what is beast academy
the beasts academy of the art of problem solving is a math program aimed at children ages 8-13 and covers elementary level math while helping students develop stronger logical thinking and stronger problem solving skills through challenging puzzles.
price: how much does the beast academy cost
please note: prices are accurate at time of writing, all prices in usd.
You are reading: Beast academy online vs books
Currently there are two methods to access beast academy content, beast academy online and the beast academy book series.
online beast academy
beast academy online is a subscription-based program that can be accessed from the web and is available in three plans: monthly, yearly or a annual package deal which includes a full set of books for a beast academy level.
all packages include full access to beast academy online and digital copies of their guides (which can be accessed in the program).
beast academy online includes access for one student, which means that if you have a large family with several children interested in math, you will have to pay for each additional student (additional 4 usd for the annual plan and 7.50 usd for the monthly plan).
Of all the plans, we think the combo package is probably the best value, as it includes both online and offline learning options (digital and paper-and-pencil).
packages include access to one year of beast academy online and a full level of beast academy books.
Considering that separately they would cost $96 for the annual package and $118 for the books ($214), the packages are not only convenient for learning, but also a good savings ($64).
if you’re not sure, while beast academy doesn’t exactly have a free trial, it does have an online demo you can try for free.
Although not fully functional, the online demo will allow you to view lessons, digital guides, try out puzzles and quizzes, view video content, and even allows you to explore beast academy’s progress tracking online, so you really It’s a great way to see if the show is right for your family, especially since it doesn’t have a time limit.
beast academy books
If you prefer to take your child’s math learning offline, Beast Academy also offers their learning in more traditional book form.
The beast academy program is made up of three books for each level, a guide, a practice book, and a puzzle book for additional content.
These prices are for the guide, practice and puzzle books for each level stage. Each level is made up of four progressive stages (A, B, C, and D), each of which is based on a different mathematical theme.
4a might cover shapes, multiplication, and exponents, for example, while 4c might cover factors, fractions, and whole numbers.
We think it’s quite helpful that the art of problem solving has divided these books, as it gives parents the ability to choose the level of math supplement they want.
if you want to try beast academy’s method of instruction, you can buy a guide or a guide and practice book for a relatively low cost. And if you just want some challenging puzzles but have your own preferred math curriculum, you can do that too.
Most parents, however, will want to buy all three (guide+how-to+puzzle) as they are designed to work together and do so quite well.
just like the online version, beast academy offers a book package that includes all the material for a complete level (a,b,c and d).
is the most convenient option, as all books are delivered at once and children can move through the learning material seamlessly. however, at $118, we think you could probably use a bit of a discount, as it’s essentially the same price as buying all the books separately.
beast academy math: how it works
focus
unlike other math curricula, beast academy doesn’t really focus on kids doing calculations or exercises.
Instead, the program focuses more on developing higher-order thinking skills, such as logical reasoning and problem solving, along with mathematical knowledge.
so, rather than just going over grade-level material in math, a lot is explained about why things are the way they are and, more interestingly (and perhaps more importantly), how problems can be addressed. problems.
The general concept here is that developing a greater familiarity with logical and mathematical thinking will better serve children in the long run if they decide to pursue higher education in math and science.
and this approach is also reflected in practice.
Overall, there are relatively fewer calculation problems compared to other math courses, and more puzzles and word problems that kids will spend time thinking about.
Also, unlike other self-paced courses, there is much more parent involvement at Beast Academy.
While there are extensive instructions for children to help them complete the courses, parents are expected to spend time reviewing the solutions provided with children, getting them to think about the logic and structure of the questions, and helping them find alternative forms. to reach a solution.
so this is not something that parents can really make their kids do and go away.
how beast academy teaches math concepts
beast academy engages children and teaches them important math concepts through clever use of the comic book-style content and illustrations found in their guides.
These guides weave math lessons into action-packed or humorous stories filled with a variety of visually stunning monsters and dragons (the beasts of beast academy) that really appeal to kids.
Drawn by comic book illustrator Erich Owen, whose work includes creating art for the DC Comics properties Teen Titans Go and DC Super Hero Girls, Beast Academy has a modern comic style reminiscent of these titles and is very attractive to children.
In fact, our tester was quite engrossed in the material and very quickly learned to identify and choose his favorite beasts, which he became very attached to.
study plan
beast academy is a comprehensive maths curriculum for kids ages 8-13, or roughly 2-7 grades, and there are four different levels (2, 3, 4, and 5) with four different stages for each level (a, b, c and d).
