Showing posts with label Language Arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Language Arts. Show all posts

Tuesday 1 March 2016

Words, Words and more Words

Welcome to the fifth annual Virtual Curriculum Fair. Today is week one of the 2016 Virtual Curriculum Fair. This week homeschool bloggers from around the world are sharing their language arts recommendations. They will be sharing their perspective on how to teach: phonics, reading, writing, grammar, spelling, speech, literature, Latin and foreign language studies.

This year I will be co-hosting with  Kristen over at Sunrise to Sunset and Laura over at Day by Day in our World.  If you have any posts on the topic of Language Arts please add your link to the linky at the bottom of this post we look forward to seeing what you use to teach language arts.

Language Arts

Have you ever stopped to think about it our whole world runs on communication and to communicate you need words.  Words take on many forms they can be both verbal or non verbal.  When you start home educating you are faced with the task of finding a way to teach your children to communicate in a multitude of ways.

Then the questions start:
  • What are you using to teach grammar ?
  • Are you doing a second language ?
  • How are you tackling literature ?
  • Are you using phonics ?
  • Which spelling program are you going to use ?
  • How do you teach your children composition ?
  • Will you be joining the local speech and drama club ?
Some days it feels as though the questions are never ending.  Each time you do a google search you discover that there's a new program that promises to do it all for you!  (If only they could go to sleep on a magic pillow and wake up well educated ...) Do not let these sorts of questions fluster you or make you feel as though you can not teach your children well.

The most important question to get settled in your mind is:  What is my my homeschool philosophy? Once that is settled then start looking for programs that will help you school your students within that framework.  Personally I am leaning towards a Delight Directed and Charlotte Mason approach in my homeschooling.  Now that I know that I look for products that will help me educate Nathaniel in that manner with the long term goal of addressing the areas in the questions above.

Every year new products appear on line and I'm so grateful to companies that provide updates to their products too. The downside is I keep wanting to buy something new ...

In the past I have used and been pleased with the following items and will be continuing to use them this year:
On this blog
We enjoy great literature and are trying to follow a Charlotte Mason approach with reading twaddle free literature.  I share a new book each week on a Tuesday called Tuesday's Treasures.  Be sure to come back each Tuesday for a new book.

Second Language Resources
For more information on Language Arts you can read the posts from past fairs here:
We have some wonderful homeschool bloggers sharing their thoughts and inspiration on Language Arts and your homeschool.

Be sure to grab a cup of coffee / tea and take some time over the week ahead to read over these posts:
Add your posts about anything Language Arts related to Week 1 - Language Arts link up below.

Saturday 24 October 2015

Phonetic Zool Level A {IEW Review}

Earlier this year Nathaniel and I had the privilege of beginning our writing journey with The Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). I have been a huge fan of theirs for over a decade and was very encouraged to see Nathaniel's progress in the area of composition using their Student Writing Package.

Due to Asperger's Syndrome Nathaniel has been struggling in the area of language arts and spelling is an area we have been working on. I recently discovered that Nathaniel learns best with short lessons, copy work and with clear instructions. I heard about Phonetic Zoo Spelling Level A [Starter Set] and I was very keen to try it.

You can watch Andrew Pudewa's introduction to Spelling Zoo on YouTube.

What we received
  • Spelling and the Brain video Seminar
  • 5 audio CD's containing 47 lessons, answer keys and 6 final exams
  • Lesson Cards 
  • Personal Spelling Cards
  • Zoo Cards
  • Phonetic Zoo Teacher Notes (PDF file) 3.93 MB. This manual is 76 pages long and contains: How to notes, an introduction to Phonetic Zoo, short lesson notes for each lesson and Appendices.

How we used it

After downloading the Teachers Manual I printed it off and followed took some time to read through the notes in the beginning. I found these notes particularly helpful as they explain the reasons behind the method.

Spelling Zoo uses a multi-sensory approach to teach spelling and has it's foundations in Mrs. Anna Inghams Blended Sound-Sight Program of Learning. The explanations of basic neurophysiology deepened my understanding of the processes involved in learning to spell and helped reinforce the method.

 I downloaded the audio program into iTunes and gave Nathaniel the first spelling card. 

