C.S. Lewis (YWAM Publishing) - A Homeschool Review Crew Post

YWAM Publishing has become my favorite spot for excellent Christian biographies. I have been privileged to review many of their excellent titles. Recently, I had the chance to read C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller found in the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series. We also received a study guide to look at, as well.

I have reviewed lots-o biographies from YWAM and, remarkably, I have never asked to add the one about C.S. Lewis…until now. I say, “remarkably,” because C.S. Lewis has been a faithful friend since the first time I picked up The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I was about 8. From the minute, I started reading about Mr. Tumnus, Lucy and those wonderful Beavers, I was hooked.

You can bet that the minute Josiah was able to sit for more than a minute, I shared with him the wonderful world of Narnia.

The Book

C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller was an interesting read. There was so much I didn’t know. You would have thought because I am such a major fan girl that I would have learned all I could about Mr. Lewis. 

I will tell you that I intended to let this book be one Josiah worked through on his own. He is dyslexic, but I have found that he can handle short spurts of reading…especially if it is a subject matter that interests him. However, I have a confession…I stayed up and read the book the very day we got it in the mail.

Little Clive Staple broke my heart. He had a relatively idyllic childhood, but suffered tragedies that changed the course of his life. Storytelling became a much-needed balm for his troubles. He eventually became a Literature Professor (after a stint in World War I) and was friendly with other famous authors...one whose name rhymes with “folkien.”

There are bits and pieces about Mr. Lewis’ life that are remarkable. His devotion to a fallen friend’s mother. His unlikely love story.  And did you know that he died the same day as JFK’s assassination?

Even more remarkable is the author’s path to faith and his point of view. His story is truly inspiring.

The book is intended for ages 10 and up…and I think it is suitable for a wide group of ages and interests.

Josiah is working his way through the book now and it has inspired him to get out the Narnia books, once again. Don’t you love when reading turns to more reading?

The book is well-written and is an attention graber, for sure. Mr. Lewis had such a vivid imagination.The authors, Janet and Geoff Benge, tell his story beautifully. 

The Study Guide

We also received a fantastic digital study guide.

Now this study guide has NO recommended ages because there is a little something for everybody. 

I am now going to employ my signature "screenshot" moves.

I LOVE this format. I like being able to find my stuff. And, trust me, YWAM gives you LOTS OF STUFF.

I haven't met a Study Guide from YWAM that hasn't been stellar. One could easily follow 100 different rabbit trails. And the HTML format helps you take them all.

The Guides are simply ideas and suggestions on how to use the book and the Study guide in a classroom/homeschool setting.

If you are a serial biographer assigner (I just made that up), you will find the charts found in the Classroom & Home Guide to be super helpful. In this pic, I've narrowed down the YWAM titles available that are about those who live in the Americas and their timeline. I love this feature.

There is also a suggested schedule available for students. Some of need a plan.

You will find the meat and potatoes of the Unit Study under Unit Study 1. Here is a screen shot of the table of contents. And, believe you me, there are plenty of options under each and every heading.

Here is a creative writing assignment found under Student Explorations. There are also Hands On projects, Audio Visual projects...literally, there is something for every kind of learner. 

The Appendixes' are filled with helps for you! I love the lists of books and articles that tie into the life of C.S. Lewis.

Unit Study 2 contains reproducible materials. These include a United Kingdom report form and a couple of maps. 

I wanted to mention another neat part about the study. Moving back to the main page you can see a bonus materials tab. It takes you to a section found on the YWAM Publishing website that has lots of fun stuff for the kids. Here you can see links for Word Puzzles. 

You can see that this Study Guide is pretty awesome. I am always impressed with the thoroughness of each and every one of them.

The books I have received from YWAM Publishing have been some of my favorites. I have reviewed many, but I thought I would direct you to one of my favorites, Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems.

YWAM has a host of other great titles about many great men and women of faith...We have been blessed to read about everyone from George Washington to George Washington Carver.  These books make a wonderful addition to any home library.

I'm ready to read about Elisabeth Elliot next. Her life has always inspired me!

