Term Two Review - Including Book List 2014-2015

It's hard to believe we're two-thirds of the way through our school year!  We took a little time off from our book studies this week.  However, the kids were still busy with enrichment activities including LEGO Club, Knitting Club, Keepers of the Faith, Choir, Art, and Piano Lessons.  They did continue math throughout the break and I had a read aloud going.   Speaking of which, here is our list of Term 2 2014-2015 History Read Alouds...

Abe Lincoln Grows Up by Carl Sandburg
Jed Smith: Trailblazer & Trapper by Frank Latham
The Story of John J. Audubon by Joan Howard - We read the first five chapters and decided to stop and read the following book instead.
The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies
The Seasons Sewn: A Year in Patchwork by Ann Whitford Paul 
The Erie Canal by Peter Spier
The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal by Cheryl Harness
Trail of Apple Blossoms by Irene Hunt
The Story of the Santa Fe Trail by Judy Alter
Along the Santa Fe Trail by Marian Russell & Ginger Wadsworth
Young John Quincy by Cheryl Harness
Andrew Jackson by Clara Ingram Judson
Who Let Muddy Boots Into the White House by Robert Quackenbush
Trail of Tears by Joseph Bruchac
Kit Carson Mountain Man by Margaret Bell
Quit Pulling My Leg: A Story of Davy Crockett by Robert Quackenbush
Susanna of the Alamo by John Jakes
Amistad Rising: A Story of Freedom by Veronica Chambers
Nettie's Trip South by Ann Turner
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Zia by Scott O'Dell
Jessie Benton Fremont: California Pioneer by Marguerite Higgins
Patty Reed's Doll by Rachel K. Laurgaard
Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi

Overall it was a good term.  I did switch a few things up that weren't working from our original 2014-2015 curriculum.   With mixed feelings on my part, Riley dropped Latina Christiana I.  She was struggling with this course and is also using Michael Clay Thompson's Town Level, which includes Caesar's English, a study of Latin stems.  I do want her to have some exposure to Latin, but maybe both programs at one time were too much.  She also dropped Logic of English Essentials and went back to All About Spelling.  And, I'm afraid we've grown lax in our Plutarch study, but I aim to get back at it soon.

I'm still using Bible Study Guide for All Ages, however, I changed the way I'm using it.  It just felt too classroom oriented.  I now simply read the recommended passages, the kids narrate, and we discuss.  Occasionally, they complete map work or an activity, but I'm not requiring all the busy work.

After finishing God's Design for Heaven and Earth, Our Planet Earth first term, we were scheduled for Our Universe second term.  However, rather than read it from start to finish, I chose various sections to study, supplementing with Master Books New Astronomy Book by Danny Faulkner.  The full color photos and more up to date information was pleasing. 

Ruben started a new online math program.  ST Math is currently running a pilot for homeschoolers and he was able to sign on for the second semester.  ST (spatial-temporal) Math is game based instruction designed to boost math comprehension and proficiency through visual learning.  It was created from neuroscience research.  I was sold after watching ST Math's TED talk by creator, Matthew Peterson. 

Ruben has also started cursive writing using Logic of English's Rhythm of Handwriting.  Here again, I'm not using the program as written.  I've modified it to meet Ruben's needs.  We've been working through it slow and steady.  If he can give me 2-3 samples of his best writing of 3-4 different letters per day, I call it good.   After learning some new letters, we build words, writing on the chalk board, using the letters he's learned.  For example, after learning how to write "the swing letters", i, t, u, s, j, p, r, and w, we put the letters together, forming and writing words such as it, sit, pit, us, just, etc.  From this approach, he's starting to take note of cursive when he sees it.  The other day, Ruben read a cursive word on the back of a semi while I was driving on the highway.  It's very exciting to see the kids apply concepts they're learning to every day life.  This is one of the many blessings of homeschooling!!

As mentioned above, we've picked up choir, art and piano lessons the last couple of weeks of second term.  These enrichment activities will continue into third term.  We are blessed to have wonderful, organized, extra curricular homeschool activities in our area. The kids are enjoying it and I look forward to time spent with other like minded moms while we wait for our kiddos :)  It's a win, win!

How's your school year going?  I love comments!  Feel free to leave kind words below...

Logic of English Review....

After finishing All About Spelling Level 3 last year in 4th grade, I felt RileyAnn was ready for a change.  I had done extensive research the year before, but decided to stick with AAS one more year.  She was doing well with the program and liked it.  She is a gifted writer with well organized thoughts.  However, after completing Level 3, her spelling was still weak and hindering her writing fluency.  Hence began my pursuit for yet another spelling program.

