Latin's Not So Tough Level 3 Review

As part of my role as a reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received Level 3 of Latin's Not So Tough!:  A Classical Latin Worktext by Karen Mohs, the Level 3 Full Text Answer Key, and the Pronunciation CD.  The Latin's Not So Tough series uses classical pronunciation.

The Latin's Not So Tough series is designed for students to simply work through primarily independently by completing a worktext page (or more) each day and spending time reviewing the flashcards.  The flashcards are included in the back of the student worktext.  

The flashcards are a vital part of the program and are essential to success and retaining the information in the course.  The flashcards need to be cut out ahead of time.  I suggest adhering the front of the flashcard to the front of an index card and the back of the flashcard to the back of the same index card.  Preparing the flashcards in this way will make them more durable.  As well, if more than one child will be using the Level 3 flashcards over time, I would take the extra time to laminate them.  If you don't want to go to the trouble of preparing the flashcards, you can purchase the flashcards already prepared (though not laminated).

As the student works through the text, he or she will add more flashcards to their review stack of flashcards as new Latin words are learned.  For example, after completing page 11, students begin their flashcard work with four flashcards, the Latin words for girl, I call, boy, and I give/grant.  Flashcard tips are included in the Full Text Answer Key.

Although the worktext is designed for students to progress page by page with flashcard review, the author does break the worktext up into 36 lessons for the teaching parent who would like to be more involved in the course.  The lesson structure and teaching tips are found in the front of the Full Text Answer Key.  This information is not included in the Answer Key only option.  Also included in the Full Text Answer Key are:

•  English derivatives
• Charts of declensions (nouns) and conjugations (verbs) with arrows showing what the student is learning at various points in the program
• Suggested resources for more information

One of the questions that is often asked about a Latin program is if the program uses an Inductive or Deductive approach to teaching Latin.  Given my limited knowledge of teaching Latin, here is the author's answer to that question.

Latin grammar is introduced in Level Three of Latin's Not So Tough! This third level uses an inductive ("parts to whole") approach, which provides an easy introduction to Latin grammar for the young learner. Paradigms in the appendix of the third level are available for those who want to see the "whole" picture for the endings taught in the workbook. In addition, the teacher resource section at the beginning of the "Full Text" answer key provides "The Big Picture" charts with further explanation. Level Four then transitions to a deductive ("whole to parts") approach.

The student worktext has a wide variety of workbook pages for the student to complete, all in black and white.  You can view the entire Table of Contents for the Level 3 book here.  As well, many sample pages are available to view for all levels, including sample pages for Level 3.

The Appendix to the student worktext includes much helpful information for the student including:

• Latin-English Dictionary
• English-Latin Dictionary
• Latin Alphabet
• Special Sounds Chart
• Word Order
• Moods of the Latin Verb
• Voices of the Latin Verb
• Gender and Case of the Latin Noun
• First Conjugation
• First Declension
• Second Declension
• Second Declension - ius
• Index
• Flashcard Tips    

Now, I have absolutely NO background in Latin and due to time constraints in our schedule this year, I simply handed the worktext to my 8th grade daughter and had her work through the book at her own pace.  If the student is working independently and is older, I would recommend purchasing the Quizzes/Tests book to make it easier to assess the student's progress in the course.  I did not have the Quizzes/Tests book and do wish that I had purchased it for my daughter.  

At least at my daughter's age, I think Latin's Not So Tough is a great course to simply hand over to one's student and have them complete through independent study.  My daughter has decided that she wishes to study Latin for her high school foreign language requirement.  Given my complete lack of knowledge of Latin, though, we have decided to continue with Latin study using a Latin tutor.  For another family, though, the entire series of Latin's Not So Tough may be a perfect fit for both young and old students.

Latin's Not So Tough is available for purchase at the Greek 'N' Stuff website.  As there are many different combinations of resources available for purchase, it would be best to check the prices at the website.  The complete set of Level 3 including:

• Student workbook
• Full Text Answer Key
• Quizzes/Exams
• Flashcards on a Ring

  is available for $58.40.  The pronunciation CD is $10.00.

