Review: jollyliteracy.com–Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar (TOS Review) #hsreviews #literacy #reading #phonics #interactivelearning

For this review we used Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar by jollyliteracy.com and just2ducks LLC.

We received the following items:

Jolly Phonics Teacher's Book in print letters

Jolly Phonics Student Book 1, 2 and 3

Jolly Grammar 1 Teacher's Book in print letters

Jolly Grammar 1 Student Book

Jolly Songs in print letters

We used mostly the Jolly Phonics Student Book 1, Jolly Songs, and the Jolly Phonics Teacher’s Book.  I used this program with my 5 year old/Kindergartener. 

He really enjoyed the Phonics book, however, he found it difficult to print in lowercase letters, as his writing is not on par with those skills as of yet.  I would have liked to have seen the early books in capital letters, since those are easier letters to form.  Due to this issue, we did the program mostly verbally, using Can Do Cubes (review to follow).  The Jolly Songs were a fun little addition to help him remember the sounds the letters make.  All my children enjoyed listening to this CD in the car, and guessing which letters the songs went to.  Each Jolly Phonics page (in book 1) has a new letter sound, and review letter sounds.  It has a color picture and action to go with the letter sound to help remember it (this also corresponds with the song).  There are writing lines for the new letter and the review letters.  There are color pictures to pick the pictures that start with the sound of the letter, and there are 4 words that contain that letter sound.  The words have dots under each sound made by the letters, to guide in sounding out and blending the sounds.  By the end of the book your child is writing and recognizing words. 

I have a hard time with phonics books that require writing to read, my boys have always been advanced readers but not as advanced in writing.  I have always improvised with programs, using stamps, magnets, etc… The Can Do Cubes were great in this aspect (more on them later).  I have found that capital letters were a lot easier for their early writing stages, but many early writing books start with lower case, as does this book.

I do LOVE that they did not introduce the letters in ABC order, but in sound frequency order, so that they are learning to sound out words by the third page.  In that same concept, letter s is the first letter, and was a VERY frustrating one for him to write, my 7 year old still struggles with S, so that was hard from the beginning.

Jolly Phonics book 2 introduces capital letters, it is more word based, as opposed to just letter sounds and combinations. Book 3 introduces bigger words and more writing, including sentences.

Jolly Grammar book 1 introduces a lot more dictation, focusing on spelling, as well as grammatical concepts, such as nouns, verbs and adjectives. 

All the books include color pictures, to keep your child’s attention.  There are multiple activities for each concept to include all types of learners. 

I really wanted my 7 year old to try this books, but alas he is stubborn and was not interested (this is a constant struggle).  I will definitely try again, however. 

All in all, as far as a reading/phonics program goes, I think this is a solid program.  The writing aspect will vary from child to child.  If you have a child that is able to write at the same time they are ready to start reading, this is a perfect match!  If you have kids like mine, who are ahead in one area, and not the other… it makes a program like this one difficult to implement exactly as it was designed. 

The multi-sensory aspects of this program are definitely a strong point!  I love that there are hand motions, and songs for each letter/letter combo.  The writing (if your child is able) is also a great way to absorb it.  I love that they are ‘reading’ by the 2nd page, which really helps build a child’s self esteem and confidence, which in turn encourages them to continue with the program and keep learning/reading!

Social Media Links:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jollyliteracy
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jollyliteracy
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/jollyliteracy/

Review: Progeny Press, The Sword in the Tree E-Guide (TOS Review)

For this review, my almost 10 year old son used The Sword in the Tree E-Guide from Progeny Press. 

This is not our first time using Progeny Press Study Guides, you can see our other reviews as well:

Stone Fox and The Courage of Sarah Noble

We used this unit 3-5 days a week, he did one page a day (any more and he would have not been happy, as he doesn’t like written work much).  Though we have used these study guides before this was the first time I actually had him do the majority of it on his own, written, not orally with me.

Though the guides have a type answer option, I choose to print the packet and have him hand write the answers.

