amitymamaThe Attachment Parenting Community

lassie · 09-15-2005, 11:38 PM

I mean I know you *can* but would it work? For instance, I know they teach cursive first and we are not... would that interfere? Is the phonics and the writing separate?

Does anyone have rave reviews for Abeka phonics?

sweet~potato · 09-16-2005, 08:57 PM

I am not using Abeka this year, but have been looking into it for next year. From what I can tell from the catalog, you can choose either a cursive or manuscript program, but when you choose manuscript you can't get the 10% discounted kit price. In first grade, for example, the only difference I see is in the Writing with Phonics book ~ either cursive or manu.

Hopefully someone else has some better and more personal info about it.

LifesaBeach · 09-17-2005, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lassie

I mean I know you *can* but would it work? For instance, I know they teach cursive first and we are not... would that interfere? Is the phonics and the writing separate?

Does anyone have rave reviews for Abeka phonics?

I really like the A Beka phonics program...my kids do the full cirriculum on DVD. It has better order and flow than a few of the others I looked at. But my only other expericence was when we started a few years ago with Alpha Omega life packs and hands down, A Beka is superior in method. A Beka has Letter and Sounds which is their phonics program and then they have a Writing With Phonics that just teaches cursive using the some of the phonics lessons of the day. If you are not learning cursive, you could easily skip WWP and be ok. I think you could successfully used the Letters and Sounds by itself. In First Grade, they have a Language workbook also and it does not require cursive. In fact, my first grader has been having a difficult time filling in the blanks in print, since all he has known is cursive...but his cursive is beautiful.

Both the Language and L&S workbooks can be used by printers or cursive writers...they have many sections where they have the word in print and cursive, obviously allowing for either method. All of these are consumables.

HTH!

lassie · 09-19-2005, 03:01 PM

Thank you!

sunny5 · 11-06-2005, 05:31 PM

I have been homeschooling for 7 years, and we have used Abeka the whole time. I love the phonics program. I use what I want and how I think we need it to go. Abeka is intense and I don't see the need to finish all the books each year. My mom has been a private school teacher for 30 years and she said they never finished their books. I see the importance to teach my children to read, write and learn math. I concentrate on those things the first couple of years and do the other subjects as we see fit. Science and History, we learn by reading and field trips. I decided a couple of years ago that I was NOT going to stress about school, and we chose to use the "unschooling method". We love it! The children are still learning, but now they enjoy it.
Anyways, I think that you can use whatever Abeka you want...you don't need to use it all. Hope that helps some.