A Stable Beginning: literature

Showing posts with label literature. Show all posts

Monday, April 8, 2024

2024 ~ 2025 Plan of Study: 5th, 9th, & 12th grades

Morning friends! It’s that time of the year again. You know the one where I share all the grand plans we have for the upcoming school year. I don’t know about you, but I am super excited to share our plans with you. It’s very freeing getting the plans out of my head and onto paper and the blog. Once again, I have had all three kids enrolled in their upcoming online courses with Veritas Press Scholars since the beginning of February. Our initial plans went from Montana only taking two courses to her enrolling into five! More on that in a minute. Veritas Press has been a huge blessing in our schooling since we started utilizing their a la carte courses when Madison was in high school. I am grateful to be able to take advantage of a classical education model and come alongside the amazing teachers to give my children an amazing classical education.

I’ve been planning for next school year since last December when I had a consult with our fabulous VP Consultant, Jen. She really helped me see the big picture of things for the rest of McKenzie and Micah’s schooling. I was <this> close to enrolling McKenzie in the Veritas Press Diploma program. I didn’t for several reasons, but mainly because I don’t want to give up our way of doing history or math. What’s the saying? “If it’s not broke, then don’t fix it”.

I am excited to say that we are entering our 15th year of homeschooling! For you Mama’s in the trenches with littles or those in the middle, keep going! Bottom line… it is worth it! Every.single.minute. There will always be doubt that you’re not doing enough or doing something wrong that will mess up your child for life, but you’re not! “Do the work of homeschooling” and you will reap the benefits down the road. As always, I want to note that any links below are not affiliated links. I just put them in for my reference and yours if you want to check the curriculum out. Also, because we have been schooling for so long and I am coming up on my 5th time through high school, I already own most of the curriculum listed as I try to shop our shelves first before investing into something new.

Without further ado, here’s our 2024 ~ 2025 Plan of Study.

Micah, is rising to 5th grade! He started his online learning this school year for 4th grade, and it has been the best thing for him. He is finishing up Latin 3, Linguistics 4, and Saxon Math 3 (Saxon 5/4) online. I made a mistake and had him enrolled in Linguistics 4 instead of Linguistics 5 which would have been a better fit challenge wise. But the silver lining is that he now knows the spelling rules and his spelling is even better. For 5th grade we are going to go back to our beloved Rod & Staff Spelling because he now can read cursive which is the reason why we switched last year. For 5th grade Micah will take two courses online including Latin 4, Grammar & IEW Writing 4. We will continue using Sonlight for History for him, but I am going to tweak it to fit us as I have done with the girls for 5th grade. He will also use the self-paced history course from Veritas Press to round out our study. It's a biology year in science for us but I’m still up in the air about which curriculum we will use for Micah. I have narrowed it down to three programs, Elemental Science Logic Stage Biology, Real Science Odyssey Biology 2 (minus the evolution chapters), or BJU Homeschool Life Science. I have done both Elemental Science and RS Odyssey with his older sisters, but I am thinking he will need something different to fit his learning style. Plus, I would like something that is Christian based, so I am leaning towards BJU’s Life Science.

Micah's Plan of Study for 2024-2025 will be:

Bible

~ Veritas Press Genesis to Joshua Self-Paced Bible

Math

~ Saxon 6/5

Language Arts

~ Shirley Grammar 4 online with Veritas Press

~ IEW Structure & Style Writing, Year 1-Level 2A online with Veritas Press

~ Rod & Staff Spelling, Book 6

~ Script and Scribe Truth Traveler

~ Veritas Press Literature 4

He will read:

• Mary Poppins

The Hobbit

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

Twenty-One Balloons

Faerie Gold

Leepike Ridge

Dangerous Journey

History/Geography

~ Sonlight Core G – Ancient History, we will spread this Core over two years

~ Veritas Press Self-Paced History – Old Testament/Ancient Egypt

Science

~ BJU Homeschool Life Science

Greek Myths

~ Memoria Press D'Aulaires' Greek Myths

Latin

~ Latin 4 w/ Latin for Children, B online with Veritas Press

Baseball – Sunday Select team, off season training

Weekly Co-Op

~ Magic School Bus Science

~ Around the World Geography

~ PE

~ Blood & Guts

McKenzie is officially heading to high school! I am excited and a little sad at the same time. Sad because it means she just has 4 short years at home. However, I am preparing her to soar when the time comes so we are going to make the most of each of the years we have left homeschooling. She has done an amazing job at handling her course load for 8th grade. As I said earlier, I was going to sign her up for the diploma program with Veritas Press, but decided against it and we will proceed with our course of study that I know will pass the NCAA Clearinghouse and keep her competitive for USAFA (Not that Veritas Press is not competitive for highly selective universities). McKenzie will earn 6 high school credits for her 8th grade year to count towards high school. A combination of three core classes and three electives.

