Homeschool Review Crew - American Christian Literature Hewitt Homeschooling

I have a high school student this year who loves to read but is extremely careful about her choices for literature so I couldn't have been more excited to get a chance to review the American Christian Gr 11-12 Authors Pack from Hewitt Homeschooling.


Other members of the Homeschool Review Crew received the following. Some even had the opportunity to take part in the Hewitt Homeschooling paper evaluation service where you submit your student's essays and papers for evaluation. So, please be sure to check out their reviews to get a full picture of what Hewitt Homeschooling has to offer: Grade 1 Lightning Lit Set
Grade 2 Lightning Lit Set

Grade 3 Lightning Lit Set

My First Report

Gr 7 Lightning Lit Set 

Gr 8 Lightning Lit Set 

American Early-Mid 19th Century

American Mid-Late 19th Century

Speech

British Early-Mid 19th Century
British Mid-Late 19th Century
British Medieval
Shakespeare Comedies

Shakespeare Tragedies

British Christian

World Lit 1

World Lit 2 *~*

What is the American Christian Author Pack from Hewitt Homeschooling?

Hewitt Homeschooling dates back to 1963 when a group of professionals who were concerned about education and overall health and welfare of the family organized a foundation that was part of the pioneers of the homeschooling movement in America. Hewitt Homeschooling focuses on a flexible approach to schooling with balance with an emphasis on academics, character development, and instilling a work ethic and community service.

The American Christian Literature pack is part of Hewitt Homeschooling's Lightning Literature curriculum which teaches language arts through the use of whole books and classics, teaches deep reading and writing skills with the intent of increasing the student's love for reading.

While the company is very homeschool oriented, their books have also been used successfully in private school settings.

I received a glossy paperback 176-page student guide and corner-stapled, 3-hole-punched, notebook-ready teacher's guide pages.

The Student Guide

The Student Guide

The student guide is set up to cover either a semester or a full year's schedule. If you choose the semester, it is broken down into 18 weeks. If you choose the full year, it is stretched out over 36 weeks. Both cover the same amount of material.

The lessons are broken down into:

• Introduction
• The Selection
• While You Read
• Comprehension Questions
• Literary Lessons
• Writing Exercises
• Perspectives
• Appendices - Discussion Questions, Project Suggestions, Reading List, Schedules

At the beginning of each lesson, there is an introduction that provides a brief biography of the author and additional tidbits about the reading passage in the lesson. The selection portion is the literary work being studied. It will either refer to one of 4 of the books listed for use with this study or will include poems, essays, etc. on the pages of the Student Guide. The While You Read section includes a list of questions for the student to keep in mind while reading. Each section is followed up with Comprehension Questions, literary lessons, and writing exercises. Some include additional perspectives.

There are also Activities to Enhance the study suggested:

• Vocabulary Notebook
• Reading Journal
• Biographies
• Family Reading or Writing Night
• Oral Summaries
• Writing Group

The Teacher Guide

The teacher guide provides an introduction to the parents explaining how the student guide should be used, includes the schedules, writing exercises, discussion questions, and project suggestions. It also contains a grading guide and the answers to the comprehension questions.

How Did We Use It?

I knew from the start that my middle daughter would be perfect for a literature study. She lives to read, but is extremely particular about the words she puts into her mind and prefers Christian authors or topics that are edifying to her spiritual life. So, when I saw that I was chosen for the American Christian Authors Pack, I was excited and told her about it before it even arrived in the mail. I was anxious to get her reaction. Before I handed it off to her, however, I took some time to dive in and find out what it was all about.

My first order of business was to locate a copy of the first book that is covered in the program. I checked with my local library, but they did not have one. Thankfully, I was able to get my hands on the book elsewhere. When you purchase the pack from Hewitt Homeschooling, the books are included but were not for the purposes of my review.

Then, I began by reading the teacher guide which explains the student guide is written directly to the student and is set up in sections:

• Introduction which explains the importance of writing well, includes a short biography of the author, Lucy S. R. Austen, and provides topics to think about while reading.
• Comprehension Questions
• Literary Lesson - Each lesson teaches aspects of writing by using a specific piece of literature.
• Writing Exercises
• (Throughout the Student Guide there are also "Perspectives" which are informative articles that provide historical background to the piece of literature being studied).

The books covered in the course include:

• Can You Drink The Cup? by Henri Nouwen
• A Circle of Quiet by Madeliene L'Engle
• Godric by Frederick Buechner
• No Graven Image by Elisabeth Eliot

There are also short reading selections, poems, and essays that are included in the student's guide.

