Curriculum Review: Adventures in Phonics - Christian Liberty Press

I'm using Adventures in Phonics with my five year old daughter. I originally planned to use it as an occasional supplement. But in the interest of keeping things simple and because my daughter wanted to do a worksheet like she saw her older brother doing in another subject, we started off with a single page. She has enjoyed them so much that Adventures in Phonics has become our mainstay phonics program.

My daughter has taken off simply by doing one side of a worksheet per day. I am very pleased with her reading progress commeasurate to a 20 minute reading lesson per day. I've taught four children to read and this has been a stress-free, no bells and whistles approach.

Adventures in Phonics is best suited for the visual learner who enjoys a workbook program. But it's also do-able for the average wiggly worm who just needs to get through the basics in a simple and short ordered way. (A parent could certainly use this book for phonics, reading and handwriting instruction.) I always mix in shaving cream activities for forming letters and play lots of phonics games along the way. (Bits and pieces of Happy Phonics) The author of the AiP program suggests doing parts of the worksheets orally so as not to frustrate the young student.

Book A begins teaching short vowels first (pages 1-28), then teaches all consonants (pages 29-68). I used these pages to both re-enforce the sounds of the letters but also as handwriting sheets. There are a lot of matching activities and ample opportunity for handwriting practice on a daily basis. (Roughly two lines...one for capital letters and one for lower case)

Beginning with page 69, short vowel words are taught. Oddly, the Adventures in Phonics workbooks do NOT follow the word family approach to blending, but the Christian Liberty Press Readers for kindergarten do. I chose to teach the beginning sound and vowel blend approach rather than the word family approach. It works fine. I'm finding that it matters not in the slightest. I simply have taught my child to sound out words like this:

1. b a t (sound out each letter individually...drawing out the first two letters and then adding the third letter.

2. ba t (blend the two first letters, drawn out...then add the third.)

3. bat (say it fast)

Short vowel words are taught through page 89. Then the child is taught to mark short vowels in preparation for distinguishing them from long vowels. At the same time, consonant blends are added to the mix. On pages 116-154, long vowel words are covered in depth.

Pages 155-212 teach digraphs and remaining phonograms and compound words.

There is quite a bit of material covered here, for a minimal price. All pages are tri-color. (black, white and blue)

I imagine I will be using this particular level into our first grade year. This would be entirely appropriate...and hence maximizes the bang for the buck.

The Adventures in Phonics program has three levels and takes the student through blends, digraphs, and diphthongs as well as prefixes and suffixes, plurals, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, apostrophe usage, syllables, and pronunciation by book three.

Recommended - Please use with grace and wisdom as the author suggests.

Blessings,

©2008 Y.M.F.

Curriculum Review: Jumbo Fun with the Alphabet

Jumbo Fun with the Alphabet by Evan Moor Publishing is my favorite resource for teaching children letter sounds and other basic pre-school to kindergarten skills. Each letter is a complete unit study containing the components of:

Read It - A complete bibliography of children's books for each letter of the alphabet. Among the selections are both alphabet books as well as stories containing words with the target letter. for the letter K, we find titles such as:

Alphabet Books:

Anno's Alphabet by Mitsumasa Anno
Kangaroo's Adventure in Alphabet Town by Janet McDonnell

Books about Kangaroos:

Joey Runs Away
Kararoo by Paula Hogan
Kangaroo by Caroline Arnold
Katy No Pocket by Emmy Payne
Kangaroos (Baby Animal Series) by Kate Petty

Books About Kites:

Curious George Flies a Kite by Margaret Rey
Dragon Kite by Valerie Reddix
The Kite (My First Reader Series) by Mary Packard
One Windy Day by Jane Caraway

*I have not read all of these titles and do not endorse each title. (But I love Curious George and Katy No Pocket!)

Eat It - Each letter has a snack that supports it's sound. The letter K suggests Kiwi Kabobs! Most of the snacks are both easy and fun to make. They certainly lend themselves to tiny hands!

