IEW U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons Review

Today I'm going to take a few minutes to tell you about the Institute for Excellence in Writing and one of their theme-based writing products, U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons.

The mission of the IEW is "to equip teachers and teaching parents with methods and materials which will aid them in training their students to become confident and competent communicators and thinkers."

IEW offers curriculum for children K-12, college students, special needs, English Language Learners, and Professional Development.

Over the years we have used several IEW products and have enjoyed each one. Today I'll be sharing with you some of my thoughts about their U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons.

We received the spiral bound Teacher/Student Combo which includes both the Teacher's Manual and Student Book.

I love that with this curriculum, the student is developing their writing, while learning about important people and events in U.S. history from Christopher Columbus to the twentieth century. 

The Teacher's Manual starts with a short Introduction, suggested weekly schedule, and scope and sequence. There are a total of 30 lessons and each can be completed in just four days. This is great for a day off or a day to catch up. Each lesson in the Teacher's Manual mirrors the Student Book, as well as gives suggestions, teaching tips and examples to help guide the students. It also includes lesson planning tips, vocabulary quizzes, and answer keys.

The Student Book also includes a short Introduction, suggested weekly schedule, and scope and sequence. In addition, it contains assignments, instructions, source texts, blank outlines, checklists, sample compositions, and vocabulary cards.

The Student Resource Packet is necessary for this curriculum. If you have purchased the curriculum, there are instructions to download it in both the Teacher's Manual and Student Book. The packet includes things like charts, reminders, style samples, tips, exercises, and word lists. It is a great resource!

Lessons follow IEWs Structure and Style course layout, starting with key word outlines, and moving on to dress ups, sentence openers, decorations, mechanics, and structure of the introduction, body and conclusion. Each step builds upon the last and the student goes from note taking to retelling to summarizing to finally a formal essay.

I highly recommend IEWs U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons, especially if you would like to integrate U.S. history into your writing. Other writing curriculum includes Ancient History (grades 3-8), Medieval History (grades 6-8), and Advanced U.S. History (grades 9-12).

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at IEW. The U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons Teacher/Student Combo, which includes both the Teacher's Manual and Student Book is just $49. It is recommended for grades 6-8 and designed to be used by an instructor who has been through the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style seminar, either live or on DVD, though I think you can teach it without it. If you have purchased the books, the Student Resource Packet is downloadable for free, but if you did not place your order through the website, you can order the Student Resource Packet for just $19. 

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©2010-2017 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Notgrass History: Exploring America

Oh my goodness, I am super excited to tell you about Notgrass History!! "Notgrass History curriculum uses narrative lessons, primary source documents, historical novels and biographies, and hands-on activities to create engaging learning experiences."

Started by the Notgrass family in 1999, they produce courses for Middle School and High School centered around God's Word. 

We received Exploring America, an American history high school curriculum. This set is simply amazing but I don't want to give anything away, so you will have to wait until my review in July. 

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©2010-2017 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

The Book of the Middle Ages Review

I'm happy to be able to tell you about another wonderful Memoria Press Classical Studies set.  If you are not familiar with Memoria Press, they are a family-run publishing company that produces Classical Christian materials. Cheryl Lowe founded the company in 1994, and is the author of several of their books, including the very popular Latin program, Latina Christiana.

The Book of the Middle Ages is a collection of history books written by Dorothy Mills in the 1920's for middle school students.  Memoria Press recently brought these back into publication along with beautiful black and white illustrations.

The Book of the Middle Ages is divided into three parts:  The Early Middle Ages, The Unity of the Middle Ages, and The Later Middle Ages with over 70 stories in all.  Stories range from the Germanic Invaders to Charlemagne, and the Medieval Church to the Hundred Years War.

"It concludes with The Middle Ages, where students are privileged to see how Christianity spread out, building a new civilization on the remnants of the Roman Empire".

