The Curriculum Choice

Vocabulary Cartoons, SAT Word Power

Jan 312010

I have to admit, when I find a book or resource that works wonderfully for my family, I love to tell everyone about it. That’s exactly how I felt when I found this book. I was so excited by the results I saw right away that I literally carried this around in my purse so I wouldn’t forget to show it to my friends on homeschool outings.

Are you curious to know what has me so excited? Allow me to introduce Vocabulary Cartoons, SAT Word Power, written by Sam Burchers and published by New Monic Books, Inc. Though there is an entire line of these incredible teaching books to choose from, my focus will be on the one designed to improve SAT scores because that is the book that we have used. However, from viewing the website, it looks as though all the books in the Vocabulary Cartoon series are written using the same format.

Written directly to 7^th-12^th grade students, Vocabulary Cartoons SAT Word Power claims that your child can learn hundreds of SAT level words effortlessly, but just how is that possible? And the question you want to know is does it really work? In my experience of using SAT Word Power with my 13, 14 and 16 year old children, I would say, yes it certainly does.

How the book works

These books use mnemonics, a nifty devise that aids in the memorization process. It could be a phrase, a rhyme or an acronym that allows you to remember something by associating it with something you already know. Confused? How about an example? Do you remember learning the colors in a rainbow in elementary school? My teacher helped me learn them by introducing the mnemonic, Roy G. Biv. I already knew my colors; I just needed to learn the colors that made up a rainbow in order. Remembering the mnemonic she gave me I was easily able to picture the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet by associating each letter in the name Roy G. Biv with a color. R= red, O= orange, Y= yellow; okay you get the point. Another mnemonic you’re probably familiar with is the phrase, Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. The catchy rhyme makes this little tidbit of information easy to remember, doesn’t it?

Vocabulary Cartoons use the same principle but takes it one step further. Not only are the vocabulary words linked with a word that you would know by association, they also introduce a silly cartoon drawing so you really see the picture in your head. Are you familiar with the phrase ‘A picture is worth a thousand words?’ Never underestimate the power of a picture. In my opinion, this is invaluable for visual learners like my children and this aspect of the book is what really drives home the meaning and makes it stick.

How we use these books

Since I enjoy learning new vocabulary words as much as my children, we use this book together. I’ll read the subject word, followed by the definition, the link word or association word, show the kids the goofy cartoon while reading the silly sentence that describes the picture and then I’ll read the three sentences at the bottom of the page which you can see from the insert above, use the word in different contexts.

After we learn our new word, we will review the words we learned previously. I do this by saying the vocabulary word and asking them to share it in a sentence of their own. The book does have its own review system in place. Every ten words you’ll find a chapter quiz with matching and fill-in-the-blank questions that we choose to do orally. My children love this book and will often pick it up between sessions so they can try to stump each other with the new words they’ve learned. If you’d like to take a peek at the words included, you can do that here. http://www.vocabularycartoons.com/images/stories/i_word_list.pdf

Time to wrap this Review Up

According to the publisher, Vocabulary Cartoons boost verbal standardized test scores and students learn 72% more words with 90% retention.

While I can’t attest to the claim that this book will raise SAT scores, since my children have not taken the SAT, I can say that they have learned a new word, effortlessly, in minutes each day and have retained what they’ve learned.

Vocabulary Cartoons, SAT Word Power sells for $12.95 and can be purchased through the publisher’s website http://www.vocabularycartoons.com/index.php or through Amazon.com. I encourage you to check out this book and others in the series, you’ll find something for learners of all ages.

I’ve been impressed with the results that I’ve seen; whether my children ever take an SAT test or not, vocabulary is important to reading comprehension and communication skills, written or verbal. I’ve found this book particularly helpful for my right brain children and look forward to beginning the second book in the series.

Written by Tonya, slightly Charlotte Mason, mostly unschooling, always traveling homeschool mom of three teens. You’ll find Tonya blogging at Live the Adventure.

The Well Planned Day – Homeschool Planner

Organization 7 Responses »

Jan 302010

The Well Planned Day is this homeschooling mother’s dream! I have searched high and low for a complete, comprehensive planner that offered both homeschooling and household planning in once space, without a zillion separate forms. I was thrilled when I stumbled upon the Well Planned Day.

