British Mideival Lightning Lit - A TOS Homeschool Crew Review

In early May I learned Hewitt Homeschooling was coming up as a vendor for a Crew Review.

I love materials from Hewitt Homeschooling! And we were being offered a huge variety to choose from. My student is in high school, so that narrowed down my choices. I finally settled on asking for British Medieval . I liked the literature it covered as they were mostly titles I already owned.

The beauty of Hewitt Homeschooling Lightning Lit & Comp materials is the way the teach the student because it has the student read classic literature and write compositions in response just the way they will have to in their college English classes.

The materials arrived. I received the Student's Guide and the Teacher's Guide. I'm the student on this one this time and when new school books come in the mail I feel like a kid in a candy shop! I can't decide what to "taste" first, and it is hard for me to settle down and really get started. When I was finally able to slow down and focus, I began by reading the Student's Guide Introduction.

I love the Lightning Lit Introductions. They start by talking to the student about who they should take this course, why to read literature and how to read literature. They also discuss how to read poetry. The Introduction discusses aspects of poetry: vocabulary, syntax, alliteration, assonance, rhyme and meter. Poetry can be easier to read an easier to understand if you read aloud. 

The author recommends the student consider memorizing poetry, and I am humbled to remember the original tradition of story-telling involved individuals memorizing classics like The Odyssey and Beowulf for the purpose of its retelling. Wow!

The Introduction then teaches the importance of learning to write well. Although it comes more naturally to some than to others, it is a skill that can be learned. The book discusses brainstorming, topic statement, research, outlining, and steps to turning the outline into a final product. 

The Introduction also (of course) discusses how to use the Student's Guide. There is information about what to do with the Lessons and what to keep in mind while you read. I really like that the Guide recommends the student keep a vocabulary notebook and a reading journal.

Next the Student's Guide jumps right to Unit 1, Lesson 1: Beowulf. Before starting Beowulf, I took a look at the Teacher's Guide.  The Teacher's Guide is 85 pages, plain white 3-hole-punched paper, stapled. I will probably get this put into a 3-ring binder sometime -- not having it in a binder causes it to get beat up. The Teacher's Guide also starts with an Introduction, so I started reading again!

The Teacher's Guide Table of Contents is linked on the Hewitt website. The schedule is available in both the Student's and the Teacher's Guide for both a one semester schedule and a full year schedule. The material as presented counts for 1/2 credit. For one full credit the student would need to complete two Hewitt high school Lightning Lit & Comp titles. Another option is to spread the material out over the course of a full year and supplement it with other English work such as grammar and further study such as author studies.

I began my studies of Beowulf. I was surprised as I read, because I have apparently read it before. I didn't remember that I had read it. The only thing I can figure is that I must have led my oldest daughter's literature class when they were studying Beowulf. In my defense, that was about 20 years ago. Yes, it really was. I was able to understand the story better this time because the introduction explained some things I just didn't figure out the first time. I really got into the story and just wanted to enjoy it, so I was frustrated to have to stop and answer the comprehension questions. I know this must be how my students sometimes feel, but at the same time it causes one to slow down and think more about specific aspects of the literature.

The Teacher's Guide provides checklists for writing assignments followed by a grading template for grading the writing assignments. I love the sheets provided for the units to help the teacher come up with the grade. Grading has always been very hard for me! There are ten aspects given to consider when evaluating the student's work (giving a score from 1-10), and then you add the ten scores together to get the final grade. Great grading method. And when the student understands what things contribute to the final grade, it is easier to pay attention to detail. There are also templates for grading comprehension questions and for vocabulary work. The final grade consists of 80% writing assignments, 10% comprehension and 10% vocabulary. I decided to try to work at the one-semester pace, knowing that I might have to slow to the full-year pace if my life got too hectic.

Week 1 involves completing the Introduction and the first half of Beowulf with the comprehension questions.

Week 2 finishes the reading of Beowulf and calls for the Literary Lesson for Unit 1 Lesson 1.

