Every Bed of Roses

Thursday, 15 May 2014

Logic of English {Review}

Sir N has been reading for a while now but I noticed that sometimes he was just guessing the words in front of him. I started watching a little more closely and realised that he was memorizing what words looked like and was reading that way.

I know that there are a lot of intensive phonics programs on the market today and wondered which one would be best for him. I needed something that was more remedial phonics based. I did not want something that I would need to take classes in before I taught him. I was recently introduced to the Essentials program which is produced by Logic of English. This is a full curriculum to help students read, spell and write successfully.

What we received
I was super impressed with the quality of the product that arrived at our home. It was well packaged. I received a tracking number when my parcel was dispatched and it arrived here within 10 working days from the USA.

Essentials Teacher's Manual You can watch a full walk through of the teachers manual on YouTube. Yes this is as good as they show you! This book contains 40 step by step lessons. 537 pages. It is a hardback well bound book.
Essentials Student Workbook(s) in Manuscript This book is available in a choice of manuscript or cursive. We received the manuscript version. It is a softcover book. The pages are perforated. 470 pages.
Spelling Journal
Basic Phonogram Flash Cards
Spelling Rule Flash Cards
Grammar Rule Flash Cards
Advanced Phonogram Flash Cards
Phonogram & Spelling Game Book
Game Card decks You can choose between Green Cursive, Blue Bookface and Red Manuscript versions.
Phonogram & Spelling Rule Quick Reference Chart

How we used it

Essentials program consists of 40 lessons that introduce the 74 Basic Phonograms and 30 Spelling Rules. Students learn thousands of words because they are taught to write compound words and the use of prefixes and suffixes. This basic skill helps them to write any word.

When my box arrived I felt a little overwhelmed by the volume of the contents. I had been warned about this by fellow crew who had used the Essentials program last year. I was encouraged to put away all the lovely goodies and to take some time to read all the introduction information in the begining of the the manual and become more familiar with the materials before I started with Sir N.

We started with learning the basic phonogram's. To aid us in mastery Logic of English have provided a YouTube clip. I loved the fact that a full set of Basic Phonogram Flash Cards are provided. These cards are not small they are 4.5 x 5 inches (11.4 x 12.7 cm) printed on heavy card stock and plastic coated for durability.

On the once side the letter of the alphabet is printed on it's own and on the other side is the three phonetic sounds for A along with examples of the sound in words. The A is in bold in each word clearly showing the student what is being learned. I like the size of these cards, they are clear and easy to read and easy to use too.

Top: Blue Bookface Bottom: Red Manuscript

I'm learning more and more that Sir N is a hands on learner. Personally I am not a hands on learner so looking for things or ideas to help him learn can be very time consuming. I really appreciate the Phonogram & Spelling Game Book. It is divided into nine chapters. Each chapter is broken down into games. There are a couple of games that use only one deck of Game Cards otherwise you will need two or three decks. We have two decks. We used Blue Bookface and Red Manuscript decks to play with. These cards are 2.25 X 3.5 inches (5.7 x 8.9 cm) and printed on card stock and plastic coated. Each deck contains the 74 basic phonograms and 15 additional cards to enhance game playing. A few of the games also use the Basic Phonogram Flash Cards.
A few of the games are like your traditional Go Fish! and Rotten Egg. There are gross motor games too where you use your whole body or run around the room finding cards etc. Some of the games are played using the templates supplied in the back of the book such as Tic-Tac-Toe and Phonogram Bingo. We have used the cards to work on ordering them into alphabetical order as well.

For storage I have purchased a small box. I then took each set of flash cards and used a large foldback clip to keep them together. The game cards are kept together with an elastic band. I have a separate group of flashcards clipped together that we are working on with our lesson each week.

The teacher's manual is worth it's weight in GOLD!

There is no way I could teach phonics without this book's support. It is a step by step tutorial for me too. It contains a full scope and sequence so if you have a child that is stuck on a particular thing you can go here and it will tell you which lesson to go to. Every lesson covers: a set of phonograms, spelling rules and grammar.
All the Spelling Rules and Grammar rules cards have the rule on one side and and example on the other. The grammar cards are pink and the spelling rule cards are green.

The teachers manual gives you recommendations on how to schedule your lessons depending on the individual needs of your student. It does not use a one class suits all. I really like the flexibility and the examples that they provided along with a full detailed step by step tutorials. We decided to use the half an hour a day schedule.
The BEFORE YOU BEGIN section is invaluable and really helped to lay an accurate foundation for me. It gave me a comprehensive understanding of the phonics program without overwhelming me. There is also a great list of teacher's resources in this area.

Each lesson is divided into three parts. Part one covers the phonics, part two covers spelling and part three covers grammar.

The student manual is referenced in the Teachers manual so you always know what to fill in as you work your way through the lesson. Each aspect of the lesson is applied in the students workbook without being overwhelming.

Last but by no means least is the Spelling Journal. I have looked at creating a spelling journal / dictionary for Sir N in the past but have never got around to do it. I am very impressed with this journal. It is different in that you make your spelling lists according to the spelling rule and not just the alphabet. This is a wonderful way of reinforcing what the student is learning.

The Phonogram & Spelling Rule Quick Reference Chart is a very handy tool. This chart is plastic coated for durability and is a concise reference guide to all the phonograms and spelling rules taught in Logic of English.