I received the Latin's Not So Tough materials in exchange for my honest review of the product.  No other compensation, monetary or otherwise, was given in exchange for my review.

See the Light Art Class on DVD Review

As part of my responsibilities as a reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, I recently had the pleasure of reviewing the first DVD in the nine DVD set of video art curriculum focused on drawing from See the Light.  The complete set of 36 lessons on 9 DVDs is available for $99.99.  Each lesson is 15 to 20 minutes in length which is direct instructional time.  Only basic art supplies are needed as stated in the material that was provided to me and the art lessons focus on drawing.

Based on information from the vendor, the art lessons are appropriate for a wide range of ages, grades 1 and above.  Based on my own opinion, I would recommend the art lessons for upper elementary and above.  While I did not have access to the entire DVD series, from what I saw, the series could be quite instructional for older children, teens, and adults.  Nothing in any of the lessons that I previewed was babyish and, at least my children, would not have been ready for the drawing instruction given in the DVDs in the primary grades.  With an added art history paper, I would feel comfortable using the DVD course as a high school elective in drawing.  

Detailed information about the contents of each lesson can be found here.  The first four video art lessons focus on:

• Tools of the Trade - Learn the basics of what makes a drawing.
• It All Starts With A Line - Learn about drawing different line qualities and the most essential skill of drawing, contour drawing.
• Contours & Composition - You'll learn some tips to place items in a drawing to get the best results.
• Draw What You See - You'll take a common everyday item - a shoe - as your subject for a completed contour drawing.  

Before I go any further in my review, I wanted to let my readers know that you can request the exact same DVD that I'll be talking about in my review FREE of charge from See the Light.  Just follow this link to request your FREE DVD of the first four lessons on DVD.  If you are even considering offering a DVD art class to your children, I would highly recommend that you request a free DVD and check out the classes for yourself.  As well, you can check out previews of the first three lessons immediately here.

In previewing the first four lessons, I was very impressed with the quality of the video, the upbeat personality of Pat Knepley, and the obvious artistic talent demonstrated in her drawings.  The drawing instructions were quite clear and I also felt that the pace of the videos was not too fast and not too slow.  One of my very favorite aspects of the DVD that I previewed is the seamless integration of biblical truth into the art lessons.

I was completely enchanted by the bonus chalk art lesson included on the first DVD (the DVD with the first four lessons).  I literally sat mesmerized and watched chalk artist, Gloria Kohlmann, create an amazing chalk drawing of the three crosses on a hill.  Since Easter is right away around the corner, I decided to focus on this art project with my children.  While they have had a great deal of work in drawing basics in their art class, chalk art was completely new to them.

Their chalk art projects were amazing!  I absolutely love how their chalk art projects turned out!  They are beautiful!  Best of all, my children enjoyed the process of making their art projects and were thrilled with the results.

Mason (12)

Duncan (9)

 

Amber (14)

After my children worked so hard on their chalk drawings with such fabulous results, I wanted to be sure that their drawings would last.  I read on the back of our pastel chalks that a fixative can be used to preserve chalk drawings.  Mason learned in an outside art class that hairspray works well as a fixative as well so I sprayed their finished chalk drawings with hair spray.

Overall, I was quite impressed with this DVD art curriculum.  My review is only based on the first four lessons and the bonus chalk art lesson, though, so that must be kept in mind when considering my review.  As a homeschool mother concerned with having the needed materials on hand and keeping good academic records, I have a few criticisms of the art program.  Again, please keep in mind that I only had access to the first DVD - perhaps these issues were covered in one or more of the later DVDs.

• I would like to have a printable list of ALL of the art materials needed for the entire course.  This would make planning and budgeting for supplies easier.
• I would like to have a printable list of the scope and sequence/art concepts/skills/art history topics covered in the class for documentation purposes in our yearly portfolios.
• Examples of student art would be motivational for younger students.  Realistically, the drawings of most children will not reach the artistic standard as shown in the videos.  I think showing finished drawings/projects completed by children of various ages would allow for a more realistic expectation for many children.