Nathaniel looked over the spelling rule and column A of the spelling words. I had him read the rule to me and explained what it meant in relation to the words he was learning.  We put aside the card and took out a book with plain lined paper.

The next step was for him to do on his own.  He started listening to the audio. Track one explains to the student how the program works.  Track two was the first lesson.  The spelling rule is recited followed by a spelling practice run.

This involves:
  • Hearing the word to be learned in context of a sentence 
  • Writing the word.  
  • Once all the words are written the student is required to mark their own work. The process involves: hearing the word, hearing the spelling of the word, crossing out the incorrectly spelled word and writing it the correct way.  
This process is repeated until the student obtains 100 % accuracy for the list they are working on for two days in a row.

Front of Personal Spelling Reward Cards
Back of Personal Reward Spelling Cards
 Once they have obtained mastery they earn a zoo card for that level.  Each card contains:
  • On the front:A picture of an animal whose name follows the spelling rule and the title of the spelling rule
  • On the back: The lesson number, rule title and hint poem to help the student remember the rule.

Front: Lesson Card One
 The lesson cards are printed on card stock. Each card has three levels of spelling on them.  Level A, B and C. The front of the card has a drawing of an animal along with their name which conforms to the spelling rule being learned. On the right is a sample of the words being learned that lesson.

Back Lesson Card One
The back of each card contains the lesson summary and rule hint. On the right is three columns.  One for each spelling level. This means that you only need one set of cards to complete all three levels. Once you have worked through level A go back to the beginning and work your way through each successful level. This means I only have to purchase the audio's in order to complete the next two levels.

Cost of Phonetic Zoo Level A*
  • CD with Printed Materials $99.00
  • Download, $79.00
*All prices are quoted in US $ and are current at time of review. Please consult the I.E.W. website for current prices
** I.E.W. is available for purchase internationally.  Find your nearest distributor here.
Recommended Age Range
  • Grades 3 - 5
  • Special Education
  • English Learners
  • Level A (primary)
  • Level B (intermediate)
  • Level C (highest)
Find out more

Connect with IEW

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I am very impressed with Spelling Zoo.  It has removed the stress of me having to daily repeat the spelling I am teaching to Nathaniel.  Spelling Zoo has been a good fit for Aspergers because each and every day is identical.  The results are measurable each day and he has immediate feedback on his personal progress.  There is no pressure because he is working against himself and his own ability.

Blessings
Chareen



Click to read Crew Reviews

Thursday 13 August 2015

Charles Dickens Resources for a Charlotte Mason Education {Day 4/5 Back to School Blog Hop}

I wish I'd had the inclination to read the works of Charles Dickens in high school.  I first became acquainted with the works of Mr Dickens after reading about him in Karen Andreola's A Charlotte Mason Companion {Chapter 31}. Karen calls Dickens 'A Mother's Secret Resource'

I'd always avoided the classics thinking they were outdated.  As a home educating parent I'm learning a deeper appreciation for these beautiful works that inspire me to live well and feed my mind with good food for thought.

As a family our first shared experience was the reading of Oliver Twist.  We loved the book so much we watched many versions of the movie including the musical. 

From this experience I have been inspired to find out more about this giant of English literature and have gathered together a few resources of interest to share with you.

I am still researching Miss Mason's approach to using Dickens in the home school and will update this post as I learn more on the subject.

Books on the Life of Dickens

Books written by Charles Dickens

Children's Versions


Teaching Dickens


About Charles Dickens on YouTube

Works of Dickens on YouTube

Follow my Pinterest Board for Charles Dickens Resources

I'd love to hear about your favourite Charles Dickens resources so that I may add them to this list. 

Blessings
Chareen

Other posts in the 5 Days of Charlotte Mason Resources Series


  1. Charlotte Mason Education Resource List
  2. Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education
  3. Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool Bloggers
  4. Charles Dickens for a Charlotte Mason Education


The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be joining forces with Homeschool Blogging Connection to bring you a week full of back to school encouragement.

I encourage you to grab a cup of tea and take some time to take a look at what my fellow bloggers are sharing this week in the 2015 Back to Homeschool Blog Hop. Here are eleven more inspirational bloggers to meet and be encouraged.