Week 3 gives a choice of Writing Exercises and calls for a rough draft. The student begins Lesson 2, Anglo-Saxon Riddles, and comprehension questions. When you understand the riddles, they are so funny!

Week 4 had me finalize my Week 3 paper and begin a second writing project. The reading for this week was "Old and Middle English".

Week 5 finally let me start Piers Plowman. I had never read it before! It is so funny, what I've read so far. By now I really had to slow down; life is busy. I haven't finished my week 5 work yet.

Doing the British Medieval work on my own has been fun, but I am glad I don't have to grade my own writing assignment. It is hard to be objective about your own work. I have also had difficulty in the past being objective about grading my own kids' writing. I like the way the teacher materials tell the parent not to unnecessarily mark everything wrong. I always struggle with that. As the teacher, make positive comments and keep criticism unemotional. I'm not good at that, either. Avoid rewriting the student's work. I am working on it.

British Medieval is a fantastic program. The Hewitt Lightning Lit & Comp materials are all fabulous. I have previously talked about British Mid-19th Century and the Gr 7 Lightning Lit Set and I loved them both. I've never tried a Hewitt Homeschooling product that I didn't love. Give them a try!

Other members of the Homeschool Review Crew reviewed various Hewitt Homeschooling products. Click on the button below to see other Crew reviews of Hewitt Homeschooling products.

The Power in Your Hands - A Schoolhouse Crew Review

In late May I learned I'd been selected to review another writing program for Writing with Sharon Watson.

I was so pleased the day I received, "hot off the press", my package containing The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School, 2nd Edition. I received both the Student Textbook and the Teacher's Guide. 

I asked to be on this review because I want my son to be equipped for college composition courses. He has actually taken English 101, English Composition, at our local community college this past spring, under the "Dual Enrollment" program. He starts English 102 next month. 

English 102 is a course that will require my son "to read, analyze and evaluate non-fiction and then write arguments using logic and rhetorical techniques." My son tested as prepared to take college level English, and he got a "B" on his first course, but the description on this second course left me concerned that he really might not be adequately prepared for this course. The college class will teach him what to do, but I was so thankful to have this opportunity to spend some time using The Power in Your Hands to try to fill in any gaps!

I received both the student book, pictured above, and the Teacher's Guide, pictured below. 

Here is a summary of the Student Textbook TOC (embedded).

Things that I love about The Power in Your Hands:

•  You can use the program as a one-year plan, or you can use it as a resource, looking up the material you want to cover for the specific type of writing assignment you are assigning.
• The lessons are written to be student directed (parental involvement not required), which is so appropriate at the high school level.
• The material prepares the student for college-level writing.
• The Teacher's Guide gives rubrics and help to the parent/teacher to know how to assign grades. (This was by far the area I have always felt most inadequate!)
• I love the humor sprinkled throughout the book. (Page 1: "WARNING: Cheesy analogy ahead. Proceed at your own risk. And bring tortilla chips and maybe some salsa.")

So, while this material provides 117 daily lessons to walk the student through 21 writing assignments (essays, reports, narratives, persuasion, exposition, description and narration), it can be used by the assignment for specific types of writing. It also can be a shelf resource for years! I can totally see myself pulling this program out to help my son in his writing course at the community college next semester! 

While we have had The Power in Your Hands for six weeks or so, we have certainly not gotten to all sections of the program that my son is going to need. We don't have a syllabus for his next semester's course, so it was choosing topics blindly as we worked through the chapters.

I needed to decide what to focus on with my son. We previously used part of Sharon Watson's Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide (and I reviewed it here on my blog). Some information from When Worlds Collide was also covered in The Power in Your Hands (and that is totally appropriate). Chapter 1: Thinking & Planning was mostly review for us. As I walked my way through the chapters, I realized I was going to have to just pick a place to start even though I'd be skipping other material I wished I could start with, that my son hasn't covered. My son is a lot closer to his next college English class than most high school juniors!

