Review: The Crossmaker, Easter Story & Art Lessons {SEE THE LIGHT}

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

I was approached by Pat Holt of See the Light to do a review because my kids are interested in art. We had a look at the Bible Stories projects and we chose The Crossmaker Bible Story. The DVD includes the following (from the website):

THE CROSSMAKER (story)– Dominic, the son of a carpenter, finds himself drawn into the unforgettable trial of the man called Jesus. Share in this amazing adventure that takes Dominic from Christ’s crucifixion to a place of redemption, and a face-to-face meeting with the risen Christ. (16 minutes)
SEE THE LIGHT chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann draws her stunning interpretation of the Easter story.

Art Lessons:
GLORY! See The Light artist Heidi Shorts teaches on the art of Creative Lettering. (28 minutes)
HIS IS NOT HERE! HE IS RISEN! See The Light Art Club Master Teacher Pat Knepley leads budding young artists in a step-by-step drawing lesson using chalk pastels. Plus, create your own black light reveal!
(32 minutes)
THREE CROSSES ON A HILL. See The Light’s Jim Pence gives a tutorial in water colors as young artists discover The Joy of Art. (25 minutes)

Bonus Features*:
REVEL in the original contemporary music performed by “Breathing Room” recording artists Jan Roper and Kevin Dukes while watching Gloria Kohlmann draw her remarkable art expression of the Easter Story.
WATCH AND HEAR the plan of salvation, clearly and creatively presented as you have never seen it.
HEAR See The Light chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann’s commentary as you watch the Easter scene being created.
MEET the See The Light team.

*We only watched HEAR. I watched MEET by myself. 

I had reviewed a few of the DVD art lessons from See the Light in 2011 and really enjoyed them so I was very pleased to be able to review this as well. Here is what we did and what we thought about it.

First, we watched the story of the Crossmaker and the art lesson on Creative Lettering. I had intended to use this as an art lesson during school but it didn’t work out that way! The kids (and I) loved the art lessons so much that we wanted to do them whenever the whim hit us. We started with the Creative Lettering –after the school day was over –because we didn’t have the extreme colored pencils and we thought that it was important –which it adds to the art but isn’t imperative- but we wanted to do something. Even my ‘art-o-phobic’ son (he enjoys art but lacks confidence)! You can see a portion of what we did for our Creative Lettering in my post here. (Feel free to just skip down to the bottom of that post, that’s where the image is.)

CREATIVE LETTERING LESSON
Materials Needed

• A #2 pencil
• Good white or gray kneaded eraser
• A pencil sharpener
• White or light colored 8-1/2” x 11” or 9” x 12” paper
• A 12” ruler
• A box of colored pencils
• Crayola EXTREME colored pencils*
• A black light*

Next, we watched artist Gloria Kohlmann’s Easter scene being created (a bonus feature). That inspired us to search out chalk pastels in more earnest. We watched it twice- it’s wonderful. We would absolutely love to be able to create a scene as she does. Finally we watched the last art lesson: “Three Crosses on a Hill” with Jim Pence.

After finally finding some chalk pastels we decided to try “He is Not Here! He is Risen!” with Pat Knepley. Possibly Fox’s most favorite part of this: breaking the chalk! We didn’t draw an angel on our picture because we don’t have fluorescent chalks and did not want to mess up our picture. I really loved how as we watched the video together and applied what we learned, our pictures all came out different. I will note that we used construction paper because that’s really all we had. I wouldn’t necessarily suggest that as a wonderful option; the chalk doesn’t ‘stick’ well and the paper is too …fragile. Here are our final projects:

CHALK PASTEL LESSON
Materials Needed

• A #2 pencil
• Good white or gray kneaded eraser
• Medium tone 9” x 12” paper
• 12 chalk pastels
• Fluorescent pastels*
• A black light*
• Baby wipes
• A box of tissues
• Paper towels
• An old shirt"

We plan on doing the last art lesson, “Three Crosses on a Hill”, tomorrow. But we do not have black permanent markers. We plan on using either crayons or colored pencils. Both are water repellent –at least we hope –and should work okay with the project. I hope to come back and update with images of that art lesson soon. We even purchased the extreme colored pencils for this! (I certainly hope we get more use out of them than just this- that goes for the chalk pastels as well!)

MIXED MEDIA LESSON
Materials Needed

• A #2 pencil
• 2 jugs of water (1 for clean water, 1 for dirty water)
• Paper towels
• Watercolor paper
• A round brush
• A craft foam brush

• Permanent markers
  (1 fine point, 1 broad point)
• A pair of scissors
• A set of 16 watercolors
• Crayola EXTREME fluorescent crayon (lemon glacier)*
• A black light*

*These items available at www.seethelightshine.com/store/materials. Also, they aren’t necessary to complete the lessons, they add to them though!

We really, really enjoyed this DVD. I will mention that we do not listen to contemporary Christian music and since we know the plan of salvation, we didn’t watch that portion of the DVD. This is for any age group, young or …old *wink*. We did like the story of the Crossmaker but my kids are teenagers and they had questions such as, “Would there really have been a ‘crossmaker’, a carpenter, to make Jesus’s cross?” And when Pat Knepley read the story of “He is Risen” in Matthew, they were quick to get their Bibles out to compare. I enjoyed that it made them question, not the Bible, but the interpretation of it. We enjoyed discussing the art we were making as well as the story behind it.