Tuesday 11 August 2015

Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education {Day 2/5 Back to School Blog Hop}

5 Days of Back to Homeschool Blog Hop Day 2 William Shakespeare Resource List
My very first encounter with Shakespeare was well over 20 years ago in high school.  Our assigned work was Macbeth.  I loved every minute of the class but the thought of teaching Shakespeare in our home left me quaking in my shoes!

Since reading A Charlotte Mason Companion chapter on teaching Shakespeare I've been inspired to start reading a simplified version of Shakespeare to Nathaniel and to my surprise he rather enjoys it.

A wonderful new book on How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare  by Ken Ludwig recently caught my eye. In this book you will understand the many reasons to read Shakespeare to your children as well as find the tools on just how to equip your children to appreciate all that Shakespeare is to our modern culture.

Many of the words we use in today's modern vernacular are created by Shakespeare himself.  Here is a sample: "You've got to be cruel to be kind" "If Truth were known"  "Love is blind"  "Seen better days" and many more.

Shakespeare Books

  • The Young Reader's Shakespeare books are one of my favourite resources.  They are well written and beautifully illustrated.  Available titles: Macbeth, Othello, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet   and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
  • The Usborne Young Reading William Shakespeare has been a delight.
  • Mr William Shakespeare's Plays by Marcia Williams presents seven classic Shakespeare plays. This title includes such novels as "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Macbeth", "Julius Caesar", "The Winter's Tale" and "The Tempest". 
  • Bravo, Mr. William Shakespeare! by Marcia Williams presents As You Like It, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III, Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing 
  • Open Source: Shakespeare 
  • For the Lego lovers in your family:  Brick Shakespeare: Four Tragedies & Four Comedies
  • Shakespeare Stories By (author) William Shakespeare, Edited by Leon Garfield Here are twelve of Shakespeare's most memorable plays, presented in a fresh narrative form to delight both those who know the plays well and those who are new to them. Dramatic color illustrations and varied black-and-white drawings perfectly capture the mood of each story.
  • Shakespeare Stories II "By skillfully weaving his own prose with Shakespeare's language, Garfield has refashioned nine of the Elizabethan playwright's dramas into stories, capturing all the richness of the characters, plot, mood, and setting. Foreman's dramatic illustrations are the perfect complement to this celebration of Shakespeare's genius." 
  •  The Shakespeare Stories is a box set of 16 shortened Shakespeare stories.  This is a good set for young readers. These books are available separately.
  • Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
  • Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare "It is full of colourful illustrations from the Usborne Young Reading Programme. It contains the plays "A Midummer Night's Dream", "Hamlet", "Macbeth", "Romeo and Juliet", "The Tempest", and "Twelfth Night". It also includes a section at the back on the life and times of Shakespeare."
  • Shakespeare's Stories for Young Readers by E.Nesbit

Books on The Life of Shakespeare

Teaching Shakespeare

Notebook Pages and Unit Studies on Shakespeare



Follow my Pinterest Board for Shakespearean Resources


Other posts in the 5 Days of Charlotte Mason Resources Series


  1. Charlotte Mason Education Resource List
  2. Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education
  3. Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool Bloggers
  4. Charles Dickens for a Charlotte Mason Education



The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be joining forces with Homeschool Blogging Connection to bring you a week full of back to school encouragement.

I encourage you to grab a cup of tea and take some time to take a look at what my fellow bloggers are sharing this week in the 2015 Back to Homeschool Blog Hop


Rebecca @ Raventhreads
Annette @ In All You Do

What are some of your favourite Shakespearean resources ?  I'd love to add them to my list.
Blessings
Chareen

PS The BBC produced this interesting song on the quotes of Shakespeare that we use today.



PPS: Win a Microscope {1894.99 value}

For your chance to win a Microscope and  microscope Camera be sure to enter the giveaway over at the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Monday 15 June 2015

Word Build Online {Review}

Dynamic Literacy Word Build Online Foundations and Elements Review
Vocabulary for special ed students can at times present a real problem as their approach to spelling and life is generally speaking outside of the norm.