The Book of the Middle Ages is a year-long workbook course best suited for grades 6-9. The set I received includes a Text, Student Guide, and Teacher Guide.

The Student Guide includes 22 lessons with 3 review lessons at the end of each unit.  Each lesson in the Student Guide includes Facts to Know {along with famous quotes}, Vocabulary, Comprehension Questions, and Activities.

The Teacher Guide is essential because it contains all of the answers. It is laid out identical to the Student Guide so answers are easy to locate.  It also includes tests and answer keys.

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Memoria Press. The Book of the Middle Ages is recommended for grades 6-9. The Text, Student Guide, and Teacher's Manual are sold as a set for $39.95.

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©2010-2015 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Summer Fit Activity Books Review

I was on the hunt for something that Funny Bunny could work on over the summer between 6th and 7th grade. We don't stop school completely because I like for her to keep her mind sharp but I don't want to overwhelm her with work.

That's when I stumbled across Summer Fit.  Summer Fit Workbooks were written by teachers to help prepare students academically, physically, and socially for the next grade level.

Summer Fit Activities engage children in the following areas:

Academics: reading, writing, math, language arts, science, geography, & tech
Fitness: exercise, active play, healthy eating, and nutrition
Core Values: honesty, self-discipline, and friendship

The Summer Fit is a series of nine workbooks:  P-K, 1st-2nd, 2nd-3rd, 3rd-4th, 4th-5th, 5th-6th, 6th-7th, and 7th-8th

Each book contains:

* A parent introduction
* 10 weekly units that start with an overview and cover the subjects above
* 10 pages for each unit so only 2 pages per day need to be completed
* A weekly role model, like Jackie Robinson, and core values in each unit
* Extension activities

I received two workbooks to review - Summer Fit 2-3 and 6-7.

My Thoughts:  As I mentioned above, both are laid out in the exact same format, the only difference is the material. The material is different each day, which is nice and will hopefully keep the child from getting bored. In flipping through the 6-7 grade book, there are things that will be review for Funny Bunny but there are definitely new concepts.

Below you can see a few samples from both books.

2nd-3rd

2nd-3rd

6th-7th

6th-7th

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Summer Fit Learning and on their Facebook Page. Workbooks can be purchased on Amazon for between just $9 and $12.

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©2010-2015 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Famous Men of the Middle Ages Review

I am really excited to tell you about this next set of books that I received from Memoria Press! Before I do though, let me tell you a little about the company. Memoria Press is a family-run publishing company that produces Classical Christian materials. Cheryl Lowe founded the company in 1994, and is the author of several of their books, including the very popular Latin program, Latina Christiana.

This year we have been studying the Middle Ages, so I was thrilled to have received the Famous Men of the Middle Ages set.  I received the Text, Teacher's Guide, Student Guide, Lesson Plans, and the Flashcards, along with the eBook.

Famous Men of the Middle Ages is a year-long workbook course suited best for grades 5-8.  The Student Guide is broken down into three introductory lessons and then 34 chapters with a review lesson after every 5-6 chapters.

Each lesson in the Student Guide includes Facts to Know {along with famous quotes}, Vocabulary, Comprehension Questions, and Activities that include things like mapwork, timelines, discussion questions, and art projects.

The Review Lessons include all the prior Vocabulary, Important Dates, Important People, Who Said That, and a Geography Review with maps, and drawing pages.

The Text is well laid out and each chapter is about a famous man in the Middle Ages starting from Alaric the Visigoth and ending with Warwick the King-Maker. Other chapters include stories about Justinian, Mohammed, Charlemagne, Alfred the Great, Marco Polo, Joan of Arc, and Gutenberg. Each glossy paged chapter is only 4-6 pages long and filled with beautiful illustrations.

The Teacher's Guide is a must because it contains all of the answers.  It is laid out identical to the Student Guide so answers are easy to locate.

