First Grade question

[renee]

Is anyone familiar with Abeka Kindergarten curriculum? My son is doing this now and next year we will be homeschooling for first grade. I was looking into Little Hearts and using the first grade recommendations. He has already gone through all of his letters (handwriting and sounds) They continue to review the skills learned and are now adding their begining readers. He is doing basic math 1+1 and also learning about historical figures briefly (Christopher Columbus ect...)
My reason for choosing Little Hearts is because I want him to do Bigger in third grade. I have a son in third grade using Bigger and feel this is appropriate for third grade. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I may just stick with the Abeka reading program unless Heart of Dakota has a reading program that you feel would fit our needs. Also, would It be okay to start Singapore 1a coming from Abeka Kindergarten math?

Also my third grader is very smart and retains everything he hears. He has an issue with writing. He is currently doing Abeka grammar and does great with it but when asked to do additional writing (like science or vocab words) he bursts into tears. Can I do the science orally? Would that hurt him in the long run? My concern is that he will not be prepared for the next guide "Preparing". He can write a good sentence and has beautiful handwriting. He also does some creative writing in Abeka grammar. He does not struggle with punctuation at all. He is smart and does extremely well in all subjects but does not enjoy "the process' of learning. He wants to "get it done" so he can play. I do not want to give in to bad habits that will make it harder for him in the long run. Any advice on how to balance this? (He does have ADHD)

Thank you for your help!

Renee

[Larissa]

YES!! Little Hearts works well for a first grade program especially since you are coming from Abeka. Little Hearts will be a wonderful introduction to read alouds and narration. I prefer using Little Hearts for 1st grade with the 1st grade options mostly because I prefer Beyond for 2nd and Bigger for 3rd. Now that I am doing Preparing with my 4th grader, I am so thankful that I did it this way. Yes, you can go from Abeka K Math to Singapore 1A. That said, I would suggest that you go to the Singapore website and have your son take the placement test to make sure.

The Science box in Bigger really does prepare them for the Science box in Preparing. I suppose if it were me, I wouldn't skip that part. That said, I used Rod and Staff 3 with my son for grammar and we did a large part of it orally, with only minimal writing. So, the writing for Science or History wasn't too much for him. Is there any way you can do more of the Abeka Language orally? Doing HOD exactly as it is written really does give a child a rich and thorough education - I wouldn't want to skip any of it.

I would also suggest that you look closely at the reading program that HOD has. I highly suggest the emerging readers in place of the Abeka readers. I used all those Abeka readers with my 1st son, and it took significantly longer to engage him in reading than my 2nd son. THe emerging readers lead nicely into the Drawn into the Heart of REading program. My experience is that DITHOR has really made my boys love reading. They read excellent, high quality books. They are fully engaged in reading and I have a difficult time having enough around for them to read! If you use Little Hearts next year with your 1st grader, I highly suggest getting the emerging readers for him as well!

[MelInKansas]

I second what the other poster said. Little Hearts is a great 1st grade program. Beyond Little Hearts is where the Emerging Readers list and instructions are found (and you would also need to buy the books themselves). I totally agree, this leads directly and wonderfully into the rest of the reading program and we are 1/2 way through it and the books being read are just wonderful selections! They are challenging, they are real living books that the children really get into and engage with, and the questions asked help the child learn and grow in narration and things also. I highly recommend them!

[renee]

Thank you both for answering my post. I think I will use Little Hearts and drop the Abeka readers and go with HOD readers for my youngest. Thank you so much.

I have one more question: If I stuck with Abeka grammar workbook for my third grader and did most of it orally, could I skip the book reports and creative writing portion? Does Bigger or any of the other guides cover these topics? And if so, do they incorporate it into their curriculum or is it covered in the Rod and Staff English? I am not too big on pushing book reports too early. If they are done in Rod and Staff grammar then I guess I just need to figure out which one is not too overwhelming for him.

Blessings,

Renee

[Larissa]

Rod and Staff has light introduction to writing - starting with learning how to write clear and concise paragraphs. Drawn into the Heart of Reading has writing assignments that help them to learn to become independent thinkers ... which leads to being able to write. It is in Preparing that creative writing starts. Once each week there is a box that correlates with the poetry that gets the child writing creatively. Rod and Staff also has writing assignments dispersed throughout teaching the child how to develop a thought and write it clearly.
Once the child gets to Creation to Christ, if you follow the HOD recommendations, he/she will begin a program called Write with the Best, vol. 1. I am convinced that if you follow HOD exactly ... your child will be adequately prepared in writing.
So, if it were me, I probably would drop the book reports and creative writing. I do recommend using the DITHOR reading program, though. It is really outstanding! Also, you will not regret using the emerging readers. I had forgotten that the emerging readers are scheduled in the Beyond teacher guide. I have all of the guides from Little Hands all the way through Creation to Christ, and since I have them all at my disposal, I don't always remember what is in each guide.