Having this DVD to review did a few things for us; for me. First, it reminded me of See the Light. My ds, who I mentioned earlier is self-conscious of his art, yet wants to do more art- not just looking at it. We’ve been slowly working through another program that is helping him with the pencil drawing and realism aspect. I like See the Light because it has such a range of techniques that it shares and teaches.

Another thing See the Light did was to remind me that all art originates with God. This particular DVD is about one of the Bible stories (Jesus’s Resurrection), but in the Creative Lettering, Heidi Shorts talks about how wonderful God is (I’m not recalling her exact words but I know that it made me think of all the beauty that God has created –art is just one!).

The final thing it did was to get them excited to do art. Not that art is a dreaded thing in our family but it’s just so-so. I’m a drawing artist, with pencil. I have somewhat ventured into colored pencils within the past year but I’m still primarily drawing. And realistic drawing. These lessons have stretched me to let go of the ‘perfection’ mentality; creating art is something that glorifies God, no matter what it looks like. It’s the attitude and heart that counts.

Anyway, long story short (or not so short?)- we really liked this and I’m seriously considering purchasing some of the Art Projects from See the Light, as well as other Bible Stories (the kids want to see what other words are done with Creative Lettering). Both my kids really enjoyed this.

You can purchase a Bible Stories DVD from See the Light for $14.99 individually or as a 5-DVD set for $74.99 that includes:

1. The Crossmaker- Easter Story
2. Shipwrecked- Apostle Paul Story
3. God’s Runaway- Jonah Story
4. The Gift of Love- Christmas Story
5. God’s Special Surprise- Moses Story

See the Light also offers Art Class (Year 1, The Fundamentals, 36 lessons) and Art Projects (Year 2, The Next Level, 9 DVDs). See their website for current prices and specials.

You can read more about See the Light (who they are and why the do what they do), see who’s who at See the Light, follow along with their blog, facebook and twitter.

Be watching also because I have a giveaway for this coming very, very soon!

***Disclaimer: I received the above reviewed DVD from See the Light in exchange for this review. No monetary compensation was given. All opinions are my own or those of my family. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Vocal Coach Singer {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

Singing is a wonderful ability that we have. Many feel that they cannot hold a tune but still enjoy singing. I’d figure into that category! Both of my kids can hold a tune though and I thought this program would be good to fine ‘tune’ (haha) their talents –and hopefully help me get a tune! Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew I’ve been privileged to receive Vocal Coach for review.

Chris and Carole have been teaching singing for over 40 years.  In addition to their wonderful products, they offer private vocal coaching and vocal seminars.  They are passionate about teaching people to sing. (from Schoolhouse Review Crew post)

What we received:

10 zipped files for download (MP3s) (retail $99.99) that include the same program that is included when you purchase the physical product (retail $119.99):

Vocal Coach Singer Includes:

7 Training CDs:

Getting Started
Complete Breathing
Complete Warm-Up
Complete Tone
Complete Expanding Your Range
Complete Diction
Complete Performance

4 Workout CDs:

Daily Workout High Voice 1 & 2
Daily Workout Medium/Low Voice 1 & 2

Plus these great educational tools:

Guidebook – Full-size Instructional Guidebook to Ensure Success
Printable Lead Sheets – each exercise in our course, plus track lists
Personal Singer's Journal (Getting Started Journal & Workout Journal) to Track Your Progress
Vocal Coach Song Evaluation – Evaluation form to enable you to make more intelligent song selections

Technical support for MP3s:  LIMITED SUPPORT

It can be downloaded and transferred to a portable device like an IPod to be used on the go. I did not get this to download onto any of my own personal devices but not due to any fault of the downloads I was sent –chalk it up to faulty software and technologically challenged user.  ‘Vocal Coach Singer’ is intended to be used with older students and adults.

The order that is recommended to go through this program is:

• Posture
• Breathing
• Tone
• Warm Ups
• Rhythm
• Diction
• Dynamics
• Vocal Health

Here are a couple snapshots of the pdfs included in this.

Song Evaluation:

Work-out Journal:

My thoughts of the program:

It’s difficult for me to say that I would recommend this or not but this is in no way due to the program itself –I did not get to use it as fully as I’d hoped in the review period. Because I could not get it to download to a player, or mobile device, I found it difficult troublesome to go through the cds after each ‘lesson’. It just wasn’t as easy or convenient for me to get them running. I just mention this because you could be in the same boat!

As for the content of this program –it would appear to be a very well done and laid out program. I’ve never had any instruction in singing besides high school choir. My kids both were in a class at a homeschool co-op where they did get some instruction on singing. But this is more in-depth. It covers much more than simply going through the notes (do-re-me-etc. –my apologies if I wrote that wrong). It goes through why they suggest doing what they suggest (such as the posture and exercise lessons).

When I listened through the lessons, I did find the voice of Chris and Carole to be nice and not grating on my nerves. Sometimes the dialogue does seem rehearsed but it wasn’t too bad. I like the journal for each time going through a lesson with the program –it helps to give immediate feedback as to how we feel and think about what we are doing.

I do plan to get this into our week more because from the little that it was used, it is a good program. I like that it is Christian focused as well as homeschool friendly. They also have free resources on their websites.