I initially heard about The Logic of English among other homeschool circles.  I spoke with a few acquaintances that were using the program.  I also listened to seminars at the local homeschool convention.  I felt this new program could be the answer to our need.  After watching videos on The Logic of English website and corresponding with author Denise Eide, we decided to make the switch.  Riley started off this fall, 5th grade, with Logic of English Essentials.  

The Logic of English (LOE) was created "for students ages eight through adult who want to improve their reading, spelling, and/or sentence level writing ability.  The program systematically teaches how and why English words are spelled in a particular manner and how to build words into phrases and sentences, thereby providing students with the tools needed to decode, spell, and write."   The program is based on the Orton-Gillingham method of multi-sensory instruction. 

I think the idea behind The Logic of English is brilliant.  English really is a complex language.  Most people are not natural spellers.  We don't have photographic minds.  Rules and reasons explaining the why behind the how we spell English words are helpful.  For example, did you know the phonogram /ough/ has six different sounds?   Check out each of these words and notice the position of your mouth when pronouncing the vowel sound: thought, though, through, bough, rough, and trough.  How in the world do you know to used /ough/ rather than just plain o, ow, uff, or off?  Well, if you know the logic behind English, you know that /ough/ is used "only at the end of a base word or before a "T".  The Logic of English gives you the rules and reasons, "104 tools", behind the spelling of 98% of English words.   

The large LOE Teacher's Manual offers several sample schedules and much teacher support in the sixty-seven page Introduction.  As noted in the quote above, LOE not only provides spelling remediation, but also vocabulary, reading, grammar, and composition instruction.  Riley reads well above grade level and has fine vocabulary and composition skills.  However she needed spelling help so I decided to go with the "Struggling Spellers" schedule.

For spelling remediation, LOE suggests the possibility of completing one lesson every one to two days, finishing the entire 40 lesson course in 8-16 weeks.  This seemed a rather rapid pace to me so I modified it to spend three days, completing one lesson per week.  I figured with this schedule, we could complete the entire course in approximately one school year, which I felt sufficient.

Each LOE lesson is broke into three parts.  Part one introduces and reviews phonograms, explores spelling sounds, and includes teaching new spelling rules.  Part two provides spelling word dictation which includes syllabification and marking words according to their sounds.  Part three teaches grammar. It also gives phrases and sentences for dictation, using spelling words with various learned phonograms.  In addition, there are composition and vocabulary exercises.

We were excited about starting fresh.  It seemed to be going very well.  Then suddenly we hit a snag!  Every fifth lesson in LOE is an assessment and review.   Even though the beginning four lessons/weeks were review for Riley from previous school years, lesson five, the first LOE Assessment & Review, was very difficult for her.  We went back and reviewed a bit more and pushed through, as I attributed the struggle to starting a new program.  I figured we just needed to smooth out the bumps.  The next couple lessons went OK, but it became apparent around lesson eleven that LOE was not the right fit for us.

The multi-sensory piece of LOE is playing the phonogram and spelling games.  We tried a few games from the game book and they did not appeal to Riley or I.  Learning all six sounds of /ough/ in one lesson, as in the sample above, was too fast paced and confusing for Riley and I.  I couldn't remember the clues to cue her during dictation.   Riley is also currently using Michael Clay Thompson for English and grammar so the added grammar from LOE was sometimes repetitious and sometimes confusing.

Because LOE is more of an all in one program, covering spelling, reading, composition, vocabulary, and grammar, it felt like overkill to me.  I really just want a program for spelling remediation.  If improvement comes in those other language arts areas due to better spelling, it's a bonus.  However with RileyAnn, I am not interested in an all in one program.  I feel like in using Charlotte Mason's methods she has a great grasp on language arts and is heading in the right direction. 

I think we gave LOE a fair shot.  Needless to say, after twelve lessons in twelve weeks, we've decided to go back to the simplicity of All About Spelling.  The smile is back on RileyAnn's face.  I have learned if your child likes and buys into the program you're using, stick with it, you've conquered half the battle!

Speaking of Spelling....

I'm in the process of assessing RileyAnn's language arts needs for next school year.  This particular post will regard spelling.  We started Spelling Workout in kindergarten/1st grade with undesired results.  In 2nd grade, we switched to All About Spelling (AAS) Level 1 and just finished Level 2 this year for 3rd grade.  I am drawn to the Orton-Gillingham method.  I love that AAS teaches the phonograms and spelling rules and is a multisensory program.  I love that after initial prep, the lessons are open and go.  It's sequential and straight forward.  There are no lists to memorize because you are spelling words according to the phonograms and rules you have studied.  This just makes sense!!  I also appreciate the dictation method used in AAS.  It falls in line with the Charlotte Mason method of teaching. 

One of my struggles with AAS is determining how much to teach each day.  The program recommends spending about 20 minutes per day on spelling.  However, I don't feel there is enough material here to last that long.  I scheduled about a lesson per week and then tried to stretch it out for 4-5 days.  This only gave us 5-10 minutes of instruction per day. 

