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

Wednesday 5 September 2018

GrammarPlanet {Review}

I am super excited to share my new favourite home schooling product.  Nathaniel and I have been working our way through GrammarPlanet and are finally beginning to understand how to parse sentences using the different parts of speech.

What is parsing? Parsing is labeling each part of speech in a sentence, and using an abbreviation over each word to indicate which part of speech each one is.

Grammar was not my forte at school or after for that matter.  I could give you the definitions of the parts of speech and examples of each one, but I could not apply my knowledge to every day sentences at all.  When it came to teaching grammar to Timothy and Jane they were handed a grammar curriculum and told to work through it.  I was very grateful for the Teacher Key so I could mark their work because it made no sense to me at all.

We have been using GrammarPlanet for the last month and LOVE it! I'm finally beginning to understand how to apply my grammar knowledge.  I do this daily with Nathaniel and we are both enjoying the journey.


How to get started
  • Click on sign up for FREE! and create the parent account. You will need to put in your first and last name. Under role select Teacher and then input your email and selected password.
  • GrammarPlanet will send you an email with a link to activate your account.
  • Once activated you will be taken to a page to enrol your students, which can also be found when you click on the drop down arrow next to your name in the upper right hand corner. Click on +ADD STUDENT. You will need to add in their first and last name, user name (this will be lower case), a password, under group you will need to select the group you made and you can add in an optional parental email. Click CREATE.
I love the simplicity of the program.  You have the flexibility to group your students or have different classes.


As the teacher you can see each students progress and average percentage score at a glance.


From the class page you select a student to see a review of their personal progress.  This is the page you will need to access to either reset or unlock a unit should the student need this done.

The program is based on mastering the materials they are working on.  Should the student get too many incorrect answers the unit is locked and an alert is emailed to the teacher.


I can look through the unit and see which sentences the student incorrectly labelled and help the student understand which ones were incorrect and why. The unit report button produces a pdf document with a list stating the unit practise numbers and whether the student got them correct or incorrect.

The GrammarPlanet program has been written to asses the students understanding of the work and adapt to their specific need.  Should the student need more practise it will provide more practise questions. For example in Unit 1 Nathaniel was given fourteen practise questions and five Test questions whereas I was given eleven practise questions.

When a unit is locked you have the option of either unlocking the unit or resetting the progress. I have chosen to RESET PROGRESS on the units so that he can redo the unit he has not successfully navigated and gain proficiency before learning the next part of speech.

Resetting a unit is done by clicking RESET PROGRESS, upon which a pop up window appears stating Reset Student Progress with a drop down box for you to select the unit needing to be reset.  Select the unit you want reset and click RESET.  GrammarPlanet will then double check and ask if you are sure.  If you are click on YES and the unit is reset back to the beginning.

One word of caution when doing this be sure to select the correct unit to reset as the whole program will delete everything achieved by the student from the unit you select and includes all units completed after the selected unit.


When the student logs in they will be taken to their dashboard, from here they can see their progress at a glance. They can go back to completed units or continue forward by clicking on the green CONTINUE PROGRESS BUTTON.

  • On launching the program opens up the next unit being studied.  In this unit we can see at a glance on the top right we are studying Pronouns.  
  • The orange button on the bottom left is where we access the unit notes which are provided in PDF format and are to be printed.  We have been printing these and will be comb binding them upon completing the program.   The notes are concise and beautifully presented.  I'm looking forward to having a complete grammar reference book upon completion. You do not need to read the notes to your student as Erin (the teacher) will fully explain the grammatical part of speech within the video referencing the notes on hand.


Erin speaks clearly and slowly carefully teaching the concept at hand. If you hover over the video an outline of the class will appear on the left hand side of the screen.


After a concept has been taught,  the video will auto stop and a small multiple choice quiz question will appear. If you answer the question incorrectly you have the option to replay the last section or continue. Upon completing the video teaching the student then progresses onto the unit practise questions.