After the positive experience we had with the chalk art lesson, I may purchase The Gift of Love Deluxe Gift Set.  The three Christmas-themed art projects included on the DVD would be perfect for our art classes in December.  As well, the drawing course is a course that I may consider for my extremely artistic son who would like to be doing even more work in art.  The complete set of 36 lessons on 9 DVDs is available for $99.99.

I received a copy of the first DVD in the See the Light Art Class DVD set in exchange for my honest review of the product.  No other compensation, monetary or otherwise, was given in exchange for this review.

52 Weeks of Organizing - Week 15 - Organizing the Bookcase in My Boys' Room

I am hopping back into Org Junkie's 52 Weeks of Organizing challenge after a six week break from organizing projects.  I'm always amazed by how quickly time goes by - I knew I had missed a few weeks of the challenge but was surprised to see that six weeks had gone by since my last organizing post!  I've been busy doing lots of other things besides tackling problem areas in our home, most notably working on end-of-the-school-year academic portfolios for my homeschooled children.  We also attended the Grand Prix, Short Course Gold Championships, and a homeschool conference.

For this week, I tackled the bookcase in my boy's room.  The bookcase was overflowing with books, toys, and assorted boy treasures to the point that it was very messy.

The process of organizing the bookcase definitely took some time.  First, my boys went through all of their toys and boy treasures stored on the bookcase and culled some treasure that were no longer treasures.  I placed a full gallon ziplock bag of assorted toys and odds and ends into our Goodwill box.

Then, I went through the shelves one by one.  I looked at every book, magazine, and coloring book.  If I wasn't sure about a particular book or magazine, I asked one of my boys.

• I recycled almost all of the coloring books and magazines.
• I posted a pile of books that the boys no longer wanted on PaperBackSwap.
• I put a small pile of slightly damaged books that the boys no longer wanted into our Goodwill box.
• I packed up a huge pile of books that that the boys had outgrown in terms of reading ability.  I boxed these books up and put them in my office storage area since I want to keep them for my grandchildren someday.  For example, Duncan and Mason had a large collection of Geronimo Stilton books.  They no longer read those easy-reader chapter books but I wanted to keep these delightful early chapter books.

A lot of space was freed up after culling so many books and treasures.  This space will be used when I organize the boys' desk and dresser.  As well, removing the large collection of Geronimo Stilton books allowed me to put Mason's large collection of Goosebumps books on his shelf.

On top of the bookcase is the homemade Valentine's Day mailbox I made with Mason when he was about 4 or 5 years old.  Now that he's a huge almost teenager, I thought for sure that I would be able to get rid of it.  As evidenced by the treasures on top of the bookcase, he wasn't ready to part with his mailbox.

As I spent time organizing my boys' bookcase, I was fully aware of the fact that organizing in my boys' room is much like shoveling the driveway during a snowstorm.  While my boys DO appreciate my efforts to keep their room neat and organized, they are NOT overly motivated to keep their room neat and organized.  But, I am setting a good example for them and keeping the chaos at bay.   

To read about what other bloggers were organizing this week, visit Org Junkie's 52 Weeks of Organizing.

Weeks in Review - Easter Chalk Art Project, Finishing Math, and Back To Swimming

Spring has definitely sprung in our part of the country!  Amber and Mason started back to swimming last week after a three week break - the longest break they have ever had since they started swimming.  They are both adjusting well to their Spring practice schedule.  Amber is practicing 8 times a week (17.75 hours per week) and Mason is practicing 6 times a week (15.25 hours per week).  They are VERY quickly getting back into top-notch shape!  Mason moved up to the Gold group last week and we're really proud of him for that accomplishment.

One of the most exciting things that happened this week for me was that Mason decided that he wanted to cut his hair.  He hadn't had a hair cut in about a year (literally)!

He decided that his long locks just didn't go with his goal of making a AAA time so that he can attend the Central Zone swim meet this summer.  So, he opted for a haircut that he could easily cover with his swim cap.

I LOVE his new look!