If you have more questions that I’m sure I didn’t answer, you can check out the FAQs. Vocal Coach also offers programs for younger ages –some of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given Teaching Kids to Sing. Chris and Carole also offer personal singing lessons. 

You can read more reviews of this and the other program by checking the post at the Schoolhouse Review Crew. Click on the image below to get to the post.

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Contact Vocal Coach:

Website: http://www.vocalcoach.com

Email: contact@vocalcoach.com (general questions, schedule lessons)

customerservice@rede-commerce.com (questions, comments regarding an order or product)

Contact on the website: http://vocalcoach.com/contact/

Phone:  615-280-0554 (9am-4pm CST)

Blog: http://blog.vocalcoach.com/

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***Disclaimer: I received the above reviewed item free from Vocal Coach via the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given. All opinions are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Duo Window Reading Rulers: Crossbow Education {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

The Eye Level Reading Ruler is a colored overlay text highlighter…Discreet and portable, the reading ruler is made of a combination of opaque and transparent plastic that both underlines the text and highlights it in a coloured tint. Simply read the text through either of the tinted plastic strips of your selected color, and track down the page: broad strip for paragraphs; narrow strip for single lines.

Crossbow Education are specialists in teaching aids for children with Dyslexia and Visual Stress.
~Educational Supplier of the Year 2012 award winner~

Product: Eye Level Reading Rulers: Pack of 10 (also available in packs of 5 for $9.45 {add shipping})
“These have two windows, one is 1/2” (11 mm) wide and one is 1 1/4” (30 mm) wide: the narrow window will take one line of big text and two of small text, and can be trimmed if helpful.”
Retail: $16.95 (add Library Mail postage- that’s cheap!) –check website for most current pricing
Age: Any
Colors Available:

I’m reading a book, doesn’t matter if it is a good book or just a so-so book, but I’m reading and my eyes keep skipping around. The words dance from place to place! Squeeze my eyes shut, rub them a few times, pull the page closer; nothing helps. Sigh, start over. I do not have a learning disability (that I’m aware of) but I have had a difficult time with focus and retention while reading in the past few years. Perhaps it’s my age, ahem, or just poor eyesight (time to get new glasses!), but whatever the reason, I’m struggling.

Has that happened to you? Do you or your child have a difficult time with focusing on the words on the page or struggle with reading in general? Crossbow might just be able to help!

Perhaps if you or your child have been diagnosed or live with dyslexia, visual stress (Meares-Irlen syndrome), ADHD, autism, or other special needs or reading struggles, you might have heard of the technique of color ‘coding’ pages and/or passages to help read them easier –thus retaining information better. I first became aware of this in college when I took a class with my mother-in-law, who had a terrible time with our math assignments. She is a very smart lady but for whatever reason this math class was very difficult for her. One of the strategies she employed was color coded paper for her assignments. I cannot say that she aced the class (I don’t recall her final grade but she did pass –oh, I did too, by the way) but it may have helped her to focus more and be able to work out her math problems. Perhaps I should have used the technique –I barely passed! But, I digress.

Crossbow Education has been focusing on providing tools for children and adults who struggle with dyslexia and special needs. Their reading rulers have been used in UK schools and they feel if more people knew about these, they could benefit more children and adults. I’m thinking that I agree.

I used the rulers for anything and everything I was reading. Here’s a {nifty} collage I made of them when reading magazines.

As soon as we received the rulers, the kids and I chose our color. Of course we used all of them at one point or another to see which we preferred. It’s amazing the difference these overlays have on the page! Yellow is for me. Definitely. And that isn’t just because yellow happens to be my favorite color. Purely coincidental {probably}; yellow works the best while I am reading.

Helpful aspects:

• Reduces glare
• Improves focus
• Assists tracking
• Isolates single line of text OR paragraphs

I can also use these for reading medias other than paper: computer, Kindle and Kindle Fire. But I admit that it doesn’t work that well on the Kindle Fire; it causes the screen to be less clear, which somewhat defeats the purpose of the ruler. You’ll notice that yellow is the dominant color on the following photos.

In my opinion, these worked the best with books and paper (not the magazine type paper)–the third image down is printer paper with a reading schedule printed on it:

Everyone is different, of course, and a color that worked for myself or my kids may not work with you or your child. Crossbow suggests purchasing the 10 pack, trying each color to see which is best suited and then purchasing however many are needed of the color that works best. In the paper that came with the rulers it says:

“If you have a mixed pack of colors, test read with all the colors, choose the one you feel most comfortable with, and use it to read…[C]hoose the one that is clearest. Don’t worry that you seem to like on color one day and change the next day. Varying lighting conditions make a difference.”

Remember how I mentioned I used these with my computer and other reading devices? Crossbow has a free 30 day trial of their downloadable Virtual Color Overlay*. Other products* offered by Crossbow include:

• Visual Stress
  • Covered Overlays (large, covers the entire page)
  • Single Window Reading Rulers (available in packs of 5, 10 and 30)
  • Assessment Pack
  • Virtual Reading Rulers and Colored Overlays (to limit glare from computer)
• Sand Timers
• Spelling
• Math
• Phonics
• Language Arts

Bottom line:

I found that using the rulers helped tremendously when I was reading. Especially it helped reading challenging works; it kept me more focused line by line. Before I used to have to reread the paragraph a few times and put a piece of paper over both the preceding text and the following text, fairly boxing in my specific text. With these rulers it’s almost like the text before and after are not even there!