My son wrote a Literary Analysis Essay (Chapter 18) comparing two short stories that he had absolutely no interest in. I know colleges assign these. Working on material you don't care about to create a paper you don't care about is very "real world", but somewhat excruciating! He got through it.

We worked on a Definition Essay (Chapter 19). It was totally new territory for my son. He was struggling with this one, so I worked with him. Each time we thought he understood the concept, he'd work on the draft. I'd go over it with him and find he was lapsing into a persuasive essay. His concept was "What is a Home Schooler", but he kept sliding into a piece to convince the reader why they should home school. We had many draft revisions on this one, but he finally produced a fine essay.

My son also wrote a Personal Narrative (Chapter 23). He called it his memoir. I chuckled over that!... I tend to think of a memoir as something written by someone with a little more life experience than my 16 year old has...

There is so much in this book that I wish I could get into my son's head! So much to learn, so little time! I am so glad the Table of Contents of The Power in Your Hands is laid out so well. As my son receives his assignments in English 102 this fall he can tap into this program's content to help him complete his writing assignments. The content of The Power in Your Hands is so relevant to college writing that I think this book will be a helpful resource for my son for several years.

The Power in Your Hands is available in printed form or as a set of e-books. The student book is a consumable, so having it in e-book form might be handy if you have several students. 

The Power in Your Hands Teacher's Guide is fabulous! (Click picture for sample download.)

The initial section prepares the parent/teacher for the course and lets the parent know what is in the student book, what writing assignments are covered in the program. The next section (my favorite section) goes into great depth to describe how to grade the student. I find it difficult to balance my perfectionism ("This isn't good enough! Please address these issues!") against a randomness that loves everything my student writes (or that doesn't want my student to be discouraged). Concrete rubricks (provided in Teacher's Guide) take away the emotion and/or randomness and allow the student to know what he is aiming for. We both find that so helpful!

Guidelines for editing notation are provided to teach both the teacher and the student. Chapters in the student book are covered in the teacher book with explanations, rubricks, sample writing examples, etc. It is very well done.

If you have a student in high school and are feeling uncertain how to cover teaching composition, The Power in Your Hands might be for you. If you are using a curriculum for high school literature that gives assignments like, "Write a literary analysis comparing these two short stories," without much other explanation, you will find The Power in Your Hands helpful as well. There are certain types of essays and writing assignments your student should be familiar with before starting college and The Power in Your Hands will help prepare your student for these.

You can also get more resources from the Writing with Sharon Watson website. She provides tutorials, weekly writing prompts, teaching tips and more. I've been a newsletter subscriber for quite some time and love those weekly emails!

Other members of the Review Crew also reviewed The Power in Your Hands. To see other product reviews, please click the button below.

IEW 12 Days of Christmas Give-a-Way Days

Announcing IEW's 12 Days of Christmas Giving!

Visit IEW.com/Christmas14 every day, 12/26–1/6, to receive the gifts we have for you, including downloadable products, audio talks, and some special surprises, all completely FREE.

Visit IEW.com/Christmas14 today,
and register for daily email reminders.

Gifts include downloadable products, mp3 talks by Andrew Pudewa, and some really special prizes. Even items they will ship to you all completely FREE. There is even a drawing each day for a complete set of the new Teaching Writing: Structure and Style!

Share with your friends, and enjoy these wonderful gifts.

Fortuigence - A TOS Crew Review

As my son began his 9th grade year, I was painfully aware that we have not focused adequately on the skills of essay and composition writing. I was very happy when I learned that Fortuigence was offering the Schoolhouse Review Crew four writing courses, and that my son and I would be given the opportunity to review their Essay Rock Star Expository Essay Writing Course!

Fortuigence is an online company that was founded by a former classroom teacher named
Lily Iatridis. Ms Iatridis taught school for ten years before taking some time off to stay home and start a family. Fortuigence was born of a brainstorm to think how she might begin to offer online writing courses on her own. She has great respect for homeschoolers, and the largest portion of her clients are homeschoolers. Her goal is to help equip students to write effectively while equipping the parents to walk through the writing process with their students.