Mason and Duncan both finished their math programs for the year this week!  Interestingly, neither of them want to take an extended break from math so they'll be starting their new programs next week, though just a few days a week until summer break.

The main highlight of the week was art class.  My children completed an art lesson using pastel chalk, a new art medium for them.  The art lesson was a bonus lesson included on the first DVD of the art curriculum by See the Light.  I am reviewing this item for The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew and the art project fit perfectly into our art curriculum given that Easter is right around the corner.

The DVD lesson took my children step by step through the process of creating a chalk art drawing perfect for the Easter season.  I was SO impressed with the results.  I'm going to be looking for inexpensive frames for their finished art as they are truly lovely.

Duncan (9) loved his picture and commented that he is getting better and better at art.

Mason (12) enjoyed working with the pastel chalk and was quite pleased with his final project.

Amber (14) commented that she thought the chalk project was one of her best art projects ever.

That was our Weeks in Review!  To read about what other bloggers have been doing this week, check out the Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Teaching High School Biology - What I Will Change and What I Won't Change The Next Time

This school year my teenage daughter and I have been working our way through a high school Biology course.  Overall, the experience has been wonderful.  I have definitely been much more of a co-learner than a teacher in this course, though I was surprised how many concepts I remembered from my own biology courses in high school and college.  We started back to school way back at the beginning of August and now Amber is on the 14th of 16 modules in the text.

In the months that we've been working on Biology, I have often thought about aspects of the course that I will do differently the next time and I have also thought about all of the aspects of the course that I love and will not change at all.  Luckily for me, I will get to be a co-learner two more times with my two younger boys!

So, when I get to be a co-learner in Biology again, what will I do exactly the same?

• I will use the same textbook - Apologia's Exploring Creation with Biology 2nd Edition.  I've been reading the book right along with my daughter and have found it to be extremely well-written, clear, and packed with wonderful, educationally meaningful illustrations and pictures.  I truly have enjoyed reading the book and my daughter has as well (except for a few particularly difficult modules.)
• I will use the same microscope.  Given the cost of the microscope, even if I didn't like it, we would still be using it again but I LOVE the microscope we purchased.  We purchased the Sonlight Ultra Microscope.  We have found it easy to use and of excellent quality.  

• I will use the same schedule.  We purchased the Science 250 kit from Sonlight which included a 36 week day by day schedule for the textbook.  I followed the schedule very closely and found it was a perfect amount of work each day for my daughter.  Also, having the schedule was WELL WORTH the cost as it saved me a lot of time scheduling out the course myself.  It is important to note that the teacher's edition is only a tests and solutions manual and does not include a schedule for completing the course.
• I will use the same slide set, specimen set, and dissection kit.  As mentioned before, I ordered the Science 250 kit from Sonlight which included almost everything needed for the Biology labs.  I was extremely pleased with all of the contents.  When I am a co-learner again in Biology, I will just need to order a preserved frog, fish, crayfish, and earthworm to do the dissections again.
• I will find a partner for my child's dissections again.  Amber did all of her dissections this year with a friend who was taking the course as well.  I was amazed by how long they spent working through their dissections and how thorough they were in their investigations.  I definitely think her experience was enriched by having a lab partner.  If no lab partner is available next time, I will be the lab partner for the dissections.
• I will use the Lapbook Journal kit again.  Amber has been so very proud of her Biology notebook and it is pretty impressive!  Using the Lapbook Journal kit from Knowledge Box Central has made answering the On Your Own Questions and preparing the study guide for each module much more enjoyable.  Barb from Harmony Art Mom posted a thorough review of a similar product from Live and Learn Press on Curriculum Choice.
• I will have my child complete the study guide as he works through the chapter.  While this is contrary to what is recommended in the teacher's guide, I preferred to have Amber complete the study guide as she worked through the chapter rather than complete all of the study guide questions at the end.  When she reached the end of the chapter, she already had her study guide completed and was ready to really get studying!   
• I will try to lay the groundwork for upper level science with lots of hands-on science study in the earlier years.  Amber definitely was able to call on her years of nature study programs, educational science videos, and field trips while working through the course.  

