IEW Writing Tools App

Here is another fun little app to aid in your students writing. Its from the Institute of Excellence in Writing and is a electronic version of the download that comes with your students IEW writing curriculum.  (This app is helpful for all writers, but will make more sense if you understand the IEWs Teaching with Structure and Style and Andrew Pudewa's style of writing.)

A quick overview of what the app contains....

Structural Models (units 1-9) - with outlines

All of the following with with descriptions, examples and word lists

Dress-Ups

Sentence Openers

Decorations

Triple Extensions

Teeter-Totters

Word Lists

This is the "Lite" version (and FREE!)  Nots sure what the regular version has since this seems pretty complete to me!! 

Linking Verbs

This printable was originally for Foundations Cycle 1: Weeks 21-24 - English Grammar.  Thinking I had posted it as such last year, I did a search.  

Nada.  

So...here it is.  This time its for Essentials Week 9 (a.k.a. Chart K) Linking Verbs.

Preposition Song

Here is a cute little song and motions from YouTube about the Prepositions (a.k.a. Chart J).  My Essentials kiddo memorized this in Cycle 1 of Foundations last year, so this chart was cake for her. 

{Preposition Song and Motions on YouTube} from my Pinterest Essentials board

 I can't say that I know the whole song or motions....but don't tell her that.  She might get a little excited that she knows more than her mom! ;)

Numbrix Math Logic Puzzles

My parents came to visit this week.

 (Hence my absence....mom and I were busy rearranging and organizing! :)

My dad introduced us to Numbrix Puzzles.  Have you seen or done these?

{Link to website here}

My oldest loved them, so I searched and found a website full of them.  I think I'll throw these in for fun in her daily work once a week.  This site has a few options and difficulty levels.  

I'm also going to take these into my Essentials kids as well.

Conjunctions

Here is a link to a YouTube Video about Conjunctions.

Enjoy!

Interjections

Week 4 in Essentials adds Interjections.  Here is another cute video from YouTube that our campus' wonderful Pre-Essentials Tutor found.

Link Here.

Enjoy!

Concrete vs. Abstract Nouns

Week 3 in Essentials is all about Nouns and Pronouns.  Trying to make Charts E & F fun...?  My cohort (a.k.a. fantastic Pre-Essentials tutor) found a cute little video on YouTube.

Link Here.

Enjoy!!!

Essentials Medieval Times Writing Scope and Sequence

Phew!  We made it through day 1 of Essentials!

I've been researching, prepping, learning and planning all summer to get ready to tutor Essentials. I figure if this old dog can learn these new tricks....my 4th-6th grader will have no problems! I'm happy to say that all of my students will be back next week. Which says a lot if you've every sat through an Essentials class. The first two weeks of grammar are a doozy!!! Week 3 starts to get fun.

Writing today was fun, though. The kids had a great time coming up with Adjectives. I'm not going to say Quality Adjectives, since "purple" and "bacony" really don't have much quality to them when talking about the Middle Ages....and yes....those really were suggested.  

When I was emailed the suggested scope and sequence for Essentials writing....I didn't get it.  I mean....I got the email, I just didn't understand the suggested order.  Why use a great resource like the IEW books, then jump all over the place trying to implement it? The IEW History Based Writing series is a great curriculum, so I'm going to use it!

In my usual fashion, I re-made a scope and sequence that made sense to me....the tutor.  I needed one I could teach from without having to jump back and forth to see what dress-ups and vocab words were where. Well....here is MY scope and sequence:

{Link to PDF}

Week 23 starts our "Super Essay" which is a 3 week assignment.  We end CC in April; not many Homeschools I know end in April.  Since the parents are the teachers, I figure I'll let them decide if they'd like to have their kiddos finish the essay at home.

Hope it helps you too!

Essentials Charts on Quizlet

To go along with my Essentials Charts Chart from yesterday, here is a link to my "Quizlet Class" for the Essentials Grammar. This is a great (extra) way for the kids to study the charts.  It should not replace copying the charts, but in addition to.  

You will notice that not all of the charts are on there....as some were not very flash-cardy conducive.  (Yes, I know that's not a word.... :) 

Happy quizzing!

Essentials Grammar Charts Memorization {Chart}

 Last year for Essentials, I made my daughter a chart to keep track of her chart memorization.  When she memorized a chart, she filled in the date.  It was really helpful to us so we both knew where she was and what still needed some work.

This year, I'm tutoring Essentials.  I made charts for all the kids in my class.

Here is the girl's version....  

 Here is the boy's version....  

If it's something you might be interested in using too, I can post a link with out the names....or email me your kiddos name and I'll pop it in and send it back. ;)

Curriculum Series {Grammar}

Let me just first say, Grammar is one of my least favorite subjects. You see....I'm a Math/Science person.  I was an accountant/auditor in my life before kids.  I have always loved math. Algebra....yes!  Geometry....fun!  Statistics....yippee!  The term "quadratic equation" probably makes most people sick.