Yes! I recommend these to other people who are struggling, for whatever reason, with reading. At least give them a try. You could purchase a pack of 5 to test them out. They are less than $2 a ruler (about $2.66 with shipping). The company has a satisfaction guarantee on their products.

It was a pleasant surprise that I could use them with my computer and other reading devices. It worked very well on both the computer and Kindle. It is a little awkward to use on the computer because I had to hold it up to the screen; tired arms if there was a lot of reading! But I do quite a bit of computer reading and thought it worth the little arm strain to alleviate a little eye/reading strain.

My kids used these as well but there wasn’t really a noticeable change in how they read or perceived their reading. Both are strong readers in the first place. I thought it might help my daughter because she also has some of the same issue of ‘wandering’ eyes or ‘bouncing’ letters. They said they didn’t really feel a difference but they thought they were neat anyway. They make a good bookmark also.

They are made out of a durable plastic that held up well under my 13 year old boy’s use, so you can draw your own conclusions on that. I will mention that they scratch, I won’t say ‘easily’ but it can happen. Say you want to, for some reason, put it between the rings of your three-ring binder (why? well, why do boys do half of what they do? Hmmm?). It will scratch it. Take note.

*I have not used any other products by Crossbow Education; I reviewed the Duo Window Reading Rulers only.

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Read other reviews by Schoolhouse Review Crew members- click the image below.

Learn more about who makes up Crossbow Education.
Contact: (at the website)
 http://www.crossboweducation.us/contacts?phpMyAdmin=W0BZ2zPXwVfRQQOtu-mIVvETeP0
Mailing Address:
Crossbow Education Corp.
P.O. Box 1977, Davidson, NC 28036
Phone: 704-987-1501
Website: http://www.crossboweducation.us

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***Disclaimer: I received the above reviewed items free from Crossbow Education via the Schoolhouse Review Crew. No other compensation was given. All opinions stated are my own or those of my family. I only recommend products that I feel would truly be of benefit to others based on my own experiences. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers from Christian Liberty Press {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

The first time I ever homeschooled, way back in 2001, Christian Liberty Press was one of the publishers I chose to go to for some of our material. Originally, Christian Liberty Press was begun to “provide school materials for our own home education and Christian school programs. Since then,

we have expanded the reach of our ministry to deliver excellent educational products at a great value to home schools and Christian schools across the United States and throughout the world. We are dedicated to finding, evaluating, and producing curriculum materials that are rooted in the Word of God and express a biblical worldview.” (from website)

Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I was able to receive and review the following book.

Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers by Douglas Bond
ISBN: 978-1-935796-75-6
ebook: 242 pages; print: paperback, 242 pages
Publisher: Christian Liberty Press
Retail: $10.99- find it at CLP ebook: $8.79; print: $9.89
Suggested Grade Level: 7th–10th

“This first book in the series by Douglas Bond tells the story of two teens who, while on vacation in England, are befriended by an elderly English gentlemen called Mr. Pipes. Through this relationship they learn about famous British hymn writers. They also learn about the value of traditional worship and praise." (from the website)

This book talks about the following hymn makers, some more in-depth than others:

• Thomas Ken
• Isaac Watts
• Charles Wesley
• William Williams
• John Newton
• William Cowper
• Augustus Toplady
• Thomas Kelly
• Henry Francis Lyte
• James Montgomery
• Horatius Bonar
• Reginald Heber
• William Walsham How
• Samuel Stone
• Anna Waring
• Cecil Francis Alexander
• Francis Ridley Havergal
• John Bunyan

You can see a Google preview of this book at the Christian Liberty Press website. I had this book in print already but was graciously given an ebook copy for this review.

This isn’t a book with just facts of the hymn writers’ lives. It follows Annie and Drew during their summer spent in an old English village. They start out thinking it will be a boring and terrible time. We meet Mr. Pipes, Dr. Dudley, and other people in the small village. It is also their journey to find their place in God’s plan. Mr. Pipes shares about these individuals and their lives through frequent fishing trips and picnics. The kids, Mr. Pipes and sometimes other friends, also go on hikes or other outings; while we read about historical individuals such as Thomas Kelly, we are also being taken through a fun story. There were so many people mentioned that I’d never heard of before reading this book but many of the hymns I’d heard.

I read this through myself and haven’t used it in our school yet. After reading it, I do plan to include it as a read-aloud for our hymn and folk song studies. I would consider this a good living book that goes along well with our Charlotte Mason approach to learning. It is interesting while giving the readers something more than just a ‘good story’. It has a Christian message throughout. The story takes us through the changes that Annie and Drew go through by spending time with Mr. Pipes and learning about the lives of Christians who wrote many of the hymns that are sung in many churches even today, and Mr. Pipes' life. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. I think it could be used for music study and/or history. 

Other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew also reviewed this book. Read what they felt about this book by clicking on the image below.

There are four books in this series: Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers, Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation, Mr. Pipes Comes to America, and The Accidental Voyage- Discovering Hymns of the Early Centuries. These are available individually or as a set from Christian Liberty Press. Check the website for current prices.

Christian Liberty Press offers many other resources for homeschooling including textbooks, readers, curriculum kits, etc.

