A Beka curriculum uses a spiraling method in the early
grades which means a lot of constant
review. They offer the following books: Arithmetic 1-6, Basic math (7th
grade), Pre-Algebra (8th grade), Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Plane geometry, Business
mathematics, Consumer mathematics, Analytic geometry, Trigonometry. The excerpts below are adapted from the publisher's info.
Arithmetic 2 "Students begin to learn new concepts right away as they review
concepts from first grade. The book and curriculum provide continuous practice in
place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, money,
temperature, time, perimeter, story problems, estimation, rounding, graphs, the
ruler, and English and metric measures."
Arithmetic 6 "The teach/reteach approach and abundant practice problems in this worktext help your student master skills and concepts. Almost daily, story problems and frequent problem-solving strategies make arithmetic practical.
Excellent emphasis is given to problem solving, percents, basic geometry, measures, fractions, decimals, proportions, beginning algebra, prime and composite numbers, graphs and statistics, and practical arithmetic, such as banking, budgeting, and purchasing electricity."
Pre-Algebra (grade 8) "This pre-algebra work-text gives a brief but complete review of all arithmetic topics, broadening many topics to include more than one approach to the correct solution. Problem-solving strategies help students apply mathematical skills to word problems."
Arithmetic Worktexts $30 - $35 per year (for grades 1-6), teacher's edition $22.25 per year. Books for higher grades (7th on) ~$34, teacher's editions ~$30. Of course most users of Abeka Arithmetic or math have just bought it as part of the complete curriculum they offer.
Your situation:
Homeschooling mom to two children ages 5 & 7
Abeka has provided my daughter with a SOLID foundation in early mathematics. I have no doubt that she is ahead of other 1st graders that are in public school. I love how Abeka reinforces concepts learned. My first year of hsing I made sure she did EVERYTHING, but this year I've learned to relax quite a bit and don't make her do it all. If she grasps the concept, we just skip those math exercises and move on. My ds who is in K this year also has done very well. He is an average math student and has speech and language delays which sometimes hinders his learning ability but Abeka math has been good for him. Of course I slowed it WAY down but nonetheless he has done great. He can count to 100, do simple addition and subraction, measure in inches etc. I am pleased with this curriculum and have learned to bend it according to our needs and desires. I highly recommend this program.
Any other helpful hints:
It can seem very rigid and looks as though you HAVE to follow to a T. Don't worry, you don't, you can make it as fun or as boring as you'd like. It is all up to you. Sometimes instead of working in the workbook, I just use the problems from it and we play "Feltboard Baseball". I use a felt board, some simple felt shapes for bases, the kids pick which felt animal they want to be and then we have ourselves a game! I ask a question from the workbook if they get it right (they get three tries, like 3 strikes) and depending on the complexity of the question they either run to 1st base, "hit" a double and sometimes as homerun. They seem to like this game.
Monica
Review left May 17, 2009
Time: 5 years
My daughter completed 3rd grade Abeka math this year. She would have been in first grade, based upon her age, if she were in a conventional school rather than homeschool.
We love Abeka, especially for math. They present new concepts clearly and repeat and review offering many chances to grasp the new concept. Continued review is helpful so the student doesn't forget a skill as soon as a new one is introduced.
When concepts are clearly mastered, we have found it best to skip the monotony of the large number of review problems. If your student has problems with a concept, the number of review opportunities are a good thing. We have found Abeka a very good curriculum for gifted children also due to the way concepts are presented because you can be a couple of grade levels ahead of the child's age and still have a presentation that works for a varied maturity level audience. Abeka grade level three gave us the results at Sylvan Learning Centers in our testing of a grade level of 4.8. I would say that is a pretty good result!
Julie Jolma
Review left July 26, 2008
Time: 3 years
I am a homeschooling mom of 3
My oldest is quite bright student and loves the Abeka math. I will continue doing it. I have not tried any other programs for him but have looked through a lot. I do feel that Abeka teaches a well rounded math. At this point I would have to go up a grade level or two if I was to switch him to something now. As for my middle child, he as well likes math but doesn't catch on quite as easily. I will be trying out Abeka this year for him since I truly believe that it is the best math program out there and your child will score very high on the TCAP test. I know it is probably not for everyone but as for us we really do enjoy it.
Any other helpful hints:
If they are good at math, this is a really great curriculum. If they are a little slower then you may not want this because it does cover many things at a fast pace. It does seem to be ahead of public schools, though.
