ABeka users, I have some questions...

[DB in NJ]

I've used it in the lower grades (K and 1st mostly). I'm thinking about using some of their stuff for next year (5th and 9th).

 

If you've used any of the upper (5th through high school) grades, could you please let me know which subjects you used and how you liked them? Did you use the teacher guides or not? How did the kids like them? Did they learn? Did they retain the info? Was it teacher-intensive but worth it?

 

Any and all input would be great! :D

[Deanna in TN]

My son used A Beka math through 6th grade; however, I wish that we had changed after 4th. We went to Saxon for pre-algebra. Saxon, in my opinion, does a much better job with geometry. Also, A Beka would assign division problems with 6 digit dividends and 4 digit divisors. It was frustrating for my son, and I don't think it was necessary.

 

We have always used A Beka language, and I plan to use it all the way through. However, we use IEW for writing.

 

We gave up all the other A Beka curriculum after 4th grade. We found the science and history to be boring.

 

With all A Beka, I used the homeschool curriculum and the teacher's guides.

[angela&4boys]

My eldest ds (now 19) used both their math and language arts from 3rd through 8th. (We did deviate some with Winston Grammar and Saxon one year.) I felt is was thorough and he always scored very well in annual testing.

 

I believe he did well because he's an independent worker and grasps concepts easily. He liked the math much more than Saxon, but the grammar and writing just got the job done. I was careful to cut out some of the excessive practice problems within grammar and that alleviated some of his dislike. I will say that the composition was a little weak, but we supplemented in the areas of science and history as well as requiring monthly book reports. He writes phenomenally now and always had A's in high school English, but I do attribute some of this to his voracious appetite of reading.

 

One reason I liked these two A Beka subjects in particular was the ease of use for mom. I had a toddler and a baby at one point and there weren't a lot of options available that were both independent and budget-friendly.

 

Also, if you haven't already, please consider Christian Liberty Press for TM's and Tests for your 5th grader. It's just what you'll need at a fraction of A Beka's prices. Infact, I'm considering this for my 11yo now, but need to get my hands on the materials because it's been a while. (Grammar only though, as we are using IEW for composition.)

 

Sorry, but I'm of no help for 9th grade as he attended ps at that point.

Edited February 20, 2009 by angela&4boys

[Pamela H in Texas]

I'm not the best help. Generally Abeka is a mixed bag for me. But, I have to tell you that dd absolutely LOVED 7th grade history with Dvds. She liked the science and english well enough also. There were things we had to address due to religious differences, but mostly, it was a good year for dd (7th).

[Evergreen State Sue]

I like the math. It seems to cover things he will need in life like how to write a check, complete a check register and determine a budget. He is only about half way through the book, but so far I think it teaches basic mathematics very thoroughly. I agree that it can go overboard with huge division problems and maybe a tad too much review. I have heard Saxon does that too, but I don't have personal experience. Yes, I use the Teacher book.

[Donna A.]

I like the math. It seems to cover things he will need in life like how to write a check, complete a check register and determine a budget. He is only about half way through the book, but so far I think it teaches basic mathematics very thoroughly. I agree that it can go overboard with huge division problems and maybe a tad too much review. I have heard Saxon does that too, but I don't have personal experience. Yes, I use the Teacher book.

 

Ditto. My 7th grader is LOVING Abeka's Basic Math on DVD this year. She likes the teacher, she likes the fact that she sees other kids who struggle sometimes like she does, she likes seeing the problems worked out on the board and discussed out loud, and *I* love the fact that she can pause or rewind the DVDs as needed. :D I do grade her quizzes and tests and we go over them together to make sure she understood everything, but for the most part, she does it independently. Abeka math moves really fast, and if she were sitting in the classroom, she couldn't do it. But we're loving the DVD option. Expensive, but it's been worth every penny.

 

Prior to this year, we had really struggled with math. This Basic Math course has been wonderful for review of known material, filling in gaps of missed material, and laying a solid foundation for future years. I'm considering staying on the same path with my younger girls... just doing whatever works here and there, and then "wrapping it up" with Abeka's 7th grade course before moving onto the higher maths.

 

I think my oldest will be ready for Alg I next year, as there's a LOT of pre-Algebra concepts in this Basic Math course. And as the pp said, there's also consumer math and just about everything you can think of. Today my dd was learning about the various kinds of life insurance. Some of what she's done this year, I didn't get until high school. And some of it (like life insurance), I didn't get at ALL until I was an adult and needed to find out on my own.

 

My dd has used various LA components of Abeka over the years and has done well with all of them. She also loves the Abeka science. She tried their history this year and it's a little on the boring side, but she doesn't mind it terribly. I did have to have her skip some parts due to doctrinal differences. Overall, Abeka just seems to be a really good fit for this child as far as textbooks go. She doesn't like working independently ALL the time, though, and we still use MFW for our content studies because we can do that as a family. (And other reasons, too.)

 

I had gotten Abeka's cursive for my middle dd at one point, and it wasn't a good fit at all. She could never make hers look quite as nice as the model, and it think it actually made her writing look worse because she was trying too hard, but Abeka's style just doesn't fit her hand or something. LOL. I did like the workbook she used for it, though! Along with learning cursive letters, it also taught dictionary and writing skills, so she was doing some research as part of her daily work. The theme was animals, so she loved that part. ;) (I think that was the 3rd grade book.)

 

I have to confess that there was a time I swore I would NEVER use ANYTHING from Abeka. Lesson learned.... never say never. ;)

[Starr]

We've used the grammar books from 2nd through 8th grade. They don't do every problem and have learned and retained a lot. It was helpful for dd when she started college Spanish to know her grammar. My ds also read through the 8th grade physical science book. Not my first choice but it was given to us. We are using Aristotle Leads the Way as well.

[Grace]

I am so happy with Abeka math. We have used it from 1st - 6th and easily went into pre-algebra. LOVE IT! And I only needed the answer book, not the teachers guides.

 

My 6th graders also used Abeka Science but through a co-op so really can't comment. I was just happy science was getting done.

 

I used their grammar until 4th grade. Liked it but found BJU writing explanations were better so I switched.

 

I also used the cursive book (kindergarten I believe) when I introduced cursive in 2nd grade. Loved the idea of introducing one letter at a time.

 

I used SL for American History but didn't like the spine so used the Abeka 4th grade as a spine for AH.

 

I plan to do the same with my younger son.

[Tammyla]

Last year my dd used the complete language arts program. I did follow the teacher guide with very little trimming, and imo it wasn't all that teacher intensive. It was basically go over the lesson instructions and grading on my part. This year she is using the A Beka DVD academy and simply loves it, and it's even even less work for me. Currently she is using the DVD classes for History, Grammar & Comp, Spelling Voc & Poetry Literature, and Science. (History is her absolute favorite.)

 

She tested very well after last year. Some feel A Beka is a bit of drill and kill, but my dd is doing very well. I will say that at the beginning of this year, she was overwhelmed with the sheer volume of work and homework. It took a tremendous amount of effort on her part to handle the work load. The result has been a student who is very organized and uses her time wisely.

 

I've used it in the lower grades (K and 1st mostly). I'm thinking about using some of their stuff for next year (5th and 9th).

 

If you've used any of the upper (5th through high school) grades, could you please let me know which subjects you used and how you liked them? Did you use the teacher guides or not? How did the kids like them? Did they learn? Did they retain the info? Was it teacher-intensive but worth it?

 

Any and all input would be great! :D

Edited February 20, 2009 by Tammyla