My Thoughts:  If your child is studying the Middle Ages, I think this is a great resource to go along with it.  The stories are short but full of information and will keep a child's attention.  The Student Guide is packed with information to help them retain what they read.  And there are plenty of activities for families to pick and choose what they want to do.  The Flashcards are a great add on to help reinforce what they learned.  The Lesson Plans are nice to have, but definitely not a necessity.

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Memoria Press.   Famous Men of the Middle Ages is for grades 5-8.  The Text, Student Guide, and Teacher's Manual are sold as a set for $39.95.  The Lesson Plans are just $5 and the Flashcards are $12.95.

Every course you purchase from Memoria Press comes with a 60 Day Guarantee.

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©2010-2015 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

New Liberty Videos: The Forbidden Book Review

I am always excited when I can find something to go along with what we are studying.  Right now we are learning about the Dark and Middle ages and reading a book about John Wycliffe.

So I was thrilled to learn that we were going to be able to review a DVD from New Liberty Videos called The Forbidden Book.


As you might have already guessed, The Forbidden Book is about the story behind the preservation of the Bible.

Hosted by Dr. Craig Lampe, this one-hour documentary gives a detailed history of the Bible from its origination to its preservation.  It highlights important Christian men like John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, and William Tyndale.

John Wycliffe, the brilliant 14th century Oxford scholar who translated the Bible from Latin to English in order to enlighten the masses oppressed through ignorance. 

Martin Luther, who was one of the few who challenged church authority in the 16th century and lived to tell the tale.

William Tyndale, who printed the Bibles in the English language, and unfortunately, was not spared like his friend Luther.

Of course we were excited to learn more about John Wycliffe since we are currently reading about him.

This hour-long video is shot across Europe, so the viewer is able to see the historical sites that coincide with the story.  I thought this brought a little life to the film and it was interesting to see the actual sites where things happened long ago.

My Thoughts:  While we were hoping for an exciting and entertaining story of how the Bible was preserved through these courageous men, it seemed to fall a little short for us.  Funny Bunny, who is 11, along with hubby and I, watched the video.  I think I was the most captivated throughout.  Funny Bunny's attention was held for the majority of the presentation, but it really seemed to drag out in places.  The presentation was long at times and reminded me of what I would have watched in school in place of a lecture.  It was somewhat academic. Even hubby was ready for a break after about half way through. :(

Thoughts of a 11-Year Old:  The Forbidden Book is a movie about the Bible and the people who preserved it, such as John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, and William Tyndale. It was sometimes interesting for me to see things (like how much you paid for your sins to be forgiven) and other times I was kind of bored. I like a good, funny movie, and this was more historical. I think it is more for older kids, but it is mostly very informative.

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at New Liberty Videos.  The Forbidden Book is $19.95 and runs approximately 58 minutes.  It's suitable for general audiences, but I would recommend it for ages 12 and up.





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©2010-2014 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Veritas Press Self-Paced History Review

I can remember hating history as a child.  The material was boring and the books seemed to go on and on. There were no connections between events and we only learned the material so we could pass the test.

I'm glad that I now have a daughter who enjoys history, and we can learn together using products from a company like Veritas Press.  Veritas Press offers classical Christian education along with award winning curriculum.

We have had the amazing opportunity to review the Veritas Press Self-Paced History.  There are five self-paced history courses available so we chose Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation.  We also received the Middle Ages, Ren & Ref Flashcards. We are going to be studying this time period in the upcoming school year so I thought it would be perfect!

Each self-paced history course has 160 classes that cover 32 important historical events.  Each of the 32 historical events span 5 lessons, which last approximately 30 to 50 minutes each.

The courses are self-paced, so your child can work on them when they want and repeat any that need repeating.  The course is available for 12 months from the time of enrollment, so parents do need to be mindful of how often their child is working.

The five courses available are:

* Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Old Testament and Ancient Egypt
* Veritas Press Self-Paced History: New Testament, Greece and Rome
* Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation
* Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Explorers to 1815
* Veritas Press Self-Paced History: 1815 to Present

As I mentioned earlier, we chose Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation.  

