I'm trying to figure all this out. I did get some keys for checking answers this year. (But not always, I did a lot of checking based off what I know, or learned.) So are Teacher's Editions a good thing? a necessary thing?? for example, I'm thinking Easy Grammar for Grammar but the TE's are twice as much a the student book and test book together. Spelling Workout is much better but the it is still twice the cost. (Teacher books are 12.50, student books are 12.00.) For subjects like math, I need a key but I'm pretty good with the other stuff. What do you think??
I can answer for Easy Grammar. GET THE TEACHER BOOK! If I were going to skip something, I'd skip the student workbook! The TE has the blank workpage on the right side, and the corrected worksheet on the left side when it's open. I have 4, 5 and 6. The beauty of it is I can either have my kids cover the TE answer page and do their page on paper OR all I have to buy going forward are the workbooks & test books. So next year, my 5th grader will be doing EG again. i bought the TE and workbook for my oldest when she did it. Now all I have to buy is a workbook, and I'll STILL have the TE for my youngest to use. OR I could even let her use the TE and write in it (probably won't). Also, I've thought that I could cut my TE apart and just photo copies of the student page - although, it'd probably cost as much to buy the workbook. I consider myself a Grammar geek, but I've needed the TE's - even just to make correcting easier. Just my .02
I had three using Easy Grammar so I just bought the TE and copied the student page. The only subject I buy TE's is for math. The other subjects I do fine in.
In the younger grades (or older for people who know the subject well), I say you don't need them, but they can be helpful. I love math, but I don't want to figure out the problems when I am correcting my son's work. When he misses things-I do look to find out where he went wrong. I would try to find books you can reuse and therefore save on the student book and buy the teacher's editions if you need them. I use EG here and I removed the pages from the binding so I can copy from the TE and not buy the student. In the end it may not be cost efficient, but...
I've never needed the TE for any grammar, including Easy Grammar, but I'm a former secondary English teacher. So, I'd say it would depend on how well YOU remember your grammar rules. I have the TE for Sequential Spelling because it has the word list in it. It's the student workbook I could go without there since it's only used for them to write their words down. I would say to ask if the TE is necessary for students to do parts of their workbooks. I have found that the TE is necessary in some subjects because teacher prompted activities the kids do in the workbook come from the TE. Without it, the student can't do parts of their work.
I can't speak for any of the specific programs you've mentioned, but I have always found the teacher manuals to be well worth their cost. The teacher books for me have always had more than just the answers, they've had suggestions for extra explanation or extra practice, I've also found them helpful for explaining a concept when I'm struggling to explain it myself. Plus since it's not consumable I can resell it to get some of my money back after we are done.
I use TM's to check answers only. As far as EG goes.... I also copy the pages in the TM, and don't buy the student manual.
