As a homeschooling parent navigating the educational landscape, finding a curriculum that fosters both academic growth and independent thinking is paramount. Oak Meadow’s 7th Grade Curriculum has been a cornerstone in our homeschooling journey, providing a holistic and engaging approach to education for our child. If some of you may remember we used Oak Meadow’s 5th and 6th grade last year. We did a hybrid homeschool year and we are doing the same thing this year. The bulk of his spine is Oak Meadow’s 7th grade and he is wrapping up the last of the Oak Meadow’s 6th grade math and will move into the 7th grade math book in March. With that little disclaimer lets jump into Oak Meadow’s 7th Grade Curriculum wonderfulness.
Overview
Oak Meadow’s 7th Grade Curriculum encompasses a diverse range of subjects, from core academics to creative arts. This holistic approach aligns seamlessly with the developmental needs of a 7th-grade student, offering a well-rounded education that goes beyond traditional textbooks. One of the standout strengths of Oak Meadow is its emphasis on fostering independent thinking and a love for learning. The curriculum encourages students to explore topics independently, promoting critical thinking and a sense of curiosity. The integration of hands-on activities and projects not only reinforces academic concepts but also makes learning enjoyable.
Navigating through the curriculum is straightforward, thanks to Oak Meadow’s clear and well-organized structure. The weekly lesson plans, detailed guides, and the flexibility to adapt the pace to our child’s learning style have made it easy to seamlessly integrate lessons into our homeschooling routine. This adaptability has been a boon for tailoring the curriculum to our child’s unique needs.
Real World Connections
Oak Meadow excels in connecting academic content to real-world scenarios. The curriculum often integrates practical applications, allowing our child to see the relevance of what they are learning. This approach not only enhances comprehension but also cultivates a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Homeschooling parents will appreciate the robust teacher support provided by Oak Meadow. The curriculum includes comprehensive teacher manuals, answer keys, and additional resources that simplify the planning process. This support has been invaluable, especially for parents who may not have a background in education.
Oak Meadow’s approach to student engagement goes beyond traditional methods. The inclusion of interactive projects, outdoor activities, and a variety of learning resources keeps our child excited about learning. The curriculum promotes a love for exploration and creativity, making each lesson an enriching experience.
Oak Meadow’s 7th Grade Curriculum has proven to be a valuable asset in our homeschooling journey. Its focus on independent thinking, clear structure, real-world connections, and ample teacher support make it a well-rounded choice for parents seeking a holistic and engaging education for their 7th-grade students. Oak Meadow has not only facilitated academic growth but has also nurtured a love for learning that extends beyond the homeschooling environment.
While Oak Meadow has been a positive experience overall, it’s important to note that the level of parental involvement may vary depending on the child’s learning style. Some children may require more guidance, especially with the independent nature of certain assignments.
In conclusion, we love Oak Meadow as a company and as our homeschool curriculum. We are here for the long haul and my son couldn’t be happier he looks forward to that brown box every year.
Evan-Moor’s Daily 6-Trait Writing Grade 6 is a valuable resource for parents seeking to enhance their sixth-grader’s writing skills. As a mom, I have had the opportunity to incorporate this program into my homeschool routine, and I would like to share my thoughts on its effectiveness. As many of you know we are long term supporters of Evan Moor products and they frequent our homeschool every year.
Evan-Moor’s Daily 6-Trait Writing Grade 6 is well-structured, covering a diverse range of writing genres and skills. From narrative and persuasive writing to informative essays, the program ensures a holistic development of writing abilities. Each day presents a new writing prompt, allowing students to explore different aspects of language and expression.
One of the standout features of this resource is its engaging and thought-provoking prompts. The prompts are age-appropriate and often tie into real-world scenarios, making the writing exercises more relevant and interesting for sixth-grade students. This approach not only encourages creativity but also helps students connect writing to their everyday lives. The program includes 125 writing lessons, each of which is designed to be completed in 10-20 minutes. Each lesson includes a writing prompt, as well as a detailed explanation of the trait being focused on. Students are encouraged to revise and edit their work, with the goal of producing high-quality writing.
