Study the Composers- Thursday Link Up

Studying Music in the Renaissance. Circa 1350 to 1620.

Philippine Madigral Singers: "Prayers of St. Francis"
*The video may contain images that maybe considered disturbing. It goes through a lot of tragedies faced in our present day (such as the nuclear bomb during WWII).*

We also listened to the other selections from The Young Scholar's Guide to Composers and honestly we didn't 'like' them at first. It took us a few listens to get used to the very high notes. They were so different than the Gregorian Chants! Fox described the chants as “epic” and the Madigrals were…well, not so much.

This one is audio only.

Here is Sumer is Icumen in. We enjoyed seeing the costumes.
I don’t know why it’s larger than the rest, not supposed to be!

Dd had read about this song in History of English Literature, chapter 18, page 77 (in the print version done by Kelly Kenar available from Lulu). When we listened to it the first time she knew it was familiar but couldn’t quite put her finger on it We ended up listening to this one a few times. Also, we looked up the words to “Sumer is Icumen in” via Wikipedia.

After learning how it was so special, we had to find Miserere. They say that the versions today are nothing like the original so we wonder what it truly sounded like. Wouldn’t that have been amazing to hear!

We learned about Vincenzo Galilei, Galileo Galilei’s father, at the end of the lesson.

We haven’t gotten to listen to these selections again (getting stuff sorted for moving and whatnot). We will take next week off from school so there won’t be any Composer Study for us.

I would like to have been able to use the coloring pages in the back of The Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers but they are for the specific composers that we will study starting in the next chapter. I especially like those I love to color!

How do you do Composer Study? Link up with the Study the Composers if you’d like or come see what others have done.

Study the Composers- Link Up!

Join the new link up for Composer Study! You don't have to make a long post (actually you could just browse what others are doing for ideas if you aren't quite ready to 'commit' to Composer Study) just post what you do for Composer Study in your homeschool. The purpose is to give us accountability to get it done in our homes :) 

We use Ambleside Online curriculum mostly and as a Charlotte Mason method of schooling (way of life, really) they advocate the inclusion of Composer Study. We are in our 2 1/2 year of trying to use CM/AO and this is the first year we will include Composer Study on a regular basis (I hope).

From Timberdoodle and Bright Ideas Press I was given The Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers to review.

This week we have been listening to and learning about Gregorian Chants (Ancient Music to Music of the Middle Ages). There were some suggested selections on YouTube and we also looked at others by Googling “Gregorian Chants”.

Saint Gregory, Pope from 590-604, standardized the chants that before were different for different churches throughout Europe. The music that was allowed in the churches followed 3 rules:

1. Must remind the listener of divine and perfect beauty.
2. Must be a servant of religion and instruments were not allowed because words were needed to teach Christian thoughts.
3. No pagan influences- large choruses, “happy” melodies, dancing.

After the music was standardized, they were now sung in unison, used no instruments, were non-metrical, and they smoothly progressed (no jumps from high to low notes, or vice versa). The chants were also sung in Latin except for the Kyrie, which is Greek.

Because we have never been in a Catholic, Angelican or Lutheran church the kids and I were rather unexposed to this type of beautiful music. The closest we’ve gotten is the perhaps the modern music group that I cannot even recall (it was popular in the late 1990s…)

I read the lesson out loud and the kids ‘took notes’ with the “Note-taking Pages” that are included with The Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers.

We listened to:

We recently learned what Agnus Dei means while studying Latin. It is so nice to make the connections in other areas of learning. And although it has been a little while, we studied about Saint Gregory from Saints & Heroes (available to read online at Mainlesson.com).

 

Salve Regina

 

Dies Irae

We plan to listen to these again today (yes, it's already later...but never too late to listen to such beauty) and then tomorrow. Lee said that they all sound the same. But I do think that was the intent. The words are different but the pattern are often the same or similar. They were ‘standardized’. Even though we don’t know what all the words mean, the music is beautiful and they ask to listen to it again and again.

Next week we move on to Music in the Renaissance (circa 1350-1620).

TOS REVIEW: Wonder Maps- Bright Ideas Press

Through The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew I have received for review Bright Ideas Press new program, Wonder Maps. I received a software download for review. 

Age/Grade: K-12 (and up!)
Cost: $49.95 as either a download only or both download and cd, for Windows or Mac

Software Requirements:
Adobe Reader v. 9.1 or higher

Watch a tutorial of how to use this program and see the many features at Bright Ideas Press website. Really, watch the video. It tells way better than I could about all the features in this program.

WonderMaps is a collection of over 350 maps consisting of World, Historical, Biblical, USA, and also maps to use with Mystery of History I-III.
We don’t use MOH but the maps that pertain to them are still useful. We couldn’t really utilize the answer key maps (since we don’t know what the questions were!) but the others were helpful.