The student guide suggests that the students keep a journal and that they discuss the things they're reading with their parents.

What Did We Think?

First of all, I can't stress enough how happy I was that there was a literature program that covered Christian authors. Also, I really love the way this pack is presented with not only comprehension questions but also writing assignments and projects. I also appreciate that the importance of the parent/teacher reading along and being actively involved with the student in the study of each piece of literature discussed.

On a somewhat shallow side note, I want to add that when I presented the course to my daughter and asked if she would be interested in making it her full-year study of literature, she responded with glee that the book looks pretty, so she'd be open to the idea. Of course, I explained what the course was all about and talked about the authors and the books in the study before she decided to give it a go beyond whether or not the cover of the book was "pretty".


Please Note: There are some hot-button topics discussed, such as racism, incest, rape, murder, and homosexuality, making the high school level appropriate. When I discovered the authors chosen for this course, I will admit that I took pause and went back and forth wondering if I should present the material to my innocent daughter or not. I  do want to note that all is done in a manner that I did not find controversial or problematic, but rather serves as a critical thinking launching pad that opens up discussions to help walk the student through formulating their own thoughts on deep spiritual matters which establishing a moral framework. Still, I was happy for the heads-up about them presented in the teacher guide. Within the American Christian Literature course, these topics are discussed in light of God's power and love. There is an explanation toward the end of the Student Guide that explains why the spotlighted authors were chosen to be included in a study of American Christian authors. The author of the curriculum writes:

Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. - It is my hope that you will do this with the authors and works in this book, and that they will give you the same encoouragement that they have given me.

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Read what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:

TOS Review - Writing with Sharon Watson Illuminating Literature

I was thrilled to get a chance to review an Illuminating Literature set from Writing with Sharon Watson. The set I received included:



Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide (Student Book)
Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide Teacher's Guide
Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide Quiz and Answer Manual
Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide Novel Notebook (Free PDF Download)

285-page Student book

101-page Quiz and Answer Manual

182-page Teacher's Guide

             
I received these 3 physical books as glossy paperbacks








This Novel Notebook, I received as a 102-page PDF download
I also received the first two novels that go with the Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide program and plan on obtaining the additional 6 books on my own:

Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
and
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

The additional 6 books that are covered in this course include:

The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West
Peter Pan by Sir James Barrie
Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

What is Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide?

This year-long high-school-level literature course covers 8 classic novels. There is an introduction chapter, and then a chapter for each new classic literature book. Of course, with each new book, the reader is encouraged to look into what "worlds" are colliding with each story. In other words - What conflicts arise and of what nature are these individual conflicts? Also, with each book, the student learns characters, literary terms, famous classic authors, and writers' devices.

The student book begins with a 3-lesson chapter introducing literature. It explains what literature is and the philosophy in which Sharon Watson and Illuminating Literature approach the lessons. It includes thought-provoking questions and checklists for the student to complete.

Moving into the chapters that discuss the corresponding books, each chapter contains 7-9 lessons (for a total of 70 lessons throughout the book) separated to discuss topics such as an introduction overview to each book, meeting each author, discussions about the book, and vocabulary words or literary terms contained within each book.

QUIZ AND ANSWER MANUAL

Throughout the lessons, there are three main quizzes for each:

'Yes I read it' quiz (Which tests reader comprehension)
'Literary Terms Quiz'
'Opinion Survey'

TEACHER GUIDE

As the name implies, this is your guide to help walk alongside your student while he or she complete the course. This book contains a grading grid, answers to pop quizzes, activities, additional insights, discussion questions, learning objectives, and even Facebook question posts if you choose to start a Facebook group for students (This would be great for a co-op or school setting). As it turns out, my daughter and I were fortunate enough to also take part in a Facebook group which was started by another TOS Review Crew member.

NOVEL NOTEBOOK

This is a student journal which I received as a PDF download and printed the pages off to be used by my daughter as I needed them. You will need a 3-ring binder or some other folder system to store these sheets.

Everything I received for review were physical paperback books with the exception of the Novel Notebook, which was a digital PDF Download.

Find downloadable samples of the product along with more information here.

How Did We Use It?

I was asked to use this with one child, three times a week. The lucky child in my household to get to use this was my oldest daughter. The Illuminating Literature package is intended for high school level use, but my daughter will be an 8th grader in the fall and is an avid reader, so I knew she would welcome the opportunity.