I approached the Essay Rock Star Expository Essay Writing Course with my son with a bit of trepidation. This is the third student I have homeschooled high school with, so you might expect me to have a bit of confidence. What you may not know is that my older two students were in a co-op in high school, and the co-op included writing as one of its subjects. My daughters were not only not accountable to me for getting their writing assignments done, but their papers were also not graded by me. I found that to be a huge help. I either corrected everything (not giving them freedom to express their own thoughts, but trying to get them to express my thoughts) or else I thought everything they wrote was wonderful (with blinders that prevented me from helping them to improve their writing). Having an impartial 3rd party do the paper-grading was what I needed.

So along came this son that God gave me. He is so different from me. If I ask him to write an essay about "Topic X", he says he wants to write about "Topic Q" that I know nothing about. This leaves me feeling 1) like I cannot score his papers because I don't know if the material is correct or not and 2) like he's never going to learn to write on a topic that is assigned to him. Along came the Essay Rock Star Expository Essay Writing Course.

The Expository Essay Course is broken down into bite-sized pieces. Each step along the way teaches the student (and the parent) how to approach that segment of the essay-writing process. It also gives links, PDF files, and ideas to help the student every step of the way. Each of the following steps was one lesson. After each lesson the student completes a related assignment, submits the assignment to the teacher, and receives feedback on the written work before continuing. Here are the steps/lessons:

1) Course Introduction, Rubrics, and Pre-Assessment (child sends in a sample writing assignment from previous work);

2) Purpose and Description; Brainstorming;

3) Organizing Ideas;

4) Free Writing;

5) Revision;

6) Editing;

7) Wrap-Up.

So we started off with the Pre-Assessment. That doesn't sound too difficult, right? You just send in a previous writing assignment. Well, scroll back up to that first paragraph where I said I have neglected writing and composition. Did you think I was kidding? I didn't have a previous writing assignment. This young man has never before written an essay or a composition. He has written answers to questions in workbooks, and he has kept a journal. Fairly Charlotte Mason in our previous schooling, I have often had him narrate to me orally. I tried to get him to do written narrations one year, but that flopped (he was unwilling and I did not fight with him). He now understands that learning to write essays and compositions is necessary to move forward into college and is willing to learn, but there was no "previous writing assignment". He had to start Lesson 1 by writing an essay to submit for the assessment.

It became necessary for me to instruct him just to get started. I discussed with him the basic five paragraph composition that starts with an introductory paragraph, is followed by three supporting paragraphs, and concludes with a paragraph that restates the introductory paragraph and wraps up all the loose ends. Initially we had some difficulty figuring out how to submit the essay. I tried to attach a document, but my computer was generating different document formats than the Fortuigence site wanted to accept. I finally figured out how to submit a ".doc" document.

We submitted my son's essay, and I waited with anxiety. I had forced myself not to read the essay, not to make corrections or comments. Later the same day, his instructor (who was Lily Iatridis herself, by the way) sent my son a note telling him he is a "competent writer" and had us move on to Lesson 2. Who knew? My son and I were both pleased and relieved.

So we watched the video for Lesson 2 and then read through the documentation that followed the video. There was a link given to a website that offers (limited) free support for brain-storming. I had to prompt my son to give him ideas on what to write on. I suggested he write on something he knows a lot about, and we both thought about that. He picked his topic and went to the brainstorming page and created lots of sub-topics. He had selected a "process" style topic, so I let him know he did not need to be constrained by the five-paragraph format of the previous essay.

Somehow I got lost in what I was reading and I directed my son, incorrectly, to submit a rough draft as his assignment for the brainstorming. He did the work and we submitted his writing.

Ms. Iatridis received this rough draft with surprise. We had by-passed four lessons or something. She read what he had written and responded to him with an email of glowing praise, suggesting that he didn't really need the course, and that if we weren't reviewing the course she would probably give us a refund. What? I mean, this is the second writing assignment in his life. My son responded to me, "Does this mean I never have to do another writing assignment?" I had to let him down gently. There is still so much for him to learn!