I have to be honest, he does not really like these.  He prefers to read a book, and that’s it.  He doesn’t care to break it into chapters and answer questions about it.  But, he got over it.

We took this product with us on our recent road trip, and he was able to do a page a day in the car!  So it made for great car schooling! My son was able to navigate the guide pretty much on his own; little help was required from me.

I love that the literature guides also work in scripture study, this allows you to combine two subjects together, which is always a plus!  If you have a your child write in complete sentences (mine did mostly short answer) it could also qualify as writing, and there is vocabulary work as well. 

These are Christian based studies (as I mentioned scripture study).  The books are used to point out life lessons and are applied to scriptural concepts. 

The Sword in the Tree was on our reading list this year for the Middle Ages, so it was a great way to use the book in our history studies, as well as adding in the other subjects. 

The E-Guide is a downloadable product, in PDF format.  It does not include the book, it must be acquired separately.

Progeny Press has a wide range of study guides to choose from, for all grade levels (K-12).  I felt that this particular book was easy for a 4th-6th grade range, my son could read on higher levels, but then that allowed for the focus to be more on the questions in the guide.  This has been our experience with the other guides also.  The reading levels were lower than what they were listed, but the guide work was always more difficult for my son.

The guide also includes an answer key!  This is very handy!  It makes checking answers so much easier (because in all honesty, I general have a chance to read the book myself).  Additionally, it comes with a list of fun Post Reading Activities (to rope in even more subjects) and a list of additional resources, including other related titles.

If you are looking to work literature into your curriculum, but would like it to cover a wide variety of activities/subjects in addition, this would be a great way to do so. 

They have lots of wholesome literature to choose from.

The guides are $18.99 and are available as an instant download or a physical product (either on CD or as a printed book).  They also have the books available for purchase.

Because my son dislikes the units so much (only because of the writing aspect) it isn’t something we would do on a regular basis, but I do like to work in at least one a year. I’d also like to try some of the lower elementary choices next time with my 2nd son.  If you do have a child that doesn’t like to write, it’s nice that typing is an option, and previous units we have also done a lot of the questions orally!

Review: Institute for Excellence in Writing,Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization (TOS Review) #hsreviews #readingreadiness #poetrymemorization

We were super excited to try out Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization by Institute for Excellence in Writing.  We also received the physical spiral bound copy of the Student Book. 
The Poetry Memorization includes:
A Spiral bound physical copy of Teacher Book
A PDF of Student book
On Listening.mp3
On Reading.mp3
On Speaking.mp3
On Writing.mp3
Ten Thousand Times and Then Begins Understanding.mp3
Audio CDs and Bonus DVD of Andrew Pudewa's conference talk Nurturing Competent Communicators.
(Available separately for an additional cost:  A Spiral bound physical copy of Student book)



We have LOVED every IEW product we have tried thus far:
Deluxe Combination Level A
The Phonetic Zoo
Fix It! Grammar

Poetry Memorization lives up to every expectation I’ve come to have for IEW.
Andrew Pudewa gives inspiring and thought provoking talks.  This product comes with his talk on the importance of memorization, titled Nurturing Competent Communicators.  We started by watching this DVD first (while I watched it).  It’s GREAT!  It’s also a great way to motivate yourself to do this program with your children.  I also listened to the other MP3s that were included with this program.  Andrew Pudewa has a great way of explaining his theory, and very often I have AH-HA moments while listening/watching to him speak.  I find myself recommending his talks quite often, in addition to the IEW curriculum products. 

After watching/listening to the talk by Mr. Pudewa, I began this program with my children.  I have 4 children.  They are 9, 7, 5 and 2.  The oldest two actively participated, while the younger 2 mostly observed, with occasional participation. 

I introduced a new poem each week, and we practiced it, and previous poems each day.   I was able to print off booklets for my other children, in addition to the spiral bound book I received, because off the PDF copy of the student book.

We started each poem off at the start of each week by listening to the CD, and my children could color the picture that went with, if they chose (my boys aren’t that into coloring).  Then each day we would recite the poem(s) again. 