The planner is created by “Home Educating Family” which offers three different planners, depending on the needs and ages of the family, as well as a fantastic homeschooling magazine. The planner was created for homeschooling families, by a homeschooling family!

The planner offers so much and is laid out with beautiful artwork, homeschooling articles and so much more. I love the fact that a week is laid out per two pages. It offers enough space to plan for up to 4 kids at once as well as a small weekly “to do” area, a weekly meal planning space, and biblical scriptures to read.

The planner includes more too! Each planner offers:

Over 200 Full Color Pages
Full Year Planner: July 2010 – June 2011 or July 2009 – June 2010 (now on sale)
Organize and Plan for up to 4 children in one convenient book.
Four Student Class Plans: Schedule each student’s class assignments.
Four Student Time Schedules: Track each day by the hour.
Organize your week with class assignments, weekly priorities, prayer requests, dinner menu, and notes.
Month at a Glance: Plan field trips, enrichment activities and books to read
Semester Attendance and Progress Reports
Perforated Report Cards (spiral bound only. Printed report cards via PDF)
Menu Planning: Plan weekly meals and conveniently shop with perforated shopping lists.
Family Worship: Read through the Bible in a year.
Insightful homeschool articles and tips to inspire you throughout the year.

The planner is available in an 8.5 X 11 Spiral Bound Printed Book or PDF Download ($24.95 book or $19.95 PDF). To save costs, I elected to get the pdf.

While the PDF offered a nice option (and instant download), I found the printout to be huge. Unless you print the book double sided, or “as you go”, it gets cumbersome and takes a lot of ink. I had to separate it in two different binders to make it more portable. For the 2010 school year, I will be buying the spiral bound book instead.

If you are looking for a comprehensive Christian homeschool and household planner, look no further than “The Well Planned Day”. You can get your own copy direct at http://www.wellplannedday.com.

Written by Diana S. A homeschooling mom of two boys, growing in Grace and trying to joyfully ride the roller coaster of Life Curves.

Scribblenauts Game for the Nintendo DS

Elementary, Language Arts, Preschool 6 Responses »

Jan 292010

We are a household of gamers. While the games we like to play are different from one another, right or wrong, we all seem to answer the call of that gentle glow of an electronic game.

In particular, I am a fan of the Nintendo DS. Although I have never personally played it for more than a few minutes, I like that my boys (who both have some fine motor delays) are forced to use a stylus to play, thus getting some great fine motor practice. At this point, I hope that I haven’t lost some of you who are scratching their heads and saying, “What does this have to do with homeschooling?” But wait – there is a game that is fabulous for both spelling and critical/creative thinking skills, and I couldn’t wait to share information about it with you.

The game Scribblenauts for the Nintendo DS costs just under $30 (this does not include, of course, the cost of a Nintendo DS, which can be sizable). In the game, the player plays as the main character, Maxwell. Maxwell goes through a variety of challenges (there are 220 of them), always trying to capture Starites (sparkly stars).

Catching these Starites are not easy, however. For instance, in one easier challenge, Maxwell is on the ground and the Starite is in a tree. It is then that the magic of this game comes to life. The player decides what Maxwell will do to get to the Starite. The player will use either a keyboard or notepad that shows up on the screen and may type (or write) in LADDER. Magically, a ladder appears, and you can move it next to the tree for Maxwell to climb. Of course, maybe the player prefers to use an AX to cut down the tree. Then again, maybe a BEAVER can gnaw the tree to the ground. With over 30,000 items recognized, it’s really up to the player’s imagination.

All of my children (ages 5 through 10) love Scribblenauts. I love it for them. I am thrilled every time my oldest son, who struggles horribly with spelling, eagerly grabs for this game. Although he sometimes has to ask for some assistance, this game appears to be helping his spelling with a very unconventional method.

For my son, I also like that Scribblenauts has a feature that assists a struggling speller. First, if he decides he wants to place a house in a spot, and types in HOSE, he will, of course, get a hose. This helps him to self-correct his spelling. He suddenly realizes that house is not spelling as H-O-S-E. Given this, his next attempt might be to type in HOWSE. I was initially afraid that the game would then just leave him frustrated, but instead, it then gives a list of options with a “Did you mean…” on top. My son’s spelling is improving and he is having fun. This is a lot more than I can say for many of the spelling curriculum pieces we have chosen.

