About Notebooking
What is notebooking? Well, to be honest, my kids and I are still new to this tool - having just started about six weeks ago - so my knowledge on the topic is limited. That said, I think of it as the creation of a personalized journal of studies, or as an academic scrapbook of things learned.
It is not the robotic completion of a prefabricated worksheet that restricts expression, creativity, and breadth of knowledge. Worksheets seem more designed to prepare for a test. It puts learning into someone else's preconceived box of knowledge - making it sterile, confined, restricted, and uninteresting. Completion of a worksheet is done just to get it over with and entering "fill in the blank" type responses may highlight key terms, but it feels disjointed and is just a snapshot of the total picture. Conversely, the creation of an open-ended notebook page requires a person to really consider what should be included, to truly think about the subject as a whole, and to learn for the sake of learning!
The term notebooking, as used in this case, is not the same as the “note taking” that I did as a child – especially not the kind with a structured outline format. Granted, learning how to organize thoughts and key points is a good skill to have, and a systematic outline is clear, understandable, to-the-point, and shareable. But despite that (or perhaps in addition to it), I remembered the most when I was able to use different colors to highlight or write with, added doodles and designs, or even rearranged the information in a way that MY brain could best grasp it. It was this manipulation of the material to make it my own creation that anchored it more solidly in my mind.
It’s as though notebooking places learning more in the hands of the student, creating something of a middle ground between conventional schooling and a child-led approach because it can link parent/teacher-directed study to [at least some] interest and self-expression of the child – giving them more freedom to explore a subject their way. About the Notebooking Pages Lifetime Membership
NotebookingPages.com is an online resource for downloadable and printable notebook pages with a variety of themes and designs that can be used with any grade and nearly any curriculum or course of study. They offer some free resources, but they also have the Notebooking Pages Lifetime Membership program that allows for unlimited access to their thousands of pages and designs, including those currently available AND any notebooking pages added in the future as well! Options range from basic, simple, lined or blank pages with borders, to pages with images/graphics, fancy lettering, and/or clipart. These things are often combined with the option of basic lines or primary lines for writing at different stages of development. Many of the pages have spaces for adding artwork or other embellishments too.
Thankfully, there is an Easy Start Guide, a series of tutorials, links to recommended reading, and a few other helpful articles and tips to help those of us who don’t know much about notebooking or where to begin. They also arrange all the downloads by topic and have a search bar to help someone find what they are looking for.
NotebookingPages.com has plenty of suggestions on how to incorporate this tool into your own homeschool. They have a few ideas for different types of notebooks and designs and one of their webpages has a cute graphic illustrating ideas for things you could add or include in a notebook, such as charts, post-cards, poems, mini-books, timelines, photos, diagrams, copywork, narrations, drawings/artwork, songs, interviews, observations, lab reports, vocabulary, coloring pages, and several other ideas.
Our Experience
I must admit that I’m not one to want to read directions, watch tutorials, or follow step-by-step checklists when I get involved with something new. Instead, I like to just dive right in and explore, figure things out for myself, and learn through hands-on experience and trial-and-error. Nonetheless, I made myself go ahead and walk through the tutorials provided with the Notebooking Pages Lifetime Membership – particularly because I was sent emails to remind me about them. I’m glad I did. There were at least a few things that I found helpful and informative, that I don’t think I would have figured out on my own, such as options for notebooks and the importance of narration (which is explained further in the resources they provide).
Now that our notebooks were all set and waiting to be filled, we started to incorporate the use of notebooking pages whenever and wherever they fit into our studies. We’ve been doing a lot of learning based on the girls’ interests, so we would simply print up a notebooking page of their choice to go along with the topic at hand. Luckily, both girls love taking notes!
There were so many options to choose from when it came time to print up some pages! The main categories in my Member Center included Bible/Character, Famous People, Fine Arts, Geography, History, Holidays, Language Arts, Science/Nature, A-Z, and Any Study. Each of those categories had sub-topics to choose from, ranging from animals to presidents to states and countries and so much more! Some of the selections we used were about dinosaurs (an ongoing interest of both kids), President Obama (because of the current news about the presidential elections), famous inventors (including George Washington Carver), birds and animals (since our girls adore them), the scientific method (as a review), and some blank and lined pages with a colorful border.
I must say, however, that I did not like how all of the downloads were organized simply with words or links. (Lots of words and not enough visual stimuli for this Pinterest-loving woman!) There wasn’t an easy option to preview the printables using my computer and browser. Granted, they did have an overview page called a “catalog” that showed what a set of printables would include, but even the catalog had to be downloaded first. Instead, I would really have liked small images to quickly see what our options were before selecting something to download. I could then select only the page I preferred to have each time, rather than downloading a set of pages.
Also, we noticed that there were several times that, despite the thousands of pages, we still couldn’t find a themed printable to match what the girls were interested in. However, they were satisfied with the generic pages in most cases, so this was a minor issue. And of course, that is the beauty of a lifetime membership… they are adding things all the time, so our resources are not limited on there.
But let me get back to how we did things. My girls would read a book or watch an educational video about something. Then, I'd have them narrate back what they remembered. We'd take simple "key word" notes to help jog their memory later, we discussed what they thought, and I answered any questions they had. Then they used their chosen notebooking pages to record their thoughts and include some relevant artwork or cutout/printed images. I did encourage them to enhance their writing with visual aspects (such as decorations, maps, drawings, diagrams, charts, etc).