The classes are interactive and all taught with live actors.

Students play games and are quizzed throughout.  Quizzes and tests are automatically graded so they know their score immediately.

Both the student and teacher have areas where they log in.  The teacher's area lists the classes each student is taking and has all their graded assignments.  Below is the view the student will see.

The Middle Ages, Ren & Ref Flashcards are helpful and can be used throughout the course.  I would absolutely recommend getting them for the student to refer to.  The 32 historical events are listed on each card.

Thoughts of an 11-Year Old:  I like Veritas Press a lot, because it's funny, has a lot of facts, and the course makes it easy to remember everything.

Once you log into Veritas Press, you can launch the next lesson.  The lessons include things like mapping, history card review, games, and of course the new information.  Each one is unique and fun.  I think it's a great way to learn history!

My Thoughts:  I have really been enjoying this course and so has Funny Bunny. I feel that the material is engaging and activities varied enough that the student will not get bored.  And the material is reviewed enough that they will retain it.

I do wish, as the parent, that I could have more control over the slides.  The student is not able to move forward without first completing a section.  And they cannot skip lessons.  I don't  have a problem with this, but even as the parent, I cannot skip lessons or slides.

Once Funny Bunny paused the lesson toward the end and came back to finish it later in the day and then logged out.  When she logged in the next day it was back where she had originally paused it.  There was nothing we could do and she had to watch about 10 slides over again.  There was also a glitch in one of the games on two different occasions, and she had to play them a second time before she could move forward.

These are not things that would keep me from purchasing the course, it would just be nice if the parent could have more control.

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Veritas Press.  The tuition for the Veritas Press Self-Paced History: Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation course, as well as the four other courses, is $199 with a $100 discount for siblings.  The course is recommended for grades 2-6, with the prerequisite that the child is at least 7 on the first day of class.  The Middle Ages, Ren & Ref Flashcards, as well as the cards for the other courses, are $19.95.

You can find Veritas Press on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.





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©2010-2014 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

Dig It Games: Mayan Mysteries Review

Kids seem to be playing games all the time...on the computer, iPad, iPod, DS, Wii, PlayStation, and more.  With all this technology, playing games seems inevitable.  I try my hardest to find educational games and that is why I really like Dig-It Games!

Founded by professional archaeologist and former middle-school teacher Suzi Wilczynski, Dig-It! Games develops educational games that promote creative thinking, independent learning, and cultural understanding. 

Dig-It Games offers two different games, Roman Town, which we reviewed two years ago and Funny Bunny still plays from time to time, and Mayan Mysteries, which we are reviewing right now.

Mayan Mysteries blends action and mystery with history and learning, presenting players with a unique adventure through the fascinating world of the ancient Maya. Visit excavation sites, decode glyphs, explore the mysterious Maya calendar, and more.

Funny Bunny seems to have really enjoyed this game so I'll let her tell you more about it.

Thoughts of a 10-Year Old:   When I first heard that I was getting Mayan Mysteries, I was super-excited because I had previously reviewed another Dig It game called Roman Town, and LOVED it!

When you first start Mayan Mysteries, the game takes you to a comic strip that basically tells you the prologue of the game.  Then you can choose one of the characters with an exclamation point over their head and they will either give you a minigame or a challenge.

The challenges contain little passages that give you information on the Mayan culture, and then once you've finished reading them you answer questions about the passage.

Ladrone, the looter of the famous but rare ballplayer figures, leaves several clues behind, which you can look at in the Clues section.

There are lots of math games and I really learned a lot about Mayan culture.

After you've completed everything in a level, there is a Level Challenge, which you have to take in order to move on to the next level.

The only thing I don't like about this awesome game is the fact that once you complete level 2, you have to wait for Mayan Mysteries 2 to come out! :(  It is a really great game and I learned a lot and had fun playing it!!!    