McKenzie's Plan of Study looks like this for 2024-2025:

Bible {1 credit}

~ Sonlight Bible 210 with Westminster Catechism

Math {1 credit}

~ Saxon Algebra 1

Honors English 9 {1 credit}

~ Composition 1 online with Veritas Press

~ Rod & Staff Grammar, 9/10, Book 1

~ Rod & Staff Spelling 8

~ Wordly Wise, Book 9

Honors Science {1 credit}

~ Apologia Biology online with Veritas Press

Honors Literature {1 credit}

~ Sunlight Core 210 Classical Literature

Honors History {1 credit}

~ Tapestry of Grace, Year 1(Rhetoric level) – Ancient World History

Foreign Language {1 credit}

~ Latin II online with Veritas Press

Electives

~ Apologia Health {1 credit}

~ Drawing basics @ co-op {1/2 credit ?}

~Yearbook / Photography @ co-op {1 credit}

~ Theater @ co-op {1/2 credit ?}

PE {1 credit}

~ Level 9 Gymnastics, 28 hours a week

Extras

~ SAT/ACT Prep (30 minutes/day)

Total yearly credits: 11 credits

Montana will officially be a high school senior in August! Remember how I said time flies once they hit high school? She will continue to take dual enrollment courses to finish out her high school years. This year she will take four courses that will count for 5 dual enrollments. She is still undecided on what she wants to study at university in the fall of 2025, but these courses will give her a jump start on her general educational requirements. Montana is going to take the ACT one more time over the summer to try and raise her score a little more. She is on the bubble to going up one full point, which translates more merit money or full ride depending on which university she attends.

Montana's Plan of Study looks like this for 2024-2025:

Bible {1 credit}

~ Sonlight Bible 510 Worldview Studies

Math {1 credit}

~ Calculus 1: Early Transcendental Functions online with Veritas Press (AP exam)

Honors Science {1 credit}

~ Apologia Physics 1 online with Veritas Press

Honors English 4 {1 credit} (DE)

~ Sonlight Core 630 British Literature (AP exam)

Honors History {1 credit}

~ Sonlight Core 500 World History

Honors Foreign Language {1 credit} (DE)

~ Spanish 102 at local CC (DE)

PE {1 credit}

~ home workouts

Electives

~ Psychology 101 at local CC (DE) {1 credit}

~Art History at local CC (DE) {1 credit}

~ Principles of Advanced Drawing @ co-op {1/2 credit}

~ LEGO Creativity & Problem Solving @ co-op {1/2 credit}

Extras

~ Mother’s Helper 1/day a week for 4 hours

~ Student Teaching Spanish 6-12 @ co-op

Total yearly credits: 9.0 credits for High School / 15 credits for College

That’s it in a nutshell! Thanks for reading this far. If we happen to change anything over the course of the year I will update this post.

Until next time friends, have a blessed day!

http://astablebeginning.com

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Christian Literature Study Guides from Progeny Press ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family and I pray you, the reader, find them helpful on your homeschooling journey. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations. Progeny Press

Morning friends! We are on the road bringing our two University girls back to school but I am happy to share a review with you from a long standing favorite, Progeny Press. If you have been around the blog for long, then you know our family has a fond affection towards good books. I try to fill our bookshelves full of good books as well as check them out from the local library. We love adding Progeny Press guides to our Language Arts studies, so we were excited to receive the Farmer Boy Study Guide this time to review.

Progeny Press has been a family owned and operated company since 1992. They produce high quality literature guides from a Christian worldview ranging from lower elementary years through high school. They literally have 100+ guides and add 3-6 new titles each year ranging from lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school. If you are looking for a literature guide, they have got you covered!

Have you ever checked out the literature guides from Progeny Press? I highly suggest you look at them if you are looking to add critical thinking to your child’s learning this year. In our family I have found that literature guides make reading even more enjoyable for my younger children and helps me to check for comprehension.