I left the details up to the girls to decide and let them know there was no right or wrong way to make their pages. I did not summarize the educational material myself or dictate what they needed to know, though we did a whiteboard or printout available for reference, with the brief notes and key terms that we had discussed previously. When looking over their work, I didn't focus on spelling or grammar because I wanted to encourage them to write as much as possible and get used to this process. We can always work to refine things as time goes on.
After the girls finished a new page, they were encouraged to describe and present it and wanted to show them with daddy when he got home. (Which, by the way, never really happened with worksheets they completed in the past. They have far more interest and pride in their notebooks!)
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Notebooking seems like it can be used to create a lasting finished project to be proud of, a keepsake to enjoy for years to come, and an obvious and complete portfolio of material studied for future reference and record-keeping. Of course, this is entirely dependent on how much a parent and child want to make this a part of their homeschool and how much effort they put in to it! Not every tool works for everyone, but a key feature of notebooking is the flexibility to adapt it to your own style.
I think the NotebookingPages.com Lifetime Membership has been a good tool for our homeschool. It seems the girls really enjoyed notebooking, especially with lots of pages to choose from and print up any time they wanted them. I also noticed the girls’ skill at choosing information to include in their notebooks and selecting pertinent details, as well as their general confidence in their own abilities, blossomed over time, so we plan to keep incorporating it in the future as well.
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If you'd like to know more about NotebookingPages.com and what they have to offer, you can visit their website and/or social media pages. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter!
Since we’re expecting another baby in a few months (yay!), I thought it would be a great time to look into online math programs for my oldest daughter… something she could do mostly independently, especially during those early newborn weeks. So having a chance to try out and subsequently review the LearnBop for Families subscription from LearnBop was, therefore, great timing!
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About LearnBop for Families
If a student struggles with finding the proper response, the program offers a step-by-step walk-through to make the process very clear, encouraging the student to enter the right answer at each step along the way. After which they repeat the incorrect question (or one similar to it) to be sure they now understand how to do it. Once a student completes or masters a particular step/concept by answering several "bops" correctly, they are able to move on to another math topic. There is plenty of feedback on exactly how much progress they are making through each step of the course. There are also incentives to keep making progress. They have motivational quotes and phrases sprinkled throughout the pages and virtual badges (which I believe are called “learning achievements”) for various accomplishments while they learn. Even effort is rewarded with achievements, such as when they don't give up or watch several videos.
Our Experience
The session for each new main topic begins with a “warm-up” in which my kids would answer several questions before instruction began. I thought this might be to place them at the correct level in the course material, but from what I understand, it is actually to identify any learning gaps that might need additional instruction. I could be wrong, but I don’t think it allows a child to skip ahead past material they know already, but it does identify missing knowledge that can then be presented to the child as remedial or review that they need in order to move on, to ensure they have a solid foundation to build upon.
Possible PROS...
- Common mistakes are covered during the instructional videos, allowing the student to learn from and avoid the same issues themselves.
- Plenty of review is given throughout the videos. This could be great for kids who benefit from a quick reminder of terms, algorithms, or concepts before they go on to the next step of learning.
- Instructional videos are broken down into short segments (just a few minutes) for each point being taught. This helped keep my kids attention and gave them the feeling they were moving forward more quickly and making progress.
- Explanations and examples for how to do something were usually simple, clear, and easy to follow along.
- Motivational quotes and statements scattered throughout the program reinforce good learning habits and positive thinking.
- Standards are shown at the top of the page, which can be helpful and encouraging to those who want to be sure that everything is being covered for a particular grade level according to state standards. There is no need to wonder or guess if a child is on track.
- Easy to see and understand progress charts and percentages were really fantastic motivation for my girls. They loved seeing the percentage number get bigger each time they did something. Of course, they are both the type that really like checklists and step-by-step achievement, so this was a good fit for them.
Possible CONS (in our opinion)...
- Incomplete editing. We saw some typographical errors, grammar issues, or spelling mistakes. This did not impact my children’s learning or progress, but it did bother me. I place high value on products that appear to have paid a lot of attention to detail because of my perfectionist tendencies. For others, this could be a complete non-issue.
- Playback of the videos was occasionally a bit choppy. Plus, when we enlarged the video to full screen mode, it would skip ahead in playback. It was difficult to go forward or back in a video precisely. This could have been our own computer or internet issues, but I'm not sure. I did not attempt to contact the company for technical assistance because it did not bother us that much.
- The instructional videos have words “print” or “type” across the screen during the lesson, but they did NOT match exactly to the words spoken by the narrator/teacher. Both my husband and I felt it was extremely distracting. Now, to be fair, it was the same topic or idea, just being stated in different ways. But it meant I had to ignore one or the other in order to stay focused. This was my biggest issue with the program. My kids, however, weren’t too bothered by this… probably because they just chose to listen rather than read or vice versa.
Final Thoughts
About Forbrain - Sound For Life Ltd
We received the headset with bone conduction technology and a dynamic filter, along with a few microphone covers, a sturdy case, a charging cord, and a short, to-the-point instruction booklet.
It is recommended that the headset is used five days a week for a session of 6-10 weeks, in order to improve in a number of areas, including speech, reading, short-term memory, auditory processing, sensory integration, attention, speaking and presentation skills, and more! Kids or adults can use it, though the time frame for each practice session is slightly different according to age. Younger ages use it for about 15 minutes a day, while teens use it for 20 minutes at a time. Intensive use might involve a bit longer time frame each day. During each usage, one simply speaks into the microphone and allows the device to create auditory feedback. The speaking can be from reading a book, singing, speaking, or presentation practice, verbal memory work, conversation with others, or any number of creative uses. It doesn't require any special program... just wear it and talk!