You can connect with YWAM Publishing via the following social media outlets. Don't forget to click on the banner below to read more reviews!

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A TOS Review: Forbrain

The brain is a fascinating study. Since discovering Josiah (who is 14) is dyslexic (and a few other “d” words), I have been open to trying more things to just give him an upper hand. I find the whole science and research around the brain fascinating.

Recently, we had the chance to review something unlike anything I had ever come across before. It is a bone conduction headset by Forbrain – Sound for Life Ltd. Forbrain isn’t a curriculum, supplement or therapy. In fact, you can use it right along with all those things you child is studying.

So I know I’ve sparked your curiosity. What is this Forbrain? As I mentioned before, it is a bone conduction headset. It stimulates the brain through the sound of your own voice. You can read more about how it works here.

Forbrain helps improve:

memory

attention

concentration

reading

speech

How it Works and What I Thought

It is recommended that you use the device every day for 6-10 weeks. How long you use it depends on your age. For children under, it should be used for 10 minutes a day. If your child is 5-15, it should be used for 15 minutes every day. If you are a teenager or an adult you can use Forbrain 20-30 minutes every day.

The device fits around your ears. It doesn’t fit like headphones. We made that mistake when we first tried it out. It is easy to turn on. It does take about 3 hours of charging time before you use it the first time.  There is also a volume control, but it is already set to the best level. If your child has poor hearing or is extremely sensitive to sound you can adjust it accordingly.

My main goal was for Josiah to use Forbrain while he reads aloud.  Like many kids with dyslexia, he isn’t confident while reading aloud. He struggles with reading fluency and with expression.  Another benefit in using Forbrain that interested me was Josiah’s focus and attention. He has difficulty staying on task if there are distractions around him.

Every week, Josiah is assigned silent reading, as well as oral reading. He tends to mumble under his breath while reading out loud or use one of his favorite impressions (which is currently Dáin II Ironfoot from The Battle of the Five Armies).  I let him chose from a variety of books for his read aloud assignments. These were the books he used while trying out the Forbrain.

When he first started using it he still mumbled under his breath. Now his volume has increased and I can see some new confidence building in him. I can also see some focus building, as well.

It is still too early, I believe, to see significant changes in his fluency, but I am certainly seeing improvement.

I, too, have tried out the Forbrain. Have you ever noticed that you sound different when listening to yourself in a video, etc.? It’s almost as if you can’t recognize your own voice. Let’s just say that I sound like a hick! I didn’t realize my hillbilly drawl was as pronounced as it is.

This is certainly a product I am going to continue to use. Forbrain does suggested that you take a little break after the initial 10-weeks are over before starting back up again.  

Forbrain is one of the easiest to use and interesting products I have ever had the privlege to review. I'm excited to see Josiah's progress continue. 

You can read more reviews by clicking the banner below. 

A TOS Review: Read, Write & Type

Have I told you how blessed I am? I LOVE this job. I am generally an easy person to please. Have you noticed that? I can find the silver lining in most storm clouds, the lemonade in the lemons….you get the picture. When it comes to reviewing homeschooling curriculum and products, I can usually find something positive/encouraging/"this might work for you" with every product.

And then there are those that really (and I mean really) change the atmosphere in our little 700 Square ft. Apartment on the Second Floor. There is no wailing and gnashing of teeth. There is no “can I take a break” repeated every. five. minutes.  This, my friends, is one such product. We recently had the chance to review Read, Write & Type by Talking Fingers Inc. Wowsers.

This program is intended for ages 6-9, BUT if you have a child with a learning disability or needs ESL instruction... this is for you. Read, Write & Type is so much more than a typing course. For the purpose of this review I received a one-year subscription for one user.

If you are a regular follower of my blog, you know that my beautiful 14-year-old son is dyslexic and has dysgraphia. We really have seen improvement over the past few years. I have found that those programs that incorporate a multi-sensory approach  have benefited Josiah the most.  He is one of those kinds of kids who needs to get his hands on the thing. You have any like that?