I cannot express well enough just how over-the-top excited my child was to get started on this. She grabbed the books out of my hand and headed for her bedroom to start reading before I even had a chance to look over the program to see how to space out the reading. Once I looked it over, I sat with her and began to cover the lessons. I would normally just turn this particular child loose to learn on her own, but quite honestly, I was excited to plunge into these books right alongside her.

What Did We Think?

This course is amazing, and this is coming from a teacher/parent who has never enjoyed literature...Shh! Don't tell my children this.

While the focus of the lessons is on learning about literature, I really enjoyed the writing style of Sharon Watson, the creator of the course. She has a style that is extremely enjoyable to read and really helped me relax and get excited about learning classic literature.

I also appreciated how it is intended for Christian high schools and homeschools, so I was assured that the perspective would not make me cringe but would actually illuminate and enhance the foundation of our learning - Our faith. So far, I have not been disappointed. Of course, I suppose if you did have an issue with any of the selected books, the layout of the course would make it very easy to just leave that book out and choose to not cover it.

I really love the philosophy of the writer of the course that just because these books that we are studying are considered classic literature doesn't mean they are sacred. Sharon Watson really sets the student and teacher at ease to feel free to really dig in and not worry about picking apart a particular book if it wasn't to our liking. She explains that they are written by fallible humans and are to be used for reading enjoyment and learning, not to treat as a hands-off, pious sacred text.

The student book is easy to follow while at the same time in-depth. I enjoyed reading along with my daughter, because the text was far from dry, dull or boring. It was thought-provoking.

Find out more on Facebook and Pinterest.

Read what other members of the TOS Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:

Illuminating Literature iPad Giveaway from Writing with Sharon Watson!

Get ready, because I have had the exciting opportunity of reviewing Illuminating Literature and will soon be sharing about that in a blog review (READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE). My daughter and I were so thrilled with this literature program. She has started and will continue throughout the school year, working with the Illuminating Literature When Worlds Collide curriciulum. The program covers 8 classic literature novels, starting with Mark Twain.

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To celebrate the release of Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide, we are joining with Writing with Sharon Watson to bring you an incredible giveaway!  One of you may win ALL of the following prizes, a value of nearly $450: 

Apple iPad Mini 16GB, WiFi Only ($329 value)

• 7.9-inch LED-backlit Multi-Touch Display; 1024-by-768 Resolution
• Apple iOS 6; Dual-Core A5 Chip 1GHZ
• 5 MP iSight Camera; 1080p HD Video Recording
• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n); 16 GB Capacity
• Up to 10 Hours of Battery Life; 0.68 lbs

Illuminating Literature Curriculum Set ($64.47 value)

Literature in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere . . .

Your teens will appreciate the unstuffy way Sharon Watson teaches literature. They’ll read some great novels, encounter the hero’s journey, learn literary terms and elements, and gain an appreciation for fine literature. More important, eager and reluctant readers will become more discerning as they learn the secret craft of the writer. Prepare your teens for college literature courses and for the rest of their reading life.

• Written for Christian high schools, homeschools, and co-ops.
• Two-semester course earning one credit for language arts or English.
• 70 lessons.
• Student-directed, with clear lessons and reading schedules.

Illuminating Literature 8-Book Bundle ($52.84 value)

This book bundle includes the following books used in Illuminating Literature:

• Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
• The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
• The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West
• Peter Pan by Sir James Barrie
• Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

 
 To enter the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter below, then  join us for a Facebook Release Party on Thursday, August 27 at 9pm ET when the winner will be announced.

RSVP for the Facebook Party

Enter the Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway Terms and Conditions: This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.  Void where prohibited by law. Must be at least 18 years of age. This giveaway is in no away associated with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. No purchase necessary for entry. Odds are determined by the number of entries. Selected winner will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn. Entry into this giveaway will subscribe you to the Writing with Sharon Watson email list.

Homeschooling When You Don't Like to Read

Recently, it's becoming more and more clear how much out of the loop I can be even among the "odd". See, I'm a homeschooler, but I've never really truly ever liked to read - Let along, enjoying literature or anything of the like.

I have a son, who even though he read fluently at age 3, now hates books.  Sigh!

Thankfully, my oldest daughter lives, breathes, and eats reading.  Ahh!

My youngest is on the fence.

So, how do I homeschool when I don't like to read, nor does one of my children?

First - When my kids were little, I was determined that they would not have an aversion to the library that I had as a kid and a teen. It was a struggle for me to sit down and read. It's not because I couldn't read - It was because most books just plain bored me....  Still do.

I hear friends talking about all the great literature they are sharing with their children, and I cringe in my seat hoping not to be noticed as they speak.