I also would be remiss if I didn’t also say that this game has been great for my five year old preschooler. She is already able to spell some three letter words, but, of course, a CAT can’t always help get that starite. So, she has me assist her with spelling words that she doesn’t know how to spell. Instead of giving her the spellings, we always work on sounding out anything from PROM QUEEN to ABRAHAM LINCOLN. She happily comes up with the craziest methods to solving the scenarios, and I get to smile that she is eagerly attentive to listening to me say things like, “Yes, that sounds like a Y, but that sound is made by putting a W and an H together.”

You probably aren’t going to find Scribblenauts on a table at your next homeschooling conference, but if I had a table of things I recommended to homeschoolers, it would definitely be on it.

Do you have any favorite video games that are also great for learning?

When Angie is not busy with other projects, she enjoys writing at her blog Many Little Blessings about faith, family, and household management topics. Angie is the founder of The Homeschool Classroom and Catholic Mothers Online. She is also the co-founder of Homeschool Lifestyle Media.

Our Mother Tongue

Classical, High School, Junior High Language Arts, Language Arts 6 Responses »

Jan 282010

I really love the Rod & Staff English curriculum. It is wonderfully thorough, sequential, and it just makes sense to me. (I even reviewed it on The Curriculum Choice. ) I thought I would continue using it through the 8th grade.

But last year my son (currently 11 years old) asked me why he had to keep doing the same things in English every year. Over… and over… And I didn’t know. (I should mention that he completed grades 3-6 of the Rod & Staff English program.)

Here’s where I make a little confession. I’m a rule follower. I love a system where everything is neat and organized. Step 1, Step 2, etc. I love office supplies, new textbooks, well, books in general. And I never particularly minded “busy work” in school. Not over the top, but doing a page of something that I knew how to do never bothered me.

My son is not like that. He smells busy work a mile away. Practicing concepts he understands seems a waste of time to him. And he clearly understood the concepts. Some of my philosophy has been that he needs to get over it and practice anyway because he’s a kid and doesn’t know as much as he thinks he does. While that may be partially true, I realized that he really was spending a lot of time and learning very little new material in English. So I got to do something that is always fun for me. Curriculum research!

I was looking for a text that he could work through and then be finished. No more grammar study. Now, that’s something he can get excited over. I finally settled on a text called Our Mother Tongue by Nancy Wilson. In the introduction, the author poses the question “Why another grammar book?” The beginning of her answer describes exactly what I was looking for.

That is a good question. The world seems to be quite full of grammar books, but it is not easy to find a text today that covers all the bases, still emphasizes diagramming, is not laden with politically correct jargon, and embraces a Christian world view. I am certainly not claiming to have achieved all these things in this little book, but I have aimed for it. I wanted to produce a grammar book that could be used to teach junior-high students as well as high-school or college students and adults, a book that covered many of the aspects of English grammar succinctly; I also wanted a book that could assume the biblical view of language. At the same time I wanted to whet the appetite of the student to want to know more about the history of our language….

The book is divided into 6 units.

Unit One: The Eight Classes of Words

Unit Two: The Sentence

Unit Three: Special Properties of Nouns and pronouns

Unit Four: Special Properties of Verbs

Unit Five: Verbals

Unit Six: The Special Properties of Modifiers

The 6 units contain a total of 49 lessons. Each lesson has a several accompanying exercises, so we are spreading the lessons out. We will actually use this book for 2 school years, but it could be completed in less. The exercises are usually short, but require thought.

Our Mother Tongue is a very affordable. It retails for only $20, plus $5 for the answer key. In addition the book is not designed to be written in and is completely non-consumable. I love a book that I can reuse later on.

A nice extra is the addition of historical notes on the English language. These are found in most of the lessons and are located on the side of the page, separate from the grammar portion of the text. I find these to be very interesting facts that I have never learned.

The only complaint that I have about this book is that the answer key is not as complete as I would like. There are many exercises that do not have answers included. These are usually the ones in which the answers may vary, but some example correct answers would have been helpful.

I would recommend this for the junior high or high school level for a student that doesn’t need a lot of repetition. It can be used first for grammar instruction and later for a grammar reference.