Contact:
Christian Liberty Press
502 West Euclid Ave
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Website: http://www.shopchristianliberty.com
E-mail Address: custserv@christianlibertypress.com
Phone Orders: 800-348-0899, press 6
Catalog Request: 800-348-0899, press 1
Fax Number: 847-259-2941

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***Disclaimer: I received the above book free from Christian Liberty Press via the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Vocab Videos {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew our family was given a subscription to Vocab Videos for one full year and for up to 20 students. This can be purchased at the website for $74.99/year. This program is a “vocabulary-learning tool for a variety of different tests beyond the SAT such as the ACT, ISEE, SSAT, and GRE tests (from the website).”

The videos also feature (from the website):

• Parodies of popular TV shows like Lost, The Office, 24, and Gossip Girl connect students to the material, presenting vocabulary to them in a context they can relate to and enjoy
• Outrageous plotlines and entertaining characters engage students and (dare we say) make learning fun!

Learning Tools also include (from the website):

• Searchable, alphabetized glossary including links to each video allows students to review individual words
• Downloadable quizzes and crossword puzzles by episode
• Teacher tracking tools allow educators to monitor individual student and class progress

The need for an engaging program for studying and learning SAT words presents itself to many teachers and students. Often they are stuck with boring word lists or something like that. This program makes the words come alive. Below are screenshots from one of the videos. It begins with the word being studied and has audio, saying the word and meaning. The videos are short but attention getting. It ends with the word being said again and a definition that matches the episode.

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You can try a free Teacher trial here. Check out the other options (click on either Educator or Student).

Educator options are

• up to 20 students for $74.99,
• up to 40 students for $134.99
• or up to 100 students for $254.99

Or for individual students, the options are

• 6-months $24.99
• and 12-months $39.99.

Contact:
Website: http://www.vocabvideos.com
Contact page: http://www.vocabvideos.com/contact-us/contact-vocab-videos.html
Blog: http://www.vocabvideos.com/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vocab-Videos/116213755159
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/VocabVideos
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/vocabvideos

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My thoughts:

Some things I like about this is that we can hear the word being said as well as an enactment of the word. There were quite a few words that I personally had thought meant something else. Also crossword puzzles, although not my kids’ favorite thing, are a plus for me. And finally the flashcards and quizzes are a plus. With the subscription you can see what is missed on the quizzes and then study the words again to retake the quiz. These words are ones that could be found on ACT, ISEE, SSAT, and GRE tests, not just the SAT.

You can see all the words that are included in the episodes.

These are completely secular in nature, which doesn’t bother me. What I didn’t care for was the humor in these videos. They are definitely memorable but it’s not the type of memorable I like. The humor is often crude and degrading. Not all of them are that way but for instance in one video for incisive, the video is going along just fine toward the end when the second character tosses in a rude comment. Sure I will remember incisive, but I’ll also remember the rudeness. And there are a lot of them that way. But then again, it could just have been that I chose the episodes that had that in them.

Also, and not that I’m saying it is a good or bad thing, the videos sometimes include parodies to shows we’ve never seen and so they are a little over our heads on that point.

I honestly didn’t let my kids watch the videos. I feel the need to preview them first and so far I’ve found only a handful that I’d be comfortable with them viewing. I had hoped this would be something we could use frequently to increase vocabulary but instead it has been useful for just me to use. That is totally because of my views. The program has good ideas, just the approach isn’t as ‘nice’ as I’d like.

For those who are not concerned with crude humor and/or those who enjoy tv shows popular today, this would probably be a good match when looking for an audio/visual program to study the SAT words. It most definitely does have videos that will concrete the words in the mind, as long as the other aspects of the videos don’t make more of an impression, as a few did on me. For those who have a more guarded approach to what their students use, this might rub you the wrong way. The inclusion of words and attitudes that some may not allow in their home, in any form, will most likely be unappreciated. I encourage you to read others review of this program by fellow homeschoolers by clicking the image below.

***Disclaimer: I received a subscription for the above from Vocab Videos via Schoolhouse Review Crew for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I only recommend those products that I feel would be beneficial to others based on my own experiences. See Disclosure/Policies.***

King Alfred’s English {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

King Alfred’s English by Laurie J. White
ISBN: 9780980187717; ASIN: B00892AXAI
Format: ebook –172 page count (according to Amazon); paperback –150 page count (according to CBD)
Publisher: The Shorter Word Press
Age range: 12-adult
Retail: ebook –$5.95; paperback –$16.95

[M]ost of us go through our entire life speaking a highly complex and organized set of sounds we call language without ever getting a glimpse under its hood. So come have a look at some of the hidden springs and gears that have steered and energized English over the centuries. King Alfred’s English provides a guided tour of forces and events, conquerors and writers that have shaped, simplified, matured and expanded English into what it is today—the first truly global language in history. from the website

I love history and am quick becoming a lover of languages as well. Neither of these were very strong subjects for me in my younger years but thankfully both of my kids have taken a liking to these {not both at the same time but the desire is there- I can tell *wink*}. Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew *I* was chosen to review this language-history book from The Shorter Word (Laurie J. White). This is suitable for ages 12 and up but I decided to selfishly kindly review this book on my own. Now that I’ve read it, I know that it will be something we will add into our studies. I’ve read snippets here and there out loud to my kids and my dd wants to read this, just because. That’s good!