Given the age range, you might be forgiven for assuming at first glance that these are grade levels (we did), but they are actually not that related to grade.
Instead, these levels break down roughly as follows:
As you can see, Beast Academy covers the breadth of math from grades 2-7 (and beyond in some cases).
While the company suggests that parents use age as a rough guide to setting levels, we suggest taking a look at the math skills taught in each course, as children may be more (or less) advanced in relation to their age or grade. and a skill-based assessment of the material makes more sense.
beast academy and common core alignment
in terms of common core standards, the company says beast academy’s curriculum is loosely aligned with common core standards.
Overall, beast academy meets and often exceeds the standards and goals set by the common core.
Going deeper into the teaching of logical thinking, problem solving, understanding of concepts, and the development of mathematical thinking, beast academy teaches topics with more rigor than most standards-aligned math programs and, in Sometimes it presents issues about a year earlier than usual. basic standards are recommended.
for those parents who are following a common core program and are interested in supplementing math learning with the beast academy, it can be a bit tricky to map it to the common core standards as levels do not always correspond to grades specific.
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Fortunately, the company includes detailed information on the course standards for each level so parents can better see what skills each level covers and where they fit into the grand scheme of K-12 math education.
how it works
Beast Academy currently comes in two forms:
- beast academy, a pencil-and-paper learning system with several physical books (guides, practice books, and puzzles), divided into four separate levels, which can be purchased for separately or together as a package.
- online beast academy, an all-in-one web-accessible version that includes digital guides for all levels and interactive puzzles.
diagnostic assessment: placing your child in the correct beast academic level
Because homeschoolers have different readiness and skill levels, a course that breaks its content down by skill and topic is often better if it includes a diagnostic test or assessment.
This allows parents to more easily determine where their child should start (or even if a program is right for them).
To their credit, Beast Academy includes a free printable pre-placement test of sorts available on each level’s product page that parents can download and print before trying out a level (or even ordering one).
These are short (less than 20 questions) paper and pencil quizzes that parents administer and test students on concepts they should be familiar with before starting a level,
these have pretty much everything a parent needs to take such a test, like instructions and a step-by-step solution guide for each question, and overall we think parents should be able to have a good idea of whether a beast academy level is suitable for your child (or vice versa).
We think it’s quite useful and considerate that these are free and available before purchase, although we think a digital or online version could be much easier for parents to use.
beast academy books
the beast academy book program is made up of 3 types of books for each level:
- guidance
- practice book
- and a book full of puzzles for the curriculum of that level
beast academy guide
guide books serve as a kind of textbook for beast academy courses.
There are four guides for each level and four levels, making 16 guides in all.
Each book is then divided into 3 sections, each corresponding to a topic.
These guides are in full color and teach both math concepts and strategies for approaching problems using monsters, dragons, and other “beasts” of various shapes and sizes (hence the name, beast academy).
These monsters explain mathematical concepts (and their uses) very carefully and in some depth, using the Beast Academy comic book format to great effect to weave these mathematical themes into various fanciful stories.
Already visually appealing, the guides try to further engage kids by taking a more informal approach to teaching math concepts, such as drawing analogies to things kids may be more familiar with, putting math concepts into contexts easier to understand and giving certain characters unique dialogue “accents” and personality for added effect.
the guides also try to use humor. With the material, it is challenging at times and there may be a few quibbles here and there, but overall there are some clever puns and the use of humor will help keep the kids entertained.
One thing we appreciate is that, despite the use of humor, at no point does the material feel silly or patronizing towards children.
The guides treat the children as intelligent and capable, and the discussions of the material are kept educational and to the point.
We also like that the guides really take the time to reason through math concepts (rather than just expound them) and explore various problem-solving strategies that might be helpful to kids later on.
Another thing we liked is that, at various points, the comics use identifiable visual cues (stop signs) to let kids know that they really need to pay attention, which can help prevent them from skipping an explanation and becoming confused. lose later.
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Unfortunately, there are no review sections for earlier mathematical topics, and since mathematics tends to build on itself, a short summary on earlier related topics that are key to the topic at hand would have been helpful.
practical guides
If the beast academy guides serve as a textbook, the practice guides are really the heart of the book program, where kids can put their learning into practice to solve puzzles and complete challenges and games.
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As with the guides, there are 4 practice books per level (16 total) and, like the guides, they are divided into chapters.