Our Experience
Daddy used it far less than the rest of us. He said it made him not want to sing because he could hear all the flaws. Haha! I told him that it was supposed to help with the flaws but he wasn't much interested in using it further, though he did give it a try on numerous occasions when singing or reading to the girls. The fact that he noticed areas in which he could improve his voice is probably a good indicator that it is effective for helping one focus on certain aspects of voice quality and singing skills.
I used it fairly regularly and thought it was a neat experience, but did not have any particular goals in mind to achieve from it's use. I just wanted to know what, exactly, my kids would be using and hearing. I didn't notice a lot of difference when wearing the headset versus speaking into any kind of microphone, except that I could feel the vibration of the bone conduction mechanism. This made it hard for me to know if it was working as it should. I expected more modulation of my voice due to the example given on the company's website and did not hear the same degree of changes when I was speaking, but later discovered that the website's example is enhanced to help people hear and understand what the product does. After repeated use, however, I found myself far more aware of my own voice, with or without it, and conscientious of what I said and how I spoke to others. While it wasn't a stated benefit that one might normally expect, I think it may have even had a calming effect for me - improving my patience when verbally interacting with others. My husband said that the use of the headset seemed to help moderate my daily speech even when I didn't use it, evening out the tone and volume. He noted that I used my "professional voice" when using the headset... it's the way I speak when making phone calls, giving a presentation, or speaking in front of others, and I think it's possible that this carried over just a bit into other areas over time.
Our main focus for the use of this product was with both girls. With both children, we made sure they used it daily, 5-6 days per week, for 15-30 minutes each time (average of 20). I hoped it could help Big Sis with her ability to focus, pay attention, and remember things. She has really struggled a lot lately with short-term memory, following directions, and recall. With Lil' Sis, our primary goal was to see if it would improve her speech, specifically pronunciation and clarity. She hasn't been diagnosed with any particular speech difficulty or delays, but there are certain sounds that she has a hard time with and she isn't always easy to understand.
Big Sis enjoyed listening to herself read aloud and listening to herself sing, improving her confidence in doing so around others as well. She says, "I like using it to read because I can really hear what the story is about and it makes me feel better about reading out loud". I think it might have also helped with her ability to focus and pay attention with other schoolwork and general day-to-day activities, so even though we started out by using it at night, we switched to using it first thing in the morning (after breakfast and getting ready for the day). Doing so seemed to make a possible impact on her ability to retain and follow directions, as well as her attention to detail during math or writing activities. It's as though the headset may have helped "turn on" her mind.
Lil' Sis thought using the headset was fun and loved hearing herself even better, which encouraged her to do a lot more reading, singing, and other vocal activities (like presentation practice or memory work). She says, "it's fun to hear myself read and I want to read all day". We also used it to help her work on better pronunciation of letters or sounds such as /r/, /w/, and /th/. She's always struggled with certain areas speech and clarity, so anything that could improve this for her and be fun using is a blessing. Nonetheless, I'm not sure whether or not Forbrain has yet to help improve pronunciation for her, particularly beyond those times when she's wearing it. We haven't used the product for the full ten weeks, as recommended, at this point, so we'll continue to use it and see how it goes.
Final Thoughts
The headset was easy to adjust and fit all of our heads from my 6 year old to my husband. It was fun for my kids to use and something that they didn't want to take off. They also argued over who got to use it first each day. We found the battery life to be great but still easy to charge when needed. The protective case was great and comes in handy when we take it from place to place. And probably my favorite thing about Forbrain is how easy it is to incorporate into our daily routine! It didn't add anything to our schedule, wasn't intrusive, required almost no planning or preparation, and could simply be added into any number of different activities we are already doing each day - in no way detracting from them but rather having only the potential to enhance or help!
Uncertainty
I really struggled to determine whether or not Forbrain has, at this stage, made a significant impact in the various areas it's designed to improve. There are several things that I think might have been helped through it's usage for each of us, but it's hard for me to pinpoint for certain. This very well could be because we haven't used the product for the full recommended time frame and that we will see more obvious results in the coming weeks. We do plan to continue using it and have hopes for more improvement.
Nonetheless, I do think it would be very helpful if the company helped educate it's customers on exactly how to identify and track progress made, to help highlight the benefits one experiences. Without this clear and measurable progress, and taking into consideration the cost, I would have a hard time recommending it to everyone. That said, I do think it's worth considering if you or someone in your family struggles with one of the areas that Forbrain is purported to help because it seems like it has potential. Plus, they do offer a 100% satisfaction or 30-day money-back guarantee, so a person can give it a try to see it if it's a good fit for their family and needs!
If you'd like to see what other families think about the bone conduction headset from Forbrain - Sound for Life Ltd, simply click on the banner below to find more reviews from the Schoolhouse Review Crew! If you go through other reviews, you'll be able to see how the headset worked for families with other goals and experiences, which can give you a more complete view of the potential of this product and it's applications for a variety of kids of various ages (& adults). You can also visit Forbrain at their website and on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to find out more about the company and what they have to offer.