I though my options were accounting/finance or teaching.  I "knew" I could never be a teacher (Ha!) so I choose accounting and finance.  

With all of that said, it makes what I'm about to say even more ironic.

I'm tutoring Classical Conversations Essentials this year.

Yep!

Me...the math lover....teaching 4-6th graders (and their mamas) all about Grammar and Writing.

Guess how I spend my summer?  

Relearning Grammar.

Guess what I realized?  

Its actually pretty fun!

So....onto our Grammar Curriculum.  These are all I've used.  I haven't tried anything else, since these work for us....and work very well so we'll continue using them.  We do Grammar every day and its part of what I consider our Core curriculum.

Kindergarten-1st Grade

First Language Lessons (1 and 2) for the Well Trained Mind

2nd-3rd Grade

Rod and Staff English

4th-6th Grade

Classical Conversations Essentials 4-6

First Language Lessons 1&2

I start out at the end of Kindergarten using First Language Lessons 1, then continue on with 2.  We go through the lessons at a decent pace, but usually hit 4-5 per week.  Some days we breeze through 2, sometimes we skip.   There are 100 lessons in each book, so I expected to finish both books by the end of 1st grade.  

I like this series because its scripted.  I need that with the littles.  Its also repetitive, which to some can get old (even to me) but I see from the other end how the repetition pays off.  My (barely) 6 year old, knows what a noun is.  Common and proper.  He is now learning pronouns.  He is (barely) 6.  When I started homeschooling....I had to look it up!  I am an educated person.  With 2 undergrad degrees!  Yikes!

We do skip some of the lessons, but not many, and I'm to the point where I don't read the scrip verbatim.  (This is my second time through this book.)  We usually skip the copy work exercises because we do that in other areas of our schoolwork, but that's about it.

Rod and Staff English

I am very pleased with these books!!!  I don't know what led me to them, but they are great.  We use them in the respective grade levels.

Grade 2: Preparing to Build

Grade 3: Beginning Wisely

Grade 4: Building With Diligence 

They are about $30-45 for the set of student book, teacher manual, tests and key.  (We do not use the worksheets.)  One of my favorite parts of these books....the Teacher's Manual is a duplication of the Pupil's Text except there is information in the margins for teaching.  But they are page for page.  So I know exactly which page to direct them too, or if they have a question they can tell me what page they are on and I can flip right to it.  Drives me crazy when the Teachers Manual and the Student Book have different page numbers for the same page! (Does that make sense? :)

These books are written for a school setting, but the lessons are very straight forward and thorough.  My oldest DOES NOT like to write.  I figured out very quickly that she was more than happy to do the work orally.  So that's what we did.  She read the section, I ask her the questions, she answered and we were done.  No tears.  Score one for mom!  We did not do every single question.  If she knew the material, we moved on.  My 3rd grader loves to write, so I give her a piece of paper, assign all the odd questions and she comes back with the assignment in hand.  I correct it and we go over any mistakes right there.

Last year, my oldest overlapped Grade 4 Building With Diligence with CC Essentials.  We did them both.  Didn't need to, but since this was my first time through Essentials, I wanted to "make sure."  At the time, I didn't "trust the model." :) She will only be doing Essentials this year. I'm hoping to get my 3rd grader through book 3 and 4 this year.   (Book 2 has 162 lessons, book 3 has 135 lessons and book 4 has 127 lessons.)  I double up some lessons and skip others when I know she knows the material.

Classical Conversations Essentials - Grammar portion

What can I say?  Awesome program.  Tough, but man....these kids know their Grammar.  Its a 3 year program, where you cover the same material each year....just raising the bar for your student each time through.  When they finish this program....they are Grammar masters!!! They know Grammar.  They learn things that I don't think I ever learned through all of high school!  (I know it now, since I'm tutoring it and spend my summer studying.)

Our Curriculum {2013-2104}

Before you freak out at the long list below....we don't do everything every. single. day.  

Some things are once or twice a week.  Somethings are once a month. Some things are 5 mns a day, some are 15 mns a day.

So.....while it looks like a lot (I've added more this year), I'm hoping it all works out.  

And if it doesn't....we drop some.  

Or work through the summer.  

Or every weekend.  

(Kidding!)