The developer of the program, neuropsychologist Jeannine Herron, had a vision to change the way kids learn. She emphasized that parents and teachers needed to understand that reading and writing “go hand in hand.” Unfortunately, there are many (especially in our case) where writing becomes a chore. How can a student who struggles with one discipline (or both) truly excel with the other (those are my thoughts…not hers).

I know that when I was a college student going through my paces the wisdom of the day was the "whole language" movement. After I got a few years of teaching under my belt and the added experience of homeschooling, I realized that the "whole language" method wasn't cutting it. Phonics is where it's at. Read, Write & Type takes that phonics instructions and adds the tactile (and let's face it...practical) benefit of keyboard instruction. The student hears, reads, touches...and all kinds of possibilities open up to him or her. 

How We Used It

This was something that we tried to incorporate every day. The lessons only take 15 minutes. There are plenty of other activities a student can go and visit (more on that in a minute).

It was easy to set up Josiah’s account and he didn’t have to go through any major hoops to access the program.  

Read, Write & Type is set in a little town. This little town has a manner of learning sites. Included in those sites are...

Power Foundation (practice speed and accuracy)

E-mail Tower (Write and receive virtual email)

The Park (Blend sounds together)

Story Tree (Type a story) 

And many more! 

Each day Josiah went right to work.  The green little blog is called Vector. He is bad news. The student's job is to get all the little letter friends in their rightful places and defeat Vector! 

They do so by completing a variety of activities and challenges. For example, in this screen shot, the student is required to type Otto to move the Octopus across the screen. 

I know what some of you might be thinking. Josiah is a 14-year-old boy. There is no way he could think this is "cool." Frankly, the measure of coolness in our home is not determined by graphics, sound effects or catchy little ditties. 

Cool is when you get your schoolwork done. Cool is when you can effectively master a concept. Cool is when you take out the trash without being asked. 

Josiah isn't offended. He is thrilled to be doing something that even resembles a video game during school hours. And I don't think he feels overwhelmed and helpless because he can't understand what is being required of him. 

Another great feature to Read, Write & Type is that the instructions are clear. They are spoken. Josiah doesn't have to find his way around a confusing screen by reading the clues. Personally, as a parent who has a child with this kinds of learning challenges I feel that we need to make it less about a grade level and more about the need. 

I know you're with me. 

Here is one of the best parts. You can try out Read, Write & Type for FREE. There is a demo available for those of you who need to "try before you buy." I also encourage you to take some time to read the research done with kiddos of many different walks of life and abilities. It really is encouraging. 

To use this program you will need a few things. Mainly a working computer, a set of speakers and a keyboard and mouse. Josiah did  use my laptop, but I do need to see that he is fairly familiar with a keyboard. The system requirements for both a Mac and Windows user is on the website. I have Windows 10 and use Google Chrome and didn't have any issues.

Just a final thought. Read, Write & Type is not just for homeschooled kiddos. Any student will benefit from this program. 

Run! Walk! Slither your way! Head on over to Talking Fingers, Inc. and try this AWESOME program out. 

You can connect with Talking Fingers Inc. via the following social media outlets. Don't forget to click on the banner to read more reviews. 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TalkingFingers/
YouTube:   https://www.youtube.com/user/talkingfingersvideo
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ReadWriteType/with_replies @readwritetype

A TOS Review: Reading Kingdom Online

Let’s talk about reading.

We have had somewhat of a “love/hate relationship” with reading in our house. I LOVE to read. Books have been some of my favorite friends. You can imagine that I was floored when it was discovered that Josiah is dyslexic.

He does not like to read. We have spent quite a few years trying to find the perfect approach to help him in his reading struggles. One such approach was one we reviewed a few years ago. Reading Kingdom Online from Reading Kingdom. I was thrilled to be able to review it again.

How did you learn to read? A certain generation learned to read via Dick and Jane.  This was sometimes called the Look/Say method. Many of us learned to read using phonics. In phonics students are taught rules concerning letters and combination of letters. Another method is called Whole Language. Whole Language Instruction teaches reading by recognizing words as whole pieces of language. 

Primarily, Phonics and Whole Language Instruction is what is used today.