For this review we received a downloadable interactive PDF copy of the study guide for the second book in the Little House on the Prairie series, Farmer Boy. This guide helps break down the story of nine-year old Almanzo Wilder and is told through Laura Ingalls Wilder’s eyes. With this literature study guide, your child will learn about literary techniques on synonyms, adjectives, characterization, dictionary, mood, paraphrase, in context, thesaurus, similes, metaphors, and theme. More importantly this literature study guide will teach moral and character lessons on attitude, work ethic, patience, the Sabbath, truth, consequences, and loving one another.

I used the Farmer Boy literature guide with my son, Micah who is 8 and in the 3rd grade. This study guide is suggested for children in upper elementary grades 4-6, however, Micah is a strong reader and currently reads at a late 5th grade reading level. Because of his age I am always on the hunt for quality of literature for him to read without being mature themes etc. Progeny Press helps me to provide quality literature books and for that I am grateful! Using this study guide is easy for the child and mom.

During the first week it is best to read the entire book before getting started on the activities within the study guide. Vocabulary is addressed in many ways to make sure the reader has a full grasp of the words being studied. First students are required to define several words, determine word meaning from its context and then double check their guesses in a dictionary. Vocabulary words and definitions are also presented to be matched and there is a vocabulary activity in multiple choice format. Comprehension questions which ask the student to recall events from the book are also included.

Progeny Press’s website is easy to navigate so you can find the guide you are looking for. All of the literature guides on the website are categorized by both genre and grade-level to help with this navigation. Be sure to check out the sample of the types of questions and information contained in the guides at the website. The guides are extremely user-friendly and are currently available as a print version, CD in PDF format, and email as a PDF attachment. We enjoyed using this literature guide just like the others we own. The new interactive format allows the student to type in the answers directly on their computer screen which is awesome! I also love that there is no limit on copying pages for use within our homeschool. Progeny Press

Our family finds that literature guides make reading even more enjoyable! We give this guide 2 thumbs up and I look forward to adding more literature guides to our collection over the course of the school year. Be sure to check out what my Crewmates thought of this guide and the many other guides being reviewed, The Story of Ping Study Guide, The Last Battle Study Guide, and the Fellowship of the Ring Study Guide.

Company ~ Progeny Press

Product ~ Farmer Boy Study Guide

Price ~ $19.99

Format ~ downloadable PDF

Ages ~ upper elementary grades 4th-6th

Find Progeny Press on these Social Media sites:

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube

https://astablebeginning.com

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Jacob DeShazer, Christian Heroes: Then & Now from YWAM Publishing ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

Morning friends!

I am here to share another review with you this week. If you are a long time reader of this blog you already know that we use a mostly Classical, literature-based approach to homeschool our children and that we get to read a lot each day. As a result, we have several titles from the Christian Heroes Then & Now series and the Heroes of History series, as well. What I love most is that our main history program uses many of these great books.

Today I am excited to tell you about another great YWAM Publishing book offered to us from their Christian Heroes Then and Now series. We chose to review Jacob DeShazer: Forgive Your Enemies

YWAM Publishing is the publishing division to the Youth With A Mission organization and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. They were founded in 1960 with a mission is to provide quality Christian materials to help fund children and adults around the world through vital mission’s programs.

The Christian Heroes: Then & Now series is geared for children older than ten and is available as a physical book, audiobook, or e-Book that can be downloaded from the website. Currently this series includes fifty books on Christian Heroes from the 1700-1960’s.

We received a physical copy of the book, Jacob DeShazer as well as a downloadable PDF copy of the study guide for this review. If you have never heard the story of the famous Doolittle Raiders, who first attacked Japan after the Pearl Harbor bombing, then make sure to get your hands on a copy of this book to learn the story of Jacob DeShazer who was sent on a dangerous one-way mission which led to him being captured for over forty months. One day he was given a Bible after being beaten, malnourished, and left alone in his cell for days at a time. During this time, he found solace in the Bible and became a Christian. When the war ended Mr. DeShazer returned to Japan to serve his former prisoner as a missionary for over 30 years. This softcover book retails for $7.50.

