The Curriculum Choice

Wordplay Cafe

Elementary, Grammar, Hands On, Junior High Language Arts 2 Responses »

Dec 172010

Wordplay Café by Michael Kline is a set of grammar and vocabulary lessons disguised as a book of games. Truth be told, there are a few lessons that cover logic and Greek and Latin in there, too.

The set up of the book itself mimics a menu at a café. There are recipes for games, brain candy (interesting word and language facts), unfortunate cookies (made up but funny definitions for words), keyword kabobs that connect the reader to the internet, taste tests that preview word games and ideas, and Punzles© (puzzles made with puns).

There are six chapters, each named with a pun.

Chapter Won: Word Nutrition is part history, with its discussion of the beginning of language, Greek and Latin roots, and the alphabet, and part game, proven by the inclusion of “Orange Origin Juice,” a game that asks players to create Latin-sounding words for household objects.

Chapter Too: Comfort Food contains the old standbys in language games: anagrams, palindromes, acrostic, and such.

Chapter Free: Dinner for One is filled with games that can have a one-player option. Of course, more can play, too. There is “Homonym Grits,” a game that asks players to alter a nursery rhyme using homonyms and “Spaced-Out Spread,” in which players change familiar speeches, songs, and other writings by combining all of the words into one very long word and then re-spacing the letters into different words and almost words.

Chapter Fore: Deep-Fried Diction for Two (Or More!) has more games, but these are for a group. “Knock, Knockwurst” asks players to write their own knock-knock jokes based on puns. “Bizz Buzz Biscuits” mixes words and numbers as players are challenged to count, but replace multiples of 5 with the word “bizz” and multiples of seven with the word “buzz.”

Chapter 5ive: PC Pancakes focuses on games that involve the computer. “Typo Tea and Biscuits,” for example, leads players in scouring internet pages for errors, while “Translation Toast” uses translation software to discover odd wording resulting from repeatedly translating a selection of text.

Chapter Sicks: Put Words to Work in Your Kitchen teaches players about mnemonics and the phonetic alphabet.

Wordplay Cafe, written for kids ages ate to fore-teen, is sure to delight wordsmiths and grammar non-enthusiasts, alike.

It can be found for free in PDF format on Michael Kline’s website or you can purchase a paper copy on Amazon.

Susan S. is a homeschooling mama of three little ones who get bigger and livelier every day. They delight in living books and hands-on math, and are nurturing a love for God and the amazing world that He created.

Master Writer Quotation Copybooks

Elementary, Handwriting, Language Arts 1 Response »

Oct 252010

I have fairly high standards for copywork. I like for it to be easy to use and cost effective. In addition, while I certainly care about their handwriting, I want my kids’ writing practice to consist of more than drill. I want it to provide food for thought. Of course, I really like it when the copywork complements our studies.

The Master Writer Quotation Copybooks by Westvon Publishing do all of these things.

There are nineteen books in the Master Writer Quotation Copybook series. Individual copybooks contain twenty quotations in three different fonts: block printing, D’Nealian, and cursive. Each font is presented in solid and dotted writing with space to write the quote below it. The copybooks are available in CD form if ordered directly from Westvon, but I opted for the instant download from Currclick.

Quotation books are compiled from the following categories:

African Americans
Artists
Athletes
Authors
Entertainers
Explorers
Famous Women
Jesus Christ
Kings and Queens
Musicians
Native Americans
Philosophers
Presidents 1 and 2
First Ladies
Saints
Scientists
Shakespearean Plays
Statesmen

I purchased the Master Writer Combo that contains all of the copybooks. Because it includes quotations from a variety of categories, the copywork selections are useful in a variety of academic areas. I have appreciated the ease of printing a historically appropriate quote from Aristotle and a quote by van Gogh at the same time without the need for an internet search.