Draw It - This is all about following directions. The child is directed to fold a standard piece of paper into four sections. The parent draws on a chalkboard as they give their child oral directions. In the Letter K section, the child draws:

An orange kite
A blue kite with a purple tail
A big red kite and a little blue kite
A Kite with polka dots of many colors

I found most of the drawing activities fun, but I discovered that Gracie was able to draw much more effectively closer to her fifth birthday and even better afterwards. We really couldn't get the hang of this activity in her fourth year.

Write It - The write it section is a nicely illustrated worksheet with letters to trace and a word to write. It might be too much for the average pre-schooler, but fits well into any kindergarten program.

Make It - This is great fun! Using cutting and pasting skills, a craft is created by the child. For the letter K the child makes a Kangaroo puppet which has a baby kangaroo that jump out of the pouch via a popsicle stick. These make for WONDERFUL portfolio content.

Letter Sound Reproducible - This is a simple worksheet which gives a child the opportunity to cut out the pictures that begin with the sound of the target letter. For the letter K, the child cuts out pictures of keys, kangaroos, koalas, and kites and pastes them onto a kettle at the top of the page.

Reproducible Storybook - This is the last activity of the week. Here we have a tiny foldable book in which the child colors the illustrations as Mom or Dad reads the story.

In the back of this resource, there is a listing of alphabet games to play with your child, along with a section entitled, "Alphabet Centers." All of these activities can be accomplished in the homeschool setting with ease. They cover the gamut from writing in sand to matching letter cards, or making words from alphabet cereal.

There are also letter cards with seven matching pictures, so that the child has ample practice in beginning sounds. I used these in many ways. You can either play matching games, or make small alphabet books.

We have had great fun in using this resource with two of our children. We never, "did it all," but simply had fun doing whatever most appealed to us. I highly recommend it for ages three to six.

But like all other resources, use it wisely. Don't stress out if your three year old doesn't have the fine motor skills to write letters, or draw kites! Those skills will come with time.

Blessings,

©2008 Y.M.F.

A Child's Geography: Explore the Holy Land

As living literature, this wonderful geography curriculum covers Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.

A Child’s Geography – Explore the Holy Land presents the people groups within these countries as beautiful people, made in God’s image, with interesting and extraordinary cultures to explore and enjoy.

This curriculum, designed for grammar students grades one through six, can easily be used over the course of a full year.

Explore the Holy Land contains sixteen chapters, covering six countries. The authors suggest a few different ways to utilize the material. Each chapter is divided into two sections with narration prompts positioned in mid chapter. The prompts (Field Notes) create a natural stopping place for younger readers, while older readers might desire to finish the reading selection. In addition, each chapter contains mapping activities (Travel Logs) and end with an activity section called, “Bringing it Home.” This is where the child might have a “hands-on” taste of the culture he or she is studying. Topics covered are music, art, poetry, and food. Considered optional, I think these ideas look much too fun and interesting to miss! I examined each Bringing It Home activity and found them to have working web-links and use materials easily found at home. A plus for busy moms!

An optional reading list is included and contains both non-fiction and fiction resources. At the end of each country’s unit, we are guided in prayer to lift up the physical and spiritual needs of the country we have just studied. Christ centered, through and through…this heart focus to lift our brothers and sisters before the Lord benefits both young and old.

The appendix contains: flags of all the covered countries, vocabulary definitions, copy-work samples (which include definitions, Scripture, poetry and literature quotes), copy-work templates, travel log templates, full colored maps both labeled and unlabeled, recipe cards with complete recipes and review questions with answers.

Ann Voskamp and Tania Peckover have done a excellent job in creating interest in a remarkable, yet often troubled area of the world. The lessons are exceptionally written, of appropriate length, visually pleasing and are easy to implement.











©2008 Y.M.F.

A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth

What a tremendous pleasure it was to review this incredible geography resource! Ann Voskamp has done a marvelous job in creating a geography program that is appealing to both parents and children alike.

A Child’s Geography does not read like a textbook at all, but has a living literature flavor. Delightful to read, I found myself hungering to see what was on the next page.