YWAM also includes a Unit Study for the book that is designed for both individual or group learning. For this review I chose to just read the story aloud to my children who are 15, 12, & 7. The study guide is suitable for a wide variety of learning styles because of the many different types of projects and activities offered. It includes many projects and writing assignments to keep you busy and engaged with what you are learning. There is so much in this guide for all ages including:

~ Creative writing prompts

~ Dramas

~ Reading comprehension questions

~ Essay writing assignments

~ Geography

~ Timeline project

~ Movie critiquing

~ Hands on projects, audio visual projects, arts & crafts projects

~ Games

~ Many additional resource ideas

Overall, we have truly enjoyed this book selection! Learning to forgive others even when they have done you wrong is a huge lesson to learn. The story of Jacob DeShazer shows us just how to forgive others. I know I can count on the quality of workmanship from the YWAM Publishing company. Many of their books grace our overflowing bookshelves and I would gladly remove another title to make room for one from YWAM Publishing. Be sure to check out what 27 of my CrewMates thought of this book/study guide combination as well as the other titles that were reviewed by clicking the banner below.

christian-biographies-from-ywam-publishing-bring-heroes-to-life

Company ~ YWAM Publishing

Product ~ Jacob DeShazer: Forgive Your Enemies

Format ~ softcover book,

Paperback ISBN: 978-157658475-0

Price ~ $7.50

Ages ~ 10+

Social Media Links:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest:

The YWAM Publishing Blog

https://astablebeginning.com

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

True biography of Clara Barton from YWAM Publishing ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a Complimentary copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

Hey there! I love adding biographies to our learning so you know I was excited to review another one of the books in the Heroes of History from YWAM Publishing. We were offered several choices from their popular Heroes of History series and this time around we chose to learn about Clara Barton: Courage under Fire.

If you are just starting your homeschool journey you may be scratching you head and saying, “YWAM, who”? YWAM Publishing is the publishing division to the Youth With A Mission organization and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Their mission is to provide quality Christian materials to help fund children and adults around the world through vital missions programs. We received a physical copy of the book and a PDF copy of the study guide for the purpose of this review. I should note the book is available in either paperback, Kindle or Nook version, eBook, or audio book in MP3 or CD formats for just $7.50.

So, lets dig into the book a bit. Did you know that Clara Barton, who was once an extremely timid child, dedicated her life to service of others? She worked tirelessly to save the lives of soldiers during the Civil War. Through her bold and heroic actions she became known as the “Angel of the Battlefield”. She also organized the American Red Cross, how neat is that!

We really love these true biographies of American heroes! We also received a Study Guide to use with our book. Learning through living books makes learning more memorable for all of us so I was especially excited to be able to study about Clara Barton in-depth. The study guide that correlates with the book retails for just $5.49! So, for just under $14.00 you can get It an in-depth study of your favorite historical hero. It is full of activities and projects including:

~ Creative writing prompts

~ Dramas

~ Reading comprehension questions

~ Essay writing assignments

~ Geography

~ Timeline project

~ Movie critiquing

~ Hands on projects, audio visual projects, arts & crafts projects

~ Games

~ Many additional resource ideas

The study guide is designed for both individual and/or group learning. It is also suitable for many age/grade levels because of the wide variety of learning styles presented through the projects and activities offered.

Student Explorations ~ essay writing, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts/crafts

Social Studies ~ reproducible maps, geography, terms/vocabulary, journey tracking, critical thinking

Bible Study ~ scripture memorization, devotional application, spiritual concepts

Community Links ~ meaningful field trips, guest speaker ideas, service projects

Related Themes to Explore ~ missions, current events, life skills, math, government, science

Bibliography or Related Resources ~ books, movies, documentaries, magazine articles, websites

Culminating Event ~ project displays, cultural food, music, and activities, oral presentations

I really love the lesson presented in this book about Clara Barton! She never gave up, even when pressing forward meant she would lose everything. Such a great lesson for everyone in life! I try to instill this in all of my kids. Keep battling and fighting for your dreams and goals even when things are hard and tough. This book has come at the perfect time for McKenzie as she is battling through a lingering injury that has left her sidelined for much of the gymnastics season.

Reading how Clara was able to keep pushing through has encouraged her to do so as well for the sport she loves.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” —Ambrose Redmoon (quote taken from pg9 of the study guide)

YWAM has many titles to choose from in their Heros of History series. Be sure to click on the link below to read some of my CrewMates thoughts of the following heroes.