It's been awhile since we've had a good, solid art program in our homeschool. My daughter was attending an art class, but the teacher closed her studio some time ago. Since then, we've only dabbled in random art projects and have truly missed having an instructional, guided program like the class provided. So I was quite pleased to be given the chance to review ARTistic Pursuits Inc.'s "Early Elementary K-3 Book One" and see if it could fill that void for us with the fun, skill-building, creative art program that we were seeking... and it has! |
About ARTistic Pursuits Inc. & Early Elementary K-3 Book One
The lessons themselves are short and simple. They usually start with a brief discussion of the topic, idea, or technique to be learned - or in the case of the art history, then some quick historical points of interest. Then there is a real life, professional, or famous example of art, accompanied by a few questions to help guide the child's attention to the aspect being taught and helping them increase their observation and thinking skills. They usually also include a picture of another child's art, which I think brings the project to a realistic level for kids, making it something achievable and giving more examples to get inspiration from. Finally, the project is clearly presented using directions and sometimes reminders of what to focus on. Each project page has a little box near the top that lists all the necessary materials for the lesson, but there is also a page near the beginning of the book that lists all art supplies and additional items needed for the entire course. There was also a lesson midway through the book in which the child prepares to have an art show and a page explaining how to plan an opening art show (as simple or elaborate as desired) and "frame" their artwork they've been creating so far (using construction paper mattes, for example).
Our Experience
In our house, art has often unintentionally (and unfortunately) been one of the subjects that was relegated to an afterthought status... subjects that aren't core/required/tested ones and that we really wanted to include and knew the value of, but when push came to shove and life got in the way and things got hectic, it got shoved right off the daily schedule and into the pile of things that we "plan" to get to at the elusive time known as "later". Alas, this is so very much NOT what I want for my kids. Art and music are pillars of culture and society, opening up the mind and inspiring creativity and development in ways that other subjects just can't do.
My kids love, no... adore, arts and crafts! They have plenty of access to art supplies, a space for them to be creative, and free time to do art of their choosing. This, I think, is a good start. Yet for some reason, it was often hard to "find the time" for art instruction and make it a priority. I discovered that the reason was that art seemed too large a task to prepare for and conquer, requiring too much time, prep, and work to routinely set up and execute an art lesson. Maybe since I've had little-to-no formal art training myself, I had a lack of direction to teach my own kids. Maybe all I needed was a little structure - a program to guide us along. Enter ARTistic Pursuits!
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ARTistic Pursuits Inc. actually made homeschool art instruction achievable for my family and me. It is simple and easy to incorporate the lessons into our day, but not boring. It has us doing things we otherwise probably wouldn't have done, but nothing I feel is too overwhelming to make time for. It has variety yet structure, providing clear guidance and instruction but still always seems open-ended enough that my kids felt the freedom to be creative and never that they are just replicating someone else's design. The lessons are short enough that I can fit them into our weekly schedule and feel good that I am giving my kids an art experience. Art now has the place in our homeschool life that we wanted it to have, and that it deserves! And I must say I'm thrilled this doesn't cost nearly as much as recurring art classes did, yet we are getting many of the same benefits!
One paper crafting project they did had a goal of identifying shapes in what they observe around them. They used construction paper, cut out a background, then added large shapes, smaller ones, and then drew on a few little details. Both girls decided to represent a sun setting behind a mountain. Big Sis showed the different colors of the sunset, a hut, and ducks in a pond, while Lil sis has a tree, houses, and a bird in the sky.
Another project they enjoyed was working with clay. They created a koala, and monkey, a pot with an engraving along the outside, a palm tree, and more. This project took a few days because they first formed the clay and then allowed it to dry before painting it. They learned a lot about how clay was used in the past and the different ways they could use it to create art. This was one of their favorite lessons in the book.
Their ultimate favorite art medium to use thus far has been oil pastels. Big Sis has had limited exposure to them in the past, but it was a new adventure for Lil' Sis (who loved their bold, bright colors). Perhaps because we live in Hawai'i, the lesson that involved choosing an underwater subject or sea creature particularly caught their attention and interest. We have several books about the ocean and marine life. Upon hearing the lesson, they ran over to the bookshelf and began digging through the books to find inspiration for this fun project. Added bonus: during all this self-guided research, they learned even more about a variety of animals, plants, and coral in the sea! One of the great things about ARTistic Pursuits Inc., for our family, has been that it has drawn them into seeing even more beauty in the world around them and learning more about about the subject of their artistic designs. (Such as was the case with another lesson that involved drawing a picture where people work, with suggestions to visit the site of a community worker... cue the fire station field trip!)
The Early Elementary art book fit quite well into the flow our our homeschool, making it easy to pull it off the shelf and keep using it every week, and making art a bigger part of our school and our lives. Not only are we doing art more often now, but it also inspired us to take a special field trip to the local craft center to paint ceramics and use the girls' new painting skills in yet another way, which was a great supplement to this great program!
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Final Thoughts
My girls both enjoy violin lessons. Beyond that, however, music is a subject that has been neglected all too often in our homeschool, simply because I didn’t know where to start or how to focus our studies in a productive manner. That was, until we found out about Zeezok Publishing LLC’s Music Appreciation: Book 1 for the Elementary Grades. We have enjoyed using this homeschool music program for the last several weeks - especially learning about Nicolo Paganini as we began our studies - and I am pleased to share our review and experience with you, my dear readers!
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About the Product
Even though it meets the standards, I think it goes far beyond as well. This is no simple textbook composer study or dry biography! Instead, it includes not only true biographies of famous composers, but integrated music & instrument lessons and activities involving other subject areas like relevant geography, writing practice and reading comprehension, a focus on character traits, cultural connections (like words in foreign languages or cooking of recipes from a culture or time period in the biography), and related historical events and timelines. Through these various aspects, the student is able to become more immersed in what they are learning by not just reading and writing, but also listening and doing, and finding out how what they are learning connects to real life.