Language has always been and the history of it is {or can be} fascinating! The book goes along like this:

• Part I- Pre-English Britain: 55 B.C. to 500 A.D.
• Part II- Old English: 500 to 1066…
• Part III- Middle English: 1066 to 1500…
• Part IV- A Time of Transition- From Middle to Modern English: 1400 to 1600 (or thereabouts)…
• Part V- The Making of the English Bible: 1526 to 1611…
• Part VI- Shakespeare and Modern English: From 1500 Onward

See the Table of Contents. Don’t you just love those titles…well, I certainly did!

I definitely learned more about the English language –some of which I could never have even imagined. The tone throughout this book is one that pulls you into the ‘story’ of language. The author is writing from a Christian perspective. White says,

“Language could not have developed from caveman grunts to complex linguistic structures, at least not without intentional supernatural input…Completely taken for granted by all of us most of the time, language is an astonishingly complex medium of exchange for our ideas and thoughts. More than anything else, language is a gift, and it was given to us by the One who most desires to communicate with us.”

In high school and probably elementary as well, I learned the Greek {and Latin} root words for many of the words we have now. But I definitely didn’t learn about the Old Norse {Vikings}, Indian {India}, Jute {Germans?}, French, and many more that influenced our English. Or how about that a good portion of our current language is from made-up words…from Shakespeare?

Read how this book was born and why the author feels it is beneficial for students before college.

Read the first chapter.

Supplemental student and teacher pages. Find images, articles, videos, primary sources, and literature related to each chapter. Also click on the teachers page to find worksheets, tests and answers. She also gives a suggested minimum requirements to get 1/2 credit of history or 1/4 credit for history, 1/4 credit for English.

Resources list for this book.

Contact:
Website: http://www.theshorterword.com
Email: laurie@theshorterword.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/King-Alfreds-English/141706569183562?v=wall?v=wall

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My thoughts:

Great book! I was able to ‘get into’ this from the first page. It just so happens that this is the time period that my ds and I are learning about now for his 8th grade history. I love when that happens. Honestly even if we were not studying the same period of time, the topic is one that I find to be interesting. White writes in an engaging way as well. She uses what I would consider an average level of words throughout majority of the book- this isn’t an article in an academic journal! But she does switch it up and use some more challenging language when it is called for especially to get her point across about language.

I appreciate that it is from a Christian perspective. It does have some portions that would appear to be anti-Catholic but it is in reference to buying salvation from long ago. It’s history and it has it’s place in this study of language. Also a large portion of the book {an entire “Part”} is dedicated to the creation of the English Bible; the various translations and those who did the translating- where they got the ‘original’ works to use for translations, etc. Some may find that part to be drawn out.

Although I did not do more than read over and save the worksheets that are linked on the website, I can definitely see this book and other resources being put to use in our homeschool. We will most likely utilize narration rather than worksheets. The inclusion of so many other resources is impressive on a topic that some would find dreary {did you know that word originally was meant as something dripping or covered in blood then it changed to refer to something horrid- now it means dull}.

This gets a hearty recommendation from me to those who are interested in history and the English language. It would make a good addition as a course itself or a supplement to a current course.

I almost forgot to let my readers know that I have 5 codes available to me to give to 5 of my readers- the code lets you purchase the print book for $8.47 –that’s 1/2 off the retail! ***The first 5 people who comment that they want to have the code will receive it via email from me {thanks to Laurie J. White!}.***

Read other reviews from other Schoolhouse Review Crew members- click on the image below.

***Disclaimer: I received the above ebook from The Shorter Word (Laurie J. White) via the Schoolhouse Review Crew for free in exchange of an honest review. No other compensation was given. Thank you! All opinions stated are my own. I only recommend products that I truly feel would be beneficial for others based on my own personal experiences. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Create Better Writers {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

The ability to organize one's thoughts and communicate ideas clearly is the backbone of good writing.

Writing is extremely important. Yet, it is a subject that many homeschoolers find to be difficult to teach. Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew, we were chosen to review Create Better Writers paragraph writing program. This program was designed with and for homeschoolers in mind and also has been used to teach third through twelfth graders in public schools.

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The Home School Writing Action Plan
ebook: $15.95
print: $19.95
Plan for grades 3-12.

Three parts:

1. Summary of the Steps –”where you should be, where you are headed, and where each step fits into the big picture of your child’s writing.”
2. Pacing Charts –“help you decide where and when to begin and how much time to spend on each activity.”
3. Road Map –“show you how to implement each step and give you strategies to help reinforce the writing concepts.”

My thoughts:

I’ll be right up front- I expected more. It gives a ‘road map’ that directs you to their products only but it can be used with whatever program you currently are using. It does have some ‘extras’ that I thought were beneficial such as fun activities {I’m usually at a loss for the fun part}, topics for practice, writing tricks. I didn’t feel that, after reading just this, I was adequately prepared to teach writing. However, this is meant to be used in conjunction with other aspects of this or other programs.

Personally, I don’t feel that it would be a necessary purchase for teaching writing UNLESS you are at a real loss where your students should be. However, if you have a different writing program already, it should include a scope and sequence. It would be helpful, I think, for those who are going to purchase other aspects of the Create Better Writers program.

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How to Write a Paragraph
ebook: $7.99 (free with purchase of How to Teach the Five-Paragraph Essay or The Complete Writing Program)
Grades: 3 and up

Includes “step-by-step directions, assessments, writing topics, and how to use this trick all across your curriculum.”