Recently I heard about Dynamic Literacy and was a little intrigued to learn a little more about their approach to learning.

Their method is based on Latin and Greek roots.  It is structured around learning three root words.  From here you then learn three suffixes and now you know 12 words and then you learn three prefixes and once you combine them all you will end up with 48 new words on your list (see a sample here) by simply starting with nine words!

Their process is geared towards exponential learning.  Needless to say I really wanted Nathaniel to try WordBuildOnline.

What we received

How we used it
One of the things I appreciate about WordBuild online is that there is only one log in page.  You access all your accounts from this one location. From here we either log in as the student or as the parent.

When you choose Student from the drop down menu in Type a secondary box appears where you type in your Group ID number.  This is unique to your homeschool.  If you forget it you can look it up in their group ID area which is a very handy feature.

After typing in the Group ID number a new box appears with a list of students associated with that ID number.  You  then select your name and input your Password.

In order to successfully use WordBuild Online your student will need to know how to read.

WordBuild Online - Foundations 1

This is the level Nathaniel has been working on. It is aimed at students in 2nd to 4th grade and can also be used by older students needing remedial catch up. This level teaches the most commonly used prefixes and suffixes.

When you log in Lexi greets you.  He is your host and walks the students through each days lessons.  We've grown quite fond of him. He starts the week off with a video lesson.

Day 1 - Click on Let's Go takes you to your dashboard page where you can choose to either start your lesson which begins with a short video lesson. After the lesson the student then does a prefix square activity.  This activity is a timed activity.  There is a count down timer on the top right of the screen.  Upon completion Lexi gives you a summary of your progress and tells you how many you got correct and in what amount of time this was accomplished.

Day 2 - Lexi shows the prefix or the suffix the student is working on.  They click on the suffix and add it to the word.  Then they need to fill in a definition.


The third part of practice is using the new word in context by selecting the correct sentence.



Day 3 - Magic Square time.  The student needs to match up the words in the squares with the definitions in the column on the right.


Day 4 - Read the sentence and select the correct word to fill in the blank.

Day 5 - The student completes a multiple choice test to evaluate their progress.



At the bottom of the screen is a skateboard with doggy footprints which tracks your progress through the week. This visual feed back has kept Nathaniel on task and the immediate feed back of a paw print changing colour upon completing a task has kept him encouraged too.

WordBuild Online - Elements 1

Elements is the sequel level after you have completed level one and two of foundations or for students in sixth grade or higher. This level teaches Latin and Greek roots.  I have been working on this level and have found it a little bit of a challenge.  I was actually surprised at how difficult it was to complete the very first level.

Day 1 -  Uses the same square as Foundations day one but it includes suffix's and prefix's and then challenges you to create as many words as you can using the morphemes provided to add to the word form. 

Day 2 - Magic Square Challenge

Day 2 -  Used the Magic Square and gave me nine definitions to marry with the correct words.  I was given 15 minutes to complete the square.  It was a steep challenge as some of the definitions were so similar I struggled to marry them up to the words. 


Day 3 - uses a crossword challenge to reinforce the words you are learning.

Day 4 - Follows the same as foundations with a word power activity.  It was a little more complex as I had to read something from Lexi and then use the clues to choose the correct word to complete the sentences.

Day 5 - Is a ten word choose the correct word test.


Here is a video overview of how the program works and the why behind the process.

WordBuild for Parents from Jerry Bailey on Vimeo.

For the Parent

The parent Dashboard gives you access to manage your students and see at a glance the assigned levels that each student is working on.

At the bottom of the screen there are five options available:
  1. Manage Groups - here you will see your Group ID, name, students etc
  2. Manage Students - brings up a list of students with a progress report and the assigned levels
  3. Manage Notifications - here you can add in an email address to which a notification is sent each time a student completes an assignment. The email you receive simply has the students name and the activity code.
  4. Edit your profile - this is where you will find the user id, password, names and email address.
  5. View Videos - these are for you the parent to see what your children are learning. They are the same video's that your children are watching and are laid out in levels and lessons.
In the Manage Students section you are able to view progress reports.