So we walked our way through the additional lessons, resubmitting the same essay after each lesson, until the lessons caught up to where my son was, having written his rough draft. Finally, after Lesson 6, his writing was reviewed with a fine-toothed comb. This is where the capitalization was scrutinized, punctuation, unfamiliar words, awkward wording, etc.

My son went over the teacher-markups and is making final adjustments to his composition, to create a great finished product. And I, meanwhile, have saved copies of all the tools and materials provided during the course, so we will have them in our arsenal for future writing assignments. 

While I don't know if my son will ever enjoy writing (especially writing assigned to him by someone else), I think I can honestly say that he and I have both been totally pleased with our experience with the Essay Rock Star Expository Essay Writing Course. The constructive praise and comments made by the teacher were helpful, encouraging, and anything but shallow. And I totally feel this course was as beneficial for me as the teacher as it was for my son as the student.

The Essay Rock Star Expository Essay Writing Course is a perfect fit for 12-18 year old students. It is a "short course" (to be completed over the course of one month) in the Fortuigence offerings, and is priced at $57, counting as only a small fraction of the writing my son should complete this year. The company offered me the opportunity to get the rest of the essay program at a 40% discount, and I am mulling that idea over and will discuss it with my husband and my son. Right now I am thinking I have the skill and ability to teach Essay and Composition to my son, but not the confidence. So purchasing the entire course is a definite possibility.

So go to the Fortuigence website and look around. Be sure to check out the free resources page while you are there. To see reviews by other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, click the button below. Crew members reviewed four different products, so you can learn about all of them.

Write with World: A TOS Crew Review

This month I have been blessed to have the opportunity to review a new product by WORLD Magazine.

Their new writing program, Write with World, is written for middle-schoolers, so it was a perfect fit for our home school.

 Write with WORLD is a two year writing program, with separate student and teacher book, one set for each year, and additional on-line resources to correspond to the year you are using. They plan to keep the website updated so that the writing prompts will stay relevant and interesting for the students.

WORLD knew you might wonder why they decided to create a writing curriculum, so the created an answer page: Why Another Writing Curriculum?

From their website, "Write with WORLD is the middle school writing curriculum developed by education and media professionals. Use it to inspire and train your students to become proficient communicators who can meet educational requirements and navigate today's growing new media and conflicting worldviews.

"Write with WORLD exposes students to:

• reading and critical thinking that develop discernment
• contemporary subjects and professional guidance to pique interest
• flexible exercises to build confidence and skill for using today's new media
• a thoughtful and meaningful Christian worldview"

If you click HERE, you can read an article from WORLD magazine about this new approach to teaching writing.


The Year 1 program is laid out with four Units. Each unit contains four Lessons. Each Lesson contains five Capsules, to be completed one per day. So, theoretically this curriculum could be completed over a 16 week period. 


Looking through the various lessons, it is clear that this curriculum has been laid out in a systematic fashion, with great care to cover the important areas the student needs to develop to become a good writer. There are sections covering the different parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.), sentence structure, paragraph structure, topic sentences, etc. It looks very thorough. The time we had been given to use the material before the review was due did not allow us to get very far through the curriculum, but I can't wait to continue on my way through the material with my son.

Now, just to add some balance here, my enthusiasm for this product does not infer that my son likes it. I am the one who likes it. It looks thorough; it looks systematic. It looks like something my son needs. My son doesn't like it. Don't take it personally. My son hates school. My usual disclaimer is, "My son doesn't like it. He hates everything." I've had to adjust that statement because we recently stumbled across something that he liked... But I will save that for another review.


POSITIVES:
First of all, I have long liked WORLD Magazine and God's WORLD News.  I had never been to their website, and now that I have seen it, I am amazed by all it offers. Learning more about Write with WORLD, I really like what I see. This curriculum has a lot of potential.

