love2homeschool
- Reviewed on Saturday, January 23, 2010
- Grades Used: k,1st,2nd
- Dates used: 2007-present
When I say A2 is the best thing that happened in our kids' education, I am not exxagerating. I never knew about homeschooling until I needed it for various reasons. But, once we decided this was our road, I was so overwhelmed by all the curricula out there and the pricing. There was NO WAY I could spend the amount needed on the few curriculums I came across that I liked. On one of my "search" nights, I came across A2. WOW! Too good to be true, I thought. Well, it's the real deal. I have successfully taught my dd how to read, write, add, subtract--ALL w/ A2 (she continues to improve everything w/ new McGuffey's readers each yr, higher level math and spelling w/ word lessons which weren't until 3rd grade--her request--so we did). We have started covering American History w/ the one-syllable books this "year". I am in the process of teaching my ds how to read w/ the phonics games. Printing and cutting these card games out is a small price to pay in time for knowing you have the tools to teach your child. I just printed them out and cut them one game at a time at night. If you want everything to be "ready to go" in a fancy box along with the fancy price, this may not be for you. I didn't realize a classical education is what I was seeking and am SO happy the creator of this curriculum has kept it affordable for ALL. The math worksheet generator is great--you don't have to wait until the curriculum says "you can go on to the next level"--you decide and know if your child can and do. The scope and sequence included have been a tremendous help--it's great to see what's coming up w/o having to wait for your new year's curriculum like with other high end products. Science is and isn't included...I don't mind this approach--I love it. You get a list of what should be covered EACH year and you and YOUR child (or just you) decide what/when to cover. My kids love being a part of the decision for part of their education since the 3R's are a requirement not a choice. My daughter knows more in 2nd grade as far as grammar is concerned than some regular 4th graders I've met:). I'm not showing off--this is thanks to A2's grammar game (you do print/cut) which she loves. Most of the required reading I've checked out from the library or bought used on the cheap. My kids LOVE learning even though we do reading, writing and math everyday--isn't that what it's about. I know reg. school kids that don't do this everyday and dread it when they do?? My rating: A+++++/10 out of 10. I wouldn't have it any other way.
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shallman
- Reviewed on Wednesday, January 13, 2010
- Grades Used: 5th-11th
- Dates used: 2006-2010
I am so glad that I have been able to use this curriculum in my homeschooling. I have homeschooled for about 8 years, and have purchased many expensive "boxed" curriculum, and I have found that A2 has given me much more, and has made it easy to customize in any way that helps our particular needs. In the earlier grades, I found the math text and worksheet generator to be an excellent source of helping my children learn the basics, and move forward to more complex math instruction. The Grammar lessons are challenging, and we have had no trouble accessing the answer keys, posted on the Yahoo group website. My children excel in Vocabulary, Reading and Writing, and I appreciate the classical style of teaching these disciplines. We especially enjoyed the copywork, with the timeless quality of good sense and moral values passed on in the copywork. The selections are quite extensive also! Yes I have at times supplemented with a specific "extra", but could have done without it , if I really had to! You cannot get a better complete curriculum that is superior to this one and yet extremely affordable. All my questions have always been addressed and the group discussions have always led me to excellent resources, especially websites offering free or inexpensive educational tools. I have never seen anything else that covers every grade level as this does. The scope and sequence has been a great help for me too! I rate Accelerated Achievement as A++++++++++++!!
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smlukes
- Reviewed on Tuesday, January 12, 2010
- Grades Used: K, 1, 5, 7
- Dates used: 2004-2005
I love this curriculum. It is so easy to use and really does have everything included. As for Science it tells you everything you need to learn for the year and you can look the stuff up at the library or online.
I use it for my son and nephews (who are in 5th and 7th grade). Being that is self-learning it makes it alot easier for my nephews to do it when they are at their mom's and I'm not around to help them.
I love the yahoo group where there are lots of people there that can help you. There are also files and extra books on there. There isn't an answer key on the cd for the English but there is 2 available to download on the yahoo group.
I absolutely love this curriculum and am planning on using it for years to come.
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Naturalnut
- Reviewed on Monday, January 11, 2010
- Grades Used: 4th-6th
- Dates used: 2009-2010
I have been homeschooling my 2 children on and off for 6 years. I had to send them to public school for a couple of years due to an illness but now they are back at home in school with me. I was using Christian Liberty Academy 3 years ago, but found it a bit expensive and very teacher intensive and with managing them and me I needed something that worked better for all of us.
Last summer when I decided to homeschool them again due to some major issues with the public school curriculum, I went out of my way to do intensive research on the different curriculum's out there to find a classical curriculum that worked for us. We started out with Robinson Curriculum, and then I ordered a Copy of A2 just to see the difference. They are both wonderful programs but I chose A2 for 3 reasons:
1) Classical curriculum (as is RC)
2) Included all subjects (the reviewer who claims there is no math and science is incorrect A2 has both, as for electives there are some available on the CD but they are not labeled as such). There are no foreign languages included though so perhaps that is what they meant by no electives. We did find a nice Latin course elsewhere at the request of my children.
3) The texts on the CD are directly downloadable to a PDF eReader so we do not have to print any of them out. I bought my kids each a Sony Reader (I figured the cost of the readers would be offset by not printing costs for the next 8 years). Then I just move the PDF files onto the reader (I use Calibre-ebook software to do this easily) and my kids have all their books in their hands in one place.
As for the previous reviewer's claim that there are non-Christian or anti-Christian portions of the curriculum, I have to disagree. The classical curriculum contains only classic books and texts, there are plenty of positive Christian references included although there is no Bible study. That is fine for me as I prefer to direct my kids bible studies myself. I have found nothing that offends my belief system or makes me feel that this is not an appropriate curriculum for a Christian homeschooler. I would say it is more neutral, it has classical values and ideals in the books (which are predominately Christian value and ideals LOL) themselves but leaves it up to you to teach your children your own religious values.
All in all A2 is wonderful, it is structured well for those who need it and yet has much flexibility built in. I love the year by year guide included on the CD and I use that as my base for planning, adding in and moving around as I see fit. I find myself able to tweak how we are doing things while using all the content very effectively. And best of all it is child driven so the children are learning how to teach and learn themselves. I feel more like a supervisor than a teacher and I can see them growing in self sufficiency each day. It also makes it very easy to school children in different grade levels all at once. If you are looking for a paint by number lesson plan, this probably won't work for you, but if you want a wonderful classic, nicely structured all inclusive k-12 curriculum you need to check our A2.
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