From here you then commence the practise questions for the unit you are working on.

Each word in the sentence is contained in a box.

A pop up box containing the parts of speech already learnt opens.
The student selects the part of speech relevant to the word they have selected.
The parts of speech within the box are shown in order of operation as taught by the teacher.

Once they have selected the part of speech pertaining to the word.
The word is highlighted and the part of speech selected is added.
Once you have finished all the words you want to mark  you hit submit.

GrammarPlanet then marks the work submitted.
Students receive instant feedback on work submitted.

Any incorrect or missed selections are highlighted in red.
Correct answer is indicated above the word in a green text box.

How long does it take?
The recommendation is for students to work on a lesson for 15 minutes a day. I found that doing a longer lesson or multiple lessons left us both feeling overwhelmed.

  • Our routine now is to listen to the lesson and answer the video questions on day one.  
  • We then attempt the practice questions the following day.  
  • If we don't pass the practice questions I reset the progress and we redo the practice sentences the next day. I keep resetting the unit until we pass.  
  • Once we pass the practice questions Nathaniel then does the test the next day.  

Scope and Sequence
GrammarPlanet currently has 13 units available.  New units are being added weekly and the total number of units will be 60 upon completion.  Sentence diagramming starts in unit 7.  Once we reach that level I shall add a screen shot to this review for you to see.



Cost of GrammarPlanet
  • You can sign up for FREE!  The free version of GrammarPlanet is supported through advertising.  
  • Purchasing GrammarPlanet removes the advertising bars (this option is currently under development and will be available shortly).
Recommended Age Range
  • GrammarPlanet is aimed at students from 10 to 99 who want to improve their English. It can be used by students in school, students at home, or adults individually or as a group.
About GrammarPlanet
The creation of GrammarPlanet is the realisation of a years-long dream to be able to make grammar education … REAL grammar education … available and affordable for anyone, regardless of the type of school, the economic background, the location, etc. While there are a lot of homeschoolers who will benefit from it, I also hope low-income schools, students who go to schools that don’t teach it, and adults who never learned it, will be able to finally learn HOW our language works and therefore learn how to speak and write it correctly.
The core philosophy behind GP is my mother’s creation: Analytical Grammar, a book-based program that has been on the homeschool market for more than two decades. Mom passed away more than three years ago, but before her death we were talking about how cool it would be to have a website like this. It’s SO exciting to me that the dream she (and Jerry!) and I discussed back then is now real. Her way of teaching grammar is just SO GOOD. I want as many people around the world as possible to have access to it, and digital is by far the way to go to achieve that dream.
- Erin Karl CEO Grammar Planet/Owner of Analytical Grammar -

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Over All I thought ...
I love this program and am very grateful to the developers for making it available to us.  As a mom who personally struggles with parts of speech and sentence diagraming it's a relief to have someone available to teach each part of speech along with reliable notes.

I like that the program gives instant feedback on each problem and test. Erin Karl is a great teacher who speaks clearly and helps the student understand the part of speech they are working on. Grammar is taught in a logical easy-to-understand manner.  I have learned so much in the first four units I can confidently explain the why behind each grammatical choice I make (thank you Erin!).

I am looking forward to working my way to the end of this program and gaining a fuller understanding of grammar in the English language and would highly encourage you to enrol your students in the Grammar Planet program.

Blessings
Chareen


Tuesday 4 July 2017

LOGICO Learning Game Review

This morning I'm very excited to share about a new learning game which we've been using.   The LOGICO Learning System is now available in Australia.  Nathaniel has been given two of the LOGICO Piccolo sets to trial for our review.