5th Grader
Bible - Christian Studies I and II by Memoria Press
Character -  10 days of Character Confessions of a Homeschooler (using this one per month!)
Math - Abeka Arithmetic 5
Latin - Latina Christiana I from Memoria Press
Grammar - Classical Conversations Essentials
Writing - Classical Conversations Essentials
Spelling - Spelling Power
Vocabulary - World Build from Dynamic Literacy
Literature Units - 4th/5th grade from Memoria Press
Poetry - Poetry for the Grammar Stage from Memoria Press
Classical Studies - Famous Men of the Middle Ages from Memoria Press
Classical Studies - Famous Men of Rome from Memoria Press
Classical Studies - D'Aulaires' Greek Myths from Memoria Press
History - Story of the World: The Middle Ages (finishing) then Early Modern Times
Science - Botany from Apologia
Geography - A Trip Around the World Series matching up with CC Foundations

Fine Arts - World Greatest Artist/Composers by Confessions of a Homeschooler

Classical Conversations Foundations

Music - Piano and Violin lessons

P.E. - USA Gymnastics Team

3rd Grader

Bible - Christian Studies I and II by Memoria Press

Character -  10 days of Character Confessions of a Homeschooler (using this one per month!)

Handwriting - A Reason For Handwriting

Math - Abeka Arithmetic 3

Latin - Prima Latina from Memoria Press

Grammar - Rod and Staff Beginning Wisely

Grammar - Classical Conversations Pre-Essentials

Writing - Classical Conversations Pre-Essentials

Spelling - Spelling Power

Vocabulary - World Build from Dynamic Literacy

Literature Units - 4th/5th grade from Memoria Press

Poetry - Poetry for the Grammar Stage from Memoria Press
Classical Studies - Famous Men of Rome from Memoria Press

Classical Studies - D'Aulaires' Greek Myths from Memoria Press

History - Story of the World: The Middle Ages (finishing) then Early Modern Times

Science - Botany from Apologia

Geography - A Trip Around the World Series matching up with CC Foundations

Fine Arts - World Greatest Artist/Composers by Confessions of a Homeschooler

Classical Conversations Foundations

Music - Piano and Violin lessons

P.E. - USA Gymnastics Team

1st Grader

Bible - Listening to Bible stories from the Jesus Storybook Bible when read with above

Character -  10 days of Character Confessions of a Homeschooler (using this one per month!)

Handwriting - A Reason For Handwriting

Math - Abeka Arithmetic 2

Grammar - First Language Lessons 1 and 2

Writing - Writing With Ease Level 1

Spelling - Spelling Power (All About Spelling was too easy so we are switching)

Classical Studies - D'Aulaires' Greek Myths from Memoria Press

History - Story of the World: The Middle Ages (finishing) then Early Modern Times

Science - Botany from Apologia

Geography - A Trip Around the World Series matching up with CC Foundations

Fine Arts - World Greatest Artist/Composers by Confessions of a Homeschooler

Classical Conversations Foundations

Music - Piano lessons

P.E. - Soccer/Gymnastics/Karate

Preschooler

Letter of the Week (simplified) from COAH 

Lots of active play and reading

Phew!!!  Its going to be a fun year!

(All the curriculum is linked either to the book on Amazon or the manufacturers site.)

Story of the World and CC Timeline Cards

See this box full of stuff?

Its my current project.

I've been trying to find something that has the correlation between the chapters in the Story of the World and the Classical Conversations History timeline cards.  

Can't find one.

So...

What do I do when I can't find what I want?

I make it myself!

I've been painstakingly working my way through the Ancients book and cross referencing them with the timeline cards.  Its a process, let me tell ya!  I'm up to chapter 22 so hopefully soon I'll be able to post a sheet for everyone to reference.

We, curriculum-wise, are in the Middle Ages so I'm linking the two as we go through the book.  The Ancients I'm having to go back through in my "spare time."

UPDATED 7/16/13: Volume 1 - Ancient Times is done.  Here is the link.
UPDATED 8/21/13:Volume 2 - The Middle Ages is done.  Here is the link.

Linking Verbs Song {Printable}

 

Here is a fun way to memorize the Linking Verbs for CC Weeks 21, 22, 23 and 24.  Found this on Pinterest, but put it into a matching printable with our Helping Verbs song printable.  I know they aren't exactly in the order that Classical Conversations has them listed, but this is a tune everyone already knows so memorization will be easier.

How I Chose Curriculum

One of the most asked questions I get from fellow homeschoolers, people who are thinking about homeschooling and everyone else is....How do you choose your curriculum?

Well...the most asked question by people who don't homeschool is something like, "How do you not go crazy having the kids around all the time?"  Which for those of you that HS will kinda make you sad, right?  I LOVE having my kids with me.  (Ok, let's be honest here...there are those days, but for the most part its true. :) 

But, I'm not getting into that debate here.

How I choose my curriculum???

A lot of researching!

When I made the decision to pull the kids out of school, I spent the next month researching curriculum.  I was obsessed!  I did a few things....

  

1) I called and emailed every single person that I knew who homeschooled.  I asked about what they used and why.  What they've tried, why they like it or why it didn't work.  

2) I read The Well Trained Mind.  What I really mean, is I devoured it!  Its a HUGE book.  But I read all the parts that were pertinent to us.  I took notes.  I combed over it again and took notes again.  (Actually I still do!  I look over it about every 6 months.  Once around Christmas and once in the summer.