There are up to about 150 questions per chapter, so you can expect up to about 500 questions per practice, which is quite a lot. These questions come in a variety of long-form question types, including word problems, visual problems, creative puzzles, and more.
Like the guides, the practice books include helpful visual cues to prompt children to pay attention to important information. in particular, they use stars to mark the difficulty of a problem:
- one star = difficult
- two stars = very difficult
Unlike the guides, the practice books are in black and white and, while not as bright, feature many of the same beasts drawn in the same style, maintaining a sense of continuity and fun for children .
There are hints located at the back, as well as the expected answer key, which is a nice addition. One thing we liked is that the answer key not only provides an answer, but also finds solutions and provides explanations for the various steps involved, which provides a more complete learning experience and can be very helpful for parents trying to learn. solve problems with their children.
one thing we feel is missing is a summary review and assessment at the end of the practice book that would act as a sort of final exam, as included in the online version, that would be helpful in assessing skill mastery for each level.
puzzle books
Like the practice book in feel and format, though less formally structured, the puzzle books cover an entire level and offer new practice questions based on the material in that level; usually a few hundred per book.
Generally speaking, they act as extra practice content and we think they’re a pretty good way to reinforce what kids have learned at that level before moving on to the next.
online beast academy
beast academy is also available digitally as beast academy online.
a web-based platform, beast academy online covers the same content as the books but has some more convenient and up-to-date features due to its online nature.
look and feel
beast academy online is pretty well laid out for kids, everything is laid out pretty simply, there’s not much clutter to get lost in.
Like the books, the online beast academy is populated by a variety of monsters and dragons, and the overall look is very similar to that found in the comic book illustrations, which children will love.
The navigation of the program takes the form of a virtual campus, which is made up of some virtual buildings that children can click on:
- classroom, which is where the kids solve their problems and earn trophies and rewards
- library, which is where the guides are located
- theater – this is where the video lessons are located
- puzzle lab – an unlockable area that provides students additional puzzles and acts as a kind of digital version of the puzzle book
These areas are replicated at the top of the screen as buttons, so the chances of kids getting lost or not knowing where to go are pretty low.
Also, there is a built-in help function, which is quite good at helping children navigate and understand the program and minimizes the need for constant parental supervision.
content and curriculum
beast academy online takes the same educational approach as the books and covers much of the same material as the beast academy book series.
in fact, beast academy online gives students immediate access to digital versions of all the guides for all levels of the program (levels 2-5), instead of a level at a time.
Like the book version, these serve as a textbook for the online beast academy, providing detailed explanations of various mathematical concepts and strategies.
Before starting each practice section, kids are given short on-screen mini-lessons with direct links to the guide that can be clicked on for further explanations, which is very helpful and doesn’t require kids to search.
These are much like what kids would find in Beast Academy practice books, with detailed explanations and step-by-step examples for each math topic.
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Unfortunately, there is no read-aloud feature for these mini-lessons, so children who need a little help with reading may have a harder time.
however, there are read-aloud assist features for the program’s questions and puzzles.
In addition to the written guides and lessons, Beast Academy Online also offers short video explanations.
These live action videos review specific math concepts and topics, with a fairly energetic presenter (the founder of the art of problem solving) using a green screen digital whiteboard to deliver points.
These videos go into a fair amount of detail, while managing to make things as clear and simple as possible with a bit of humor as well.
these videos are a great addition to beast academy as they allow audio-visual learning which makes beast academy more multi-sensory and are great for kids who find it difficult to learn material by reading guides or videos. mini-lessons, or just prefer a khan academy-type experience.
The videos, created digitally, are also constantly updated with new topics, making the beast academy online a bit more up-to-date than the book versions.
puzzles and questions online
The puzzles and questions found in beast academy online have the same quality, style and depth as their book versions.
That is, these questions challenge children to develop stronger logical thinking and problem-solving skills through the use of a variety of long-form question types, such as word problems, visual problems, creative puzzles, and more.
Riddles and questions are interactive: answers are entered directly into the system, although children may have to use scratch paper to solve things, and the answers are displayed immediately after they are submitted (with their complete solutions). ).
Fortunately, Beast Academy Online has included a summary test at the end of each section, which is a nice addition that measures mastery of the topic and is not found in the book format.
Being digital, new content is always being added to beast academy online, at the time of writing there are over 800 lessons and 15,000 word problems that are available online, so kids have a reason to keep playing! .
track progress
Like other high-quality, self-paced online math programs, Beast Academy Online provides parents with the ability to log in and track their students’ progress in the program.