Example Quotes

From the artists copybook: “Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction stop the vigors of the mind.” Leonardo da Vinci

From the statesmen copybook: “Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.” William Penn

From the Native American copybook: “I was warmed by the sun, rocked by winds and sheltered by the trees as other Indian babes. I can go everywhere with a good feeling.” Geronimo

From the philosphers copybook: “I threw my cup away when I saw a child drinking from his hands at the trough.” Diogenes

From the entertainers copybook: “No performer should attempt to bite off red-hot iron unless he has a good set of teeth.” Harry Houdini

From the musicians copybook: “Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go into the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

With such a large number of quotes in relevant topics, I anticipate many years of use from the Master Writer Quotation Copybooks.

Master Writer Quotation Copybooks can be purchased from Currclick or directly from Westvon Publishing.

Lessons in Manners for Copywork

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Handwriting, Language Arts 2 Responses »

Oct 132010

Copywork should be easy. It should be related to the history lesson or pulled from the read-aloud selection. It can come from art, music, or science. It can be a statement, a poem, or a definition. Copywork should be easy, but if I do not take the time to gather and organize the passages it becomes a tedious, time-consuming problem. Most of the time, I am on top of things well enough to avoid copywork problems.

There are times, though . . . oh, there are times . . .

For the times when time is not on my side and my child needs a bit of copywork and I have not prepared it, I use bought copywork. I have to admit that I am sort of against this. It seems a waste of time to purchase copywork when I could easily pull it from one of our readings. I have purchased a couple of sets of copywork anyway, and I must say that I have been pleased.

My current favorite in bought copywork is Lessons in Manners for Copywork from Queen Homeschool.

This spiral-bound volume is part of Queen Homeschool’s copywork series for students in grades 1 to 3. It contains 180 copywork selections, as it is intended to be used every day for a school year. The sentences range from 15 to 30 words. They are appropriate in length and word choice for early elementary students, and could even serve as dictation exercises if the parent were so inclined. Selections are biblically-based and designed to support parents as they seek to raise mannerly children.

The lessons in manners break down into several useful categories.

”Being Polite at Home”
“A Thank You Letter”
“Apologies”
“Special Rules for Boys”
“Special Rules for Girls”
“When Speaking About Others”
“When to Say Excuse Me”
“When Receiving a Gift”
“Politeness When Company Comes”
“Using Your Manners at Church”
“Using Good Manners When Giving the Gospel”
“When Playing in a Group”
“When Helping Dad or Mom”
“When Playing with a Younger Sibling”
“Introductions”
“Talking with Others”
“Other Rules for Using Your Mouth”
“Repecting Someone Else’s Property”
“Good Manners in the Library”
“Putting Others First”

Each heading is followed by ten or more groupings of sentences covering the topic simply and directly.

For example, a selection under “Being Polite at Home” reads “If you are next in line for the bathroom, and your little brother who is just learning how to use the potty needs to go, let him go before you.”

Simple and direct.

Selections pertaining to the topic of speaking about others include “Only speak the truth,” “Never pass on gossip about others,” and “Do not complain about people to others. Let your requests be made known unto God.”

I have been pleased with this book on several levels. At any moment, it is easy to take from the shelf and hand to my daughter. We do not write in the book as the publisher suggests, as the lines are too small. A piece of age-appropriate lined paper and this book, however, make for easy copywork. I have also appreciated the commentary on being a mannerly child. It has inspired several meaningful conversations discussing personal presentation and thoughtfulness for others, which have been in line with our family goals. Lastly, it has 180 selections, which is, quite frankly, a lot of copywork. So, though this book cost almost $10, I will get my money’s worth by the time we are finished with it.

Lessons in Manners for Copywork and Queen Homeschool’s other copywork books are available directly at the Queen Homeschool website.

Writer’s Inc and Write for College Writing Handbooks

High School, Junior High Language Arts, Language Arts, Middle School, Writing 3 Responses »

Sep 132010

The GreatSource Education Group, a Houghton Mifflin Company, has produced a variety of academically useful and reliable handbooks. Chief among them are the writing handbooks, including Writer’s Inc. and Write for College. Both books are intended for high school students. They present writing in an orderly manner, complete with lots of examples. These two handbooks contain enough writing information for several years’ worth of writing instruction and guidance, making them an excellent choice for a home education library. Choose one and start writing!