Written by Kristen, Well-Trained Classical mom of 4. Kristen blogs at A Day in the Life.

Reading Detective Review

Junior High Language Arts, Language Arts No Responses »

Jan 272010

Some children are natural readers. They analyze, synthesize, understanding inferences, cause and affect and other advanced reading comprehension issues in a natural manner. However, other children will struggle with one or more of these issues for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they simply need more experience with reading, or maybe, as with my own high school student, they are in the process of overcoming a learning disability.

In my search to find tools to help my son overcome his challenges, Reading Detective Rx was recommended. It is a program geared toward 6th-12th graders who need extra help in reading comprehension. The program is divided into eleven main units:

Main Idea and Supporting Statements
Conclusions and Inferences
Story Elements
Literary Devices
Theme
Vocabulary
Figurative Language
Cause and Effect
Prediction
Fact and Opinion
Mixed Skills

Within each unit are both fiction and non-fiction genres written in a fourth to fifth grade level to facilitate focus on learning the basic skills within reading comprehension. The students are asked to analyze each selection by answering a variety of questions (multiple choice, short written responses) while providing supporting evidence. Requiring students to provide evidence to support an answer, gives them another avenue to hone their skills.

A full answer key is provided, along with a copy of the reading text. Although the answer key provides a recommended answer, all answers should be discussed with the student. Discussion provides yet another way that comprehenion can be sharpened. A few pre-tests are provided at the beginning of the program to help the teacher determine skill level. Once the student is finished with the book, there are two post tests included to help the teacher ascertain skill improvement.

The program is designed to be used in an independent manner, however, discussion with a teacher is foundational in determining strengths/weaknesses and gives the teacher opportunity to further guide and direct their student.

Because the book is written at a 4th to 5th grade level, I would recommend alternating this resource with a more appropriate grade level reading comprehension program to provide ample practice for standardardized tests. The students can take the skills they develop in Reading Detective Rx and apply them into more difficult material. All in all, Reading Detective Rx is an excellent resource for those who need to sharpen basic reading comprehension skills.

Written by Yvonne Ferlita, homeschooling mother of four, ages six to eighteen. Having home educated for more than twelve years, her purpose is to learn Jesus everyday using an eclectic, yet Christ centered, learning approach. She blogs about homeschooling and life at Gr8tful4grace.

Language Skills: It’s all a game!

Hands On, Language Arts, Uncategorized, Unschooling 2 Responses »

Jan 262010

Discovery Bay Games offers a variety of fun and often educational games for families to share. Their mission is simple: bring friends and family together to play, interact, and laugh! This mom believes they have won victories on all counts. As a homeschooling mother of four with a background in educational psychology, I appreciate games that spark imagination while reinforcing lessons learned during school. It is my pleasure to introduce you to three games that your family will beg to play over and over again.

Baffle Gab

Ages: 7 and up

Basic Description: Five word cards are placed for all players to view. The challenge is for the players to write a story in one minute usin the words correctly. Bonebucks are earned for word usage and creativity. The one who earns the most Bonebucks wins.

Educational Value: The game encourages creativity, quick thinking, and the proper use of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

Thoughts from my family: I played this game with my 12, 10 and 4-year-old. The game is not for children under 7 because it requires reading, writing and a basic sense of sentence structure and grammar. Being a homeschooling mom, I have learned to tweek things to allow all ages to participate and have fun. My four year-old loved the game! I allowed her to tell me her sentences and practice writing some of the words on the cards. I also gave her plenty of Bonebucks to keep her imagination flowing. With my older children, they played the game as described in the instructions and had a wonderful time. My kids have had assignments before that included a wordbox and using those words to form sentences. My son always hated that assignment and claimed it was too hard. Maybe it was the one minute timer or the competition but he mastered the most creative and well structured sentences he’d written all year. My daughter loved the challenge of using all five words in one sentence. She was the queen of mastering that skill and earning double Bonebucks. We all had a wonderful time and laughed through most of the game. It was a nice break from worksheets. The game encourages proper use of grammar, sentence structure, word choice and sparks imagination.

Beezi: A Spelling Bee Game

Ages: 12 and up

Basic Description: Players try to spell as many words as possible to earn Beez tokens to complete their honeycomb.