My favorite thing about this program, is that it can easily be done ON THE GO.  Several times a week we would recite our poems in the car, as we traveled to activities.  Since we rarely spend an entire day at home, the easy mobility of the program has been a huge benefit!
The poems gradually get harder, we made it to poem number 5, which is taking more than a week to master, but we are still going at, and the kids are enjoying it.  Even my 2 year old will attempt to recite Ooey Gooey (the first poem in level 1).

My 7 year old did not want to be video taped, but here is a video of my 9 year old reciting the first 4 poems that we have memorized thus far (we are still working on number 5).



Memorization is a great mind exercise, we have gotten away from memorization in traditional schooling, however, I feel that though a general understanding of a process is important, memorization is what helps it STICK!

Only time will tell the long term benefits of such a program, but I’m grateful to be using it and will continue to do so.  Andrew Pudewa’s talks really resonated with me, went along with so many things I already knew and believed, and had been taught in my own education in education.

The Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization is available for $65.00 and is recommended for grades K-12.  The printed student book can be purchased for $19 and additional teacher books are available for $29.

This is a great item to add to your morning circle time routine or to your car schooling during daily on the go routines.

Virtual Curriculum Fair 2016: Playing with Words–Language Arts and Foreign Language

I have 4 kids, but only 2 are ‘school age’.  My oldest 2 are ages 6 and 9 (or 1st and 4th grade).  I wanted to take this opportunity to share what we use for Language Arts and Foreign Language studies in our homeschool.

LANGUAGE ARTS

4th Grade

It was quite the struggle to find a program that worked well for my oldest son, who HATES to write.  We were very lucky to review a few products that really clicked with him, and we are still using them!

Institute for Excellence in Writing, is my number one recommended curriculum for resistant writers! 

You can read our review of their Writing, Grammar and Spelling programs, all of which we love and continue to use!

Institute for Excellence in Writing - Fix It!  Grammar
IEW - Deluxe Combo Level A
IEW - Phonetic Zoo Level A

I can’t say that these programs have gotten him to LOVE writing (I wish I could), but they have certainly made it a lot less painful (for both of us!).  The spelling program still frustrates him sometimes (he hates to get them wrong), but he is retaining the words, which is GREAT, because previous spelling programs were not sticking.  The Grammar he never complains about, he really enjoys the story that he is writing as he goes along each day (and I often catch him reading ahead!). 

1st Grade

For my first grader, we actually do not spend a lot of time on Language Arts.  He uses ABC Mouse and that touches base on it. 

Some other fun programs that both my kids enjoy for Language Arts are

Grammaropolis and IXL.com

LITERATURE

Literature generally goes along with our science or history studies.  I also allow a lot of free choice reading.  Currently my oldest is participating in The Battle of the Books program, so he has been reading a lot of books for that.  Z is still learning to read.  He uses Reading Eggs and Reading Kingdom (a program we reviewed).  He also really enjoys these Star Wars Phonics Set.

OTHER PROGRAMS WE’VE USED

We have reviewed A LOT of Language Arts programs, it’s impossible to use them all, and though something might not have been the perfect fit for us, these are still high quality programs.  You can find them under REVIEWS

Foreign Language

4th Grade

My oldest son takes Mandarin Chinese using Rosetta Stone.

We have reviewed a few other Chinese programs, but Rosetta seems to work best for us thus far.  There are not a lot of choices when it comes to Mandarin Chinese language learning.

I started making worksheets to go along with the programs, but got so far behind!  You can see what I have made and get them free:

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

We have not started language learning for my 1st grader yet.  We started Rosetta with C when he was 3rd grade, and I think we will do the same with Z.

LOOKING AHEAD

Our plans for next year

I plan to continue with IEW for 5th grade for C.  We will use Ancient History Based Writing Lessons to go with our history studies, but continue with Phonetic Zoo and Fix It Grammar.  We will also continue with Rosetta Stone.