In addition, Riley doesn't love the tiles used in AAS.  She prefers to write on a white board or in her notebook.   Hence my quest to find a spelling program with the notebook approach. 

I purchased The Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading by Barbara Beers at the recommendation of friends.  However, after watching approximately 3 hours of the instructor DVD's, I felt like I was going crazy.  Phonics Road is based on the Orton-Spalding method.  Again, I like the approach of teaching the phonograms and rules vs. memorizing lists.  But, I did not care for some of the rule tunes, marking all the sounds, and the idea of being tied to my computer, watching instructional DVD's prior to every lesson.  I ended up selling the program.

I then started researching the Spalding method and obtained a copy of The Writing Road to Reading (WRTR) by Romalda Spalding.  I purchased the 4th edition along with teaching material from The Riggs Institute at a used book sale.  I also got a 5th edition from our local public library for comparison.  These two editions are grossly different. 

The 4th edition was the last revision during Ms. Spalding's lifetime.  It's very basic, has larger print, and includes the 70 phonogram cards you need for teaching. It's 288 pages.  The 5th edition has smaller print, gives scripted samples of a lesson, includes a list of the 70 phonograms though not in card form, and is 471 pages.  It is divided into two parts: "Lessons, Procedures, and Why This Method Works", which describes the content and methodology of the program, and "Instructional Materials", for use in lesson planning and instruction.  I believe the idea behind this was to make WRTR more user friendly as it's typically described as "being a beast to teach" by many.  Other changes in the 5th edition are a revised Extended Ayres Word List and an updated list of recommended children's literature.  Additions include a section on syllable division, recommended language arts scope and sequence, and a framework for planning integrated language arts lessons.  

I should note, WRTR is now in it's 6th edition, which was written to align with The Common Core State Standards.  I understand it's similar to the 5th edition, but I have not seen it yet.  
 

I love the idea of the spelling notebook the child creates while progressing through WRTR as they learn the phonograms and spelling rules.  However, again, I'm not crazy about the marking system.  I went through all seven levels of All About Spelling and The Writing Road to Reading and created a comparison chart of the phonograms taught. 

All About Spelling Phonogram Sequence

Level 1

a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
i	j	k	l	m	n	o	p
qu	r	s	t	u	v	w	x
y	z	th	sh	ch	ck	ng	nk

Level 2

wh	ee	er	ar	or	ou	oy	oi
aw	au	ow

Level 3

ay	ai	ur	oa	oo	ea	ed	igh
ir	ey

Level 4

tch	dge	ew	ei	wr	kn	eigh	ear
ph	ti	oe

Level 5

si

ie

ough

ui

gn

our

ci

Level 6

mb

gu

augh

Level 7

Writing Road to Reading Phonogram Sequence

First 70

a	c	d	f	g	o	s	qu
b	e	h	i	j	k	l	m
n	p	r	t	u	v	w	x
y	z	sh	ee	th	ow	ou	oo
ch	ar	ay	ai	oy	oi	er	ir
ur	wor	ear	ng	ea	aw	au	or
ck	wh	ed	ew	ui	oa	gu	ph
ough	oe	ey	igh	kn	gn	wr	ie
dge	ei	eigh	ti	si	ci

Additional 17

tch	eo	eau	augh	ce	gh	gi	our
di	cu	aigh	sc	ge	rh	eu	sci
pn

The initial 70 phonograms are the same, however, each program has added additional phonograms.  AAS teaches a new phonogram with it's spelling rule, then the child practices writing words, phrases, and sentences using the new material.  WRTR teaches all 70 phonograms upfront in a relatively short amount of time.  (one per day in kindergarten, 4 per day in 1st grade, all of them in a couple of weeks for upper grades) Then you go back and add words and rules to the phonograms creating a spelling notebook. 

I have not attempted this method, though it seems like a lot in a short amount of time, particularly for younger students.  It is recommended students spend two to three hours per day on the Spalding language arts program, which consists of spelling, writing, and reading lessons divided into three or four periods a day, with twenty to forty minutes on the spelling lesson alone, depending on grade level. 

After much research, I'm trying to devise a way to combine AAS and WRTR.  I'm thinking I would use AAS as the base, adding in the creation of a notebook used in WRTR.  I need to do some more brainstorming on this.

One other spelling book I picked up at a used book sale is How to Teach Spelling (HTTS).  I'm intrigued by this program in that it teaches phonograms and rules and is designed for kindergarten through adult.  You have the option of using a notebook or purchasing the three workbooks that accompany the program.  HTTS is relatively inexpensive compared to AAS.  However, I need to spend more time with it before giving a proper review and making a final decision. 

What's your favorite spelling program?  I'd love to hear more about it.  Please feel free to comment below.