This progress tracker gives parents important information they can use to monitor their child’s progress, such as:
- where the student is in the course
- how far they have come in the material
- a rough idea of their relative proficiency in the material (on a scale of needs practice to expert), how much time they have spent working on each
- how many attempts they have made in a course
- how many points or trophies they have earned
- and more
Parents can access progress tracking through their own accounts and progress reports can be emailed to them each week, which is useful for providing a regular snapshot of a child’s progress.
We particularly liked that beast academy also provides fairly in-depth analysis progress, measuring progress down to your performance on individual themes, giving a much more granular picture of your strengths and weaknesses on each theme than most other programs offer .
We also liked that kids have access to their own progress tracker, which they can access at any time from their account.
this contains essentially the same information as the parents, although the appearance is a bit more friendly and attractive, being more cartoonish.
Giving children access to their own progress tracking is not only thoughtful but can be very helpful, as it can give children a sense that they are making progress and achieving something, which ultimately prevents the long-term frustration.
gamification: rewards, points and trophies
To help increase children’s interest and engagement, Beast Academy Online has added a number of video game elements to their math learning.
While completing lessons, puzzles, and quizzes, kids can earn points (xp), trophies, and stars.
earning a certain number of stars on certain levels in the game opens up new buildings (like the puzzle lab) or gives kids access to new content (extra challenging trophy puzzles, for example), giving them gives kids something to work towards and helps maintain the novelty factor of the game over time.
There are also regular challenges and contests that kids can take part in that engage a wider user base, such as trying to rack up the most points in an 8-month period by completing lessons, earning stars and trophies, etc.
These challenges are posted from time to time on the company’s social media page and website and offer real rewards including monetary prizes. Some parents may not appreciate the real-life rewards of these challenges, but again, they’re optional.
beast academy online vs beast academy books
beast academy and beast academy online have the same wonderful comic style and challenging math problems that encourage the development of higher order thinking skills in math.
That said, we prefer the online version.
beast academy online gives parents full access to all beast academy guides, adds video lessons as an additional method of instruction, has constantly updated content, offers immediate scoring, is gamified, and offers parents tracking useful progress chart that can provide important information about your child’s level of skill and knowledge.
However, one thing parents should consider is that the puzzles and questions offered by beast academy are quite challenging and require time to solve. these are not, after all, simple calculus problems.
Because there are quite a few puzzles and questions per level, this means that with beast academy online, kids can spend quite a bit of screen time.
Parents who want to cut down on screen time for their already tech-heavy children can purchase the full package and use the books to supplement the online version.
is beast academy worth the money?
In our opinion, whether you choose to buy Beast Academy online or choose the book version, it’s well worth your money.
beast academy has an interesting and unusual approach to learning math. Using professionally illustrated comics and artwork to convey important topics in math, their learning system engages and engages children without simplifying the material.
also offers a lot of content for your money.
with the books, each level contains hundreds of problems to practice, and almost 1000 if you include puzzles.
with the online version there is even more content, since the company updates it relatively frequently.
Academically, too, the beast academy approach to mathematics teaching, that is, the focus on developing higher-order conceptual thinking skills related to mathematics rather than just procedural calculus, is very useful for students, as it has been shown to improve students’ understanding of mathematics and increase their long-term academic performance.
who is the best beast academy for?
Beast Academy’s engaging, brightly colored comic book style belies a rigorous approach to learning math that emphasizes flexibility, independent thinking, and experimentation.
includes brain teasing riddles and some pretty hard questions that, in most cases, have multiple ways to solve
therefore, the beast academy is more suitable for children and parents who are looking for an interesting enrichment in mathematics, in particular those who want their children to learn mathematics with a greater emphasis on problem-solving strategies, logical thinking and critical thinking, rather than a focus on developing memory skills.
However, it’s not a great option for parents looking to simply exercise their child’s math skills for school tests, as the puzzles and challenges are often quite tricky with multiple solutions.
It’s also not a great solution for parents looking for a stand-alone self-study course that they can pass on to their kids, as there are specific instructions, games, and other hands-on activities that will require parental involvement.
finally, beast academy is most useful for students looking to enrich their existing math skills and its challenging puzzles are not really a great solution for students who are struggling with math and looking for extra math help.
end result:
With its professionally illustrated comic book-style math instruction, a colorful cast of monsters, and challenging and challenging math puzzles, Beast Academy is a highly engaging math enrichment program that can help kids develop mathematical thinking. and problem solving skills. that can really help them be successful in the long run.
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