Now, what are some aspects of the course that I will change or things that I wish I had done during the course or while preparing to teach the course?  When I am a co-learner again, I will definitely do all of the following.

• I will gather all of the materials that are needed for the course ahead of time.  Now, this is actually pretty easy with Biology.  Most of what is needed is included in the Science 250 kit that I mentioned earlier.  A full list of needed materials is found in Appendix C of the Apologia Biology text.  I also recommend purchasing additional T-pins for the dissections, coverslips for the slides, and larger dissection trays.  Large, foam meat trays work really well. 
• After reading all of the experiments, I will be making some adjustments to the order in which we complete the modules.  I wish I had read all of the experiments ahead of time.  Then, I wouldn't find myself in a situation where my daughter has a leaf collection to complete and we have no leaves anywhere.  Next time around, I'll start with modules 14 and 15 on plants so that we can do the leaf collection.
• I will be clearer from the very beginning about my expectations for lab reports.  My daughter definitely needed more direction than the brief instructions given for lab reports at the beginning of the text.  
• I will omit the Module Summary assignments.  We finally deleted these assignments about halfway through the course.  My daughter's time was much better used making up her own study notecards and studying her study guide than completing a fill-in-the-blank summary of the module.  

One of Amber's creative study notecards.

• I'll definitely take more of a teacher role in a few modules.  While we got through a few difficult modules just fine, Amber would have had less frustration if I had brought in some outside resources and worked with her to help understand modules 5 (the chemistry of life), 6 (the cell), and 7 (cellular respiration and DNA.)
• I'll use the tests that I have prepared for the course.  I do use the tests that come in the teacher's manual with one exception - I include a lot more of the vocabulary on each test.  Amber was continually frustrated because she would study the vocabulary for hours and hours and then find that only a few of the vocabulary terms were on the test.  So, I just added more vocabulary terms to each test.  In fact, I included all of the vocabulary on each test in a matching format.  Since I didn't start doing this until we were well into the course, I'll change the rest of the module tests to reflect more emphasis on the vocabulary terms.  
• I'll look for more field trip opportunities.  Later this month, Amber will be attending a full day Career Day at a local zoo for teenagers where she'll learn about careers in the zoology field.  The day will be a perfect tie-in for Biology but, really, it completely fell in my lap as she was invited by a homeschooled friend to attend with her.  Biology abounds with field trip opportunities, many of which are discussed in Harmony Art Mom's wonderful Squidoo lens about Biology.  While Amber's early years of nature study really laid the foundation for the course, we didn't get out and about into nature or other field trips nearly as much as we should have during the course.  
• I will schedule use of the companion CD.  If I write something down for my children, they do it as part of their lesson for the day.  If I don't , they don't.  I expected that Amber would seek out the companion CD whenever it was mentioned in the text.  Sometimes she did but sometimes she didn't.  Next time, I'll make it mandatory.  The companion CD is wonderful with pronunciations, and short video clips that make the material more interesting and easier to understand.
• I will add another dissection IF my sons are excited about doing the dissections.  Before working through the course, I was a bit afraid of the dissections.  Vague memories of suffocating formaldehyde smells made me slightly nauseous just thinking about them.  But, the specimens had little odor and really, the whole process was fascinating.  Who knew that earthworms don't have hearts?  I sure didn't.  For example, we could dissect a snake or a turtle during our module 16 study of reptiles, birds, and mammals.

For those of you who have already worked through high school biology, do you have any tips of your own?  For those of you who will be teaching high school biology soon, do you have any questions?

Amber and I will working through Apologia's Marine Biology course next year and I am quite excited about being a co-learner again with her!

What's Going On In My Reading Life?

Once again this year I'm participating in my local library's 50 Book Challenge.  I finished the challenge in 2009 with a total of 68 books and in 2010 with a total of 56 books.  Since my last What's Going On In My Reading Life? post, I've read 9 more books which brings my total books read this year total up to 22!  What did I read?  

• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson *** - The immense amount of ship-related terminology has been an obstacle to my enjoyment of the book.  
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl  *****- This was our last read-aloud book.  I LOVED this book and so did ALL of my children aged 9-14!
• Buttercream Bump-Off by Jenn McKinlay **** - This is the second book in the Cupcake Bakery mystery series.  This is an enjoyable book particularly if you like cozy mysteries and cupcakes.  I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series which I have pre-ordered from Amazon.
• Peace Child by Don Richardson **** - This is one of the books Amber will be reading for history next year.  I'm trying to get an early start on her history reading for next year as I usually read everything she reads so we can talk about it.  Peace Child was an amazing missionary story.  Reading this book also helped me to better understand the salvation message in the Bible.  I HIGHLY recommend this book.
• Tempt Me If You Can by Janet Chapman **** - This is the second book in the Sinclair Brothers series.  I adore Janet Chapman!
• Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning **** - This is the 7th book in the Highlander series and the very last one.  I will definitely miss this series.
• The Corn Grows Ripe by Dorothy Rhoads *** - This is one of the many books my boys will be reading for history next school year.  I very much enjoyed this tale about a Mayan boy who learns responsibility through clearing land, planting, and harvesting corn. 
• Teaching Literature In High School with Literature Classes You Can Use by Meredith Curtis *** - I thought this was a helpful book with great reading lists and suggestions for teaching literature courses at home.
• Explore Ancient Greece!  25 Great Projects, Activities, and Experiments by Carmelia Van Vleet - ** I just finished reading this to my children today as part of history.  Overall, I was less than impressed with this book and found much of the information overly simplistic for the grade range of the history program we're using (4th-8th grade).  The book is intended for grades 1-4, though, based on the information on the back cover so, for that age range, the level of information may be just right.

As usual, I'm reading several books at once.  Usually I'm reading a nonfiction book related to homeschooling/parenting/organization, a classic book, a book that my children are going to read for school, and a book purely for fun.  Right now, I'm reading the following books:  

•  Homeschooling High School:  Planning Ahead for College Admission by Jeanne Gowen Dennis - I am still reading this book as my daughter edges closer and closer to full-blown high school at home.  The more I read of this book, the more I like it.  So far, I would highly recommend this book to anybody who is homeschooling through high school.  
• Clutter Rehab by Laura Wittman - I am just starting this book and am looking forward to reading more.  I've been very motivated by Laura's 52 Weeks of Organizing Challenge and have been participating each week.
• Highlander Untamed by Monica McCarty - I am almost done with this book.  While it has been a fairly enjoyable book, I will not be seeking out other titles by this author.
• Stink Alley by Jamie Gilson - I LOVE this book.  I started reading this one last night and just couldn't stop reading.  The main character is Lizzy, an orphaned Separatist girl living in Holland.  This is a lovely book that really helps to make a very specific time period and circumstance come to life.  I know my daughter will like this one when she reads it for history next year.
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Since my daughter is absolutely enchanted with Sense and Sensibility (which she's reading now), I decided to set aside the book I had planned and have her read another great Jane Austen book instead (which is what she really wants to do).

So, have you read anything great so far this year?  I'm always interested to hear book suggestions!


To read about what other bloggers are reading this month, check out Life As Mom's Booking It 2011.  

Photo courtesy of Michelle Meiklejohn at www.freedigitalphotos.net.   

Midwest Homeschool Convention Recap - Sessions I Attended

Since I returned from the Midwest Homeschool Convention, my brain has been buzzing in a hundred different directions from all of the wonderful (and sometimes contradictory) information that I gathered/heard at the conference!  I had an amazing, uplifting, and enlightening experience at the conference.  Processing all of the information that I gained will take dedicated time and effort but I am excited about making educational decisions based on the information I gleaned from the conference.

In an effort to recap my experience, I'll start by sharing with you the sessions that I attended.  Whenever possible, I have included links to the notes from the session or the speaker's website.