Writer’s Inc.

Writer’s Inc. officially targets high school students. The nine major sections present the writing process, the basic elements of writing, searching and researching, forms of writing, writing about literature, reading and study skills, speaking and thinking, proofreading, and an almanac. Writer’s Inc. covers the areas of writing beginning with words and progressing from sentences to paragraphs to essays. It discusses how to get ready to write a paper, how to start a paper, continue a paper, review a paper, and publish a paper. It includes explanations of writing forms and details the processes of creating different types of writing. There are lots of examples. It is an extremely useful tool.

Write for College

Write for College is for upper-level high school students. As the name suggests, the goal of this handbook is to prepare students to write in college, and is a level above Writer’s Inc. It provides a comprehensive overview of the writing process, discusses the basic elements of writing, contains a list of level-appropriate writing forms, includes a research center, and various other relevant informational sections. Basically, in one volume your student will find pertinent, well-written advice about a variety of writing forms, including analysis, learn how to research and document in MLA and APA, discover the secret to style, figure out how to proofread, edit, and revise, how to use the library, and how to read a variety of texts. Plus, they can look at examples of everything! It is fabulous.

The Best Part

The best part of both handbooks (in my humble, English-teacher opinion) is the layout used for presenting different types of writing. First, the general type of writing—persuasive or personal, for example—is introduced. Then, guidelines for each particular kind of writing within the general type are presented with a “Quick Guide.” So, in the persuasive category of Write for College there are sections for an editorial, a personal commentary, an essay of argumentation, a position paper, and an explanation of thinking through an argument. In addition to the “Quick Guide” is an example paper for each type.

The handbooks assist students as they delve into different kinds of writing by explaining the differing purposes, audiences, and nuances of each type using language that is accessible. The examples seal the deal, making these handbooks the emerging writer’s best friend.

Writer's Inc.

Of course, they have to open them first.

If your student is anything like the high school students that I work with, they will need a bit of gentle prompting.

My Method

Currently, I have all of my students (I teach home educated students one day a week), freshmen through seniors, purchase Write for College. I want them to be able to buy one book that will be useful for all four years of high school; this one nicely carries them through. When I teach middle school students or lower high school students without much writing experience, I use Writer’s Inc.

For my English classes, which are traditional in nature, I use the handbook as a supplement and reference. I periodically choose a writing topic from the handbook, we examine it, look at the examples, and then give it a try. I build the writing concepts naturally and then give my students the opportunity to use them. Writing assignments are also gleaned from the writing handbook, allowing students to read examples and providing step-by-step instructions for preparing, writing, and revising each piece.

Writing Course

It would be easy to use either handbook to develop a writing course for middle or high school students. By breaking the reference pages into lessons a course could discuss the writing process, style, and particular types of writing. The course could be repeated with higher standards for several years.

Handbook

It is, of course, possible to simply use these books as handbooks. Make them available to your students and remind them to use them when they write. Because they are designed as handbooks, Writer’s Inc. and Write for College are easy to navigate and explore. Gently prod your student in the direction of the bookcase when writing questions and needs arise.

Write for College

Which One?

If you have upper-level high school writers, I prefer Write for College for its emphasis on literary analysis and research. It is prepared for a more mature student, but is accessible to less developed students. If your students are middle school or very inexperienced writers, Writer’s Inc. is probably the better choice. I realize that many families will fall in the middle of these two levels. Remember that Write for College is intended to prepare students for college, while Writer’, Inc. is for the emerging high school writer.

In short, both are useful and efficient; each is a good choice.

Writer’s Inc. and Write for College are only two books from the line of writing handbooks offered by GreatSource. The line begins with a first grade handbook and progresses to one intended for college students with many other products in between. It is absolutely not necessary to have all of the handbooks in the series, as they contain much of the same information at slightly varying levels. It is also not necessary to purchase all of the other materials. The handbooks are stand-alone resources.