My Thoughts:  Funny Bunny really enjoyed playing Mayan Mysteries and I liked that she was so determined to complete the game, she didn't mind working on the math, solving the puzzles, and taking the quizzes.  Some of it was really challenging for her too and she really had to think.  She used several sheets of scrap paper for her work.  Plus she learned some great information about the Mayan culture.

Both of us wish there was more playing time included with the subscription.  Funny Bunny probably played the game in 4 or 5 sittings that were about 1-2 hours long.  And as she mentioned above, the mystery is not solved at the end...you have to stay tuned to Mayan Mysteries 2.  When she finally finished the game, I heard her yell, "What?!"  Of course she now wants me to purchase Mayan Mysteries 2.  ;)



Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Dig It Games.  Mayan Mysteries sells for $21.99 for a single user 1-year online subscription, $9.99 for the iPad, or $299 for the classroom edition.  It's designed for grades 5-9 {or ages 11 and up} and includes about 12 hours of playing time.

My Crewmates are also reviewing Dig It Games: Mayan Mysteries, so you can check out what they think HERE.

©2010-2013 Our Homeschool Reviews. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://ourhomeschoolreviews.blogspot.com/

TRISMS History's Masterminds

Do you have a middle school aged student?  Are you looking for a curriculum that covers multiple subjects that they can work on independently?  If so, listen up!

TRISMS History's Masterminds is an award-winning middle school curriculum that covers World History, Language Arts, Geography, Literature, IEW, and more, from 3500 BC to Present.

Why is this curriculum unique?  TRISMS uses a format of integrated study where all subjects focus on a point in time.  It focuses on the people involved in important historical events and discoveries rather than just focusing on events or dates. 

Here is what is included:

*  Teacher's Manual and Answer Key - includes the orientation, research guide, literature helps, reading list, research timelines, lesson plans, science assignments, worksheets, quizzes, and tests.

*  Student Assignment Book - includes the research guide, literature helps, research timelines, lesson plans, science assignments, language assignments, poetry selections, and IEW assignments.

*  Student Pack/Test Packet - includes all research questionnaires, worksheets, maps, quizzes, and tests.

Here is how it works:

The lessons are presented on a two-page spread.  Below you can see a Lesson Plan Explanation Page.  It seems a little confusing at first, and to be honest, it was.  I spent quite a bit of time studying this explanation page and using it to understand the lesson plans in the book.  For further help, their website offers a Lesson Walk-Through.

The key portion of both the student book and teacher's manual, in my opinion, is the Research Guide.  The student will be doing a lot of independent research and the guide is a short lesson to help prepare and develop their research skills.

For instance, the lesson plan may list an invention or explorer and then refer the student to the Questionnaire in their Student Pack.  They would then do the research on their own and answer the questions.  Below are a few sample questionnaires.

The Lesson Plans are organized so the student is working on different things each day of the week.  One day they may be defining words, the next they are researching an explorer, and another day they could be drawing a flag or locating places on a map.

History's Masterminds includes 38 lessons which can be completed in either one or two years.  Many students find it more enjoyable when extending it over a two year period, which allows more time for them to focus on their favorite subjects. 

My Thoughts:  History's Masterminds is a meaty curriculum!  It did take me some time to understand the format of the lessons, but once I did, I could see how this could be a wonderful curriculum.  I love how it teaches the students to become independent self-directed learners!  That may be the aspect of this curriculum that I like the most.  I also find it interesting that the focus is on people rather than events.  Lastly, I like that it incorporates World History with Language Arts, Geography, Literature, and IEW.  

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at TRISMS Curriculum.  History's Masterminds is geared for middle school students (grades 4-8).  History's Masterminds 2012 Edition includes the Teacher's Manual & Answer Key, Student Book, and Student Pack for $235.  Go here for the Scope and Sequence.  If you would like to learn more, you can order a FREE History's Masterminds Demo Book. 

Disclosure:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the products to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.