Reviews (homeschool materials)
Awesome Unit Studies: Amanda Bennett
17/11/09 14:08
Some of us use an all-in-one curriculum, some of us forge our own paths, some of us use a combination of the 2. I like doing unit studies for 3 reasons: the intense study of 1 major topic creates a long-term knowledge much more than memorizing facts and figures. Reason 2: how will your children learn in college and in real life? They’ll study things in pockets and packages of information. And 3: they make learning so much fun!!!
Personally, I am not very good at creating unit studies. I can research info and give the kids a direction with websites and library books, but what makes a unit study awesome: devoting the time to it. I have very little precious time. So, who do I turn to for unit studies? One source is Amanda Bennett. She has studies for a wide range of ages, grades, and interests. Sign up for her email list and get cool specials that you won’t want to miss. I have her photography unit study, journal, birthday unit study, and others. They are truly worth the money, especially if you have more than 1 child. Check her out!
http://www.unitstudy.com/
Feel free to leave comments about what you use for unit studies and your sources for inspiration. You are welcome here!
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Personally, I am not very good at creating unit studies. I can research info and give the kids a direction with websites and library books, but what makes a unit study awesome: devoting the time to it. I have very little precious time. So, who do I turn to for unit studies? One source is Amanda Bennett. She has studies for a wide range of ages, grades, and interests. Sign up for her email list and get cool specials that you won’t want to miss. I have her photography unit study, journal, birthday unit study, and others. They are truly worth the money, especially if you have more than 1 child. Check her out!
http://www.unitstudy.com/
Feel free to leave comments about what you use for unit studies and your sources for inspiration. You are welcome here!
blog comments powered by Disqus
Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1
26/01/09 19:27
http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/
We began Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 last week. In the course of my 7th grader’s homeschool “career,” we have used 3 math texts. We started first grade with A Beka, then changed to Saxon in sixth grade. This year, he completed Saxon 8/7 early, and for the first time I realized he was not bad at math! A Beka is a tough program and can get students down, and by fourth grade, we were struggling to get any math done at all without whining and balking. We switched to Saxon for 2 books, 7/6 and 8/7, and did wonderfully! The books are great, but this is not a Saxon review.
I was going to put my son into Saxon Algebra 1/2, but I decided to take a leap and have him take the placement tests for Teaching Textbooks. Some of my friends do TT, but I always cringed at the price. I figured when my child reached the point of needing Algebra, I’d better get him a curriculum that provides a bit more support. Until then, I could make it with less expensive options. I could “relearn” Algebra, but who has the time? Besides, I could use the program for my next 2 children. So, my DS takes the pre-algebra placement test and flies through it. Takes the Algebra 1 test and flies through it, too. When I pick myself up off the floor from shock, I give my DS the Algebra 2 test. Not so great. So, I bought the Algebra one set and off we went!
Okay, enough about me, let’s talk text. The text is divided into 129 lessons, sub-divided into chapters for testing purposes, and 17 tests. No speed drills or Investigations like Saxon. Each lesson has a lecture, practice problems and a problem set. They go quickly and are easy to digest. If your child needs it, there is a set of CDs that cover the lecture, each practice problem, as well as the problem set. You also get a solution manual with answers to all practice and problems, and tests with answers. There is also a CD that has the walk-through of each test question. Very comprehensive.
We have only completed a few lessons, and they are going well. I introduced each item in the Algebra 1 package to my child, and walked him through what a typical math lesson would be like. I only need to interact with him for a few minutes while I call out the answers to the daily math lesson. He checks his missed problems and determines if it is his error, or a lack of understanding. Easy!
The only thing I have not seen is extra problems. I did not see any supplemental exercises on their site, either. In my 9 years of homeschooling, I have only used extra practice 3-4 times, so I doubt it is a big deal.
Oh, and for you (wonderfully enlightened) Mac users, the CDs work on a Mac. They are flash driven, so everything works wonderfully.
Overall, I am very pleased with TT. I think it is a great transition from Saxon. I plan to put my younger ones in Saxon from 4th grade to 7th grade, and then transition them from there to Teaching Textbooks. My reasoning is two-fold and money driven. First, I already have 2 Saxon sets to use with my next 2, and second, I see no need to spend such a large amount of money for math that I am capable of teaching them. When we get to higher math such as Algebra, that’s the point I need some help, so it’s a great place to transition to TT.
One of the things my DS finds hilarious are the problems they give you. They make up the funniest work problems. “The hippos back was so filthy that 1/4 of the parasites voted to migrate. If 126 parasites voted to migrate, how many parasites were there in total?” TT makes algebra at least a little fun.
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