All of the handbooks are discussed at thewritesource.com and sold at greatsource.com. Used copies abound: check the internet and your local used bookstores. (I should note that if you purchase a used edition of either book, the MLA discussion may not be current. A copy of the 7^th edition of the MLA Handbook or a website like Purdue University’s OWL will bring you up to date, though.)

For your middle and high school writers, I recommend Writer’s Inc. and Write for College.

Happy writing!

-Most days find Susan on the couch reading to her children, in the floor “playing” math, and generally in the middle of a good-sized mess. A love for the Lord, a love for her little ones, and a love of learning have led Susan and that wonderful man she married to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason, with a touch of the traditional.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Living books, Science, Unit study resources No Responses »

Aug 062010

The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess is a delightful blend of storytelling and nature study.

Published originally in 1919, Burgess meticulously weaves the non-fiction details of bird life into the fictional account of a curious rabbit named Peter. As Peter explores his surroundings, the Old Orchard, the Green Forest, the Green Meadows and even the banks of the Big River and its tributaries, he also pursues his longing to find out more about his feathered friends. Their ways intrigue Peter, so he sets out to discover them, interviewing Jenny Wren and dozens of other birds commonly found in the United States.

Peter is the secret to the book’s story-telling success. He is sometimes prideful, generally curious, and always growing. Peter’s personality especially appeals to children, as he flits around his world encouraging his friends, meeting new birds, and generally enjoying the whole experience. His antics and manners reflect a joy of learning and life. In addition, he is a good role model, one who chooses to learn from his mistakes and who appreciates those around him even though they are different from him.

Peter is joined by a numerically formidable group of his feathered brethren. Each bird—91 birds total—has a name created by Burgess that is intended to reflect the bird’s personality and characteristics. It is combined with the commonly used name (names in some cases) of the bird. The non-fiction nature study component for each bird includes the birds’ descriptions, male and female, and generally also discusses the bird’s diet, call, nesting practices, migration tendencies, and daily habits. The sharing of these facts does not become tedious or mundane, however; Burgess utilizes story to maintain interest. Each bird becomes a true character in his own right, engaging the reader and informing at the same time.

Burgess’s method works amazingly well. My lower elementary-aged children never failed to request “one more, please” as we worked our way through the short chapters. Though the language is not particularly difficult, it is typical for the time in which it was published and uses phrasing that is not commonly used today. This was not an issue, even though my children are young. In fact, they have retained information from the book, sometimes regaling me with their bird knowledge at unexpected times.

There are great possibilities for study with this book.

●Use it as a read-aloud. Enjoy both the story and factual elements.

●Use it as the foundation of a bird unit study. Add a field guide and some library books for an amazing nature-based science unit covering birds.

●Use it to teach the masterful combination of fiction and non-fiction in story form. Have your student give it a try.

●Use it as independent read for an older student. Expect a bird-centered project at the end.

●Use it to encourage bird watching and general nature appreciation for the whole family.

●Use it to painlessly learn the details of bird life in the United States. A field guide and audios of birds singing their tunes would complement the book nicely.

●Use it for art. Ask students to draw and color the birds from the book’s descriptions and then compare their work to photographs. For younger kids, print coloring pages.

●As you read, use it for copywork and narration. The short chapters lend themselves to this approach.

●Discuss character lessons drawn from Peter and the other creatures as you read. Collect Bible verses that illustrate similar character values and virtues.

●Use it seasonally, returning to it each spring as the birds return.

For the most part, we just read the book and loved it. It is a book that teaches without trying; a “living book” to which we will return for more in-depth study as my kids get older.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children is available for purchase from Dover for $8.95. It can be found for free at Project Gutenberg and LibroVox. A quick search of the internet will provide a number of useful sites, including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds guide. There are also quite a few homeschool mamas out there who have used this book and share their ideas.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children is really not just for children. It is a book that will encourage and engage readers and listeners of all ages. Don’t be surprised if you learn something, too!