For 2nd grade, I’m considering The Primary Arts of Language from IEW for both Writing and Reading, but I didn’t push writing a lot with C until 3rd grade, so I’m thinking I’ll take the same approach with Z, but follow his lead, of course.  We may also start All About Spelling with him (which is also part of the Reading program from IEW). 

I’ll also have a Kindergartener next year.  He will be using ABC Mouse as well (he does now for PreK) and IF I get IEW Primary Arts of Language, I may try it out on him too (I think he will like the farm theme, he LOVES animals).  I take a very lax approach to Kindergarten though, so I don’t have a lot of BIG plans.  (This is a HUGE difference from when my oldest started Kindergarten!).  We take much more of an unschooling approach in the younger years.

Linking up at the Virtual Curriculum Fair 2016

This year the Virtual Curriculum Fair is hosted by Laura @ Day by Day in Our World, Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses and Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset.

Language Arts: Words Make the World Go Round by  Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
The Language Arts in Our Homeschool and Everything Relating to it   by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
Teaching Elementary Latin by Yvie @ Gypsy Road
How to Learn ASL & Spanish in 20 Minutes a Day by Rochelle @ RochelleBarlow Classical Word Study by Lisa @ GoldenGrasses
Language Arts Means and Methods by Laura @ Four Little Penguins
Sprechen Sie.... by Jennifer King @ A Peace of Mind
The Art of Eloquence  by Jennifer King @ A Peace of Mind
Love Languages by Jennifer King @ A Peace of Mind
3 Reasons You Don't Have To Be Afraid To Grade That Essay - And It's Free @ LJSkool
High School Language Arts by Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Words, Words, and More Words by Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses
Finishing Strong - Starting Gently by Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset

Review: IEW–Deluxe Combination Level A (TOS Review)

I was so excited to be able to review Deluxe Combo Teacher/Student Writing Package Level A [FIX-1 & 2] from Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW).  I have heard so many great things about IEW, it is always highly recommended, and I can honestly say that I was NOT disappointed!

We received the following for this review (all part of the Deluxe Combo Package Level A)

• Teaching Writing: Structure & Style DVD set
• Seminar Workbook
• Student Writing Intensive DVDs Level A, including the Structure & Style Overview
• Student Notebook with handouts and lesson plans
• Fix-It! Grammar, Books 1 and 2 with downloadable student e-books
• A Word Write Now
• Portable Walls

I have to admit, when I first opened that box I was SO overwhelmed!  There was so much stuff and I wasn’t sure where to begin!  I took it slow….I started with the Teaching Writing DVD set and workbook.  Seemed like a good place to start!

Teaching Writing: Structure & Style DVD set & Seminar Workbook

With just the first lesson on the first DVD I was sold and even more excited to get this program started with my son (age 8.5yo).  So many things that Mr. Andrew Pudewa said really spoke to me and helped me better understand the struggles I have been having with my son in regards to writing.  Now, I had to change some of my expectations, and some of my habits in regards to teaching writing, in order to fully implement what he was saying.  This was NOT easy, and even after using the program for several weeks it is a struggle…sometimes I just have to leave the room when he is doing his work!  I don’t mean that to be negative, the program is brilliant, I just want to warn you that it may require some change on YOUR part! 

A few of the rules he implements is a no erase rule when writing, writing in pen (gasp!!) on rough drafts, pencils for final copies (actually makes perfect sense when you think about it!).  He talks about how spelling and writing are in separate parts of the brain, which is why kids frequently misspell words when writing.  He about the blank mind syndrome (I don’t think he called it that) when it comes to writing, and implements tactics to help get passed that.  In doing this, he also teaches note taking and implements this into public speaking as well.  I honestly can not say enough good things about this program, I loved these DVDs I learned so much from them!  I only watched the first few lessons in regards to what I was currently implementing, but look forward to watching and learning more as we work through this program!

The way the Teacher program is set up it enables you to implement his teaching methods with any materials available to you (so in other words you wouldn’t need the Student DVDs or notebook; however, I must say it is so much easier and more convenient to have them!)