Educational Value: The game primarily encourages spelling. However, vocabulary and language concepts are reinforced.

Thoughts from the family: The test subjects were my children again. We found the game to be very challenging. The game is divided into levels of difficulty for a word. The level is chosen by a roll of the die. This only enhanced the game’s fun. The kids had a good time learning new words. They even loved the challenge of trying to spell very difficult words. This game was fun for the kids and the adults. For those who love to watch spelling bees and try to spell the words this game is for you. For those who just want some fun and a challenge this game is for you. I was surprised how much my kids enjoyed playing even while getting many of the words wrong. The challenge is the fun. I let my 4 year-old in on the act by giving her easy words to like her name, mom, dad, cat, dog, etc. to play along also. If you are creative you can add in all your family members. For homeschoolers…you can use the misspelled words for your spelling tests. Or for an added twist replace the words provided with spelling lists you have used all year long for a spelling bee of your own. It’s great fun!

Spooky Tales the Interactive Story Telling Game

Ages: 8 and up.

Basic Description: Players compete by weaving the most creepy tale of the group. Players are given cards with prompts for the beginning of the story, cards to enhance the story and cards with story endings. This game also features a party game called Vampires Rise where players have to figure out who are the vampires and who are the villagers.

Educational Value: Players are using their imaginations to come up with stories from prompts. The game is mostly entertainment and great for sleepovers. Although the game does not hold you to grammar or proper word usage, it does promote the skill of story telling which had its own reward. I feel children need time to think without boundaries and let their imaginations flow. If you want to add on to this game, as a homeschooler or teacher, you may have children write down the stories once the game is finished. At that point you can reinforce language skills for complete writing lesson.

Thoughts from the family: This set comes with a very cool flashlight. By the press of a button you can make the flashlight emit scream sounds, wolf howling, creepy laughing and thunder. My kids loved this part the best! This is perfect for sleepover parties!

My kids are not exposed to horror movies or scary shows, therefore, some of the images on the cards were a bit scary for them. My daughter, at 12, thought the game was too scary for 8 year-olds and maybe even for her. However, once you begin to play the “scary” was of the fun and laughing variety. My daughter ended up enjoying the game and has requested to play it several times since. Keep in mind, the images on the cards can consist of scary things yet it would not be considered graphic nor is it in color. The cards show sketch drawings of a cheerleader with a knife behind her back, an insane asylum, a butcher knife, a grinder or things of that creepy nature. There is one card called “Make Out” with an image of a car parked. So, if you are concerned remove that one before playing. Personally, I feel this game is too mature for an 8 year-old but loads of fun for 12 and up. I did not allow my four year-old to play this game nor go through the cards. I did allow her to play with the flashlight which is a family favorite.

I think it is always nice when family game night can include reinforcing lessons learned in a fun way. Free learning and time to express yourself without boundaries helps keep the imagination and creative juices flowing.

Explorer’s Bible Study: Beginnings II God’s Promise

Bible 1 Response »

Jan 242010

At the beginning of each school day I read the Bible aloud to the kids, and we work on our memory verses. However, I like to use a curriculum as a supplement to help us delve deeper into the Bible. For my youngest (1^st grade), I chose Explorer’s Bible Study: Beginnings II ~ God’s Promise. God’s Promise is an Old Testament (Genesis through Malachi) study written for young readers. This study is written for children in grades 1-3. It doesn’t just cover the familiar stories, it tells the whole story of the Bible on a young child’s level.

The book is easy to use and inexpensive. There is no teacher’s manual to purchase. You can purchase a separate answer key, but I chose not to do so at this level. Each lesson is broken into five parts — one for each day of the week (lesson 10, day 1, etc.). The lessons are short and geared toward young readers. There are memory verses or words to remember for each lesson. Review questions follow each lesson, as well.