Cost of Logic of English Essentials Program

Complete Program $243.00
Essentials Teacher's Manual $95.00
Essentials Student Workbook(s) in Cursive or Manuscript $25.00
Spelling Journal $8.00
Basic Phonogram Flash Cards $18.00
Spelling Rule Flash Cards $15.00
Grammar Rule Flash Cards $22.00
Advanced Phonogram Flash Cards $15.00
Game Book $15.00
Game Card decks $10.00 (You will need two decks)
Phonogram & Spelling Rule Quick Reference Chart $10.00

Some of these items are available as PDF items via the Logic of English store.

Recommended Age Range
Essentials has been designed for age seven to adult age.

Connect with Logic of English

What we thought
I am very impressed with the quality of this product. Each day we use it I can see an improvement in Sir N's phonic awareness and understanding. His grasp of the finer details of the English language is improving daily and his confidence is blossoming.

I highly recommend this program for any homeschool family looking for an English phonics program that covers more than just the basics without being overwhelming. The Teacher's Manual is worth it's weight in Gold!

The Blog and YouTube channel is a gold mine as well. If you are wondering about what to do once you complete the Essentials program you can read What next after Essentials?

Blessings
Chareen

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

A Year in Art A Painting a Day {Tuesday's Treasure's}

A Year in Art A Painting a Day

Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 736
Publisher: Prestel
Publication Date:
ISBN 10: 379133624X
ISBN 13: 9783791336244
Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 2 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
Author Editorial Direction - Claudia Stauble
Illustrator: Famous Artists

Look what arrived in the post this week at our home. This is a beautiful book. I have been wanting to incorporate looking at beautiful works of art into our daily routine and as such had been looking for a new book to make it easier for us.

The only negative I have with this book is that it does contain some paintings with graphic nudity. I had a count of these and found that there are 64 paintings in it that Sir N will not be looking at. Over all I am not disappointed as there are still 300+ paintings we can enjoy together.

The book is arranged in double paged spread format.
The left page contains a monthly timeline at the bottom with the Month and date, a few lines for you to jot down thoughts or use as a diary, a quote from the featured artist, a miniature of the full painting if only a portion is featured on the opposite page. The name and year the painting was painted along with an attribution of who the artist is for the featured painting.
The right hand page contains the featured painting. Most of the paintings are featured in their entirety but a few are cropped in.
There are 366 paintings
The back of the book contains a full list of featured artists arranged in alphabetical order of their surnames followed with the years they lived and the dates in the book that feature their art.

If you are looking at introducing famous works of art into your homeschool this book is worth a look.

"Painting is another way of keeping a Diary"

- Pablo Picasso -

Blessings
Chareen

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Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures. I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books and Resources out there out there hiding on shelves and somewhere on the internet.

I invite you to blog about

a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library,
a great homeschool item you have found and
any new resources you are enjoying.

Grab the button for your post and add a link to your post below. I would love to read about your treasures.

Please Grab the button add it to your post
Add your link below

Saturday, 10 May 2014

HSMJ It's a Short Week with a Tangle or two

In my life this week…

Wow life is so empty when two people leave your circle for three days! Paul and Sir N joined another family for a short trip away this week and left me home alone (well sort of the teens are still here, but they tend themselves).

I'm rather excited! This coming week we will be getting to use Veritas Grammar School Self-paced History. We shall be doing Old Testament and Ancient Egypt history. You can view samples of this curriculum over at Grammar School History - Self Paced Course Samples -

In our home school this week…

Three days exploring the great outdoors of western Victoria here in Australia.
Started teaching Sir N how to Tangle.
Listened to Sir Handel from Maestro Classics.
Organised our Logic of English products in a box.
We completed our first still life drawing with Graham Braddock
Explored more ancient history.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Susan over at Homeschooling Hearts and Minds has some great Homeschool Deals and Steals 5/8
If you have children studying art then take a look at this 271 Years Before Pantone, an Artist Mixed and Described Every Color Imaginable in an 800-Page Book
The World as 100 People info graphic
If there were only 100 people:
50 are female, 50 are male.
26 of these are children
8 people are aged 65 and older.
60 people are Asian, 15 African, 14 people are from the Americas and 11 individuals come from Europe.
5 of us speak English and 5 speak Spanish. Arabic, Hindi, Bengali and Portuguese all have 3 fluent speakers each. 12 speak Chinese, whilst 62 speak other languages.
83 are literate,
77 people have shelter,
87 have access to safe water,
15 are undernourished and 21 are overweight.
33 of us would be Christians, 22 Muslims, 14 Hindus, 7 Buddhists. 12 people would practice other religions and 12 people would not be involved in any religion.
Today I choose Freedom by Diana Waring.
Love this crayon picture. Each crayon has it's chemical name that will make the colour.
Notebooking Pages is having a sale. This is a great price. I paid nearly twice this last year for my membership.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

Paul and Sir N went to explore Forrest near the Ottways in Victoria. They enjoyed the peaceful surrounds of In the Long Grass and Sir N and two friends spent a delightful three days exploring the wonders of nature.
Music and art lessons

My favourite thing this week was…

Being blessed with three days all to myself !
So very inspirational. This is a dance by a couple on YouTube. She lost her right arm at 19 and he lost his left leg at 4. We have so much to be grateful for.
This poem is thought provoking, I shared earlier this week by Gary Turk. Look Up
Eric the homeless man gets a new home for a year. Love it ♥
Love this photo essay seeing what this man does with other people's garbage in order to bless the homeless Amazing!

Questions/thoughts I have…

Some days I really wonder how people can sleep with the choices they make especially the ones that are directly affecting the lives of others. Here is an interesting article on the Justina Pelletier case this week. Justina Pelletier and the Harvard Web of Empire

Things I’m working on…