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The student book provides a suggested weekly schedule that also serves as an overview of what is to come. The illustrations are bright and colorful, creating interest for each section. The parts that require writing were well chosen and of a good length for my daughter. There were also a few pages specifically for 5th & 6th graders, but we did not utilize them yet since my daughter is not quite at that level. Nonetheless, I liked that this extra focus on the older or more advanced students was provided as an option. |
The lapbook disc provides printables that are used throughout the program, in conjunction with simple file folders and basic school supplies, to create a project for each composer unit. These projects display some of what was learned in the course of the study and can act as a reference or review later on. The assembly of the lapbook is done in small steps over a few weeks as a composer study develops versus all at once at the end. This could provide a nice change of pace and break from reading and writing that might be especially beneficial to kinesthetic learners (unless they don't enjoy cutting, folding, and pasting type projects).
Our Experience
Big Sis was our primary student for the music appreciation course, but what she does, Lil Sis usually wants to do too! Since the program's student book is designed for use by only one child, we got an additional book so that Lil' Sis would be able to participate as well. She is young and I thought some written answers would be too much for her, but it turned out to be a good opportunity for her to practice on those questions she wanted to try writing responses for, and we did the rest of the questions verbally as needed.
As mentioned earlier, I think the readers (biographies) are well done and of nice quality, but we did find the story to occasionally and somewhat awkwardly jump ahead from one thing to the next, leaving me feeling like we missed something or that a better transition could have been used. This was not an issue for Big Sis (my 3rd grader), who loved the story and learning about Nicolo Paganini. Lil Sis (my kindergartener), on the other hand, was not always as engaged as her sibling. I think we should have broken the story down even further into shorter sessions for her sake. I could tell her mind wandered and that there were many words she didn't understand or parts of the story she wasn't able to follow easily. Even so, I was surprised to find out how much she absorbed when we discussed the comprehension questions from the student book. Additionally, the included student book's hands on activities aided in her learning and she got much more out of it than I think she would have with the reader alone.
Some of the hands on and extension activities that we did while learning about Nicolo Paganini included: learning about Italy (where he was born and several of the places he travelled to as he grew, studied, and performed), touching on the time of Napoleon Bonaparte, making spaghetti soup (a dish the young composer's mother made for him), practicing some Italian words, beginning a music criteria chart to aid in being more discerning and discover personal musical preferences, spending time thinking about things that bring us joy, listening to some music from other cultures, creating posters for imaginary fundraising events, and inventing a new honorary medal to be granted to those who contribute to society and accomplish great things. Plenty of fun stuff! |
Final Thoughts
The new Writers in Residence program from Apologia Educational Ministries has made quite a good impression over the last several weeks in our homeschool! Rarely do I feel like gushing so positively over an educational product in a review like this one, but the difference it has made in my daughter's attitude about writing practice thus far has been so significant that I couldn't help but be excited to share more about this program with you!
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About Writers in Residence
The all-in-one student text and workbook (intended for one child and not reusable) includes everything a student needs for this curriculum - leaving out only the answer key, which is provided separately. It also contains an overview of how to use the book, which is mostly intended for the parent/teacher. The majority of the book is directed at the student, using a fairly independent learning approach, suggesting a teacher's involvement only sporadically and for evaluative or assistive purposes. The instructive text and assignments are combined and integrated throughout the single book.
This program uses the "six-traits writing model" and a nine-step writing process (with a few review and revision steps in there), as a guide and framework. It cycles through a focus on four types of writing tasks, including narrative, creative, research-based, and opinion/persuasive. The author calls these "I Remember, I Imagine, I Investigate, and I Think", which might better relate to a student's understanding (and interest), but could cause confusion if the standard, more common terms aren't used before outside assessments are given to them (such as standardized testing).
Primary conventions of the English Language and parts of speech are incorporated incrementally throughout the book. This did not seem to be a heavy focus of the program such as one might see in an English or language arts textbook, but it does touch on essential basics and attempts to blend them into engaging assignments, versus lengthy workbook style repetition. Indeed, Writers in Residence seems wholly committed to helping the child find an interest in writing, to motivate the child, and to show the practical value and relevancy of writing instruction to aid them in self-expression and clear communication.
Spelling is not emphasized or taught in the book, but attention to proper word usage is a part of the editing process. A separate spelling-focused curriculum or tool might be appropriate for students that are still working on learning the mechanics and rules, or who need more practice with spelling words.
Evaluation rubrics are provided with descriptive explanations of how to check drafts and final products for strengths and weaknesses (building on what the child has been taught as the program progresses), with the goal of finding areas to improve and highlighting that which a child is good at, rather than assigning a grade each time. The rubrics are used both by the student to evaluate their own writing and by an adult reviewer as well.
The student is encouraged to keep a writer's portfolio as an archive, keepsake, and record of what they've written. This is good for seeing progress over time and also serves a perfect time capsule later on, giving a glimpse into their minds, skills, and personality through the window of their writing.
Our Experience
Big Sis recently completed her 3rd grade English/writing curriculum, so it was the perfect time for us to start Writers in Residence!