[Tidbits of Learning]

We used Abeka with Bigger Hearts a few years ago. My 4th and 3rd grader at the time used Abeka Language A and Abeka Language 3. It wasn't bad, but now that we are in CTC using R&S, Writing with the Best, and DITHOR....I see how they are learning how to write well. Abeka does cover all the bases, but it is very busy work and not so much about how to write as it is the structure of writing reports and such. I felt Abeka was more about checking off a list of what was expected for that grade. I didn't feel that my 4th grader who did a lot of writing, reports, and I believe even a research paper that year had gained a better understanding of writing. I agree with the pp that the HOD recommendations have really helped my dc to become better thinkers and to learn to write well.

[renee]

Thank you so much for sharing that with me. It just makes me feel better about letting go of Abeka. Thank you again for your help. I appreciate it very much!

Renee

[renee]

Everyone has been so helpful! I just wanted to ask another question! My kindergartner (who is using Abeka phonics in school) will be homeschooled next year using Little Hearts. I read somewhere that in order not to have any "gaps" that I should complete Abeka phonics through second grade using their complete package of language arts (spelling, handwriting, readers.) Is this correct?

I wanted to use Heart of Dakota recommendations. I am not against using A Reason to Write and HOD spelling. I just do not want to mess up the flow of things for him. He is progressing very well with Abeka phonics but I fear it will be too much busy work for him and me.

My next question is if I can abandon the Abeka with no major gaps, would Reading Made Easy or the other phonics program offered by HOD (oops! forgot the name) flow smoothly after using Abeka phonics Kindergarten? Would that be the next step for phonics. Also, would the emerging readers come into play now or towards the end of first grade. He is reading Kindergarten Abeka readers and Bob Books (level 1 and 2) I think he would be too young to start them in the beginning of first grade. I noticed they have a level 2 on most of them.

Once again I do appreciate everyone taking the time to answer my questions. I realize a lot of my questions repeat themselves throughout my posts . That's because I just want to make sure I place him correctly . I greatly appreciate all of you!

Blessings,

Renee

[Tidbits of Learning]

I do not believe there will be gaps if you pick one of the HOD phonics recommendations after dropping Abeka's language arts. Abeka's phonics is very thorough and is a lot of work on the teacher. I have done both the k4 and k5 with my older dd's. It will add a lot of time to your day as well as have you juggling lots of phonics charts and flash cards and well you will drill a lot for phonics.
I moved my ds after he left ps k (using Saxon phonics) to The Reading Lesson for 1st grade at home. We completed The Reading Lesson for 1st grade and began the emerging readers in 2nd grade. While I like the Abeka phonics, it is just too much at home with just one child. Abeka's homeschool items are not changed very much for at home use and they pretty much would be better in a classroom setting (this is my personal opinion).
Honestly, I think there would only be gaps if you stopped language arts instruction altogether. I was taught with Abeka in private school and I have used it sporadically in our home school. I truthfully believe it is a lot for a parent to finish and a lot of busy work. You would definitely have a lot more time taken up with preparing for teaching with Abeka and it would be a lot more teaching time for language arts. I think the whole there will be gaps generalization helps them to keep those that start with their phonics program. My dd's that I used k4 and k5 with at home went on to public school and they did not have gaps in language arts at all.

Also my third grader is very smart and retains everything he hears. He has an issue with writing. He is currently doing Abeka grammar and does great with it but when asked to do additional writing (like science or vocab words) he bursts into tears. Can I do the science orally? Would that hurt him in the long run? My concern is that he will not be prepared for the next guide "Preparing". He can write a good sentence and has beautiful handwriting. He also does some creative writing in Abeka grammar. He does not struggle with punctuation at all. He is smart and does extremely well in all subjects but does not enjoy "the process' of learning. He wants to "get it done" so he can play. I do not want to give in to bad habits that will make it harder for him in the long run. Any advice on how to balance this? (He does have ADHD)

I just noticed in your first post in this thread that you mentioned your 3rd grader has ADHD and just wants to get done. I have a ds who is in the 3rd grade who is similar. I make sure to schedule his day where the writing is spread out. His day is spread out in 30 min. blocks. He is definitely a wiggly child that loses focus easily. I made the 30 min. blocks so that he has padded times and to give a definitive end time. We use a timer. I don't fuss or stress if he doesn't finish on time. It goes to the homework pile. Dad is the homework guy and he seems to keep ds in line where he doesn't want to have homework often. The timer has helped ds to manage his time and understand that his actions have consequences (homework).
I would probably not try to do the science orally instead of notebooking as it is building skills for Preparing when science will be independent. Since HOD's Language Arts is gentle but effective, maybe the science writing will not seem to much of a chore. The timer and a set time limit has helped my ds to focus better and also to learn from those times that he loses focus and has homework.

