Abeka

[Bakershalfdozen]

I'm seriously considering using the DVD program next year for all of my kids. However, the only option for writing in Kindergarten is cursive. Does anyone know if they ever teach manuscript to the children?

Additionally, my daughter will be in 1st grade next year. I taught her manuscript this year but the DVD program for next yera is cursive. Is she going to have a problem?

[5dumplings@home]

I'm seriously considering using the DVD program next year for all of my kids. However, the only option for writing in Kindergarten is cursive. Does anyone know if they ever teach manuscript to the children?

Additionally, my daughter will be in 1st grade next year. I taught her manuscript this year but the DVD program for next yera is cursive. Is she going to have a problem?

I know you can still order the manuscript tablets from ABeka. What I'm going to do when Sarah hits kindergarten is teach her both, whether ABeka offers it still or not.

I don't think she will have trouble with learning writing in 1st grade. They start out pretty slowly with it in 1st grade as a reminder anyway. You can always order extra tablets and practice with her.

[Bakershalfdozen]

So they will let you substitute even if you are using the DVD program?

I picked what I wanted this past year because I was doing the teaching but I don't see many options on the abeka site for the DVD programs. For instance, I really don't want to pay for teacher answer books for Kindergarten and 1st grade but I don't see an option for leaving those off. I also don't want to have to buy the K reading books again but if I start with the DVD program this coming year, I will have to buy them again since this will be the first time using the DVD program.

I wish they would just let me rent the DVDs because I can get all the books I need at my local Christian bookstore - they have a huge homeschooling recycling center with plenty of Abeka books.

[5dumplings@home]

That I don't know, Bakers. Check EBay if you have to re-buy the readers, but I don't know why you should if she's going into first grade. My son hasn't reused any of his kindergarten things.

[Bakershalfdozen]

No, what I mean is, with the Abeka DVD program, you have to buy everything they say; it comes all together in a kit. If I do this for my K5 student (son) next year, I will be buying stuff I already have from my K5 student (daughter) this year.

I would love to buy the stuff at a discount - like I said, my local Christian bookstore has a huge homeschooling recycling center where I can get most of what I need at 50% off.

However, if I go with the DVD program, I have to buy what comes with the program. I don't see an option for just renting the DVDs alone.

[5dumplings@home]

No' date=' what I mean is, with the Abeka DVD program, you [b']have to buy everything they say; it comes all together in a kit. If I do this for my K5 student (son) next year, I will be buying stuff I already have from my K5 student (daughter) this year.

I would love to buy the stuff at a discount - like I said, my local Christian bookstore has a huge homeschooling recycling center where I can get most of what I need at 50% off.

However, if I go with the DVD program, I have to buy what comes with the program. I don't see an option for just renting the DVDs alone.

Hmmm, well, I do know that when I was still teaching, our school was pretty small and we rented the vhs programs. Maybe you could call and find out if they have that available.

It would be a drag to have to rebuy everything you already have.

[Bakershalfdozen]

I just called; they don't have that option. So I'm thinking about doing the DVD program for 5th grade and 1st grade next year and doing traditional for K5. After that, I'll be able to take advantage of their discounts in the following years. Thanks 5d! :Green

Anybody else have any comments regarding the cursive writing?

[HappyChristian]

I personally think cursive should wait until kids are a bit older and have more muscle control in their hands. I also think manuscript is a good thing to teach, because it teaches orderliness. I know that in the olden days kids used cursive early on...but they didn't start school as early as kids do nowadays. I think I would opt for what you said in your last post, Bakers - do traditional for K5. You've already taught it, and you have the materials. The lack of choice (in actually any curriculum) was a big reason that we didn't use a set curriculum - we picked and chose what we liked...but we only had one, so it was easier to do it that way, I think.

And I love the houses that BEKA has - my son loved having to keep the feet out of the basement, or the head out of the second floor, or making sure the tail was in the basement right. Of course, that's not how they present it, it's how I taught it. It was fun.

[Bakershalfdozen]

:Green Even my 3 year old walks around saying, "Upstairs, downstairs, basement". I love the houses too.

I agree that manuscript needs to be taught; I'm not sure why they decided to switch. Do they ever teach manuscript to their students??? It would be strange to know cursive but not manuscript. There are plenty of occasions in life where you have to print information.

[Pastorj]

Baker's,

The penmanship part of the video is not that long. I would still do the DVD program. Just buy the manuscript book and don't show that one section of the video. My sister did this and was thankful she did. The phonics part of the video is so critical for them to get.

PJ

[Bakershalfdozen]

PastorJ, are you saying I should go ahead and do DVD for Kindergarten? It really hurts to think that I will have to buy all those readers and charts & games again when I already have everything I need except the consumable books...

[Pastorj]

Having worked for Abeka and my wife having taught at PCA, Kindergarten is about one primary thing - Phonics. Everything in Kindergarten is repeated in the first quarter of 1st grade, just at a faster pace. So the issue is, if you feel comfortable teaching the phonics, then DVD is not necessary. However, if you do not feel comfortable, then the DVD is a must.

[Pastorj]

My wife just added that simple math and writing are also important, but that without a proper basis for reading, children will suffer later.

[pep_3000]

When did Abeka start teaching cursive in K? I had Abeka in my private school and I learned print first and cursive in 2nd. But I guess that was like 15 years ago.

How do you guys find that the DVD's work? I had a friend that did the VHS tapes from Abeka and he hated it. He would fast forward though a lot of the tapes :lol
I had the Video teacher for Spanish in high school and we all hated it and did not learn much of anything. I know that learning a foreign language would most likely be harder than some other subjects. I just have some questions about there effectiveness and am interested to see how they have worked out for other people.

[Pastorj]

We love the DVD program. The only time my kids need to ff is when they are reading ahead of the teacher. If they are staying with the teacher and following along, they will rarely need to ff.

As to when they switched to cursive. In 1992, My wife was teaching 1st grade at PCA. They began experimenting with it then. My wife was opposed to teaching cursive in K and 1st grade at that time and is still opposed to it today. Beka Horton made the decision. Many parents and schools made a stink and they decided to continue to produce the manuscript books.