Now that I felt a little more prepared on how this program works, we tackled the Student Intensive DVDs and Notebook.  Now, I made the mistake of thinking that we were to just work through the DVDs, somehow overlooking the actually lesson layout…into the 2nd or 3rd ‘day’ of the DVD lesson I was so confused.  I kept thinking, man he is moving FAST!  I went back over and realized my mistake so we back stepped a tad.  So pay close attention to the lesson outline, it breaks it down for you, super easy….I don’ t know how I missed that! (Well, actually I do, as I said there was so much stuff, I was a bit overwhelmed).  C really loved the DVD lessons, even though the first lesson is “Day 1”, we broke it up over several days.  The DVD has each lesson listed in chapters, so it’s easy to skip right to where you left off the day before (I loved this!).  Writing is a struggle for us, I didn’t want to overwhelm my son by diving in to deep.  This program can easily be self paced, another great thing about it!

Student Writing Intensive DVDs Level A, including the Structure & Style Overview and Student Notebook with handouts and lesson plans

The lessons start with reading a paragraph on any given topic, they start with nonfiction and we got into the fiction ones as well during the review period.  They make keyword outlines (3 words for each sentence) and then using their keyword outlines they retell (and rewrite) the story.  As the lessons progress he has them change it up as they rewrite it to make it more their own.  This is great for that blank page syndrome I mentioned earlier!  It has been fantastic for my son. 

We usually take a day or 2 to do the outline, a day or 2 to do the rough draft and another day or 2 to do the final copy.  On average about a week per story.  It could be done faster, but again, writing is a struggle (the physical act of writing, as well as what to write).  My son loves Mr. Pudewa’s unconventional methods of using pen and no erasing!  He also loves that I have to spell words for him (though if I’m not there, I have him do his best, and I fix it later).

Here is one of the stories my son wrote.  This is a tremendous amount of writing for him!  I am so proud!  He has only ever written a story ONCE before….

Fix-It! Grammar, Books 1 and 2 with downloadable student e-books

Next up is Fix-It Grammar, I actually reviewed this product last year and we were still using it.  We LOVE it!  I recommend it to anyone searching for a grammar program.  It’s so simple, it’s quick and easy…only one sentence a day!  My son loves it too.  He is often found reading ahead in the book (each sentence written comes together to make a story).  Much like diagramming sentences, the sentence of the day is labeled.  A new vocabulary word is also introduced each day.  They then copy the sentence.  So this grammar program also becomes copywork/handwriting, with just one sentence a day.  The student book is downloadable.  Pictured below is Book 1.

A Word Write Now and Portable Walls

A Word Write Now and Portable Walls are just great tools that are easily accessible.  There are a lot of rule posters that you can print out, but the Portable Wall has all of these in one convenient place.  It’s perfect for your student to have right there with them at their desk, especially when there just isn’t the wall space available!  A Word Write Now is a very helpful tool when writing, it lists all sorts of words you can use, instead of the regular, common, overused words we typically use.  This helps them make their writing more animated and engaging!

Final Thoughts

My son still does not the physical act of writing, but amazingly enough he does like this program.  I think it’s taking a lot of the ‘pain’ out of writing.  He has now written 3 or 4 paragraphs (a different topic each) through this program.  That is something he has never done before!  I think part of it is that he is getting older and more ready to write…but I know a BIG part of it is the techniques and methods introduced in this program!  I am so excited to continue this program and to use other aspects of it in the future!

This kit is available $299.00 which is a savings of $79 if bought individually. If writing is a struggle for your child, I highly recommend this program! The consumable download products are available unlimitedly without expiration.  In addition to the physical DVD courses you also receive the courses as downloads, which do expire after a time period of a year. This allows you to reuse consumables (for as long as you need) and watch the seminars on the go for the first year!

Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/excellenceinwriting
https://www.pinterest.com/iewriting
http://vimeo.com/iewtv
https://twitter.com/iew
https://www.youtube.com/user/iewtv
http://iew.com/help-support/blog
https://plus.google.com/+Iewriting/

Review–Moving Beyond the Page (TOS Review)

 

We were truly blessed to be able to review Moving Beyond the Page.  We received the Language Arts Online Package for Holes and the Science Package for Rocks and Minerals.   These two units can be used independently of one another, but are designed to go together.

The Language Arts Package included the book Holes and online access to the curriculum guide.  The Science Package included the curriculum guide, the book Geology Rocks!, Dig A Dino T-Rex Kit and Minerals, Crystals and Fossils Science Kit.

Moving Beyond the Page is an all-encompassing unit study (with the exception of math).  These units are used simultaneously and take about 3 weeks (15 days) to complete.  The Language Art Unit includes grammar, geography, writing, etc..  There are questions about the book to review daily (a few chapters are assigned reading each day), and journal entries to make.  Each unit has a final project at the end that takes 2-3 days.  It’s a great way to wrap up all that was learned over the course of the unit.  My son enjoyed the book a lot, however, he doesn’t like to read it in small sections as assigned by the unit.  Writing is a challenge for him, but he was able to complete most of the tasks without too much trouble (others were easily adapted).  His favorite part of this unit probably was watching the movie at the end and making spiced peaches. There were several other activities he enjoyed, but Language Arts is not his favorite subject (by far).  This unit did, however, make many of the assignments a lot more enjoyable for him.  The unit was a bit long for his attention span though, 15 days of working and talking about the same book got old for him.  This is most likely because he read the book in the first few days, as opposed to stretching it out over the unit as suggested. 

The Language Arts Unit was the online option.  I don’t really like the online guide, I prefer a PDF or in hands option.  The online option is accessible via internet and is only available for a limited amount of time after activating the purchase.  .  This unit is designed for ages 8-10, it is recommended that they read and comprehend at a 4th-5th grade level.  My son is a few months shy of 8 year old, but reads on the suggested level. The online package costs $19.92, the physical package costs $23.98.  In my opinion, it is worth the few extra bucks to purchase the in hand copy.   

The Science Unit contained a lot of really fun HANDS-ON activities.  Science is one of my son’s favorite subjects, and this unit did not disappoint!  The unit is jam packed with lots of fun experiments and projects.  There wasn’t a single activity that my son didn’t enjoy, and he always wanted to start each day with science! 

There was chip mining, gemstone coloring, fossil making, rock testing, volcano making, geode crushing, crystal growing and dinosaur digging (to name a few)!  With the exception of a few items, everything you need is included in the package. My younger kids even enjoyed participating and/or observing with the projects.  This unit was just A LOT of fun, my son didn’t get bored or tired of it at all. 

I much preferred the in hands curriculum guide that came with this unit.  The science kits that came with it were also great!  We use a workbox system, and he was excited each day to see what the Science box held. 

The suggested age and reading levels are the same for this unit as for the Language Arts unit.  The cost of this unit is $64.89, with the online option costing $60.83.

To sum it up, these are really great units!  My son could really take or leave the Language Arts unit, but I think if he had more patience and enjoyed writing more it would have been more enjoyable.  He didn’t dislike the unit, but it wasn’t his favorite.  He did enjoy several activities and loved the book and movie.  The Science Unit was by far his favorite!  It had so many fun things to go along with it.  The fact that it tied into the book was nice.  In the future I think it is best to stick to the reading schedule for the Language Arts unit (might be a good lesson in patience for him).  I just find it hard to ‘discourage’ them reading ahead when they want to read. 

Add in a math curriculum and these units could make up your entire homeschool.  We like unit studies more for occasional fun, as opposed to an all the time thing.  But that is the beauty of these units.  You can purchase all of them and have your entire school year set up, or just pick and choose the ones of interest to use through out the year as part of an eclectic approach. 

I’m eyeing the Ben and Me unit next – since we are studying US History!

Find them on Facebook – www.facebook.com/movingbeyondthepage