• How to Teach High School at Home - Dr. Jay Wile
• Homeschooling - The Solution to Our Education Problem - Dr. Jay Wile
• Truth or Tragedy - Sean McDowell
• The Well-Prepared Student (High School):  How to Get Ready for College by Susan Wise Bauer
• The Well-Guided High Schooler:  Preparing for Each Year of High School - Matthew Bullington
• Reading, ___________, 'Rithmetic:  What Has Happened to Writing in Our Homeschools? - Sharon Fisher (Bob Jones University Press)
• High School Grades and Credits - Lee Binz
• Your Son's Battle for Purity - Hal and Melanie Young

I also purchased a number of seminars on CD that I was unable to attend at the conference due to scheduling conflicts.

• Reasonable Faith - The Scientific Case for Christianity - Dr. Jay Wile
• Educating Our Own Minds:  How To Teach Ourselves As We Teach Our Kids - Susan Wise Bauer
• Raising Real Men:  Surviving and Appreciating Boys - Hal and Melanie Young
• Ballistic Homeschooling:  Teaching and Appreciating Boys - Hal and Melanie Young
• Preparing Sons for Life:  The Mom's Part - Shirley Solis
• How to Teach Latin:  A Primer on How to Teach Latin - Cheryl Lowe
• Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death:  The Critical Role of Home Education for Our Country's Future - Cathy Duffy
• Shepherding a Child's Heart:  Getting to the Heart of Behavior - Tedd Tripp
• How to Think and How to Get Your Kids to Do It Too - Martin Cothran
• Decoding the Classics:  How to Read, Enjoy, & Teach Great Literature - Janice Campbell
• How to Homeschool the Real (Distractible, Impatient, Argumentative, Unenthusiastic, Non-Book-Loving, Inattentive, Poky, Vague) Child - Susan Wise Bauer
• Why the New Testament Can Be Trusted - Sean McDowell

From that extensive list, I'm sure you can pick out a few themes:  homeschooling through high school, raising boys, and apologetics.  I truly enjoyed and found quite valuable ALL of the sessions that I attended.  I hope I feel the same way about all of the CDs that I purchased!

Of the seminars I attended, though, two stand out as being particularly excellent and meaningful to me.  I adored Susan Wise Bauer's talk about Preparing for College.  I was taking notes like crazy during her talk and I even purchased the CD so that I could listen to it again!  Thankfully, I was able to find her handouts for the session online.

As well, Hal and Melanie Young's talk about purity and boys brought me to tears.  I can't wait to read their book, Raising Real Men.   

I have a stack of CDs to listen to and a stack of notes and handouts to read again but I am very excited about  what I am learning from all of this information.  In my next post, I'll share the big nuggets of wisdom that I took away from the conference.  

So, for those of you who recently attended a homeschool convention, what seminar did you see that was particularly relevant to your situation?  What seminars do you wish you could attend again to hear all over from the beginning?  

March Movies

Our family enjoyed a long break (3 weeks) from swimming during the month of March.  Consequently, we watched a lot of movies this past month since my two older children were actually home every evening!  My teenage daughter is a huge movie buff just like me so we even treated ourselves to THREE last-matinee-of-the-day movies.  I also saw a matinee with my husband while we were at the Grand Prix swim meet.  I liked everything that I watched this month but my daughter and I thought "The King's Speech" was particularly excellent.

• I Am Number 4 ****
• Die Hard 2 ****
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory *****
• The King's Speech *****
• Red Riding Hood ***
• Life As We Know It ***
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory *****
• Limitless *****
• The Next 3 Days ***

Have you seen any good movies lately?  I'm always on the look-out for great movies to watch!

Photo courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net.  The movie theater image was created by Salvatore Vuono.

Z Guide to the Movies - The Ten Commandments

One of the issues that I have as a homeschooler is that I want to expose my children to more books than they can possibly read!  So even with very long reading lists and a read-aloud book, we don't get to read all of the books that I would like for them to read (or listen to).  Movies to the rescue!


Now, I firmly believe that books are best, but excellent movies that correspond closely to a book are a great opportunity to allow more exposure to classic books.  As well, there are many excellent movies to complement, illustrate, and add depth and meaning to history studies.