I personally share for my son the goals WORLD sets out as reasons for creating this writing curriculum.  Again, from their website,  "Write with WORLD aims to produce young writers who love writing, can write effectively, and intelligently share ideas, beliefs, and their worldview. We hope to support a generation of young believers who aspire to use their writing skills in the service of God's Kingdom and explain effectively the reasons for their beliefs."  I love these goals! And I know, from personal experience, that a lot of homeschooling moms really need help to provide this type of education for their children.

So, I love that this program seeks to:

• teach critical thinking;
• use advertising the student is familiar with to teach this critical thinking;
• teach writing skills to a level that prepares the student for college;
• teach a Biblical worldview;
• remedial where student skills are lacking.

CRITICISMS:
This is a new curriculum. The copy I received is part of a pilot program, so the comments I make here may enable WORLD to address the areas I am having problems with. So, knowing that these issues may be corrected before you receive these materials as a purchase, this is what I found fault with in these materials:

• I am not finding a Table of Contents to help me on my way. There is a TOC on-line, but I want it in my book, and I don't want to have to print it out myself.
• I do not see a section in the Parent/Teacher book for "Getting Started" to tell me things I need to have available for my student, no "Teacher Overview" for the year. Lesson 1 tells the student he/she will need for the lesson his "Writer's Journal", a dictionary, a thesaurus, a timer, a high lighter, magazines with photographs and advertisements. Is the entire curriculum laid out this way? Will I have to pre-read the entire book, lesson by lesson, capsule by capsule, to make sure we are not scrambling at the beginning of writing class to find the required items for each lesson? It would be nicer if there were a schematic in the Teacher book telling what items to have ready for each lesson.
• In spite of the list on the bullet above, Lesson 1 then instructs the student to write questions down in his "Conversations Writer's Journal (CWJ)". I have no idea what that is. Am I supposed to buy an additional book? Or do we start a plain book and give it a name? I am finding many things unclear. In fact, I think they merged "Conversations:" with the previously mentioned "Writer's Journal", and without transition started calling it the "CWJ".
• avid, read the definitions, and then "read through the sentence where avid appears again. Choose the meaning that best defines the word..." I really had to search more than necessary to locate the word. It would have been helpful if the sentence had simply said, "Now read again through the paragraph on the previous page where avid appears..." (italics added to show the added words, and I changed where "again" is to make the sentence flow).
• This is supposed to be a "Year 1" curriculum (as in a "one-year" curriculum), but at quick glance I only see 16 weeks-worth of assignments. I have not yet determined what the assignments are to be for the additional 20 weeks of the school year. [It might be in there. I might just be missing it. I also don't see it in the TOC, and as I mentioned, there is no Teacher Overview for me to look at.] 

A FEW FINAL THINGS:
This program seems best suited to students who already like to write. However, it is probably most needed by students who do not like to write. It is not Charlotte Mason style learning (my normal educational style). I suppose it may lean more towards a Classical style of education, but I'm not sure.

The program does not require a lot of teacher prep, but it is wise to read through the days work in advance, know what is coming, and make sure you are prepared with all the little things that each capsule asks the student to have on hand, such as colored pencils, thesaurus, etc.

This publisher is most certainly Christian in orientation. This program most probably would offend secular educators.

You can see a sample of the student book for Write with World, Year 1, HERE.

Write with WORLD [Ordering Here] Year 1 costs $95, and includes the Parent/Teacher book and the Student book. The Student book can be reused if your student understands to not write in it. My son did not understand that. Before I could explain that to him, he had already written in the book. ::sigh::

WORLD is the same publisher that brings us WORLD Magazine and God's WORLD News, which you can also get to from the above ordering link.


DISCLAIMER:
I received printed copy of  Write with WORLD, Year 1, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. I receive free products in exchange for a review. The review is honest. If I like it, I say so; if I don't like it, I say so.

This has been a TOS Homeschool Crew Review.

To see more reviews of this product, click on the above Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew banner.

Let me know what you think. Throw me a comment. Thanks!