Student Progress Report


In the report you are able to see a comprehensive break down of your students activity using WordBuild Online.  You are able to have a look at how the student answered their questions by clicking on the review section.  Correct answers show in green, incorrect in red. You can see at a glance the allotted time allowed for an activity and the actual amount of time the student used.  This report also shows you the average score of your student so far.  This is the same in the Foundations and Elements programs.

 Cost of WordBuild Online

  • WordBuild: Foundations, Level 1 - $30
  • WordBuild: Foundations, Level 2 - $30
  • WordBuild: Elements, Level 1 - $30
  • WordBuild: Elements, Level 2 - $30
Recommended Age Range
  • Foundations: 2rd-5th grades (or 5th-9th for remedial work)
  • Elements: 6th-10th grades (or 7th-12th for remedial work)
  • WordBuildOnline: Same as the physical books.
Read more about each level on the Word Build Online website.

Connect with Dynamic Literacy

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Over All I thought ...
I have enjoyed the challenge to my vocabulary using Elements Level one and it is a definite twaddle free environment built in a game which provides immediate feedback.  If I want to find out the correct answers I can log into the review area for a full write up on what the answers need to be and compare what I did with what I should have done.

Foundations has been a good fit for Nathaniel and is broadening his vocabulary.  Using the same format each week means that there is no stress as he knows what to expect. One of the things that children with ASD struggle with is change they are secure with routine and WordBuild Online provides stability in it's approach in that the method remains the same each week.

ASD children also need things broken down for them in step by step process.  WordBuild Online does this in a concise and easy to understand method, and explains the why behind each part of the word. For example: why we use "ed" instead of "t" at the end of a word.

WordBuild focuses on the meaning of the suffix or prefix it is teaching thereby equipping your student with the tools they need to build vocabulary.

On the days when the activity requires typing in a definition I lend a hand.  He dictates and I type.  Each days lesson is a timed activity which means that the maximum time he can use is 15 minutes.  On average he has completed the lessons in under ten minutes which means it has used minimal time of our day.  The short lesson also means that Nathaniel can not become distracted.

I am really impressed with this method of expanding your children's vocabulary. The approach is twaddle free and uses Latin and Greek roots thereby enlarging your students understanding of the world around them too.    The short 15 minute lessons fit in with the Charlotte Mason method of short lessons.

Blessings
Chareen


Click to read Crew Reviews

Wednesday 10 June 2015

Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) {Review}

17 years ago I was introduced to an amazing new course called Teaching Writing: Structure & Style by The Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). I was solidly converted and loved every minute of the amazing five sessions on video which I watched along with my home educating friend and the I.E.W. facilitator. There were nine units and each class was between 45 and 100 minutes.  In fact this was the ONE course I recommend to every home educating family I meet both new and veteran.

Two years ago I hosted the class in my home and loved the new updated DVD presentations with a whole new generation of home educating families.  Recently I.E.W. updated their video classes and blessed me with Deluxe Combo Teacher/Student Writing Package Level A [FIX-1 & 2].

Due to Asperger's Syndrome Nathaniel has been struggling in the area of language arts and especially composition. I recently discovered that Nathaniel learns best with short lessons, copy work and with clear instructions. Until now I had assumed that I need to wait till he was a lot older before beginning to use IEW with him due to his special needs.  However after reading Does IEW Work with Special Needs Children? I couldn't wait to start with him and I am so pleased that I did.  He is going from strength to strength. Writing is an arduous task for A.S.D. children and this was of particular concern for me.  After a little bit of thought I decided that I need to be Nathaniel's scribe.  This has worked very well for us and we have both been surprised at the results.

What we received

  1. Teaching Writing: Structure & Style DVD set
  2. Seminar Workbook
  3. Student Writing Intensive DVDs Level A, including the Structure & Style Overview
  4. Student Notebook with handouts and lesson plans
  5. Fix-It! Grammar, Book 1 [Teacher's Manual] with downloadable student e-book
  6. Fix-It! Grammar, Books 2 [Teacher's Manual] with downloadable student e-book
  7. A Word Write Now
  8. Portable Walls

How we used it

Teaching Writing Structure and Style Seminar and Practicum DVD and Practicum Workbook.