From the website: “If your student can write a paragraph, your student can write anything from an essay, to a research report, to an in-depth story.“

My thoughts:

It is a very basic program. I felt like I was missing something while I was going through this. It felt way too ‘easy’. But this could quite likely be because my children are older and they already know the things put forth in this book.  

It includes tricks and tips for writing a simple paragraph. Also it gives some suggestions for writing across the curriculum {which I’ve never been that good at}. If one is looking for this type of program- to just get the ball rolling perhaps, or to hone the basic skills- I would say this would do the job. It is inexpensively priced.

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How to Teach the Five-Paragraph Essay
ebook: $17.99
print: $19.99
(free with purchase of The Complete Writing Program)
Grades: 4-12

Includes (from the website):

• How to show your students how to write a strong five-paragraph essay to a timed prompt, and have them complete it in about an hour
• How to show your students a simple format that will help them write essays from any writing domain
• How to teach your students to be able to write exciting introductions and conclusions
• And detailed lesson plan that will show you, step-by-step, how to teach the five-paragraph essay

My thoughts:

Going from the single paragraph to the five-paragraph seemed like it was going to be a huge jump. But really, once the single paragraph is mastered, the five-paragraph isn’t that difficult. I liked this portion of the program that we reviewed the most of all.

It includes a plan for 20 days, which I liked, even though I plan to tweak it a bit. There are quite a few more examples in this book than the single paragraph book. I love examples. I need examples. Also focuses on grammar, punctuation (which is somewhat discussed/covered in the single paragraph as well), has a rubric/assessment, timed prompts suggestion, and a plan for mastery. One thing that I found to be a nice inclusion was the Essay Portfolio directions.

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All in all- a good basic program that is priced very nicely. The biggest qualm I have about this is that it is written towards teachers of a classroom. There were many suggestions of ‘splitting up the class’- a bit difficult to do with two students *wink*. However, it is easy to adapt to a small ‘class’ for homeschooling or even for single student homes.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to others who are in need of a program such as this: easy, basic and low price. If a parent were looking for a more in-depth program that would be a one-time purchase, I might not recommend this to them because they would quite possibly have to make a second purchase later.

Read other reviews by fellow homeschoolers by clicking the image at the end of this post.

Create Better Writers offers a full program for a retail of $69 and many other writing resources. Check their website for current prices and offerings.

Contact:
Website: http://www.createbetterwriters.com
Email: dye.teach@verizon.net
To Fax Purchase Orders: (562) 616-7016
Phone: (562) 627-5662     

***Disclaimer: I received the above reviewed items in ebook form from Create Better Writers via the Schoolhouse Review Crew. No compensation was given. All opinions are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Zane Education {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew our family was chosen to receive and review Zane Education *Gold Membership*. Over 1500 videos in 12 subject areas for elementary, middle, and high school. Zane Education also includes lesson plans, quizzes and study resources.

There are different levels of access to Zane Education. Check the website for current pricing and what is included in each level:

• Basic- FREE membership
• *Gold- All videos, $17.99 per month; $197.89 per year*
• Silver- All videos for specific grade level, $12.99 per month; $142.89 per year
• Bronze- All videos for specific subject area, $8.99 per month; $98.89 per year
• Topic Taster- All videos for single topic, $5.00 a month; no yearly option

What it is (from website/vendor):

• The online subtitled videos deliver the curriculum content for each topic.
• The online interactive quizzes provide online testing for each topic.
• The interactive study tools on each video page allow aspects of each video to be further explored and investigated.
• The Lesson Plans provide further activities for the parent or teacher to ensure each topic is explored in a structured and thorough manner.
• The Study Center provides additional resources including the World Fact Book to support study and additional resources are constantly being added.

[T]hese…titles originally published as educational software on CD-ROM and used in schools, libraries and in home education across North America and many countries around the world, are available…online as the world’s most comprehensive library of purposely subtitled educational video, accompanied by a variety of online study tools, lesson plans, additional study resources and online testing – using our on-demand subscription system.

It is a complete one-stop-shop Visual Learning-based education solution that provides the curriculum material needed for children from Elementary school to College age, or from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Used appropriately, the benefits of using the subtitles include (from the website):

• Each student has the opportunity to study each topic and improve their reading and literacy skills at the same time.
• Each video can be used as a standalone reading improvement resource.
• Children learning English as a Second Language can use each video to study the same range of curriculum content as their English-speaking peers while using the interactive study tools and the subtitles to improve their English Language skills.

Read about the benefits of visual learning.

For each subject there are various videos and quizzes available. I’ve chosen Religious Studies here to demonstrate but it is the same layout whichever subject/topic you choose.

 

You can go through it based on what type of quiz you are wanting to cover {the bottom sidebar has links to find all quizzes by subject or grade- it is set up the same way on the videos pages} or by the subjects.

There are lots of videos available in the Gold Membership! We’ve not even scratched the surface. I highly highly recommend checking out the free A Getting Started Guide and other User Guides before just jumping head first. Really.

Here is a view of one of the videos and the Video Learning Tools box to the right of the videos.

The videos have highlighted words in the subtitles that can be used for vocabulary, spelling and general reading improvement. Each of the highlighted words can be found in the Video Learning Tools {which is to the right of every video} that is specific to the video.