Easy Make & Learn Projects: Human Body

Elementary, Hands On, Lapbooks, Science 3 Responses »

Jul 192010

Several months ago a slim little volume caught my eye on the clearance rack at Half-Price Books. Sometimes, the clearance rack leads me astray—all of those cheap books just screaming my name—but not this time! Easy Make and Learn Projects: Human Body by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne was perfect for our study of the human body.

Easy Make & Learn Projects: Human Body and the lapbook that we made

The cover proclaims that there are “easy how-to’s for making 20 models, manipulatives, and mini-books that will wow kids and teach about the incredible human body.” I agree. The book contains a variety of hands-on paper projects that make excellent teaching models

brain hats and nerve necklaces

Each project opens with factual information pertaining to the body system or part to which the model relates. This information was invaluable to me, as it provided the facts that I needed to correlate the project with our studies. Next, the book provides easy-to-follow directions and black-line masters for the project itself. All of the parts are provided. Simply copy, cut, and tape. Each project also contains teaching instructions, composed of questions and directions to aid students in using the project itself. I found them useful.

Easy Make and Learn Projects: Human Body contains the following projects:

●A body book that outlines the body’s systems

●A cell mobile illustrates several cell types

●A magnification project which reveals what parts of the body look like up close

●A brain hat showing the parts of the brain

●A nerve necklace that illustrates how nerves operate

●A sliding eye that shows the parts of the eye

●An ear accordion that reveals how we hear

●A model of the tongue that shows taste buds

●A nose model that describes how we smell

●A model that shows how our sense of touch works

●A model of skin including the parts

●A model showing how hair grows

●A model of the skeleton

●A bone that illustrates how bones grow

●A model of muscles that shows how they move

●Two models that illustrate breathing

●A heart model that reveals how blood circulates through the heart

●A model of the body that shows how blood circulates through the body

●A large poster that reveals the path of digestion

●A model of the esophagus

We created the majority of the projects as we studied the human body. They were very do-able for my first grader and her preschool-age brothers, though I was also very involved. The book says that it is for 2^nd to 4^thgraders, but I think it is applicable to a wide range of students. The projects are useful and helpful in understanding the body and its processes and the directions are helpful. Each project could certainly be completed for individual use, but we saved our projects and put them into a lapbook.

Easy Make and Learn Projects: Human Body is published by Scholastic but can be found in lots of places, including the occasional clearance rack. As for me, the clearance rack wielded an excellent find in Easy Make and Learn Projects: Human Body. In fact, had I been aware of its potential I probably would have paid full price.

-Most days find Susan on the couch reading to her children, in the floor “playing” math, and generally in the middle of a good-sized mess. A love for the Lord, a love for her little ones, and a love of learning have led Susan and the wonderful man she married to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason, with a touch of the traditional.

Finding Educational Activities in the Most Unexpected Places

Elementary, Hands On, Preschool No Responses »

Jun 302010

In the daily taking care of kiddos it is easy to forget something that is vital to the lives of our children–fun! While fun can be had in lots of ways, it is useful to have a tool to aide in inspiring the sometimes exhausted mother.

Angie Kauffman recently sent me a copy of the e-book that she has written, Finding Educational Activities in the Most Unexpected Places, and it fulfills both requirements. It is fun and it is organized to help a busy mom.

Angie is a homeschooling mom and a therapist. In her work with young kids she has developed quite a repertoire of simple, efficient methods that encourage the natural stages of development. The e-book shares those activities with us and our young children.

The book is divided alphabetically by materials. For example, if we had just purchased a new refrigerator and I wanted to use the box, I could check the table of contents under “boxes” for an activity. (This section also includes ideas for smaller boxes.) Once there, I can choose among making our own puzzles, creating a fort, playhouse, or car, playing “What’s in the box?”, and several others. Some of the activities are old stand-bys, but others are new to me.