**Click on any image for a larger image- use the back arrow on your browser to come back OR right click and open in new window/tab**

I really like that the maps are customizable. Sometimes I need a map for labeling and/or for coloring (more often the first than the second) but have to hunt down the map I want to use from either books or websites. It is absolutely wonderful to have them all in one place with WonderMaps.

Recently, my ds was studying about the French and Indian War but I couldn’t find a historical map that I could copy so that he could do labeling. I did find one in a book but I’d have to scan it (not a problem), edit it –as in erase all the words that I wanted him to label (eh, still it could be done), and either remove all the color (which I’ve no idea how to do!) or just have him color over or not color at all (it’d just look tacky).

Here’s the map that WM has and the different ways it can be customized!
The first is with all the labels:



And now with only the specifics that I want to be shown when I print the map:

It’s still in color though and the only way that I could see to get rid of the most color was to change the visible layers of the map (and the oceans and waters are still blue):

*each of the above pictures were created by me to show which labels I chose to create my customized map- they do not have the labels 'box' in the corner, it is on the left hand side like the following screenshot*
And here is a MOH map that corresponds to the time/location we were studying- and it is black and white!:

That is just one example of the maps we used. We plan to use this more thoroughly for next school year.  I really like this program. It is easy to use and to find the map I need when I need it. I can filter it to contain only the information that is needed.

Bottomline:
I love this program. I think it is super easy to use and it looks so nice. My son is super excited to use it more (well, he only gets the print-outs for now but I may use it to help him memorize names/places) next year. Because it can be used again and again, the price is reasonable to me. 

Some things that I noticed that could be changed for the better: 

1.From the maps of the French and Indian Wars maps, you might have caught that Fort Duquesne isn’t quite located in the same place on the historical map as it is on the MOH map… that is one thing that I hope will be fixed with future updates of WM. Another strange thing with the maps is that Australia is not listed on the World Map (but you find it by clicking Oceania).That to me is just...odd.

I do wish that the locations of places were all correct on all the maps but I do understand that we are human, bound to make mistakes, and computers only do what they are told. Bright Ideas Press, however, is really a great company and it has been brought to their attention so I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this will be corrected with subsequent versions/updates.

2. Only with the United States of America maps can you click on individual states to have a map of that particular state. If you want to look at Quebec, Canada, for example, you have to open the North America map from the World Map screen:

And then click on Canada:

but you can't click on Quebec- or any of the provinces of Canada. It is the same with all of the maps. Only the US map is enabled to see the states.

3. You can't make all the maps black and white; just particular ones. Some are more of a grayish version of the color overlay. I would like all the maps to have the capability to make them b&w like the MOH maps are.


But even with the few things I would suggest that be changed I would definitely still recommend this program. I'm going to be using it like crazy!

 
If you would like to read more reviews for this product, visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.



**Disclaimer: I received this product free from Bright Ideas Press via TOS Homeschool Crew in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review; all opinions stated are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.**

TOS REVIEW: Bright Ideas Press- Christian Kids Explore Physics

Do you like science? How about do you like to teach science? That is the real question, isn't it? It was for me! I love science- in a limited, hands-off, just look at nature sort of way. My kids on the other hand, well they really like science. What's a homeschool mom to do when she doesn't like to teach science to kids that want to be taught?

The answer:

Use a fun and interesting science curriculum!

Recently I was one of the ones from the TOS Crew that was chosen to review Bright Ideas Press (BIP). I was given the choice of items/curriculums that they offer. Since we were struggling with science I chose Christian Kids Explore Physics. I had looked into BIP long before I became a member of the TOS Crew but it's interesting how we are drawn back to things that at one time we turn away from. I really liked the history curriculum that BIP offered but at the time I wasn't really looking to purchase anything.

Let me say here something about Bright Ideas Press: This is a great group of individuals. I was treated with professionalism each and every time I contacted them. I had most correspondence with Tyler Hogan and whenever I had a question, if he didn't know, he went searching for the answer. From the start, I have been very pleased with the experience with Bright Ideas Press. Now onto my review of Christian Kids Explore Physics ;)

Cover of the book we received. Also we received a download of the student activity book via email.

The book is available for purchase from BIP for $34.95 and the download of the student activity book is available for $12.95

You can see sample pages at BIP of both the book and the activity book.

The universe that we live in is the result of God’s thoughtful design and careful building. Physics gives us a glimpse into the materials, laws, and structures of that universe. Behold the wonders of creation with this series of 30 easy-to-understand lessons for grades 4-8. Each lesson helps develop an understanding of matter and energy and the rules they follow. Exploring physics is an exciting adventure!  From the website.

The book is a nice thick book. The age range is indicated for grades 4th through 8th.

