for the books.

[Julie of KY]

I use BA alongside SM as well as other various math. The biggest thing I find that BA adds is depth as well as exposure to some number theory and counting and probability.

 

... I love BA by the way and so does my daughter. My youngest is asking for the day he gets to start BA.

[SarahW]

I'll be the dissenting opinion, lol.

 

It's definitely more than just a supplement.  But I don't find it complete.  I feel like my son is getting a lot more from Singapore 3, as far as breadth of content, while Beast comes along and provides excellent depth.  

 

Singapore has a lot more in the way of review and follow-up.  You don't have to use it all, but it's there.  On the other hand, there have been quite a few times that I wish Beast had additional resources so I could follow up on a topic some time after initially learning it.  

 

My son has forgotten quite a bit of what he learned in Beast.  While every student is different, I find that overall, a student will more effectively cement these concepts if they are exposed to them more than just the initial teaching and WB pages.  So, pretty much combining spiral and mastery approaches.  

 

So how do I do them concurrently?  Well Singapore is our spine right now...he has direct instruction from me every day.  We are working systematically through 3A right now...he'll be done with it shortly.  

 

Then, I assign him WB pages that correspond to the Singapore unit we're in.  He does those independently.  

 

Every day, I assign a page or two of work that covers topics he's learned previously.  I use Singapore's Test book, or the IP book, or extra WB pages we never completed when we initially covered a topic.  He does these independently, and seeing these topics from time to time really helps those concepts to stick.  

 

I have a section for Math Drill, but he hasn't really needed to do much in the way of facts drill.  When he does, I give him a page 2-3 times a week of just math facts.  

 

He also has a section scheduled for Word Problems.  Instead of assigning him work, currently, he and I will work through a problem or two of Competitive Math.  We do that on M,W,F, and Logic on T, and TH.  

 

So where does Beast come in?  Well each day, he either has a reading assignment from the Beast book, or I assign one side of one Beast page.  

 

I am working on Beast chapters AFTER we've studied it in Singapore, because Beast takes these concepts deeper.  

 

Typing it all out, it seems like a lot of work, but for him, its not.  He flies through most of it.  And when he's stuck on something in Beast, we cover it during his 1:1 math lesson time.  

 

I've wondered if maybe BA wouldn't be bad done done twice. Meaning doing the the first half of each chapter at each grade level, and then coming back and reviewing what was already done and doing the second half. Or maybe even a third pass as well to do the last page in each chapter.

 

I don't know. Just throwing that out there. 

[Soror]

I've wondered if maybe BA wouldn't be bad done done twice. Meaning doing the the first half of each chapter at each grade level, and then coming back and reviewing what was already done and doing the second half. Or maybe even a third pass as well to do the last page in each chapter.

 

I don't know. Just throwing that out there. 

I've thought about something similar here, doing it as a bit of a spiral. Covering the easier parts and then going back through to hit the end and challenge problems that weren't already done. I believe as well that one of the authors mentioned that going through it twice would be a good idea.

[wapiti]

I've thought about something similar here, doing it as a bit of a spiral. Covering the easier parts and then going back through to hit the end and challenge problems that weren't already done.

 

FWIW, we did something similar with AoPS Prealgebra.  Not spiral, but we did go back for a review (I think mid-way and then again at the end of the book) and did just a few challenge problems from each chapter at that time.  Something about allowing time for everything to gel made the challenge problems seem so much easier.

[EndOfOrdinary]

We are going back to chapter two (exponents) in PreA. It was a really hard one for my son. Finished up PreA, moved on, and when I know he has lost all the anxiety about it wears going to go back. Right now he would just panic at the idea, so nothing would actively be learned.

[sweetpea3829]

I wouldn't be able to cycle back and redo any of Beast with DS.  He'd balk.  To remedy Beast's lack of review, I sometimes assign a random problem that will review what he's already covered in Beast.  I'll hand write the problem on scratch paper and add it to his independent work folder.  

[redsquirrel]

that is why I sort of 'trail' SM CWP a little behind BA. It provides some good review and a different kind of challenge.