Christopher Columbus William Bradford Cpt. John Smith William Penn Benjamin Rush Benjamin Franklin George Washington John Adams Meriwether Lewis Daniel Boone Davy Crockett Abraham Lincoln Harriet Tubman Clara Barton Thomas Edison Theodore Roosevelt Milton Hershey George Washington Carver Laura Ingalls Wilder Orville Wright Douglas MacArthur Louis Zamperini Alan Shepard Ronald Reagan Billy Graham Ben Carson

Company ~ YWAM Publishing

Product ~ Heroes of History ~ Clara Barton: Courage under Fire

Format ~ paperback book

Price ~ $7.50 Ages ~ 10+

YWAM Publishing can be found on these Social Media Sites:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

http://astablebeginning.com

Thursday, July 9, 2020

High School Literature Guides: Animal Farm Study Guide and Little Women Study Guide from Progeny Press ~ a TOS review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.

Are you gearing up for the new school year? Or have you just decided that you will be homeschooling due to the COVID pandemic and are searching for literature curriculum that is Christian based? Our family has always enjoyed the literature guides we have used from Progeny Press and today I am excited to tell you about the two newest guides, Animal Farm Study Guide and Little Women Study Guide, that we have used over the last six weeks for our summer learning activities.

If you have been a long term reader you already know that our family has a fond affection towards good books. I try to fill our bookshelves full of good books as well as check them out from the library. We have found that literature guides make reading even more enjoyable!

At Progeny Press we are committed to teaching good cultural literature, examined from a Christian perspective. We believe in the equation "Biblical Truth + Cultural Relevancy = Effective Christians." Take away biblical truth and Christians become no more than a religious subculture-- salt without saltiness. Take away cultural relevancy and Christians become isolationists with no impact on the world-- lights hidden under bushels. We believe in looking at the world clearly and openly with the Bible firmly in hand.

~ from the website

Progeny Press has been a family owned and operated company since 1992. They produce high quality literature guides from a Christian worldview ranging from lower elementary years through high school. They literally have 100+ Literature guides and add 3-6 new titles each year ranging from lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school. So you are sure to find one or several that fit your needs.

We received the downloadable interactive eGuides of the study guides for the novels Animal Farm and Little Women. Mikayla, my rising 12th grader, is working her way through Animal Farm which tells the classic story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer to form a society where animals are considered equal and free. While Montana, my rising 8th grader, is reading Little Woman, the timeless classic that tells the story of the March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy— as they grow from childhood to womanhood.

Both of the guides that we received are suitable for High School credit. For reference, completing four literature guides is considered a full literature credit. The suggested length of time for finishing a study guide is 8-10 weeks, however you can adjust this based on your child’s reading speed. The first week is used to read the book and then each study guide takes the reader through two chapters of the novel at a time and focuses on several different literary concepts. Vocabulary is addressed in many ways to make sure the reader has a full grasp. First students are required to define several words, determine word meaning from its context and then double check their guesses in a dictionary. Vocabulary words and definitions are also presented to be matched and there is a vocabulary activity in multiple choice format. Using a thesaurus to study definitions is also taught.

Also included are several comprehension questions which ask the student to recall events from the book and analyze them. Literary devices such as similes, synonyms, foreshadowing, hyperboles, juxtaposition, metaphor, personification, and idioms are reviewed and how they are presented and used in the text are studied. Character studies include studying personalities, reactions to events, and events in general in light of Scripture passages relevant to the storyline. I love that each guide takes care to draw the student back to the Bible.

As you can see each guide includes a variety of elements, depending on the level of the study. To make navigation on the website easier, literature guides are categorized by both genre and grade-level. The guides are extremely user-friendly and are currently available as a print version, CD in PDF format, and email as a PDF attachment.

We enjoyed our literature guides tremendously! I love that the girls have read quality literature over the summer to keep their minds active and fresh. The new interactive eGuide format allows the student to type in the answers directly on their computer screen which is awesome and saves paper! If you like to print, there is no limit on copying pages for use within your homeschool. Progeny Press Guides are economically priced from $10.99 to $27.99, Little Women and Animal Farm both sell for $21.99. Be sure to browse the online catalog for individual pricing on all the available guides.

Our family finds that literature guides make reading even more enjoyable! We give these two guide 2 thumbs up and I look forward to adding more literature guides over the course of the school year.
Be sure to check out what my CrewMates thought of this guide and the many other guides being reviewed A New Coat for Anna Study Guide , In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson Study Guide , and My Side of the Mountain Study Guide.