Both methods are flawed. Our issues with phonics has been always been the 600 +  rules. And the exceptions. Whole Language Instruction on the other hand focuses little on sound. There is little structure within Whole Language Instruction and the Boy needs a pattern of some sort to follow.

The battle between Phonics and Whole Language Instruction has been waged for nearly a century.

The wise teacher uses a combination of both methods. Reading Kingdom does not focus simply on one or the other. The program uses a method using six skills. These are:

Sequencing

Writing

Phonics sounds

Word meanings

Grammar

Reading Comprehension

One of the beauties of the program is that it uses play as instruction. I have found in my years of teaching a dyslexic boy to read is that you have to present the material in a variety of ways. He needs to see it, hear it, write it or touch it if need be. Using games to help him in his journey has been invaluable.

Before I tell you about our review this time around I need to tell you that when a student finishes Reading Kingdom he or she will be able to read at a 3^rd grade level. It is intended for children ages 4-10. However (and this is important), I love using it for Josiah. He is 13 and reads ABOVE a 3^rd grade level at this point in his schooling. Which is HUGE!

But. I have discovered that these kiddos who struggle need constant practice. Using Reading Kingdom has not only allowed him to practice some of those basic skills, but has increased his confidence.

Let’s talk about our Reading Kingdom experience.

The very first thing your child is asked is to take a few placement tests. They are called Skill Surveys.

We had a minor disaster happen in the middle of Josiah’s Skill Survey 1. His headphones broke inside the speaker mount on the computer.

Oh yes they did!

Bless his heart. He soldiered on and took the test. I am sure I could have emailed the company and they would have been more than happy for Josiah to retake the test.  As it was, Josiah was placed in Letter Land. 

There are two sections in Reading & Writing Part 1. The first is Seeing Sequences. This section helps kiddos learn to attain visual scanning and memory skills. Both are essential for reading words and sentences.

Letter Land focuses on teaching the student to move around the keyboard with ease. I LOVE this. This is not a 10 finger typing course. I think it has an extra benefit. For Josiah it has required him to that much-needed interactive step towards reading. His fingers are involved which also engage his brain. You can adjust the amount of time that is required for a response if needed.

After Letter Land another Skill Survey is required. It is basically a reading assessment test. This test will determine what level of Reading Kingdom the student will start with. There are 5 different levels of readers within Reading Kingdom. Each Level has a variety of activities that build upon each other.

This program adjusts itself to the student. 

I just want to share with you a few of the activities we have encountered.  

This activity requires the student to locate the site word "A a" on the keyboard and the screen. They aren't merely to find the letter "a" ...just the word. The program will use the site word in a few different situations and activities so that it is really something the student has used in multiple ways. 

This activity is from the same lesson. Here the student has to locate the train that could spell "a kid."

This activity is just like the one above except the student has to find "a girl." This is a screen shot of one of the final activities of this lesson. The cards started off easier and then gradually got a little more difficult.

In between the "seek and find" activity of above are typing exercises. The student has to locate and type the missing letters in "a girl."

At the end of each lesson this screen appears. The student is given the opportunity to leave the site, review the lesson or move on to the next lesson. I love the review aspect. Sometimes they just need extra practice and help.

My Thoughts

I LOVE this program for my struggling reader. It moves slowly, but I like that. The lessons aren't long and don't require the student to inhale too much information at one setting. This is important for my guy. 

You will obviously need a good internet connection and speakers. What you won't need is a lot of time. There is practically NO parent prep. All I do is keep up with his progress. Because so many of Josiah's subjects require my onsite presence and participation I love that I can write down "Reading Kingdom" on his assignment sheet for the day. I know that he is learning and practicing. 

If you are a parent who has a struggling reader I suggest you take a look. Even if your child has progressed beyond the 3rd grade reading level I think you will find it to be invaluable practice and remediation. 

This is one of my Favorite reading resources! 

You can check out Reading Kingdom via the following social media outlets. Don't forget to click on the banner below to read more reviews. I need to tell you that Reading Kingdom also has an online reading program for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) kiddos. Some of the Crew also reviewed that product. 

https://www.facebook.com/readingkingdom 
https://twitter.com/readingkingdom
https://www.pinterest.com/readingkingdom/