There are 26 categories containing over 200 activities. Other materials include balloons, balls, blankets, bubbles, cardboard tubes, cookie cutters, egg cutters, fabric, laundry, lids, paper bags, plates, and cups, and sponges. There is even a section entitled “Just You! (No Props Needed). ”

There are some things that I particularly like about the book.

●The activities center on household items, many of which are free.

●The organization makes sense to me.

●The activities are familiar enough to be fast. There are also a few brand new ones thrown in, but they are not difficult to implement quickly.

●The book does not address specific developmental goals for each activity, but I appreciate that a trained therapist has given her nod of approval for each.

●It keeps us away from the television!

I am busy. I am often tired. I have several children for whom to care. Anything that helps me provide quality activities for my children in a fast, easy, cost-effective manner is a good thing! Finding Educational Activities in the Most Unexpected Places is one of those tools.

I received this book for free in order to review it; however, I am not lying to make Angie happy. I really do like it.

Most days find Susan on the couch reading to her children, in the floor “playing” math, and generally in the middle of a good-sized mess. A love for the Lord, a love for her little ones, and a love of learning have led Susan and that wonderful man she married to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason, with a touch of the traditional.

First Language Lessons and Language Lessons for the Very Young 1: A Comparison

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Language Arts, Writing 5 Responses »

Jun 172010

It is confession time.

We used First Language Lessons this year for our language study.

We also used Language Lessons for the Very Young 1.

It is true. I subjected my six-year old first grader to two different language books. Gasp.

I had decided to use First Language Lessons when I saw the picture studies in Language Lessons for the Very Young 1. The gorgeous, full-color reproductions of real art containing child-friendly subjects drew me in. I ordered it, but I did so with no intentions of abandoning the copy of First Language Lessons that was already in my possession.

First Language Lessons is the first book in a series of elementary language texts by Jessie Wise. It follows a classical method in line with The Well-Trained Mind, of which Mrs. Wise is a co-author. The non-consumable, scripted book contains 100 first grade lessons and 100 second grade lessons.

First Language Lessons is complete and methodical, covering nouns, common nouns,

FLL picture study

proper nouns, the four uses of verbs, the four types of sentences, along with several essential topics such as seasons, months, and days of the week. The text also discusses the use of capitalization and end punctuation. The lessons are cyclical. A new topic is covered and then the old ones are reviewed. In addition, it includes some copywork and a couple of black and white drawings for picture study. It provides a complete early discussion of grammar topics in an adequate, appropriate manner.

Language Lessons for the Very Young 1 is one of a series of language books in the Charlotte Mason method. It is written by Sandi Queen of Queen Homeschool and is intended for seven to nine year olds, but is appropriate for children who are reading fluently. The book, intended to be consumable, contains 180 lessons to be completed in one school year.

Language Lessons for the Very Young 1 is gentle but also complete, covering capitalization in poems and sentences, nouns, identifying the subject and predicate of the sentence, singular and plural nouns, a vowel and consonant review, use of ‘a’ and ‘an,’ common and proper nouns, action verbs, identifying complete and incomplete sentences, and end punctuation. New subjects are continually introduced, but there is plenty of review. The lessons are very short, in keeping with the Charlotte Mason method, so though there are 180 lessons the book is easily completed in a year. The text also contains six poems for copywork and memorization, each taking at least as many days to complete as there are stanzas in the poem, and six pieces of art work for picture study and follow-up discussion. The lessons are integrated, so that poems, pictures, narrations, and grammar complement and complete each other.

FLL lesson on sentence types

The differences in the two books are subtle. FLL uses parts of speech to build a grammar discussion, while LLVY begins with the sentence and progresses from there. There are fewer lessons in FLL, but the length of LLVY is deceiving as it contains several series of lessons in which the student copies one stanza of a multi-stanza poem. FLL contains a more focused, informative explanation of verbs, discussing the four categories of verbs with precision. LLVY, on the other hand, covers the creation of sentences and the use of punctuation in more detail. While both texts use poems for copywork and memorization, FLL utilizes shorter, nursery-rhyme-ish poems and LLVY uses longer, more intense selections. Both also include picture studies, but LLVY provides lovely, full color reproductions of art, while FLL includes only non-descript pencil drawings. FLL costs $18.95 and is intended for use over two years of study, while LLVY covers one year and costs $22.95.