To enhance the educational experience of watching a movie, I highly recommend the ever-expanding line of Z Guides to the Movies.  The suggested grade levels for the Z Guides vary according to the guide.  For example, the 10 Commandments is a high school level study.  Each movie guide includes the following:

• Topic Overview
• Movie Synopsis
• 10 Learning Activities.

For the purpose of this review, I received and used the Z Guide to the Movies - The Ten Commandments.  This movie fit perfectly with our year-long study of ancient history, including the history of ancient Israel.

Topic Overview

The Topic Overview portion of a Z Guide to the Movies is a full page of meaty, background information on the historical period exemplified in the film.  Using the information in the Topic Overview, one could kick-off the study of a new historical period with a movie.  The background information could be shared with one's children to set the stage for the movie and the historical period.  

Movie Synopsis

The Movie Synopsis portion of a Z Guide to the Movies is a very detailed description of the plot of the movie.  For example, the movie synopsis of the 10 Commandments was two pages long.

10 Learning Activities

Each Z Guide to the Movies includes 10 different learning activities which vary widely.  As stated by Zeezok Publishing, "The goal of the Z Guide is not just supplemental educational activities for specific historical topics, but to also teach the viewer to think critically."

For Family Discussion

I love these questions!  As I was reviewing this guide and using it with my family, I immediately thought that these questions would make great conversation starters after watching the movie.  Including Dad in movie night and the family discussion would be a great way to include him in some homeschool activities.

Also included in each Z Guide to the Movies are suggestions for additional resources for further study and a detailed answer key.

Referring specifically to the Z Guide to the Movies - The 10 Commandments, I was impressed with the extremely wide-range and quality of the learning activities included in the guide.  To be more specific, here is a brief description of the 10 Learning Activities included in the movie guide that I reviewed.

• Activity 1 and 2 - Movie Review Questions.  The movie review questions are short answer questions to be answered while watching the movie to gauge attention and comprehension.  For the 10 Commandments movie (which is quite long), 25 questions were included for each half of the movie.
• Activity 3 - Compare and Contrast Writing Activity.  In this assignment, students are asked to compare specific scenes from the movie with the truth of scripture.  Since there are many scenes in the 10 Commandments that do not follow scripture exactly, I thought this was a wonderful assignment.
• Activity 4 - Creative Writing Assignment.
• Activity 5 - Critical Thinking Writing Assignment.
• Activity 6 - Word Search.
• Activity 7 - Hands-On Creative Activity.  In this fun activity, students design a treasure city for a pharaoh.
• Activity 8 - Hands-On Creative Activity.  In this activity, students design their own movie poster for the 10 Commandments using one's own hieroglyphic alphabet.
• Activity 9 - Worldview Activity.  In this writing activity, students are asked to write short essays on moral questions related to the movie.  
• Activity 10 - The Filmmaker's Art.  In this writing activity, students apply theme, foreshadowing, irony, and special effects to the film.       

Our family enjoyed using our Z Guide to the Movies very much.  In fact, I was so impressed with the content and the educational value that the Z Guide added to our viewing of the 10 Commandments that I plan to purchase the Z Guide for Johnny Tremain to use in our study of early American history next school year! 

To wrap-up this review, here a few more random thoughts that I had about the Z Guides as I worked on this review.

• Z Guides to the Movies could be great supplements to many different subjects.  For example, the 10 Commandments would be a great addition to a bible class as well as a history class.
• The guides could also form the basis of a fabulous high school course.  One of my favorite classes in college was "Religion in Film."  The activities included in the guide I reviewed reminded me of that class.    

While the full line of Z Guides is not currently listed on the Zeezok Publishing website, 29 titles are included in their print catalog.  You can request a print catalog here.  Each Z Guide is $12.99 and are available as instant downloads in E-Book format or on a CD.  

I received a copy of a Z Guide to the Movies - The 10 Commandments in exchange for my honest review of the product.  No other compensation, monetary or otherwise, was given in exchange for this review.