The chapters are a reasonable length and Ann encourages us to split the chapter work into two sessions. She suggests reading the main adventure text in one session, followed by a short time of note-booking. Don’t panic…it is not complicated! This is simply where your child records what he has learned in a postcard to send home! The next time we gather for geography we might complete the “Reaching Out To His World,” section along with a “To Fun to Resist Excursion.” (See below)

Written for grammar students, grades one to six, each chapter includes opportunities for:

Narration – Ann has written Memory Joggers to help your young student narrate the material.

Notebooking – After the selection is read, the child records a few things he/she has learned onto oversized cardstock. (Templates are provided.)

Reaching Out to His World – This is where we learn about the people who live in God’s world. How might we love them? Is there anything we can do to help and encourage them? Here we find weblinks and resources to learn more.

Reading Lists – These additional books are entirely optional, but do include quality literature if you and your child would like to learn more!

To Fun to Resist Excursions – These are nothing more than fun (and optional) hands on ideas with complete instructions. All of these activities seemed to call for readily available or easily attainable materials. This is a big plus for busy moms!

Copy Work – Located in the appendix of the book are wonderful examples of copy work which include definitions of geographical vocabulary, Scripture, names of places with Greek and Latin meanings and Hymns. There is enough variety in these examples that a parent can easily choose an appropriate selection, no matter what grade level. (In other words, there are short, medium and more lengthy selections available.)

Review Questions – These will be helpful in keeping the material fairly fresh as we progress through the course. I see them as prompts in refreshing memory as the parent and child discuss the material.

Topics covered include: our planet, upper and lower atmospheres, continents, oceans, seasons, climate and weather, structure of the earth, plate tectonics, earthquakes and volcanoes, latitude and longitude.

A Child’s Geography: Exploring His Earth is written from a Christian viewpoint and fully supports the magnificence of God in His creation. Ann Voskamp brings an element of wonder and awe as we see Him on every page. This is an exciting resource and will add quite a dimension to our studies this year!




©2008 Y.M.F.

The Dangerous Book for Boys by Hal and Conn Iggulden

My husband asked me to pick The Dangerous Book For Boys up after thumbing through it at a local store. I did so today. What a gem! I was wondering how I might schedule some educational fun into our year and this will totally fit the bill! This book is all about staying away from cell phones, computers and electronic games. Every idea is an educational and engaging experience. Many are hands on; historical, scientific, literature, games, life skills, mathematics, grammar, first aid and character building topics are covered. Some activities are just plain fun. Here's a sampling of topics that sounded particularly interesting:

• Building a Treehouse
• Making a Bow and Arrow
• Spies - Codes and Ciphers
• Navaho Code Talker's Dictionary
• Marbling paper
• Famous Battles
• Mountains of the United States
• Making Cloth Fireproof
• Navigation
• Latin Phrases Every Boy Should Know
• A Brief History of Artillary
• Star Maps
• 7 Poems Every Boy Should Know
• Extraordinary Stories (Historical stories, heroes, etc...)

I'll give this resource two thumbs up. It's a great starting point for unit studies.

Exploring...(A Review of John Hudson Tiner's Science Series)

One of my sons decided he wanted to study medicine this year. So we found a book called, "The History of Medicine." It is written at the junior high level, but with facts I don't think that most high schoolers would know without purposeful study. (It was an interesting read for me!) While I didn't have my high schooler read this book this year, I would not have any problem in assigning it to him. I would, however, require some further research and perhaps a written report. I would not rely solely on the chapter questions provided in the book. Unfortunately, they were mostly true or false and multiple choice, with many of the choices being obvious. Save for this one aspect of this book, I recommend it highly for grades 5 to adult.