Here’s how we use it in our home:

I read the Bible Words to Remember to her. This is the week’s memory verse(s). These are the same for each of the five lessons in a week. We discuss how these verses go with the lessons we have been reading, but I do not require her to memorize them.
Then, I read the Bible story. We talk about what led up to the topic we are studying (currently the 10 commandments). What things were mentioned in previous lessons that correlate with today’s reading? What do you think will happen next?
Some lessons have a prayer thought at the end. These are included to help each child learn to talk with God.
Some lessons also have a “think about” section. These describe situations which are designed to help the child apply God’s Word to his/her life.
We discuss any words to know (bolded vocabulary words that are defined at the end of the lesson).
I allow her to answer the “Thinking & Remembering” questions on her own. Some of these questions are multiple choice and some are fill in the blank. For example, the lesson we will complete next (lesson 10 Day 4) has 5 multiple choice questions, 5 fill in the blank questions (filling in the missing word in several commandments), and an instruction to learn the next set of commandments.
After she completes the review questions, I check them. We discuss them and correct anything that needs to be corrected.

Even if your child is not a “workbook” child like mine, this curriculum could work for you. You could easily read the lessons, memory verses, and review questions orally. Your child doesn’t HAVE to write the answers to the questions. My daughter just happens to enjoy doing it this way.

Explorer’s Bible Study has 15+ books written for children from preschool through high school, as well as studies for adults. Your student will study the Old and New Testaments in broad overviews in preschool and early elementary school. In upper elementary school the curricula is broken into 5 separate studies:

Genesis
Exodus through Joshua
Job, Psalms, and Proverbs
Luke and Acts
Exploring Bible Prophecy

The junior and senior high curriculum is broken into 6 studies. In addition to the five books listed above (at a higher level), there is an additional book that studies Romans, Galatians, and James.

I recommend this curriculum to anyone looking for a straight-forward, no frills way to teach the Bible to young readers. You can view the books in this series, as well as sample lessons, at: http://www.explorerbiblestudy.org/store.php
Tara, homeschooling two with a little bit of everything. You can find her blogging at Mom Teaches 2.

Weaver Interlock

Preschool No Responses »

Jan 222010

Weaver Interlock is a hands-on curriculum for preschoolers and kindergartners made by Alpha-Omega. It offers a flexible, fully outlined lesson plan that covers Creation through the Flood. The program integrates Bible with additional subjects such as science, math, language arts, and social studies.

We started using Interlock Weaver as our first curriculum for my oldest as his preschool curriculum. We continue to use it as a unit study, bible add-on, and intend to use it for my younger boy as well.

Right off the bat, I loved how well planned the curriculum is and how easy it was to follow. Each day is laid out with your bible theme which then “weaves” that theme into multiple subjects. They even include reading suggestions as well as craft projects that use primarily household items.

The program includes a tab in the big binder that is filled with reproducible worksheets and projects, which the kids loved! I loved it too because it saved me so much time not having to separately source printable or crafts for each topic on the internet. The program also comes with a music tape and an introduction to phonics.

If you choose to use Weaver for both preschool and kindergarten, I do suggest you order their full phonics or outside program as the phonics included is really just an introduction. (We didn’t delve too deeply into the phonics introduction because my son was already well versed in the phonetic sounds of the alphabet.)

I found this program a joy and it continues to be a fantastic resource for us. The curriculum runs for $99.00 and is available at http://www.aophomeschooling.com.

Written by Diana, eclectic homeschooling mom of two boys ages 2 and 5, and blogger at Life Curves.

English From the Roots Up

Classical, Elementary, Foreign Language, High School, Junior High Language Arts, Language Arts, Science 6 Responses »

Jan 212010

Years ago when I was first introduced to the classical method of homeschooling, I was determined to have my boys attempt a Latin program as suggested in The Well-Trained Mind.

We tried two different programs to learn Latin. We got a little farther with a DVD based program, but we still were not able to stay motivated. I know I had a bit of a bad attitude about Latin and at some point I made the decision to set it aside and learn Spanish instead. I thought in our family that Spanish would be more applicable and practical. It was a great decision.

We have not totally ignored all Latin. We have used English From the Roots Up as the basis for our very simple Latin and Greek roots curricula. Why do we even bother learning these roots? I have found that my boys are able to easily decipher the meaning of an unfamiliar word by looking for roots within the word.

For instance they can remember what igneous means because they see the root ignis, meaning fire, within the word.

Another example would be the word hydrophobia with hydros meaning water and phobos meaning fear or a fear of water. Learning the Greek and Latin roots has been especially helpful in their study of high school level biology.