Another difference in the two books is that one is a classical text and the other is

LLVY poetry copywork

a Charlotte Mason text. It is easy to discern Charlotte Mason’s methodology in the poetry, copywork, and picture studies included in LLVY. It is more difficult to recognize the parts to whole discussion of grammar that evolves in FLL’s continuum from nouns, pronouns, and verbs to sentences, as compared to the use of the whole, sentences, to derive the parts in LLVY.

Both texts complete the objective of teaching grammar gently and completely to a young audience. Though they use different methodologies and end with slightly different products, these two early elementary grammar texts are both excellent and useful.

Back to my confession: My daughter didn’t mind using two grammar texts. As far as she knew, it was what all the cool kids were doing for language.

Personally, though I know that it was not necessary, I liked it. Because the two books approached grammar from somewhat oppposite directions, I was able to effortlessly review and test her grammar knowledge retention over a school year and with two different approaches. So, when she demonstrated knowledge, it was knowledge of grammar, not just understanding of a program and how it worked.

First Language Lessons and Language Lessons for the Very Young 1 utilize different methods to reach a common purpose. I am delighted to recommend both of them (seperately or together) to you for your grammar needs!

The Human Body by Seymour Simon

Charlotte Mason, Elementary, Living books, Science, Uncategorized, Unit study resources 2 Responses »

May 102010

Prolific children’s non-fiction author, Seymour Simon has teamed with HarperCollins Publishers and the Smithsonian Institution to produce a series of books about the natural world. Tucked into the prolific and still-growing library of scientific information produced by Simon and the Smithsonian is a sub-series about the human body. The books in the human body series provide a treat for the eyes and a feast for the brain.

At present there are eight books in the series.

●The Human Body

●Eyes and Ears

●The Brain: Our Nervous System

●The Lungs: Your Respiratory System

●The Heart: Our Circulatory System

●Guts: Our Digestive System

●Bones: Our Skeletal System

●Muscles: Our Muscular System

The Human Body, provides an overview of the twelve major body systems.

It discusses the following topics:

●cells

●the integumentary system (skin, hair, and bones)

●the skeletal system

●the muscular system

●the circulatory system and blood

●the respiratory system

●the digestive system

●the nervous system

●the immune and lymphatic systems

●the urinary and excretory systems

●the endocrine system

●the reproductive system

●the five senses

The remaining books discuss the body system of their title using correct anatomical terms, detailed descriptions of body processes, and a depth of information that is accessible to elementary-age students but applicable for older students. The books make use of technological advances in the medical field by incorporating computer-colored x-rays, MRI scans, and incredible inside photos of the body, along with applicable diagrams.

The impressive, real-life illustrations combine with a detailed, systematic approach to the human body’s inner workings to produce a useful product that is a delight to peruse.

I chose these books as the spine for our human body study. I could not be more pleased with them. They were easily found at the library, detailed enough to provide food for thought for my children, and used the correct terms for body parts and processes. Since my kids are lower elementary and preschool-age, there were a couple of times that I skipped a page or two that contained more detail than we needed. In those cases, we checked out the pictures and continued on to the next subject.

My children learned a lot about how our bodies work, and enjoyed learning what we look like on the inside. Personally, I found the books to be fascinating. Each volume contributed to our understanding of the human body. My children were especially delighted with the book about the digestive system, Guts, as it let them in on all of the nitty gritty details of how the body extracts the good stuff from food and then passes the rest out of the body. Ask my six-year old about passing gas. She will fill you in on the how and why. She will also giggle with abandon.

Keep these in mind when you study the human body. They provide scientific information without sucking all of the fun out of it!