The quizzes are all multiple choice. This is from the Religious Studies category but again, they are all laid out the same. There is a page on the website touting the benefits of multiple choice quizzes but they are not the style I would like to use most often.

The Study Center does have a nice collection of reference ‘books’. The World Fact Book is unique to this page –the others you can access from just about any other screen.

There really is just so much {well so many –as in videos} on this site that I cannot possibly tell you all there is to tell. The most prominent feature of Zane Education online educational videos is the subtitles. This is what they call the Missing Piece.

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In addition to the subscription to access all of the online educational videos, online quizzes, study tools, and fast technical support, we were also given the The Zane Learning Catalogue {270 pages} and The Christian Home Learning Guide {424 pages}. The first lists every single video that they offer, in every subject. Below is a page from this catalogue {or ‘catalog’ if that’s more your way *wink*}. I share this with you because Zane Education is more than just the videos. These are normally priced at $49.95 but are free with any 12-month paid subscription.

I also shared this page with you is to show how it is set up. It is not just a list of the videos. This is a randomly chosen page. Along the right side are clickable tabs to take you to specific places in this catalogue. At the top of the page {towards the left} it tells what subject and category this is featuring. Then it shows the topic –in this case Handel, Chopin, and Debussy; Great Composers {the category}. Under that it gives the recommended grade –K-5.

What I really like about this catalogue is that it tells you in one place what videos to watch on this topic and how long they are. It also lists the quizzes available. Finally it gives an Overview and Learning Objectives.

In regards the Christian Home Learning Guide:

It is a downloadable publication written by Marshall Foster and Ron Ball, …designed to present the evangelical Christian view of the mainstream subjects taught in school today and featured on Zane Education’s Learning Video’s. It is designed for the parents of Christian homeschoolers, as well as the parents of children in public and private schools, who wish to provide their children with the Christian view of world history, science, and literature. (See more of what they say here.)

If that doesn’t really help you understand what it is, perhaps this will. It takes every single video and tells what in the video might be conflicting to a Christian. For example:

Zane Education is having a July/August promotion that I’d like to share with you:

A 35% discount on the purchase of any annual 12-month Gold, Silver or Bronze Membership subscription through until the end of August 2012 for purchasers using the unique code: ZE722HSM (case sensitive!)

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What did I think of this program?

NOTE: I highly suggest that parent/teacher/tutor or whoever is utilizing this resource prescreen every video before showing to their student.

This isn’t the style we use for our school –quite different. I’ve tried to look at this from the point of view of others. We may continue to use these as an occasional resource but it really didn’t fit our style.

Pro: So much is included! We didn’t hardly get anywhere in relation to the number of videos and quizzes available. Broken down by month when the 12-month subscription is selected it is less than $17 a month.

Con: There are a lot of videos that I won’t let my kids watch so the number of accessible videos drops for our family. This isn’t because of conflicting views about evolution {which they are high on} but because some subjects I don’t think my kids need to learn about by video.

Pro: There are lesson plans for each video.

Con: The videos are not all formatted the same which isn’t that big of a deal I don’t suppose. Some had quite a few repeated images throughout the video, which for me was distracting. Also the audio did not always go the same speed as the video. You’d be reading along with the audio with 3 words left and it moved to the next slide or scene.

Pro: The Learning Tools for both the video and quizzes are specific to the video/quiz.

Con: The videos cannot be made larger. And they are a preset speed. You can pause, stop and play; that’s it. Some times it would be nice to slow the audio down, or speed it up. There isn’t a way to do that with these.

Pro: Customer service was very speedy and courteous.

Con: I had to log in multiple times to access any part of the site except for my account status. Granted all the videos that are available with my membership can be found at the account page, I wanted to have to sign in one time then navigate away from that page. It just doesn’t work that way but tech support doesn’t know why.

Pro: The selection of videos per subject area is impressive. I like how they are organized on the site so that you can click on a subject, then a topic, and then choose the video. I especially like the Art, Music, Psychology and Sociology selections; I was surprised by the inclusion of the last two.

Con: There is a lot of clicking needed to get to a final destination.

Pro: I think this would be a good resource for visual and audio learners.

Con: I personally cannot see this being a ‘stand-alone’ program for reading improvement as they state.

I would recommend this program for those that are looking for a resource like this: visual and audial. Also with the different subscription options, it would very easy lower the cost by choosing a more specific focus. Trying the program for $5 a month is also attractive. I think it would work well for tutors, as well.

I don’t think I would recommend it as a complete curriculum. It just seems like it is missing some facets of a ‘complete’ curriculum. Also, for those that do not use videos or the internet in their school, this probably wouldn’t be a good choice.

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Contact Information:

Website: https://www.zaneeducation.com
TECH SUPPORT & GENERAL ENQUIRY
Tel: +1.650.488-8204     
Zane Education has offices located in
NORTH AMERICA, INDIA, AUSTRALIA, and
NEW ZEALAND – HQ
30 Rewi Street
Torbay
Auckland 0630
New Zealand
Tel: +64.9.473 2280     

Zane’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ZaneEducation
Zane’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ZaneEducation

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Have a visit with others who also reviewed this to see how it worked for their families. Click the image below.

***Disclaimer: I received a free subscription and the above mentioned guides from Zane Education via the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given. All opinions stated are my own. I only recommend products that I truly feel will be of benefit to others based on my personal experience. See Disclosure/Policies***