The first book I ever really enjoyed reading was not until I was in 10th Grade. It was Huckleberry Finn. But, honestly, I'm not really sure I even want my kids exposed to that book (sorry Huck Finn fans).

I don't like the Hobbit
I don't like romance novels

I just don't like fiction....  I suppose I'm just too much of a realist to dream, even through the pages of a book.

I want truth and books that are real.

Am I alone on this?

It's ok if I am.

For my non-book loving boy, I dance around finding curriculum that holds his interest.

But, the bottom line is that fine literature is great, but it's not the only way to learn. Just because I don't enjoy reading, nor does my son, doesn't mean we are not learning. In fact, I absolutely love to learn. I read much every day. I just don't enjoy it.

Still, we make our treks to the library, while I revel in my daughter's love for something that always fell short at holding my interest. I also hold out hope that my youngest will catch the shirt tail excitement of her older sis.

TOS Review: Maestro Classics

I was asked to review Casey at the Bat and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, two musical CD stories from Maestro Classics, ideal for 4-12 year olds (depending upon which CD you choose) and their families. They sell for $16.98 each for the CD, or under $10 for an MP3 download.

My overall opinion is in quotes below:

...Tere Scott, the writer of the Teachable Scott's Tots Blog, personal thoughts of Maestro Classics

These Maestro Classics CDs are award winning and bring stories and music to life. The two CDs that we got the privilege of reviewing are as follows:

CASEY AT THE BAT (for all ages):

This one won a Parent's Choice Silver Honor Award. Casey at the Bat plays a narrated story with jazzy music by Stephen Simon, performed by the London Philahrmonic Orchestra accompanying the story. There are also sound effects of a bat cracking and crowds shouting.

The Casey at the Bat story is a classic story, by author Ernest Lawrence Thayer, about a baseball team, the Mudville Nine, who are playing a game that looks like they are going to lose for sure. That is, until Casey stands up to bat. The crowd, and the listeners, hold their breath in anticipation to hear whether or not Casey wins the game for the team or strikes out. (No spoilers here! You'll have to get the CD to hear for yourself. Believe me, it will be worth the listen.)

When the story’s narration with music background is over, a new narrator’s voice explains who wrote the story, Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. This section is really fun to learn about literature and is also accompanied by music which makes it more interesting to learn.

There are following tracks on the CD where the narrator demonstrates how music and various instruments can be used to express emotions and actions that happen in stories. These sections are really educational and fun to hear. There is also a “Flight of the Rabbit” story played as a short song, "In a Cabin in a Wood", and a Suzuki tango play-along.

The tracks on the CD are as follows:

1. Casey at Bat
2. About the Poem
3. The Casey March
4. In a Cabin in a Wood
5. Flight of the Rabbit
6. Casey a la Suzuki
7. Maestro Talks About the Music
8. Now That You Know a Little More
9. Want to Have Some Fun
10. The Casey Tango Play Along

The CD came with a 24-page activity book that is hand-held size, the size of a CD square insert booklet. It includes the complete Ernest Lawrence Thayer story, sheet music, games, puzzles, and fun facts about baseball. If you use the MP3 version, this activity book comes as a digital PDF download, which you can print on a home printer.

MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL (for ages 4+ and their families)

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel from Maestro Classics won a Parents’ choice Gold award.

This one is a story about friendship, loyalty, perseverance, and even a little “green” resourcefulness thrown in. It is about a man, MikeMulligan, who refuses to give up his steam shovel that is aging, yet he has affectionately named, Mary Anne. They travel to a town where they perform one last job, but the ending is surprising.

This one was especially fun. It is the story told to the music of Stephen Simon and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.  The story is by Virginia Lee Burton, who was a mother writing a story for her sons. I had no idea and thought this was very inspiring.

Included is a 24-page activity that is really fun, filled with biographies, sheet music, words to a sing-along, a detailed background explanation about the featured instruments, and games. The MP3 download version includes the activity pages in a digital download PDF form.

The CD is a total of 51:14 minutes of playing time and includes:

1. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel story told with musical accompaniament
2. About the Author, Virginia Lee Burton
3. Mike Mulligan Song
4. About the Music – How a composer creates musical score
5. Now That You Know a Little More (Listen again to the original story to hear more detail)
6. Want to Have Some Fun? Prepare to Perform and get ready and sing
7. Mike Mulligan Song – Sing-Along (Sing along with a karaoke track to the words in the enclosed booklet).