What we received
  • LOGICO Piccolo - The board is made of durable plastic with ten movable pegs. The pegs are coloured: green, red, blue, orange, yellow and a second set with a white dot in the center. The board is user friendly and compact.  It has no loose parts, is portable (about the size of an iPad) and can be used on the go. The buttons are made of a durable material and are easy to grip and move.
  • Geometry 2 - This set contains 16 cards covering: left and right orientation, mapping skills, comprehension, symmetry, spacial relations, logical thinking and imagination skills.
  • Math Paths 2 - This set contains 16 cards covering: addition and subtraction up to 20, mental arithmetic (addition and subtraction), problem solving strategies and comprehension skills.
About the Card Collections
  • Each of the card sets come in a  plastic coated cardboard folder. 
  • The right inside flap has a contents list, listing each card and it's subject matter.
  • The right hand side contains a pocket for the cards to be stored in and the right hand flap has a pictorial guide on how to use the cards.
  • Each card is numbered from 1 to 16. Each one is printed in colour on quality card stock and plastic coated for durability and ease of keeping clean. 
  • The cards are clearly printed and visually appealing.  They are not busy and the use of colour enhances the experience. 
  • As the difficulty level increases so does the amount of text increase per card.
Working on a problem


  • Visual Discrimination
  • Logical Thinking and Reasoning
  • Spatial and Geometrical skills
  • Mathematical concepts and operations
  • Literacy development
  • Problem Solving
  • Independent learning 
  • Self Confidence

How does the system work?
LOGICO Piccolo is an educational hands on game for children in the primary school age bracket.
Before beginning a new card all the pegs need to be placed along the bottom edge in their slots.  Select a card from which ever set you are working on and slide it into the card slot in the Piccolo Board. The instructions for completing the task are contained in the yellow bar along the top of each card. Each question is colour coded to correspond with a peg.  Once the student/child has worked out the answer they move the answer peg to the corresponding answer along the right hand edge.  Upon completing the ten questions the card is removed from the slot, turned over and reinserted to check the answers.

    You can view a short YouTube clip on how Logico works here: YouTube  LOGICO

    Products Currently Available in Australia
    • LOGICO Primo (board with 6 moveable buttons for pre-school ages 3 - 5)
      • Concentration & perception
      • Logical thinking
      • Colours & Shapes
      • Numeracy
      • Reading Readiness
      • Sequencing
      • Sorting and classifying
      • Language development
    • LOGICO Piccolo (board with 10 moveable buttons for primary school ages 5 - 10)
      • School Readiness
      • Reading Readiness
      • Mathematics
      • Reading
      • Literacy
      • Natural Science
    LOGICO has been translated into 24 languages and is available in over 40 countries.

    Purchase LOGICO 

    Checking the Answers

    Mission Statement
    Play, learn and grow together!
    Play is joyful, educational, creative and inspiring.
    Our educational toys are creative, innovative and imaginative. We believe in the power of play.
    Awards
    • 1996 WORLDDIDAC Award
    • 2000 Netherlands Game of the Year award
    • 2001 is recommended by the Pedagogical University of Lisbon, Portugal.
    • 2005 USA Distinguished Achievement Award
    • 2006 USA Teachers’ Choice Award
    • 2006 Poland “Innovative Product” award
    • 2007 Star Award for Design by the China Toy Association 
     Connect with LOGICO
    Overall I thought
    When  LOGICO Piccolo arrived I was taken back to my childhood of quality hands on learning that is robust enough for children to use without me worrying about.  I couldn't wait for Nathaniel to use it.  I'm impressed with the quality and simplicity of the system.  I love that the learning cards are categorised into different topics across the curriculum.

    LOGICO fulfills its mission to assist children in developing observation, comparison, analysis and reasoning skills.  It is ideal for independent learning skill/task development.  It is portable and can be used when hands and minds need quiet activities.  I love the self-checking aspect of the system as it means that I am not constantly needed to check the answers before Nathaniel can go onto the next card he can do it all himself.

    LOGICO learning is the perfect tool to enhance and support your child's learning.

    Be sure to check the full range of cards and let me know what your children think of their LOGICO experience.

    Chareen

     

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    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

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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

    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.

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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


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