Amanda Townsend Review left June 20, 2008
Time: 5 years
My daughter has used A Beka all along and is very quick at math. My son is an average math student who needs more time to master a concept.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I'm writing this to help someone else avoid the struggle that I'm just figuring out. My daughter has done great in A Beka and I think its a wonderful, thorough curriclum that I will keep her in all the way through (although we've definitely skipped a lot of the review questions after she'd mastered a concept). However, it introduced new concepts WAY too fast for my son, who is not a bad math student, but average. (I used it for him for grades 1-2.) He'd be excited about math at the beginning of the year, then get more and more bogged down as they continued to move on before he was ready. (I found the same thing with Saxon 3 for him, by the way.) I am looking for a "mastery style" curriculum and am probably going to try MCP Math next year for him for 4th grade. So, I like A Beka, but it's not for every student.
A Beka introduces new concepts in almost every lesson, except when it pauses for some review pages. It also does a daily review of all the concepts previously learned, so you continue to improve at them. There is a significant increase in level of difficulty between 3rd grade and 4th grade. There is way too much drill, but just do what is necessary for your child. This curriculum moves quickly and is very challenging!
Kristen Barker
Review left June 11, 2008
Time: 2 years
After trying public and private, I decided homeschooling was the best for our family. In the private school, my oldest daughter used the Abeka for 1st grade and I just continued with it when I pulled both of them out to homeschool. My kids will be doing 3rd and 4th grade ABeka math next year.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I love Abeka. It teaches them solid mathematic skills (especially at this level) and really drills it into them! If it gets too repetitious, we just skip that section for the day (or week!) or do only the evens or odds. I like the books because they are so colorful and teach the kids about other things beside math while they are doing math! For instance, in 2nd grade, there was a section called "Around the World" (I think) that focused each day on a country and tied the math problems to it. So each day we would look up the country on the globe first, then do the problems. Simple, but neat. This year I said to my oldest daughter who will be doing 4th grade Abeka starting in the fall, "Honey, I think I want to try another math curriculum" and she immediately said "No, I love my Abeka!" So there you have it, if the child likes the program and is excited about it (and is learning like crazy), why change. I also have to add that we supplement with Sunshine Math which is great for really getting them to think.
Any other helpful hints:
This curriculum won't be for those who have the attitude of "learn it and move on". It's constant reinforcement of math learned. You may have only 1 problem that deals with time or money, but again, it's constant reinforcement. I did like the teacher's mannuals. They basically told you exactly what to do each day, although I felt they went a little overboard with doing the same things each day, but I just skipped things from time to time such as "counting by 3s" or "oral addition problems". You can even find the expensive Teacher's Curriculum on Ebay for much less than buying it new. It's helpful because it gives cool ways to teach a new concept to your child. Although it's certainly not necessary at this level of math.
Lisa Porter Review left June 2, 2008
Grade levels used: Abeka Math 2nd/3rd and Algebra 2
I started homeschooling my son in 2nd grade after having issues of him getting bored and restless in school. He had been in a private Preschool/Kindergarten that used Abeka. Then I moved him to a private christian school for 1st grade. They used Saxon Math which was the one subject that he excelled at and got easily bored with. I was not confident in my teaching skills when I first started so I got the Abeka DVD program but did not choose for the school to grade for me. I like the repetion since my son is now struggling on his multiplication/division. After last year my step daughter is now homeschooling and we are using the Abeka Algebra II textbook.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
Abeka Math 2 & 3: I like that they move through the concepts quickly in the front page but always repeat the previous concepts on the back page.
Abeka Algebra II: Sometimes I feel that it moves to fast through some of the concepts but we just slow down and work through them then speed up through ones that are easier for my daughter to grasp.
Any other helpful hints:
After working with my daughter's 10 grade and my son's 3rd grade subjects this year, I realize that Abeka really does build upon the year before. My daughter did not learn things in public school that she needed to know for her classes this year but I noticed that Abeka is teaching my son the early concepts of what she needed to know. Example: English- Sentence diagramming. My step-daughter was never taught in 9 years of public school how to diagram a sentence but by the end of 3rd grade my son will be taught how to diagram the subject and verb in a sentence. I figure next year they will expand the diagram for 4th grade.
Monica
Time: 3 years
Grade levels used: Preschool - 2nd
I have two children who have been doing abeka all the way from the beginning of pre-school 3 and now the oldest is in 2nd grade.
My kids can grasp the concepts very quickly but the repetition was a little too much for my older child who got quite bored. It depends on the learning style of your child. Are they a hands-on learner or can they just sit and memorize one fact after another. Each family will have their own
Any other helpful hints:
I liked the comments about using odd and even numbers only to cut down on time if the child has grasped the concept. If the child is more of a hands on learner and gets bored easily, you may want to teach it yourself instead of do the dvds so you can improvise, if necessary. Overall, this is a great curriculum.
Melissaq
Abeka vs. Saxon
Grade levels used: 1-4
Your situation:
I have homeschooled my daughter since 1st grade.
