Grace will begin K work soon. Probably sooner than our next school year because she will be 5 in two weeks. Is Abeka phonics good for learning to read? Samantha was in private school for pre school and they used Abeka and she could read at age 3. But I have never actually seen the curriculum myself so I don't know what all it includes or requires. I know some of you have used it. Can anyone give me info?
If not for A Beka my dd would still not know how to read! LOL. A Beka is awesome for reading and phonics. I highly recommend it. I will say that I did not try A Beka until 1st grade so I am not sure about the Kindergarden program. I am sure it is great though. I only had the basic workbooks. I did have some fun flash cards and things of that nature but those were items I already had so I didn't buy any extra A Beka stuff. I think A Beka is wonderful for phonics and reading. I doubt you will be disppointed.
EXCELLENT, #1, THE BEST! In my opinion! My kids were reading at college levels in 9th grade and they LOVE to read. Very easy program to teach, be sure to get the entire program including the flash cards, very important!
I agree...you need the flash cards and other fun stuff. I had a bunch of stuff like that so I did not purchase it from A Beka. However, that stuff does reinforce the lessons and makes the child eager to learn. I have yet to find anyone disappointed with A Beka's reading program. Sure someone is out there though...lol.
The K program is $58.25 (without the parent materials). From the titles of things, it's all pretty much the phonics program. You can buy each part by itself, but it comes out to be more expensive.
Thanks Amie. Do you think I need the parent stuff? I am not buying the parent stuff with her math because I figure if I need a book to tell me K math answers I shouldn't be teaching my kids!
The parent stuff is sooooooooooooooooooooooo necessary! Do not cut corners, do not cut corners! A person that lives near me thought cutting corners was good but she learned it was not a good idea. Reasons: The parents/teacher guide tells you what to teach and how to teach it that day. For example, the phonics cards, this lady was teaching them ALL each day. They are introduced a few at a time and they coinside with the reading books. That way everything makes sense. The special sounds cards and blend cards are sooooo important and reinforces the lessons. Blend cards are like ba be etc.f Special sound cards are like er as in verse, ck as in duck. Your child will really get the reading quicker and easier if you follow the lesson plan. Believe me, it works! The reading books are important and the reading program coinsides with the language books also. My kids have been using Abeka for years and they are doing very, very well!
It looks to me like most of the parent stuff is completely different than the child stuff. It looks like it's mostly games and stuff to supplement the child books, not just answer keys. I would go to the website and read up on what each of the items is, then decide if it's worth it.
The parent/teacher stuff just doesnt give you the answers. It has a lesson plan and simple ways to teach your kids how to tell time and fun games to play to reinforce what they have learned. I have been hsing for years and from experience, it is better to get the entire program and not cut any corners in the elementary years. Just my 2 cents!
I love A Beka's Language Arts in general. We used it and the reading and phonics program are the best! For us anyways. I had the teacher's guides and barely used them. I think it just depends on how you plan to teach the program. If you are going for a traditional approach and are planning on going by the book, they are great. When I used it, the answers were not in the teacher's guide. We had to purchase the Answer Key seperate. But as a whole, it is still a wonderful program. I can't say enough good things about it. NOW, it is very traditional in its setup. We managed very nicely to manipulate things so they worked for us. Patty
For that price I would get the whole thing. I usually don't buy teacher stuff in the younger grades but I think you maybe cheating yourself. I know there were times I wish I had purchased the teacher stuff.
I loved Abeka, too. Elijah learned to read with the K-5. He started at a Christian school. By Dec., he was reading words. I started using it for Gianna and she is already sounding out the words. I haven't used any other curriculum to compare it to. Just thought I would give you my 2 cents worth
You can buy each individual piece separately, but you get a discount on purchasing the set. However, if you don't need the set, you don't need the set.
Check to see if there will be an A Beka book showing in your area. That way you can see everything. If you order at the show you don't have to pay shipping. They do have regular showings. You may want to try the website to see when there will be one. I always get a postcard in the mail.
I recently purchased the A Beka Parent and Child Kits and I love them. We are only on our second full week of using them and I can already see where my daughter is learning things that I was unable to teach her in the past. I had debated on going with a curriculum at all, since she is in kindergarten at a ps system. I had thought about using what they suggested and the tons of workbooks I have here already for her, but I am so glad I purchased it. Something about the way or order that things are taught really make learning flow. In the Parent Kit, the books even tell you word for word what you should say when giving directions for the work. It is broken down, easy to understand and easy to relay to your child. A very good investment in my opinion.