A Little Classical Teamwork: First Language Lessons and Writing with Ease

Classical, Elementary, Handwriting, Language Arts, Writing 8 Responses »

Apr 212010

After publication of their classically-based homeschooling guide, The Well-Trained Mind, mother and daughter Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer continued their streak of parent-friendly curricula with a variety of texts, including Mrs. Wise’s First Language Lessons and, more recently, Dr. Bauer’s first installment in the series The Complete Writer, which is titled Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals.

Both are on the first grade book list at my house.

First Language Lessons is a first and second grade grammar text. The lessons are short, but effective, methodically sharing language terms and ideas for a young audience. Complete reviews can be found here and here.

Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals is a first through fourth grade writing text. It is the first installment of three writing guides. They are sort of like timelines that provide a detailed, but gentle list of writing skills beginning with entry level narration and copywork. The program will eventually progress through the middle school and high school years. A detailed review of the system and the workbooks, which are available for the elementary levels, can be found here.

First grade at our house uses First Language Lessons and Writing with Ease as the base of the language program. We have elected to use Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals without the workbooks that Dr. Bauer has written. Even without the workbooks, the meshing of the two programs has been simple, as they were meant to complement and complete each other.

The books present the same ideas at the same time.

For example, First Language Lessons lesson 3 differentiates between common and proper nouns. Lessons 10, 13, 14, 16, and 18-21 develop the idea of the proper noun as the name of a specific person or place.

Completing three lessons per week most weeks places these lessons of First Language Lessons during weeks 4 through 7 of Writing with Ease, which also deal with proper nouns. The focus here, however, is not to identify a proper noun, but to write it correctly within the context of a sentence.

First Language Lessons is fully scripted. Writing with Ease is not, but the book provides a full week’s example each time the difficulty increases for the student. The example is followed by a schedule that details the copywork and narration for the five to nine weeks until the next increase in difficulty or shift in focus.

At this point, as the teacher, I am charged with finding a sentence in my child’s history, science, or other reading that contains, for example, a proper noun. This is simple, as I can either use a sentence from the First Language Lessons lesson, choose one in our history reading, or create one using a family member’s name and location.

The instructions in Writing with Ease are extremely detailed for the teacher, leaving no guesswork. For weeks 5 to 6 the copywork sentences should contain as many proper people names as possible. Weeks 7 to 8 move on to proper city names; weeks 9 to 10 incorporate the proper names of states. Narration lengths—here of three short paragraphs—are also provided.

Real Learning at Our House

My daughter completes a short portion of copywork most days. I have used a variety of sources, from the Bible to science sentences to artist sentences; I have used things I have bought and things I have made up on the spot. So, it has been very easy to incorporate the sequence of grammatical information outlined in Writing with Ease. Some of the time, the First Language Lessons lesson even contains appropriate sentences. When it does not, I can quickly locate or make up a sentence that fits the bill.

For me, choosing copywork is the most time intensive part of using Writing with Ease without the workbook, and it has been simple and easy.

We narrate daily in our home, too, though it is rarely a formal affair. When Daddy comes home for lunch, the kids tell him about their history lesson. At dinner, we talk about the science reading or recount the read-aloud chapter. A couple of times a week, I do ask my first grade daughter to illustrate her reading assignment and to summarize the reading orally. I have not found it necessary to find extra things for her to narrate, as we have just used what we were already reading.

Because narration is such a natural part of our day and because I have already chosen full length texts as readers, it seemed to me that the workbooks would be repetitive, providing unnecessary and sometimes disconnected additional reading for my daughter.

A quick comparison of the table of contents of both books reveals that the ideas continue to be presented in First Language Lessons, and then fleshed out in Writing with Ease through the second grade year. I do not have the third or fourth grade levels of First Language Lessons yet, but it would surprise me if they suddenly stop complementing one another.

These two books provide an excellent introduction to grammar and writing.

First Language Lessons has been effective and easy to use.

Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals has provided the blue print for beginning writing that is just what I need.

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