Was a public educator (5th -6th grade) for nine years. ABEKA is much better all around. I was taught in the time the American school system switched from problem solving to memorizing. It didn't matter if you really got what you where doing as long as you could do the processes you would pass. I teach know and say, "That's why you do that!" I want to make sure my child has a balance between the grind of memorizing facts and formulas and truly understanding and applying it for problem solving.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I taught 5th/6th grade math in the public school system. I used saxon 5th and 6th grade math. At first, it was so much better than what I had been using and I thought it was an unbeatable series. After teaching it 3 years I realized there were some big problems with it. Watch out for the order in which they teach concepts. Also, the examples are not nearly as good as ABEKA. Another problem is that a child can get 90% and higher on their homework, but may be missing the same concept over and over. If you are teaching from Saxon, track the type of problems your child misses. I would have loved to teach out of ABEKA in my school setting; it would have been challenging for the faster kids, but it gives you enough problems that you can slow it down for others. Abeka has real life problems and mixes them up so that you have to apply what you have learned in various ways. Saxon seems to do the same word problems over and over and kids plug in the formula but really don't have to think. That's exactly why I won't ever use Saxon with my daughter.
Any other helpful hints:
See if your child can apply the concepts learned from the text in real life. I found out in the public school setting that kids were not learning problem solving skills. They did a lot of problems, but could not apply them outside the text. Abeka users a sure way of telling if your kids are "understanding" fractions have them do manipulatives and make pictures. My daughter who is a very good math student could apply the processes to fractions and had the rules memorized, but when I told her to draw a picture of a mixed number that was her answer she could not do it. She could convert and make them equal but when she was able to draw it I knew she truly got it. The math problems in Abeka will point out your childs complete understanding, too.
Suzanne
Time: 6 years
I have been homeschooling for 6 years. My oldest daughter is entering 6th grade. The youngest is entering 2nd grade. Abeka is the only math curriculum that we have used. Saxon has had the reputation for many years of being the best currciulum for math. So I was thinking of switching my oldest daughter to 6th grade.
I am not going to changed from Abeka. For our family, it is the best curriculum. The concepts move quickly enough to prevent boredom. Yet, the repetition is of concepts reinforces learned concepts. I think the concept of repetition of many concepts on a page is also beneficial for a student who may not have fully grasped a concepts. The student can find success somewhere on the page. There is no way we are switching to Saxon, at this point. After reading reviews, I am inclined to think that switching would not be a positive move. The Abeka has too many strong points for our family. The spiral approach, the advanced pace and daily review are all positive factors. I would recommend it to anyone.
Christie
Time: 3rd to 6th and soon 7th
I have been doing the Abeka math since 3rd grade and I love it. I was a teacher of 3 and 6 grade and I now dedicate my self to homeschooling full time. The book is clear and the teachers book is a big help for those who get a little confused. My only problem is that it seems now most of the christian schools are switching over to Saxon. Soon my daughter will be in High School and I am thinking of a christian HS, I worry that when I put her in she will be thrown for a loop because of the change in math. So I think to avoid this I may homeschool all the way. Has anyone out there done the switch from Abeka to Saxon? If so how bad or good was it?
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
I have no problems with Abeka It is very good. My daughter is not the fastest learner but she seems to pick up the concept very well.
Any other helpful hints:
If you're homeschooling like me take the time to go over the lesson a day or two before teaching it this way you will be on the ball when questions come up.
Tonia
Time: 1+
My kids used this curriculum in private school and loved it.
I love the spiral method that allows kids to review old concepts along with the new and the challenging, colorful worktext that keeps my kids interested. 3rd grade book has practice problems in the back. Scope and sequence is available on their site.
Doesn't have hands-on manipulatives but we incorporated our own from www.learningthings.com. They have manipulative kits made for every math curriculum. Look under 'math'. If it moves fast, slow down. Go at your own pace. We homeschool, remember.
Keke
Time: since 2001 (till at least 2007)
I have three children. We have homeschooled one or more each year since then. Have always used ABEKA curriculum.
Why you liked/didn't like the book:
Abeka math is very thorough.The teacher's manual is GREAT! I feel that all the problems are covered thoroughly with much review. The only problem I have-- the way they do the checking of math problems in the older grades. It is not the way I was taught in public school. Just takes some getting used to. Would definitely recommend it. Currently have 2 children in a christian school. They use Abeka math.I plan on using Abeka homeschool math curriculum for all three kids next year.
Any other helpful hints:
If you use, ABEKA math, start using it in K5 or first grade. My daughter changed christian schools. The first school used another math curriculum and when she went to the new school in 4th grade--she struggled a short time with the checking methods until she was used to it again. So, start early and don't switch back and forth.
Jackie Finch
Grade: High school - Business Math
I am using the ABeka business math book this year in highschool.