My ninth grader, seventh grader, and my advanced nine year old enjoyed this book very much. We were weary of our regular science book and we had an interest in chemistry. I knew chemistry could not be as hum drum as it was taught in the regular book, so I began looking for another resource. Thankfully, I bought this one in a set with "The History of Medicine," and it was awaiting discovery on my bookshelf! My nine year old is VERY interested in chemistry and he was most excited about using this book especially after his good experience in the first one. We have enjoyed this book immensely. Much of the same information is presented in Apologia Physical Science; however, here it is presented in a historical context. Further, it goes much more deeply into the topic of chemistry. Yesterday we were fascinated by organic chemistry in one chapter and then today we delved into carbon compounds with enthusiasm. Who would have known we'd enjoy something like that! Again, the end of the chapter questions are lacking, but the discussions we've had about the materials and seeing the lightbulb turn on for each of the children has been worth it. The other book made chemistry dull and chore-like. This book made chemistry come alive and has inspired us to learn more. The author lists this one as a 5th grade to adult resource. I would say the average fifth grader would be uninterested in this. But if you have a young chemist, he may really enjoy it. I would say it's more appropriate for 7th grade to adult.

We haven't used this book yet! LOL We start it on Tuesday of next week. I'm most excited about it though because the end of the chapter questions are much improved! They are NOT all multiple choice and true/false questions. There are essay questions! Once again, the physical properties of planet earth (including physics) are explored through the context of historical discovery.

I am having trouble deciding if I could use these books as a stand alone course. They have been wonderful resources that have totally turned our science instruction around this year, but that said, I feel that a little more explanation is needed to give the child a well rounded and clear picture of the topics presented. I think if I were to teach this year over again, I would use these books as the main diet of my physical science course, with a good physical science experiment book and library books added in to round out the scientific educational process. (ie...Do lots of experiments, dig in on certain topics and don't move on until two and two are put together.)

You Can Teach Your Child Successfully by Ruth Beechick

You Can Teach Your Child Successfully helped me be a better parent educator.  Here are just a few nuggets that have helped me:

1. Teaching your child at home is not rocket science. You CAN do this thing that God has called you to do. The important thing is knowing that God has called you! (Because if He hasn't called you, then you will not be as successful.)

2. Share reading with children. Read them stories. Talk about literature. Take notice of vocabulary. Teach children to read in three different ways. (Textual - to study, Imaginational - Literature and poetry, Functional -discernment, inferences, as well map reading, schedules, tables and graphs, etc...)

3. Teach your child to write. It does not take a lot of money or complicated formulaic programs. Teach your child the need for writing. Allow him "real" writing opportunities. (Thank you's, business letters, correspondence, invitations). Have your child write to think. Have him write down all he knows about a topic. Allow him to discover the gaps he needs to fill in. Teach summarizing. Use copywork, dictation and modeling.

"I cannot stress strongly enough that progress toward more mature writing happens within the child's total thinking abilities. It does not happen in any easy manner by simply learning techniques, forms, or tricks of writing." ~Ruth Beechick

The above quote is proving itself true all of the time in my home. As children develop thinking skills their writing improves proportionately. As a result I spend a lot of time teaching thinking skills in the course of our literature discussions, movie watching, and Bible study.

5. Grammar is best taught in context of writing. As a result we use Easy Grammar to keep skills fresh, but I believe the most fruit comes during times of revising the children's writing samples. This is where I teach sentence structure, word choice, capitalization and punctuation and actually see the light come on.

5. Spelling is best taught in the context of a child's writing. This has proven true in our home. There is no need to teach words the child already knows. This said, I have found it best to teach a good solid year of intensive and systematic phonics instruction prior to using this method. We use Spell to Write and Read in a very Beechick manner. It works for us!

6. Ruth Beechick taught me that using literature to teach math was a good idea. Then a friend, from SHS, began her own Living Math website.

7. In speaking of history and social studies related topics, Ruth Beechick counsels, "Since there is no widespread agreement on what should be taught in each grade, you can be assured that you will do no damage to your own curriculum by making adjustments that fit your situation. If you are teaching children of several ages, it is perfectly all right to have all of them studying Columbus and the explorers at the same time." Love it! Ruth goes on to describe how we might use a textbook as an outline for our history studies while utilizing the public library to deepen our understanding. This is my favorite way to teach history! This gives me freedom from expensive curriculae. Last year we used an ABeka 8th grade textbook and the library for the entire family. I really have enjoyed the idea of holding family meetings to decide what we'll be studying or reading next. It's good to hear everyone's input and helps me lesson plan in the long run. The history chapter of this book is my favorite. There is just too much wisdom to list here.