Upon receipt of the book, I read through the introduction (quick guide, preface, and "how to use this book" section). I loved the author's philosophy and approach to teaching writing! We got started right away but found the book was very thick, heavy, and cumbersome. Too much so. It is intended to be an all-in-one product, which is a nice thought, but in practice, this made it difficult to handle and awkward to write in. Flipping through to the back for the appendix or to the front for the suggested schedule was not an easy task and I feared it would cause excessive wear on the book before long. |
So after two days I brought the big all-in-one book into a local office store to have it broken down into more manageable chunks and rebound. I had them separate the book into four approximately equal portions (that I delineated beforehand, to keep units together), rebind it using the same holes that were there originally, and add a stiff plastic cover and thick cardstock-like black backing to each smaller booklet (so as not to leave regular pages exposed after dividing up the larger book). I was quite pleased with the result! I feel that doing all this made it all more functional for day-to-day use, more durable, and easier to both handle and store.
A couple of days later, we excitedly continued on with the suggested daily schedule - which is laid out in a four-day/week format. I also put a sticky tab on the page for the daily schedule to make it easier to flip to if my daughter wanted to use it as a guide. I think this page might have been, ideally, placed at the very beginning or back of the book or included as a separate laminated page. Alternately, perhaps it would be nice to have the suggested schedule for each week also incorporated throughout the book, making it easier to access along the way. Regardless, a little tab was an easy solution!
At first, I wasn't sure if using this program would be a battle, as trying to use an English program in the past had been. My daughter has a love-hate relationship with writing. She loves being creative and telling stories, but the actual act of writing is not enjoyable for her. We have previously had to work hard to get through necessary language arts tasks (especially in preparation for the upcoming required standardized assessment). It turns out, however, that my apprehension was unfounded in this case!
I believe Big Sis' aversion to writing has been because she does not feel confident in her writing skills, including handwriting, grammar, and structure. Yet I have found that with confidence comes more enjoyment. And with Writers in Residence, she has quickly been gaining confidence. Subsequently, instead of hearing "I don't like writing", we now hear "I love writing"! She happily works on this program each day and does so of her own volition - yay!
She discovered that writing is a form of art and a way to paint pictures in the minds of others. I can see that she now understands that writing involves far more than simply doling out sufficient words and building sentences to fill a paragraph box to fit a predesignated format. Instead, she is truly starting to find her writer's voice (which is a primary goal of the book) and I have seen a noticeable improvement in her writing skill and style in just over a month!
When asked what she thought, Big Sis said "I love it!" because it has lots of fun activities that I get to do in it. Even though I writing isn't a subject I like, it makes the parts where I write down a lot really fun."
The author is engaging, with instructional text that doesn't preach or dictate, but rather encourages, inspires, and guides the student. For my daughter, the assignments had an air of exploration and investigation, instead of repetition, drudgery, and labor. I feel the emphasis is not on the mechanics and precision or grammar and structure - though this does seem to come through somewhat in usage and as a secondary effect - but more so on clear, powerful, and effective expression of thought in written form. Yet this is only the first volume (with the next not yet published) and, from what I can tell, the intent is exposure
Final Thoughts
Of course, no educational tool is ideal for every family or student because each person has different needs, interests, situations, and preferences. If you are looking for a conventional school-style workbook format with tons of mastery drills or a sole focus on stand-alone grammar practice through snippets of selected text, then this might not fit the bill. On the other hand, if you are seeking a writing program that blends learning primary aspects of language with associated practice and purposeful writing assignments, and an emphasis on personal development and improvement, then this might be worth consideration. Writers in Residence really worked well for my daughter and was perfect for what we are looking for at this time. For that reason, I am happy to suggest others look into it too!
It's easy to get caught up in looking at all their offerings, but please allow me to now focus back on the fifth-grade literature guide set! We loved every thoughtful, well-chosen book selection and found each study guide to be full of good material! As you can see in the image above, this set comes with Teacher Guides and Student Study Guides for three wonderful and classic works of literature: Lassie Come-Home, Heidi, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
The readers, or books themselves, did not come with the set we received, but they can be purchased directly through Memoria Press (as linked above), at some book stores (online or at a physical location), or found at some local libraries. It is here that I'd like to note that the literature guide for Heidi is meant to go with a specific version of the book: the Puffin Classics Edition, or any edition translated by Eileen Hall. I missed this little fact at first and picked up a different edition of the book, which resulted in a bit of confusion until I realized my mistake. Also of note for those of my readers that live in Hawaii, is that the library at my local military base did not have Lassie Come-Home or the necessary version of Heidi, so I did have to get them elsewhere.
We've previously read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, but the associated literature guide in this set coaxes us further into the story and helps reveal things in this classic piece of writing that my daughter probably would not have noticed or thought about otherwise.
These literature guides are all a tool to help dig deeper, not just skim or read through quickly, but really learn from the material, build critical thinking skills, expand vocabulary, practice writing skills, and experience the story even more fully through activities beyond reading. With Memoria Press' literature guides, it's not just reading for pleasure; it's reading for enjoyment AND so much more!
The primary sections of the Student Study Guides include:
- Reading Notes: listing some key terms and/or brief character descriptions.
- Vocabulary: a few words to watch for while reading the story, provided in context, with a space to write the meaning or a synonym of the each term.
- Comprehension Questions: providing both a heads up on what to look for while reading, as well as an opportunity to practice writing skills after reading the chapter. This section usually had about 3-5 questions, so it was not too overwhelming or time consuming.
- Quotations: snippets from the book for further thought and discussion, often helping to expand on the discussion questions that follow.
