Has anyone used R&S S.S. or science? If so, did you like it? What other curricula would you compare it to? We are doing R&S English and math and I love it, so I'm considering doing all R&S next year. Any thoughts?
We're using R&S science 5 and 3 this year, and SS 5. I find the soc-st a bit boring for me, but it seems to be a good fit for that particular student. We started the year with science 3 with one particular student, but I liked it so much that I bought the whole set: (already had third, so) fourth, new fifth, old fifth Book One and Book Two (would do nicely I think for a 7th grade Life Science), new sixth, old 7/8, and old 9/10. They're currently rewriting these last two, but so far they have only the new 7th done and released, so I didn't get it yet. They are in textbooks, but remarkably affordable, so there's pretty good resale value if you only need it once, or you already have it for subsequent students and don't have to order again. The TM has reduced-size student pages, with the answers in the outside margins and other teacher material at the bottom. The tests are in a separate booklet, but the tests with answers overprinted are in the back of the TM, so you don't have to have a separate test AK. The material we've covered so far in fifth is very heavily Creationist, literal six days of Creation, but we haven't gotten to any age-of-earth questions yet. There are activities listed with each lesson which you can choose to do, pick and choose, or just talk about, or ignore altogether, however you like. The social studies is not made that way -- no reduced-size student pages, but it gives a list of the Main Points for each lesson, some lessons have Christian Perspectives, and the questions and answers that are in the student book for each lesson. The student book has outline maps in the back, which can be traced or copied, that are used with each lesson we've done so far... I think not every lesson in the book does map work, but quite a few do. I love that there's map work. I think you could also buy a separate map pack. There's color, but it's a bare minimum and only when they thought it was needed. I don't quite know how to compare R&S with any other publisher I've used. Mostly I think it reminds me of very old school textbooks from when I was a kid - which is a very long time ago (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth!), and ours were probably ten years old when our class inherited them. So - very traditional, classic looking. You can see extensive samples at www.rodandstaffbooks.com.
We are in 2nd and 3rd grade. I have gone to completly rodd and staff this year. I love the english and math in particular. We have found the whole curriculum to be a good fit for all three of my girls which is great money wise. I am going to add Abeka history and science though just because the girls like the color pictures better and pay more attention to the work book format of abeka in these subjects. Sorry, I didn't anwser your question. We like the ss for 3rd but my 2nd grader is more into pictures and finds the reading a bit to much still. The same goes for science. They are very good but a bit to much for my 2nd grader at the moment. I have to agree with lindina. I really like the classic no frills layout.
I started out using R&S Social 3 and I liked what it was teaching my 3rd grader but started to realize that I also need to be teaching her some History too. We were almost done with the book and then we ended up going back to Abeka and using History 3. We like it alot. I looked at the science and it wasn't for me but it was alot of good stuff. I just decided to stay with Abeka for that as well. We had always used abeka for LA and this year I gave R&S a try but decided to go with CLE because it was all in one book and I really like that and it's going really well. I also use CLE for math and bible. I LOVE the Bible and so does my child. I'm not one to use one curriculum for all the subjects cuz we just need a variety, like Textbooks vs. Light units. My kids would get burnt out. HTH
We're using R&S Science 3 this year and I really like it. Short lessons but it doesn't dumb it down and most of the lessons have several good hands on activities. We usually take 3 days for each lesson, read and activity 1st day, written review and activity 2nd day and oral review and activity the 3rd day.
Thanks, everyone... really helpful reviews. This year we are doing R&S math and English (for both) and A Beka science and history (for ds - 3rd grade). My dd (1st) is doing CLP history and Calvert science this year. I was just really annoyed when I went to buy the answer keys for A Beka history/science (and the curriculum guide for science - I bought the history guide and all the books a few months back) and it cost us $65 ($68?). So it was about $50 just for answer keys! How can they charge that much for thin little booklets that just tell you the answers? That kind of thing irritates me. I will spend money, but it should be worth it. I don't feel like that was, but I am behind in grading without them, so I had to get them. Sorry for ranting! I am planning on getting A Beka history/science for the oldest from now on and R&S for the middle child. By the time my middle child gets to the third, she can have a choice, I guess. She can either use the A Beka history/science, or I can continuing ordering the R&S. I keep thinking maybe I should use R&S science because it looks pretty decent to me, although the A Beka ones are so colorful. I'm trying to figure out if they have the same content or not. If so, I will probably get R&S, I guess. I'm not quite sure yet. As far as history/social studies, I love how R&S does a lot of geography. A Beka seems to have a lot less of this from what I can see. However, when does actualy history come in (for R&S)... 5th? 6th? That seems a little late. I was thinking about doing both, but then that might be overwhelming for the kids.
I don't think history at fifth grade is "late". When I was growing up (granted, that was aeons and ages ago!), I don't remember what we had in third if anything, but we had world geography in fourth as our first "social studies" and started history in fifth. You get history from then on out, until you do Government/civics/Constitution and free-enterprise/economics in high school, so that's plenty of time to cover it all. R&S has a very traditional sequence to their studies. Actually, Abeka does do quite a bit of geography in their world history (fifth, sixth, seventh) but you have to buy a separate student workbook and teacher answer key to do it, so even more cost and time. R&S doesn't teach science in the same scope and sequence that Abeka does, but it will cover health, life, earth, and physical sciences, and even a bit of chemistry, by the time you get done if you stay with it all the way through. They're done by the end of tenth grade, so if you still want to get in a separate biology, chemistry, or physics, there's time before graduation....or you can switch to Apologia or something at ninth grade.
Well, I think I'm going to have to agree with you. That's what I remember in school when I was little. Lots of geography and a little bit about Pilgrims and Native Americans and all that. I was looking at A Beka, and it's like they do the same thing (US History) year after year after year. I was wondering if that get's boring. Do you know if R&S science does a lot of astonomy or just a little bit? That's my favorite. :wink: Thanks for the advice!