I am very disappointed with the book because the concepts taught are very similar to the concepts taught in the 9th grade consumer math book (which I took last year). I was working on a problem before I wrote this review and pretty much had know idea what I was doing. Now, I enjoy math a great deal, but this book is the same style of all ABeka books - facts facts facts and thats it.
If you do get this book, I suggest getting the video course from Abeka as well. This will give you more than stark pages to learn from.
Vince
Time:9 years
From a Homeschooling mom for 10 years.
We love Abeka. Coming from another country, I was highly dissapointed in the American education system. I wanted more for my children, so began hoemschooling them. After researching and trying most other Arithmetic programs (including Saxon,) we settled on Abeka because it is the most rigorous, colorful, and well rounded. When the child knew the material well, we would only do "odd problems" because Abeka does tend to have so many per lesson. However, when the child was struggling or was right on leve, the many problems proved helpful in their learning Math. Highly recommend it, and will not use anything else.
If your child is stressed by too much work - then only do odd problems or even problems. We do not do any of the "green" problems as they are 'extra' practice. In the early years it is possible to start out with grade 1 and use that for two years, then move into grade 3, then grade 5. However, after grade 6 I would suggest sticking to it on a yearly basis with a new book each year -(don't skip grades after elementary.) Also, in the early years it is my recommendation that you follow the "curriculum" as laid out (we do it on our own, not through Abeka school) - but once you get to 7th grade, you no longer need the curriculum guides, just let the child do it on their own.
Teri Nine
Book: Mail School using DVDs
Grade: 2-3
Time:1 year
I used Abeka when I started homeschooling, and for my son it was perfect. He needs curriculum that is a little more advanced although maybe not a whole year. My daughter struggled because it was a little to far ahead for her in kindergarten and we had to slow down. I tried other curriculum and still prefer Abeka. The books are colorful and have a lot of repetition which I find very good for my daughter. For my son, we just move on when he has mastered the material instead of doing all the work for that paticular teaching. It is also very easy to teach from, making my job easier!
Jennifer Neidhart
Book: Mail School using DVDs
Grade: 12th
Time:2004-2005
Although it seems to give a very well rounded education, it can be very challenging to follow all the rules and regulations regarding the nitty-gritty stuff. For example when you do something just as the book says to do it, you get a letter back in the mail that reverses what the instruction manual says. This has happened more then once.
Upside: Seemingly well rounded curriculum
Downside: Too many rules to follow, then changes to keep track of
For me, there are just too many little rules that need to be followed; I will not be using this curriculum again.
joe
Book: High School Algebra and Geometry
Grade levels used: 8-12
Time:Teacher - mid 90s
I taught the ABekah math curriculum for 4 years. I was very disappointed and frustrated with it. It did not spend sufficient time teaching how to handle word problems and setting up equations, and it didn't teach graphing really at all - both are very important concepts in advanced mathematics. The Geometry Book failed to teach anything about 3rd dimision Geometery and I felt did a poor job of teaching proofs.
I saw my advanced students year after year doing poorly on their SAT's because they had never seen the material that was on these tests - I did my best to fill in gaps the second year, and they were greatful.
Rachel R.
Grade levels used: 3 and 4
Time: 2 years
We did ABeka 3rd grade math and used a saxon 54 book to supplement. My daughter did great. The problems were more difficult in the ABeka math but the Saxon had more geometry so we used that as an additional source. It also covered elapsed time. We are going ito the ABeka 4th grade but we cont. to supplement with ABeka 65 and speed drills from ABeka. Saxon was lacking in converting measurement type problems. We feel the ABeka makes you think for yourself a little more and gives you better formulas to follow.
Teresa
Grade levels used: 3rd
I used ABeka 3 with my 3rd grader who had learned nil in public school K-2 math. I thought ABeka 3 was excellent and easy to use for a first-time homeschooler. It is very rigorous and really reviews & builds on the math concepts. It also comes with an easy to follow teacher's guide and math fact drill workbook. Compared to the public school math curriculum, ABeka3 taught more material more quickly and more thoroughly. Oral math was also emphasized. After completing ABeka 3, my daughter went back to school (Montessori!) in 4th grade and straight into Saxon 65 with NO problems (except she found Saxon's format BORING!). I REALLY recommend ABeka 3 for homeschoolers who want something simple to use that gets SUPERB results.
Grade levels used: 2nd and 3rd
Edition: Fourth
ABeka Arithmetic is VERY repetitive, which is great for the child that needs extra help, but if your child is bright it is just tedious and ends up boring the child. There are often 20-30 multiplication and division problems in each lesson, on top of other types of math problems, which gets to be very mundane after the child has already mastered it. Even our homeschool association says that ABEKA is a bit much.
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