- Discussion Questions: giving an opportunity for more critical thinking on the plot and in-depth understanding of the characters, without requiring more writing, but through discussion with siblings or parents. Even Lil Sis (who is in kindergarten) jumped in a few times with her thoughts while we were chatting about the book!
- Enrichment Activities: suggests a few optional activities of various kinds to expand on the other aspects of the story and/or study guides. This section might lend further understanding or practice to literary concepts, help give a more complete understanding of the time period, places, and/or ideas, provide an outlet for creative expression through writing or drawing, ask for more writing practice, or suggest other extension ideas like an outing, cooking, etc
- Appendix: The Heidi Study Guide does not have much in this area, but the other two guides have things like background information, maps, description of aspects of writing, poetry, and even a coloring page. Lassie Come-Home had the most in this section, among our three guides.
The Teacher Guides also have Quizzes and a Final Test that could be used as well.
Our Experience...
Big Sis' chose to begin our studies with Heidi and she was not disappointed with the story (nor was I)! Since the study guides have discussion topics, and despite that the teacher guide has suggested answers, I felt it best if I really knew the story in order to be better prepared for our chats, so I read part of the book too. So while Big Sis read the book on her own, I picked it up when she wasn't using it and followed along... or at least tried to keep up!
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When using the study guides, I noticed that the pages all have the same look and the similar sections... which could pose a problem for a child who wants to finish the book and might not see their progress as they move along. We avoided having it feel repetitious by focusing on one chapter at a time and making sure to include some enrichment activities with each chapter. We also found that this predictable pattern throughout the study guides made it easier to follow and use, allowing my daughter to have a sense of continuity and consistency, flowing from day-to-day, and from one guide to the next. It allowed her to know what to expect, plan for it, and improve in each area (writing, thoughtful discussion, figuring out vocabulary, etc.) as she went along.
While my daughter can, and does, do a lot of independent learning, she still thrives on interaction from me and spending time together. With that in mind, the discussion questions were a nice time to bond with one another through our thoughts on the story and even how things from the plot relate to our own lives or that in the world around us, or similarities to a character's experience or personality.
We did not do all the enrichment activities, but there were plenty of good ideas that we could choose from. In particular, we did not always do the lengthy or complete copywork since writing is Big Sis' least favorite activity. Nonetheless, as the guide mentions, writing and composition are rather valuable, so we did find a middle ground where she completed some of the writing, challenging her to grow and improve, without making it a burden.
Final Thoughts
If you'd like to learn more about Memoria Press and this or other products they offer, head on over to their website or check out other bloggers' reviews- including those of other grade level literature guide sets too- by clicking on the banner below. You can also find Memoria Press on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+!
About it...
Since it is an audio drama, and a good one at that, it is more than just a single narrator reading a book to you. Instead, it's a fantastic adventure that draws you in with a combination of different characters speaking with drama and passion, a nicely composed original musical score, and a wide array of sound/special effects that help you feel immersed in the story. The skilled cast consists of many people, including well-known voices and stars such as John Rhys-Davies, Helen George, Brian Blessed, Sylvester McCoy, John Bell, and Katherine Kellgren.
Our experience with it...
Since we do a lot of driving to various activities, events, and extra-curriculars, we often have some story playing along the way. When our copy of The Dragon and The Raven arrived in the mail, we opened it immediately and brought it with us on our next car ride the next day. I figured that since the girls are 5 and 8, they might benefit from listening to it more than one time, so we'd start with the car and then listen again at home if we wanted to delve into it further and expand our study of the Middle Ages, King Alfred, the Danes, and more. Within minutes, Big Sis was enthralled and I enjoyed listening as well. It is not our ultimate favorite audio drama, but it comes in second for Big Sis (and we have listened to many, many of them) and she said she loved it. In fact, when we arrived at our destination, she was rather disappointed that we had to pause the story.
The study guide was probably our favorite bonus (though we like the inspirational poster as well). It did a lot to enhance our experience because it helped Big Sis and I get a better grasp of everything that was happening in the story and dig deeper into understanding what it was all about. The study guide breaks the audio into about 4-10 minute chunks and then offers listening points, discussion questions, and vocabulary terms for each section. The "Listening Well" questions are meant to bring attention to what a child hears and remembers. We used these to also give a heads up on things to listen for, giving my daughter a purpose in listening the second time around. The "Thinking Further" questions are points of family or student discussion and can also be used as a springboard for further research and discovery, as well as giving even more depth or background to what the child is hearing. And finally, the "Defining Words" section is simply a list of vocabulary terms that might be helpful to have a child look up (or a parent explain). Other things included in the study guide are a recipe for "Alfred Cakes", a reading list with ideas for those who want to know more about Alfred the Great, and some brief related Bible studies and historical notes.
Conclusion...
For the last month or so, we've had the opportunity to use and review the Faith Builders Bible from Zonderkidz. I am pleased to share our experience, thoughts, and personal opinions with you here.
The Faith Builders Bible offers a unique presentation of the Bible by including an engaging brick-building based cover and some very well-designed and fun, bold, beautiful, full-color photos of building block creations as illustrations of certain Bible stories. It is the full Protestant-style Bible (not just selected stories as one might find in books for toddlers and preschoolers), including both the Old and New Testaments.
Beyond the brick-building difference, some nice features of the book include: both a proper/common order and alphabetical listing of the Books of the Bible in the Table of Contents, a dictionary of some helpful terms found in the Bible, and an interesting listing of the publisher's chosen "Great Bible Stories".