3) I cross referenced everything from the previous two sources with Cathy Duffy Reviews.

4) I did check out some HS sites that did curriculum review, but didn't find them as helpful.  I was looking for a place that I could type in "Math" and see all of my options and the reviews, instead of a specific Math program.  (If anyone knows of such a site, please let me know! ;)

What I wish I could have done?  Actually look through the stuff.  I got to a little bit with the friends that were local, but that was a select bit of curriculum.  We have no homeschool resale store here and when we made the decision it was not during the time of a homeschool conference.

One piece of advice that I did receive is that if something doesn't work...don't be afraid to dump it and find something else.

Worksheet Works {Homeschool Helps}

Ahhhh.....I love this website!  And its FREE!

worksheetworks.com

When I am looking for extra worksheets (especially mapping) I go here first.  You can create pretty much any kind of worksheet for multiple difficulty levels, which is great since I have 4 different age levels here.

There is:

Math

English

Alphabets

Writing

Geography

Puzzles of all kinds

Logic

Planners

Hand/Eye Coordination

Oh My...

Right now I mainly use this for extra maps in our Geography curriculum.  We are working on "blob mapping" and learning to map by heart.

Next year I am tutoring Classical Conversations: Essentials B/C, so plan on using it for logic puzzles and Grammar helps.

Quizlet {Homeschool Helps & App}

Just wanted to share a great learning tool with you.  Its a website call "Quizlet."  I've started using it more and more lately.  Its a great site where you can create online flashcards.  It does a lot more than that though!  There is also an app for your phone and ipad.  

Here's an example of how it works...

1. Open a FREE account.  

I use the basic version, which is free.  I'm sure the upgraded version has more perks, but the free one is all we need right now.

2. Title your set

I thoroughly title mine, so that others are able to search and use them. (More on that in a sec...) You can include a description and categorize them by subject.

3. Start entering your terms and definitions.  

I use to actually make flashcards on my computer.  I couldn't just go out and buy the blank cards and write on them.  Nope, the perfectionist in me would not allow it.  I actually created a template complete with footers that told subject, book, chapter.  (I've been told I can get help for this??? :)  In Quizlet, you cannot only make the cards yourself, you can add images (I've not tried that yet) and also import data (that either).  If you don't want to enter them yourself....search around.  I'm sure the subject matter has already been entered.  You can copy a pre-made set cards or save them to your "class" to use.  

Here's a link to the sets I've created (mostly Grammar related).

4. Save 

Don't forget this step!!!  Not that I've ever skipped this one...ever...really.  I'm just assuming it would be really frustrating to enter terms all over again.  Especially a really long set....A-hem.

5. Start using

This is the fun part!  There are a few different ways you can use these at your computer.  In addition to flipping through the flashcards on screen, there is Speller, Learn, Test and some games.

"Speller" we don't use right now.  Maybe we would if it was a spelling lesson or foreign lanuage?

With "Learn" you type in the answer to the question.  You can have it prompt with the term or speak the text.  We don't use this setting much either.  

The "Test," however, we use a lot!  There's a few different ways the parent (or student) can set the test up.  It all depends on what subject you are using it for and how you set up the flashcards.  I tend to do matching, multiple choice or True/False and prompt with term or definition depending where we are in the learning process.  This is a great way for you or your child to see what they already know and what they need to work on.

The Games are my kids favorite part.  The Scatter game does just that.  It scatters all the "fronts" and "backs" of the cards around the screen and the kids have to match them up to make them disappear.  It times you so you play against yourself.  On the Space Race you have to type in the terms before they get to the other side of the screen.  For both of these games, you can play around with the settings to suit your child's needs.

You can also Print your cards out in various styles.  A table, glossary, small or large grid and index cards.  Nice!!!

I subbed for an Essentials class one day and decided to print up 2 sets of the large gridded terms.  I then cut them out and into matching cards.  During class, I split the kids into two teams and had them race to see who could match all the terms up.  My oldest enjoyed it so much, she asked to do it at home.  I (of course) needed the answer sheet so I printed myself a glossary in both terms and definitions.  I guess I need to do a little studying myself!?!?

But wait....there's more...

You can get the app on your iPhone and iPad and study on the go...or just for a change of pace from using flashcards.  I've found my kids are much more willing to study if they get computer or iPad time!  

Sometimes I kinda feel like I'm tricking them into learning! (hehehe...insert evil laugh.)
{UPDATED 8/28/13: Now you can get this app on your Android too}

Happy studying!

And no....not paid for this review (although it sounds like it)!  

I just found a fantastic tool and wanted to share. :)

I'm sure there is more this site can do, but this is the extent of my experience with it.  If you've found other great things about it, please let me know so I can update!