Receiving this new set was like having Christmas here.  The new second edition of Teaching Writing Structure and style DVD set comes in a beautiful faux leather case containing a total of 12 DVD's.
  1. History and Overview, Unit 1 and Unit 2
  2. Stylistic techniques, dress ups, modeling and practicum unit 1 & 2
  3. Unit 3 - Retelling Narrative Stories and Stylistic Techniques Sentence Openers
  4. Unit 4 - Summarizing a reference, topic clincher rule, decorations and tripple extensions
  5. Unit 5 - Writing from pictures
  6. Unit 6 - Using multiple references and advanced dress-ups
  7. Unit 7 - Inventive writing and Author Imitation
  8. Unit 8 - Formal Eassay, Basic, Expanded, Super and Persuasive, the TRIAC model
  9. Unit 9 - Fromal Critique, writing about literature, literature analysis
  10. Demonstration lessons Level A - Grades K-2 and Grades 3-5
  11. Demonstration Lessons Level B - Grades 6-8
  12. Demonstration Lesson Level C - Grades 9-12
You also receive access to 30 audio sessions with Andrew Pudewa, additional online videos, and monthly training webinars.

I have been watching between half and one lesson a week depending on how much information is covered in a unit and how long the unit is.

The purpose of the seminar is to equip you to teach the IEW course materials to your children.  Once you have completed the course you will be fully equipped to teach your children all the materials. You will not only learn how to write but you will gain a full understanding behind the why IEW choose to do certain things in a certain way.  It gives you a clear picture of where you are heading with what you are doing.  It enables you to make informed decisions when requiring certain tasks from your students.

When I first started homeschooling I wondered how I was going to teach my children composition and this was fairly easy for me to do ...  Once I had completed the Writing Structure and Style I had a comprehensive knowledge of what writing really was and exactly what a well written composition actually looks like and how to evaluate work based on a measurable scale rather than something abstract.

I strongly encourage you to purchase a copy of the course because on top of learning how to teach your students to write well Andrew will teach you how to be a better teacher.  Throughout the lessons he gives you practical advice on how to keep your students/children engaged and learning.  He reminds you how to focus on what really is important so as not to sabotage your own effort and frustrate your children.  Andrew helps you to really help your children become successful and thereby create a positive platform for everyone.


If you already own the first edition you are able to upgrade to the second edition for a nominal fee.

The workbook contains more than 200 pages and is a quality plastic three ring folder containing 12 cream pre-printed dividers covering each of the nine units and followed by three appendices.

I have a great collection of Seminar work books and have learned something new each time I have watched the seminar. 

I love the new look and layout in the second edition of the IEW Teaching Writing Structure and Style workbook.
  • There are samples supplied in every unit.
  • Complete and detailed course notes
  • Room for you to try each unit taught (applied practice so you the teacher understand what your students are going to be feeling when they do them for the first time)
  • Checklists along with points for each requirement showing you how to grade your students work.
  • Student samples for every unit.  The samples are not random.  There is a sample from primary, elementary, middle and high school for all the units.  These samples are an excellent support helping you to grasp the level of work for all the age levels in your homeschool.
  • Full lists of black-line masters available from IEW .
This manual is my servant.  It contains the full depth and breadth of the IEW program.  I can go to it anytime and look up how to write anything from a simple story, a critique to a thesis. I know that once I have completed the full program I will be empowered to equip Nathaniel with the necessary skill sets he will need to write what ever he needs to regardless of his chosen career path.

The purchase of this manual entitles you to copy the student related materials for use by multiple children within your immediate family.

Here is a look at the three manuals I have from IEW from the three times I have done this course. The original workbook contained 63 pages plus a teachers resource section. The new and updated folder from the 2015 edition contains over 200 pages plus resources. You can read more about the updates and differences between TWSS2000 AND TWSS2 levels on their website.



Student Writing Intensive Level A DVD's

This is a four disc program which comes in a hard cover plastic case.
  1. Note Making and outlines (unit 1) and Writing from notes and intro to dress-ups (Unit 2)
  2. Story Summary (Unit 3) and Dress Ups
  3. Summarizing a reference (Unit 4) and Topic/Clincher
  4. Intentive writing Unit 7 #2 opener.
  5. Structure and Style overview DVD
The DVD's contain Andrew teaching a group of 3 - 5th grade students at a Student Writing Intensive course. As you and your student watch it will be as though you are sitting in one of Andrew's classes.  