This Bible uses the New International Reader's Version translation, which is intended for new readers, children, and those learning English as a second language. It would probably a good translation for early elementary students that want a "real" Bible (vs. a story book Bible) and anyone who is looking for a Bible simplified, easy-to-understand style of writing. While some people will love the easy reading and clear description of scripture this provides, others might not appreciate the shorter, clipped sounding sentences and alterations made to make it more understandable.
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Both girls enjoyed reading through the stories and looking at the pictures. They found the builds featured in the photos to be funny, creative, interesting, and beautiful. At the same time, however, they also felt a bit overwhelmed that they couldn't recreate many of them because of their complexity and detail with people and blocks we don't have. [Side note: It would be nice if there were a building-block set that could be purchased specifically for Bible story creations!] But after a little creative encouragement and a bit of coaxing, they did get into it and began making designs of their own, building similar things to that which they found in the book, and just having fun.
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We found that just using building blocks were not enough for my creative kids. They expanded the building theme into other mediums, even using board game and puzzle boxes to create a Tower of Babel! As you can see from some pictures I've included in this post, they also used other blocks and toys, and Big Sis' favorite: Minecraft! [Hey Zonderkidz! That's an idea for a future similar Bible theme!] She decided to make Solomon's Temple in Minecraft and was much more involved in doing it that way vs. actual building blocks since she could make it bigger and include a burning fire, gold, and more.
I think it is worth noting a few more things here:
1) There are 24 color illustrations in the Faith Builders Bible, which both the girls and I were a tad disappointed with, particularly since it's brick-building theme is the feature that differentiates this Bible from others. It is the most engaging and fun aspect! So the limited number of Lego-like photos left us wanting more... much more. That said, I can see why they wouldn't be able to put pictures on every page and had to limit it. The book would simply be too big and thick if they had much more in there. Perhaps two books - one with the Old Testament and one with the New Testament - would be better, allowing them to have more building-block inspiration photos. Or maybe a story book Bible (rather than a complete one) as another option would be good, wherein they could include many more photos and ideas.
2) The font used in this Bible is 9-point size and a clean style. This is totally acceptable for me and my older daughter, but since this book is designed for early readers, it might be a bit small for some students. On the other hand, a larger font would have likely resulted in a heavier and thicker book, which would potentially be less manageable. So this font was probably a reasonable compromise for the publisher.
3) The brick-building illustrations are there more for inspiration than direction. There aren't any specific "how-to" or step-by-step instructions available on how to make the builds shown. Of course, this is a Bible and therefore not meant to be a building guide and since it doesn't come with a kit of blocks that match the pictures it's probably best that they don't have instructions anyway... allowing a child some creative license and freedom while they build (after they get past the "I can't make it just like the picture frustration if they are like my kids), but it's good to know what you're getting ahead of time.
4) The illustrations do not usually match up with their place in the book. For example, if the picture is about the Tower of Babel, I would assume it would be alongside the Bible verses that tell of that story/event... but that isn't the case here. This can be a bit confusing to young children who are inspired to read more. On the other hand, the verse references are included and it would be a good opportunity to teach your child how to look up verses in the Bible, if they don't already know how.
Since it's a presidential election year (and President's Day was just last Monday), it has been a pleasure and a privilege to use Home School in the Woods' "HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections" with my 3rd grader! It's been an enjoyable project to do together.
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To be honest, it's a lot of work in terms of preparation and assembly. We spent about two hours total, added up over time, printing and cutting out the pieces, and I'd estimate another three or four (added up, over time) in assembling the projects - things like gluing, taping, gathering materials, punching holes, adding glitter, and coloring. Luckily, however, when you spread out the material over many weeks, the time per day and per project is usually minor: possibly as low as 5 or as much as 20 minutes per project (depending on how much coloring one desires to do). But those estimates do not include time spent on the learning aspects such as reading, listening to the audio, researching, or writing. This could, therefore, be an issue for someone looking for everything to be ready-made and already put together, or for those that don't enjoy crafting, coloring, cutting, gluing, and assembling small projects. For others, that will be part of the fun! There is never a homeschool material or curriculum that is perfect for every family. But if you or your child enjoy lap books, projects, and/or crafts, then this could be right up your alley!
Some of our favorite projects included a pop up that showed presidential candidates in a debate and an audience listening, a project that has a fabric curtain (we used felt, which was a bit thick but worked well enough), and the one that shows the steps that lead to an election with a man that slides from one side to the other. Generally, my daughter's top choices were those that were more unique in appearance or design. A few of the projects were more simple, such as a folded page with an image or words inside or a little booklet that was folded and stapled together. Overall, the projects were varied enough from one to the next, providing contrast, visual interest, and hands-on depth. For my visual and hands-on learner, this was a huge plus!
The accompanying written text was concise and to the point. It is not highly in-depth or full of details, but from my understanding, it was not designed to be so. I'd say that it's goal seemed to be to give an overall tour of the U.S. election system and government structure, allowing for a solid understanding of the major points and most important or helpful-to-know facts. Of course, they also offer a list of resources for further reading and study. This is helpful and can really expand on the information presented in the Lap-Pak itself. I found it to be a perfect start for my daughter and she found the text easy to understand and was not at all overwhelmed with too many particulars. We also utilized the provided audio narration of the text, maximizing our homeschool and home life time by studying and reviewing what we had read while folding and sorting laundry. So we got some education and some housework done! Win-win!
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I'm a homeschooling mom of three, enjoying our time in Hawaii and hoping to share some of that experience with you, including ideas, reviews, resources, and information.
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