8. The Bible is literature. The idea of doing Bible as literature came to me recently when I became disheartened with our literature program this year. The Lord gave me no peace about the few choices we had tried. So I finally gave in and ordered Kay Arthur's Daniel study. Matt, Drew and I are happily studying God's Word for our literature now. There has been excellent fruit ripening as a result. I now see that this is what God wanted from us all year.

Recommended.

Movies as Literature by Kathyrn Stout - A Review

I received this program in the mail last week and I've liked it so much I've wanted to do a review.

In a nutshell, I considered using this curriculum last year, but in the end was afraid it would be too much like Ms. Stout's other guides. I've found her guides helpful but too bare bones for me. I need more hand-holding.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this program is a full curriculum, containing both a teacher's manual and a student workbook.

At the front of the manual we find guidance on what to do before, during and after watching the movie. The teacher's manual has all discussion and composition questions with answers provided. In addition, it provides guidance on how to make Movies As Literature an honors course. An exciting bonus is that each unit has activities for extended study. These assignments may range from reading a book or comparing and contrasting another movie, to watching for propaganda in commercials or reading a Shakespeare play.

This course can be used with younger middle school children, but it's recommended that only the first six movies and their units be used. (In looking through the unit pages I believe that this is because the units become progressively more difficult as the children are trained in discernment. They must have strong thinking skills, such as those that come with developmental maturity.) There are reproducible pages of the student workbook in the teacher's manual, but it's probably less expensive to purchase the student workbook. That said, I could have easily used the teacher's manual as the textbook and had my son write his answers on notebook paper or in typed format.

Both the student workbook and the teacher's manual contain a glossary of all literary terms for easy access. Many of the movie units list the book from which they were derived. In some instances, reading the book is assigned...but with honors credit if I remember correctly. There are usually two or three composition assignments to choose from in each unit. This makes it much easier to assign an appropriate composition assignment based on our children's strengths and weaknesses.

The movies included in the course are:

Shane
Friendly Persuasion
The Quiet Man
Arsenic and Old Lace
The Music Man
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
The Maltese Falcon
Rear Window
Emma
The Philadelphia Story
The Journey of August King
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Raisin the the Sun
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Henry V
A Man for All Seasons
Chariots of Fire

I'm very excited about this curriculum and I feel that it will be an awesome addition to our program next year.

Movies as Literature can be purchased from Design-A-Study. Invidivual movie units are available for $5.00 with that amount being credited back to you should you decide to purchase the full curriculum. I found it a bit less expensive at Christian Book Distributors.

The Baldwin Project

http://www.mainlesson.com/main/displayarticle.php?article=feature

I'm not sure if many people know about the Baldwin Project so I'd like to share. If you'll click on the link it will take you to a website dedicated to bringing lost classics to children. All resources are free, online. It is well worth a visit.

The description at the site reads:

"The Baldwin Project seeks to make available online a comprehensive collection of resources for parents and teachers of children. Our focus, initially, is on literature for children that is in the public domain in the United States. This includes all works first published before 1923. The period from 1880 or so until 1922 offers a wealth of material in all categories, including: Nursery Rhymes, Fables, Folk Tales, Myths, Legends and Hero Stories, Literary Fairy Tales, Bible Stories, Nature Stories, Biography, History, Fiction, Poetry, Storytelling, Games, and Craft Activities."

Enjoy!

Hurlbut's Story of the Bible

This is the story book we use for Bible time with the children. We use a much older copy than the one pictured here. Ours is published in 1947 and the binding is falling apart from much use.
The language is rich and the truths never watered down. I did some searching and I found a free online copy! Yay! Now you can check it out for yourself and decide if finding a used copy is worth it. Sadly, this gem is out of print. I'm not sure if the language was updated in the book pictured above, so you may want to take that into consideration. But the link below provides the exact book we use.

http://tinyurl.com/2vftt6

(This link will take you to the Baldwin Project...directly to Hurlbut's Story of the Bible.)