For ASD children anything new can be a little overwhelming and can cause all sorts of anxiety reactions. To prepare Nathaniel for his IEW class I popped the first DVD on one day while he was building Lego and was pleasantly surprised to hear him giggle away through the class.

On the Monday when we began I decided to be the scribe and write for him.  We sat together and watched the lesson.  Pausing it many times to do each part as Andrew talked about it.  Nathaniel has loved watching Andrew teach his classes and his humor is infectious.  I caught him explaining to Paul that he is "not allowed to make the Dreaded Dad mistake..."

Due to his special needs we are taking a much slower pace in working our way through the lessons.  Sometimes I stop the DVD after a five minute segment and we work on that aspect applying it to short stories each time we do composition. Our aim is not to complete the work in one year but to create well established skill sets before adding to them.

Here is a sample of the second story that Nathaniel dictated and I scribed.  His assignment was to remove the word said, add in an 'ly' word and combine two sentences using the word which.
Jeffrey delightfully went into a candy store, reached into a bottle of candy. He grabbed a handful of candy which made his hand bulge and therefore he could not get his hand out. Jeffrey was unwilling to drop some candy. He burst into tears. The shop owner exclaimed "If you want to get your hand out you need to be satisfied with less candy. Sometimes you need to give up a little to get what you wish."
 We have both been surprised at what he has been able to accomplish in these past few weeks.  I have especially enjoyed watching his confidence grow in leaps and bounds as he shows his stories to Paul, friends and family.  A month ago he would not even attempt to compose a story now he is quite happy to apply himself and try as long as Mom is the scribe and writes it exactly as he dictates it.

Student Writing Intensive Notebook

This high quality folder is an excellent resource and helps your student to keep all of the course notes, resources papers, checklists and completed work together in one convenient location.

It contains five tabbed dividers to help organize your work. The tabbed dividers are made of thicker card and can keep up with the required needs of being handled by students.

It also contains:
  • A one page outline of how to set up your Notebook.
  • Full scope and sequence - this includes a break down of which DVD, reinforcement lesson, required resources and optional resources.
  • A page which contains a FULL DVD scene breakdown for the entire course making it easy to find the lesson you need to watch.
  • A suggested course schedule to follow if you would like to complete it in a 30 week stretch doing it five days a week
  • Each week contains a Teacher's Notes page where you will have a summary of the lesson and notes on which DVD to use and where to find the lesson on the DVD that is in relation to the notes for that specific week. On the back of the sheet is a sample of the weeks lesson  including a sample of the possible outcome.
  • Each story is supplied for the student to use.
  • On the back of each story is a customized composition checklist containing the requirements for that specific lesson.
  • Each of the lists needed are printed on different colour paper.
 Fix It Grammar: Book 1 Fix It Grammar: Book 2

Fix It Grammar: Book 1 & 2

Language arts is not my strong suite even though I love to read, love to write and am fairly wordy in person, complex grammar remains shrouded in mystery. Over the years I have purchased many grammar curriculum's and they have remained mostly unused by me... My children have worked through the items on the shelf independently and I'm grateful they were able to decipher this important aspect of their educations on their own.
HOWEVER I am very excited to tell you about Fix-It Grammar. This innovative program contains six books at present. The secret to it's success for me is the Teacher's Manual.

The beauty of Fix It Grammar is that it uses applied incidental grammar in it's approach.  Each day the student is given ONE sentence from a classic story which contains intentional errors for the student to locate and fix. You can see something is wrong and fix it.  Each day involves ten minutes of work and no prep work on my behalf. 

The short one sentence approach suits Nathaniel very well and we are enjoying seeing the story take shape. Copying excellent literature and practicing grammar is helping Nathaniel learn quality in composition and by the time he has completed the work he will have written out a complete story.