HOW WE USED IT:

I had my son put the first CD into my daughter's laptop for my girls (age 7 and 12) to listen to. I could hear my younger daughter's expressions and laughter from outside their door as she listened with her older sister. The next CD, I played on my laptop in the living room.

From there, the rest is very easy to just follow along as the narrator leads the listener in a story, accompanied with music, followed by various activities that stress both the classic literature just heard as well as how music is used to bring the story to life.

I really liked the little booklet that was enclosed with the CDs. It includes really fun activities, like dot-to-dot pictures and crossword puzzles as well as sheet music and other biographical information. The steam shovel story CD cover even had a diagram of parts of a steam engine.

I found that the CDs are great as is - Just listen along. But, if you are particularly interested in one story or feature of a story, they could be used for launching pads to take off into huge unit studies. For instance, the steam shovel story opens up doors to talk about creative energy resources or to reflect upon nostalgia. The Casey at Bat story could open up doors to highlight a trip to a real ballgame in town (for us, this would be the St. Louis Cardinals or even the minor league local team, the River City Rascals).

I think that these CDs provide an affordable yet amazingly rich education in children's classic literature, music, biographical histories about composers, the narrator, and authors of the classics, and opens up a world of learning. Each CD allows the listener to take part in hands-on, active exercises or to use during quiet time for relaxed learning while listening.

Maestro Classics offers several other CDs for children, including:
Swan Lake Peter and the Wolf Carnival of the Animals Sorcerer's Apprentice Handel Juanita the Spanish Lobster Soldier's Tale Tortoise and the Hare

Find Maestro Classics on Facebook and Pinterest, and see what other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew thought of the Maestro Classics CD they reviewed:
 

New Books from Schiffer for Kids

Schiffer Books has released a new line of books for kids.  And, they are spectacular!  The publishing company sent me some of their kids' books in exchange for an honest review.  So, here is what I thought:

Bugs In Shoes - This book by Beth Wilder is absolutely adorable with it's cute rhythmic flow throughout. It is perfect for early, merging readers.  The bugs progress throughout the book trying on different articles of clothing.  This poetic rhythm and bright happy pictures helps draw the young reader in and makes the words entertaining and easy to remember.  A few lines from the book read as follows:

Bugs in earmuffs

Bugs in coats

Bust in swimsuits

Bugs in floats...

The book also has pages in the back that are meant to be photocopied for your child to color and enjoy.  You could also extend the learning time by using them in a matching game.  As you read the book with your child, have him or her set the matching bugs on the correct pages.

Bertie Bumble Bee - Troubled by the Letter "b" by K.I. Al-Ghani and Illustrated by Haitham Al-Ghani - This book is an excellent resource for parents and teachers dealing with a struggling or dyslexic learner.  The book is a sweet story about a little bee who is very excited about school until he is made fun of because he switches around his letters.  The book walks the reader through an enticing story revealing how mother bee helps her little bee figure it all out.

The suggestions for how to remember the correct way to write letters is very helpful and fun to follow.  The back of the book is filled with pages of how to help your child master basic phonics.  The story and the phonics helps are a rich resource for any teacher or student learning letters, even if it comes easily with no challenge.

Double-Talk Word Sense & Nonsense - By Zora & David Aiken Illustrated by David Aiken is a cute, easy-to-remember way of learning homophones using silly nonsensical rhymes, such as this one:

The sandman, they say, might help us to snore.  But not the sand man we build at the shore.

The pictures that accompany the cute little verses are very appealing.  They will draw your child in to look for detail after detail.

The Tale of Strawberry Snow - by P.L. Caudle Illustrations by Frank H. Simmonds, IV - This is a story about "making new friends" wobbly legs and a courageous heart describes the little pony in the book who makes friends with the most unlikely creature.  The story is sweet and easy to read for early readers (PK-3rd grade).

Boomer Explores Annapolis - by Angelique Clarke Illustrated by Jim Hunt  - This story is a brilliant method of teaching facts about a city while the reader is absorbed in the puppy's story.  Boomer could very well explore your town as well.  I wish there were a Boomer story about every capitol city (at the very least) as a way for kids to learn more about the USA.  Your dog-lover will learn a ton about the city of Annapolis in this story that follows a dog around town.  The factual tidbits about this city in Maryland are filtered in to a young reader unaware of how much he or she is truly learning about historical sites.  The lovable puppy will bring your child back to read the story again and again.  Each time the story is read, your child will remember more historical facts.

The books are available at Schifferbooks.com where you can learn more about other newly-released children's books as well.