Saturday, May 3, 2014

Total Health: Choices for a Winning Lifestyle VS. A Beka Health....



A friend recently asked me to review Total Health vs. A Beka Health for her high school student.  Angel completed the middle school TH book in 8th grade and the high school TH book this year in 12th grade.  We also used A Beka Health in 6th grade.  She much preferred Total Health.

As a side note, for 12th grade I paired Total Health with I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris and we used Hewitt Homeschool's Health Syllabus and Tests.   I thought this was a good fit.  Angel enjoyed Harris' book as well. 

Since Angel used both programs, I asked her to write the review.  Again, keep in mind that we've only used A Beka health in 6th grade, not at the high school level.  Maybe the high school level covers areas more comparable to Total Health.  For us, Angel loved Total Health so much in middle school, it was a no brainer for high school.  I really didn't even look at any other programs at that point.  Here are her thoughts....



“Total Health was a great program!  It presented the information in an interesting and readable manner and included thought provoking activities and discussion topics to review the material covered.  Total Health provided accurate information on not only physical health, but it also explained how important our spiritual, mental, and social health are to our overall well being.  It presented health information from a Biblical perspective which made it much easier to apply the lessons learned to my life personally.  Overall, the program was well worth the time and effort put into it.  Total Health is a wonderful in-depth program that can be understood and enjoyed by all high school students. 

A Beka’s Choosing Good Health is also a good Biblically based health program and has its perks for those who like the textbook education method, but it is not as thought provoking or in-depth as Total Health.  Below are some compare/contrast points for both programs.” 

Total Health
A Beka Health
Readable and interesting; conversational, as if a teacher was speaking to you
Textbook reading and presentation of material; dry
Covered overall health from physical, mental, social, spiritual, etc.; not just nutrition and exercise
Covers mainly the human body, good nutrition, exercise, first aid, etc.; does not cover mental, social, or spiritual health
Included thought provoking explain/discussion questions that allow the student to think about the subject or issue being covered in the text themselves, coming up with their own opinions or answers
Included standard textbook multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching, etc. questions that allow the student to find the answer in the reading rather than having the student actually think about the issue being covered; no thought provoking or essay questions
Has only two tests, one for each quarter; has a review that contains explain/discussion questions after each chapter; no quizzes
Has 4 tests, 8 quizzes and 11 worksheets throughout the program; no activities that 
allow the student to apply the material they have learned  

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