The student book presents the whole weeks work on a two page uncluttered spread.  On the left hand page there is a learn it section containing a short two minute grammar lesson.  The next section contains the instructions for the weeks work. It gives a short description of what is expected of the student for each of the five days.  The right hand page contains four days of sentences which are presented in double line spacing and easy for the student to read. The student does the work on the page each day.  Once the corrections have been made and any missing punctuation inserted the sentence is then copied neatly into a separate copy book.  We are looking forward to completing the book so that we can read the story in it's entirety.

The Teachers Manual is worth it's weight in gold to me.  Each week of work is laid out over four pages.
  1. This page contains a summary of the week lesson ahead. This is similar to the student notebook.
  2. This page contains the first two days of work.  First the sentence with it's 'fixes' in place. The next line explains the fixes and the third line for each day has grammar notations for that particular sentence. Advanced notations are included.
  3. This page is laid out in the same manor as the second page but covers day three and four.
  4. This page shows the four sentences as they should appear in your students work by the end of the week.
I love that there is no planning for me and that each and every sentence is explained in detail for me and scripted in a way that I can read straight to my student.

Book one contains 33 weeks of grammar work. At the back of the book you will find a full scope and sequence chart for the year of work.


The details

A Word Write Now

This is my favorite new resource from IEW. Years ago I aquared a thematic thesaurus when Timothy and Jane were working through the writing course.  This thesaurus is an excellent companion to my original thesaurus and I highly recommend you add it to your bookshelf. The best part of this thesaurus is the way it helps you find words to help you build the character traits of the different character roles within your compositions. It has opened up a whole new world of describing the attitudes and emotions of people within the stories we are writing.

For example if we are writing a fable about the tortoise and the lazy hare. Looking up the word lazy we discover that a lazy person is also known as a dawdler, dullard, laggard, plodder, sluggard and slacker.  Lazy people are characterized by indolence, neglectfulness and lethargy. They are boring, idle, indifferent and inactive and find life to be tediously monotonous.

A Word Write Now is divided into four sections:
  1. Section A - Character Traits - when writing a story character plays an intricate roll in story formation. By organising a thesaurus by character traits it makes it easier for the student to use excellent descriptive words to communicate the character and emotion of their story.
  2. Section B  - Descriptive Words
  3. Section C - Words for Movement and Senses
  4. Appendix - here you will find:
    • Teaching  ideas and tips on making words a fun part of every day.
    • Words not related to time. Prepositions.
    • Literary Genres.
    • Definitions and examples of Literary Devices.
On each page you will find:
  • A definition of the original word.
  • A thought about the original word.
  • Excerpts from Classical Literature. (helps to give contextual reference to the word)
  • Words are classified by parts of speech (adjective, adverbs, verbs, etc).
  • Space to add new words which are descriptive.
  • A famous quote about the word.

The details
*This book comes with permission to photocopy and make a thesaurus for each of your children.

Portable Walls

Portable Walls

When I first started using Excellence in Writing we made all sorts of wall charts (this was not very practical at home).  When these did not work, I made lists which we laminated but there were always piles of laminated sheets everywhere and we were always getting muddled up. 

The portable wall chart correlates all the information in one place. It helps to create a word rich environment and is a 'living reference'. It is produced from firm card stock and is in a tri-fold shape and contains:  9 unit models/stylistic techniques, word lists, band word lists etc.  Due to it's tri-fold shape it can stand up on the table in front of the student and is easily accessible. It's size also means that it is easy to store and handy. (YouTube: Portable Walls)

*Cost of Deluxe Combo Teacher/Student Writing Package Level A [FIX-1 & 2].
Deluxe Combo Teacher/Student Writing Package Level A [FIX-1 & 2]

*All prices are quoted in US $ and are current at time of review. Please consult the I.E.W. website for current prices
** I.E.W. is available for purchase internationally.  Find your nearest distributor here.


 Recommended Age Range
  • Grades 3 - 5

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Over All
I am a long time IEW enthusiast and love the quality and versatility of their products. I feel this system is worth it's weight in gold and is something you will use for the entire life of your homeschooling years.  It is my most recommended resource. Do not be overwhelmed by the volume of what is contained within this course.  It is well laid out and it's step by step approach is foundational to it's success.



Blessings
Chareen



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