The set up of this book is orderly. Who doesn't like order?? In science it is a necessity! Here is the set up:

• Preparation- this is where the list of supplies needed for the unit is found as well as the vocabulary list.
• Teaching Time- just what it says ;)
• Review It- 5 fill in the blank questions reviewing the lesson.
• Hands On Time- where the 'labs' or activities are located for each lesson.
• Coloring Pages- these are at the back of the book although you can find them interspersed throughout the book.
• Think About It- After the activities it gives a chance for the kids to think more in depth about what they've learned through the reading and the hands on activity.
• Unit Wrap-Up- Multiple choice questions after each Unit.

I was super excited to get started with this book. But there were some things that I couldn't 'get over' I guess you could say. Perhaps I should mention that my kids are ages 14 and 11; grades 8 and 6. I hoped this would be a good fit with both of them. The 'easy-to-understand lessons' were perhaps too easy to understand. Read on!

How did we use this book? Possibly a bit differently than intended, I don't know. I usually follow a more Charlotte Mason approach- we read, they tell me what they've learned, perhaps we do some 'hands-on' activity if it relates. With this book, we did the first two steps that I usually follow but then there were worksheets. Each lesson has a Review It at the end. This is comprised of five questions. Yes, just five. (Hey, that could be a good or a bad thing, right?) This is followed by a Hands On Time and then Think About It. The last two were what I was most interested in.

So for Lesson 1 through 3 here is what we did. I printed off the Activity Book pages that the kids would need. I also gave them their very own folder to keep these pages in. There was a coloring page to start this Unit. Usually my kids aren't big on coloring...they think they've better things to do (silly children lol). So while they colored, I read out loud the first lesson. At the end, I had them tell back what they'd learned. For the Review It, they obviously answered the questions and in the side bar where it says Additional Notes, I had them write the Unit Vocabulary Words. For the Hands On Time (for lesson 1 specifically), we brainstormed what to fill the chart in with. There were a lot of things that one hadn't thought of that another did (and I'm one of those that didn't think of something, ahem).Then we attempted to do the Think About It but with the 'answer' already printed after the question (in lesson 1), it defeats the purpose.

Lesson 2 and 3 were done the same way. The Think About It in the following lessons thankfully did not have the answers to the questions. The kids had to think about it. And after the lessons were complete they took the Unit One Wrap-Up.

What did I like?

I really liked that it went fairly quickly for the lessons. There isn't too much information in each lesson to make it feel overwhelming. I also enjoyed seeing my kids take the time to color the pages nicely. It's been so long since they've wanted to take the time to make a picture look nice. We really enjoyed the hands on activities and are especially looking forward to more of those. Fortunately, there is a list at the beginning of each Unit that tells what supplies are needed to go with the activities in the following lessons. It would be nice to have this list broken up into each lesson but it works well enough the way it is. Also at the beginning of each lesson in the sidebar is a scripture that relates to science- it shows that we are learning about what God created. I absolutely loved the way the book was designed. It is 'pretty', clean and orderly.

What did I not like?

It was just about too young for both of my kids. It says that it is for grades 4-8 but I honestly cannot see this going beyond 6th grade. Possibly 5th. My son came home to be schooled after 4th grade (he is in 6th this year) and this would have been well suited for him in 4th, maybe 5th grade. This is helping to fill in gaps that he has in his science knowledge and also helping him to learn some new information. My daughter is in 8th grade and this is really too young for her. There is information that, yes, she is getting from this but she just zooms through all of it because she has already learned about these.

The Review It questions "are almost always exact quotes from the lesson and, therefore, the answers will be unambiguous" (Ridlon, xxii). The Unit Wrap Up actually is multiple choice but it follows and takes questions from the Review It. Personally, I just don't see how this helps the children retain what they have been taught that well; it simply shows that they have memorized the order and sequence of sentences. Here is a sample question from Lesson 18: "Did you observe that the ball that rolled faster went farther?" Is that a yes or no question? Granted a lot of kids will give more than a single word answer I just don't think the questions are open ended and they should be. In my opinion.
After all that, perhaps the lack of this isn't necessarily a problem- it could lead into more in depth study on the subject.

Bottomline

This isn't a dumbed-down book, I hope I haven't given that impression. It just may be mislabeled as far as age range is concerned. 

**Would I recommend this book to another homeschooler?**

Yes, I would! I love the way that it is organized, it is presented and the information. However, I would mention the closed questioning that is present throughout the book. Other than sometimes in the Think About It (and the Hands On Time for the most part) the answers are fed to the student. I don't think it really encourages them to search for the answers themselves. Also the age/grade range is a little low, in my opinion. The price is very very reasonable and I wish that there was a larger selection of these types of books (with some slight differences as I think I've made clear).

Interested to read what others had to say about BIP's curriculum offerings? Check out the TOS Crew for more reviews.

**Disclaimer: I received these materials free from Bright Ideas Press through The Old Schoolhouse Crew. I was not compensated for this review; I received the items in exchange for an honest review. All statements/opinions are my own. See more Disclosure/Policies.**