Some Quick Thoughts About English From the Roots Up:
We started off with the English From the Roots Up book and the flashcards but what has endured to the end are the cards. The box set comes with 100 pre-made cards with the root on the front and the meaning and some vocabulary words on the back.

Many roots are in both Greek and Latin

We took the roots very slowly, discussing and learning each root one at a time. When I say slowly, I mean it has taken us four years to cover the box of one hundred Latin and Greek roots. Taking the slow approach has allowed my boys to learn and retain every root in the box. I would not hesitate to start using these cards even with young children using this slow approach, keeping it light and fun.

We used the cards each week to drill the roots into our memory. We played simple games with the cards if we had some extra time during the week. We studied five minutes a day, four days a week. Of course I could have made up my own cards with markers and a good list of roots, but I know that I always am more motivated to stick with something if I don’t have to produce the foundation myself (some might call that lazy). It is much easier for me and well worth the money to purchase the box and have the roots all lined up for me with no preparation on my part.

Here are a few of the activities we used with the pre-made cards:

Quiz each other: I give the root and they give the meaning or I give the meaning and they give the root.
Speed: Use a stopwatch and see how fast we can get through the cards we know.
Made Up Words: Use the roots to make up new words, mixing together funny combinations.
Matching: Many of the roots are given in Greek and Latin. I give them the Latin and they tell me the Greek or vice versa.

Cost:

Book at Rainbow Resource- $22.95

Cards at Rainbow Resource- $13.95

I highly recommend this system for learning Greek and Latin roots the simple and easy way.

Please note: You can use the book without the cards. The book gives you instructions for making your own set of color-coded cards to study with each week. The book also has additional activities to reinforce the roots in your child’s mind.

Written by Barb-Harmony Art mom. She also blogs at http://harmonyartmom.blogspot.com and her business is found at http://www.harmonyfinearts.com. I would love for you to join us for the Outdoor Hour Challenges: http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.

Ruth Heller’s World of Language Series

Language Arts 2 Responses »

Jan 202010

worldoflanguage We chose Jessie Wise’s First Language Lessons to introduce our daughter to all things grammar. I like the gentle, but persistent approach and the systematic introduction of grammar topics. But the truth is that I wanted more. I wanted to incorporate the living books philosophy that was so much a part of our other subjects. Happily, I stumbled upon a lovely collection of books by Ruth Heller. Called the World of Language, Heller’s series is a delightful treasure trove of the parts of speech hidden in picture book form.

There are eight titles:

●Merry-Go-Round A Book About Nouns

●A Cache of Jewels and Other Collective Nouns

●Mine, All Mine A Book About Pronouns

●Kites Sail High A Book About Verbs

●Many Luscious Lollipops A Book About Adjectives

●Up, Up, and Away A Book About Adverbs

●Behind the Mask A Book About Prepositions

●Fantastic! Wow! And Unreal! A Book About Interjections and Conjunctions

Each book defines the part of speech, discusses its parts and intricacies, and provides examples in a poetic, rhyming text. Beautiful artwork graces the pages, bringing the ideas to life. Merry-Go-Round, for example, begins by defining the word noun.

“NOUNS name a person, place or thing . . . a damsel, a forest, a dragon, a king. These NOUNS are all COMMON, and they’re very nice, but PROPER NOUNS are more precise. King Arthur is this person. This place is Camelot. PROPER NOUNS are capitalized. COMMON NOUNS are not.”

This particular passage covers two two-page spreads and includes illustrations of a dragon in a forest with a damsel and another of a king inside a castle. The book next discusses abstract nouns, concrete nouns, compound nouns, and collective nouns. Singular and plural nouns and the methods of forming them follow, along with possessives and determiners (articles).

We are thoroughly enjoying the rhyming, lyrical text and the beautiful illustrations. As we read each book, my daughter makes her own pages to illustrate the elements of each part of speech. This method has complemented and extended the systematic introduction of the parts of speech offered by First Language Lessons.

The lovely pictures alone are enough reason to read this series, but the information in them provides an excellent, living supplement to any grammar study. Enjoy Ruth Heller’s World of Language!

Susan is a homeschooling mom of three—a preschooler, an almost kindergartner, and a first grader. They spend their days reading on the couch, playing with numbers, and making big, fun messes in a Spirit-led, Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical-Charlotte Mason-traditional model of home education.

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