[renee]

Thank you SOOOO much! It feels so good to get these questions answered. I cannot say thank you enough!

Blessings,

Renee

[Larissa]

Those are all very good questions. Your child most definitely needs to complete a phonics program. I have experience with Abeka phonics through the 1st grade. I used it without the Language, however. You have a couple of options as I see it. You can switch from Abeka and choose one of the HOD programs. Once you complete the Reading Made Easy or The Reading Lesson, then go right into the emerging readers. I would imagine that you would go much more quickly through either of those programs since your child will have already had phonics instruction. I used the right side of Beyond with my 1st grader (as I was taking him through Little Hearts) following the light grammar they provided in the Language Arts box on Day 5. I also used the spelling lists they provided in the appendix of Beyond. Everything else that I did was Little Hearts, though.
Then when he started Beyond this year for 2nd grade - I put him in Level 2/3 Dithor and Rod and Staff English 2 - next year he will do Bigger using R & S English 3.

The other thing you can do is keep him in ABeka phonics and spelling and use that for his Language Arts box along with Little Hearts. Take him through the emerging readers once he's ready for them. You cannot go wrong with either choice. Abeka is a complete phonics program that will get him where he needs to be. It's really just a decision that you have to make. One thing I enjoy about The Reading Lesson is that we sit down and do it all orally. No worksheets involved. It's really a terrific program. I've done both and prefer The Reading Lesson, but you know your child best ... perhaps he would not do well with change(I have a son like that) or perhaps the change would be good for him. I do agree that Abeka is a lot of work for the teacher and does call for a great deal of written busy work for the child. I did end up completely changing course with my oldest son because the worksheet format was not a match for him at all. He was completely overwhelmed and starting to dislike school by the end of 1st grade. All of that eventually led me to HOD - so no regrets there!

I hope that helps. I mixed a little ABeka with HOD with my 2nd son and it was fine ... but I am quite thankful that with my 3rd son I am going with all the HOD recommendations. It works! If you have more questions please ask them!

[renee]

Thank you Larissa. You have helped me out tremendously! Any thoughts on starting a first grader in Singapore 1A. Should I do the HOD Kindergarten math recommendations first? He is doing Abeka K math and doing well. My thought is that the HOD Kindergarten math may prepare him for Singapore 1A better.

My third grader is doing 2A/B coming out of Abeka math 2. My youngest, if starting in 1A in kindergarten, will be doing 2A/B in second grade. Seems like it would be too intense. I guess I just need to test him. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks you,

Renee

[Larissa]

When I switched to HOD, I immediately switched my son the Singapore. (before we started HOD in the fall) I started him in Singapore 1b, so that he was ready to do Singapore 2A in the fall for 2nd grade using the Beyond guide. I used Beyond with my oldest son exactly as it was written using the light grammar lessons in it and not supplementing with Rod and Staff English like I am doing this year with my 2nd son. (I am telling you this part because of all your questions about Language and what you should do with switching) We went straight to Bigger the next year and used Rod and Staff English 3 - never having done ENglish 2 and he did beautifully! I meant to tell you that earlier when I gave a scenario for using Beyond with English 2 if you wanted to go that route. Now, back to Math - I see no reason that you should do Singapore K with him next year. Unless you think that he just doesn't get what you did in ABeka. Singapore K is much less intense than the Abeka K Math. It is very laid back and more than anything gets them to think. I feel pretty certain that you can go straight in to 1A and not skip a beat. He will develop the thinking skills he needs with Singapore by starting with 1A. If you are unsure, though, test him before you order for next year. I have my 2nd grader in 2A right now and he is doing well with it. (not struggling at all) However, every child is different. So, if you think you should take him back to the K you can most certainly do that. I had great success with switching to Singapore without going all the way back to K. (I had used the Abeka K Math as well) It was an easy switch.

[renee]

Thank you. You have been so helpful. I guess I need a little reassurance in making the switch. I am feeling much more comfortable about it now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Renee