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Products We Recommend
We suggest these products with the caveat that what works for our
family may or may not work for yours. We do not receive any
compensation for your purchase of these products unless otherwise noted.
Bible:
- Do you desire something to use during your Bible studies with
your children?
This
is one of my favorite online sites for studying character qualities
of Christians.
- Also see our
Teacher Development page!
Composition:
- If you need further assistance in teaching composition, have you
looked at the
IEW materials? Andrew Pudewa has done an excellent job
with his workshops on CD. For your whole family, you'll need
the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style series. If you
are using our Year 1, you may find their Bible-Based Writing Lessons
in Structure and Style to be helpful. The Grammar of
Poetry can supplement any of our year-plans. I have supplemented with
these products to give further explanation and helps for my
writing-"phobic" student. **Please note that you
don't need to supplement with anything; this is just a
suggestion for those that need extra help.
J
-
The Five Finger Paragraph is just what you'll find helpful
for those students who need kinesthetic reinforcement for paragraph
and essay writing. Get the "HomeSchool Kit", which includes a
parents' edition, student edition, 2 quick guide cards, 2 bookmarks,
5 wall charts, and 1 dry erase marker. You'll find this
product economically affordable and made to last for years!
Current Events:
-
 We encourage all students to study current events. For this purpose,
we suggest God's
World age-appropriate publications. Even parents can
benefit from this Christian exposure to today's news. We do
receive a small commission for any orders you make from this linked
page.
Grammar:
- As mentioned in all of our year-plans,
Easy
Grammar is our top choice.
- If you feel inadequate in teaching some of the grammar
skills, take a look at
Shurley
Grammar. I try to use it for at least one year with
each of my children. The jingles that they teach are
excellent for retention of parts of speech. If I had to
choose just one level to use, I would suggest level 6. **I
personally don't care for their composition instruction; stick
with our Writing Component.
Health:
- Do you need to pursue a health credit for high school?
We found
Total Health
to be a comprehensive, easy-to-understand text with a schedule
for acquiring a 1/2 *or* a full credit. All we needed was the Teacher's Manual and
student text. There are extra worksheets in the TM.
Latin:
- For a systematic, notebook approach for this subject,
The
Latin Road to English Grammar I, II, and III will cover
the bases for two high school credits. There is lots of
writing, which works well for many students.
-
Henle
Latin has *lots* of practice sentences for those that need
more reinforcement. Please note that this is a Catholic
text, but as a Protestant, I have had no trouble deleting the
few sentences that do not reconcile with my faith.
- For a great addition to your Latin or
vocabulary program, check out Latin Everywhere, Everyday.
This is a workbook, Teacher's Manual, and CD that has Latin
phrases, mottoes, and abbreviations that are often in use today.
Type the title into the search engine at
Bolchazy.
Math:
-
Math-U-See is the program you will want to look into if your
student is a kinesthetic and/or auditory learner. All
levels use manipulatives that make understanding quite
clear. In addition, the author, Steve Demme, provides
lessons on CD that teach the teacher the "how-to" of explaining
concepts.
- For many years, homeschoolers have found
great success using
Saxon math.
- For visual learners, we recommend
Singapore
Math. The downside to the higher levels of this
program is the lack of good teacher manuals. They do
compensate for this lack with an excellent forum in which
questions are answered promptly. Specifically, we suggest
Primary Mathematics and Intensive Practice for
grades 1-6. After completing level 6, take a look at their
New Syllabus Math.
- A new discovery for me is "Living
Math". Think Charlotte Mason and you've got the right
idea. This site is full of all kinds of books to read to,
or assign to, your kids. Check it out!
Phonics:
- If it is workbooks
you are looking for, the
Explode the Code series is excellent! From Educators
Publishing Service, the Teacher's Guides are helpful, mainly because
of the little pictures. Is it a glass or a cup?
- Low on funds? Samuel Blumenfeld's Alpha-Phonics:
A Primer For Beginning Readers has worked for many!
- To increase speed of reading and the ability to sound out words
quickly,
Victory Drill is your best bet. Unless your student has
learning difficulties, all you will need is the Victory Drill
Book...no teacher's guide, worksheets, or tapes. This
takes one minute, twice per day, and you'll see lasting results!
SAT Prep:
Science:
- Teaching a good foundation in creation is, in our option,
foundational for a Christian worldview. Consider the
following product if you are new to homeschooling or need to
study creation in general.
Considering God's Creation: Note that there are
*lots* of cut-and-paste activities. If your student
doesn't like this type of activity, look elsewhere.
- Some great studies for many levels are available from
AlWright Publishing. Click
here to learn more about what's available.
- Do you want a direct textbook approach?
Apologia puts out some great texts that will meet your
needs!
- I have one student that has a "bent" toward science.
We have found
Rainbow Science to be exceptional! Although
pricey, it includes everything you need for weekly experiments,
as well a a Teacher's Helper that makes teaching this
subject a breeze! I plan on using these products from
Beginnings Publishing through high school for this student.
Spelling:
- For a traditional, workbook style program, we recommend
Spelling Workout. It is for grades 1-8 and can be used for
a 3-day or 5-day week. Teacher's Manuals are nice for saving
time and making up sentences.
-
Spelling Power is a program that can be used for all of your
children and is non-consumable. Many homeschool families have
used this with success.
If you have problems with links or
questions about the products we recommend, please contact
Dana.
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