The program effectively targets various writing skills, including grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure. The daily exercises are designed to gradually build and reinforce these skills, providing a solid foundation for more advanced writing tasks. I have noticed an improvement in my students’ ability to articulate their thoughts and ideas coherently. Students focus on six key traits: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions.
One of the benefits of Evan-Moor’s Daily 6-Trait Writing Grade 6 is that it can be easily integrated into your existing curriculum. The lessons are flexible and can be adapted to meet the needs of your students. Additionally, the program includes rubrics, so students can understand the expectations for each assignment.
The resource includes built-in assessment tools, enabling parents to gauge students’ progress effectively. The feedback loop is crucial in refining writing skills, and Evan-Moor has incorporated this aspect seamlessly into its daily writing exercises.
Evan-Moor’s Daily 6-Trait Writing Grade 6 is a commendable tool for enhancing writing skills in sixth-grade students. Its comprehensive curriculum, engaging prompts, and focus on skill development make it a valuable asset in any educational setting. Evan-Moor’s Daily 6-Trait Writing Grade 6 is an excellent resource for parents who want to help their students improve their writing skills. By focusing on the six key traits of writing, students can develop the skills they need to become effective writers.
Teaching geography skills in middle school is crucial for several reasons. For one, it helps students better understand the world around them. Geography is not just about memorizing capital cities and countries; it’s about understanding how physical and human factors shape the environment. By studying geography, students can learn about different cultures, climates, and ecosystems, which will broaden their perspectives and help them become more empathetic and informed global citizens. One way I found this year to teach geography to my sixth grader is using Evan Moor Skill Sharpeners Geography grade 6 .
We are familiar with Evan Moor Publishers workbooks they have been staples in our home since my son was in pre-school. They are valuable resources that are trusted by homeschoolers and educators. Timberdoodle Co. recognizes these reliable resources and includes them in their homeschool kits.
Evan Moor Skill Sharpeners Geography grade 6 is an excellent resource for students who want to improve their geography knowledge. The book is designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of the world around them, including the physical features, cultures, and economies of different countries.
The book is divided into several interesting and engaging units, each of which covers a different aspect of geography. For example, one unit focuses on the physical geography of the United States, including its rivers, mountains, and deserts. Another unit explores the different cultures and traditions of countries worldwide, from Japan to Mexico to South Africa.
Throughout the book, students are encouraged to think critically and analytically about the information they are learning. They are challenged to make connections between different concepts and to apply their knowledge to real-world situations. With plenty of maps, charts, and diagrams to help illustrate key concepts, students are sure to stay engaged and interested throughout their study of geography with Evan Moor Skill Sharpeners. Inside the book, you will find a QR code to access the free teaching guide resources. This code provides you with extension activities and background information.
Furthermore, geography skills are increasingly important in today’s interconnected world. As countries become more interconnected through trade, travel, and technology, it’s important for young people to understand how different regions of the world are connected. By learning about geography, students can develop a better understanding of global issues such as climate change, migration, and resource scarcity.
Finally, studying geography can also help students develop important skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and spatial awareness. These skills are useful not only in geography but also in other subjects and in life in general. In short, teaching geography skills in middle school is an important part of preparing students for a diverse and complex world. Using Evan Moor Skill Sharpeners Geography grade 6 will help your student to learn and love geography in a fun way.
We received for Discover! Social Studies 6 for our honest review. This review may contain affiliate links at no additional charge to you.
Hopefully, you have had a chance to read our review on Discover! Science 6, but if you haven’t, please check it out. We love history and my son loves to read and research history. I think because my son is a young 6/7th grader of 10 years old he still appreciates having informative and colorful curricula. Discover! Social Studies 6 is a non-religious wonderfully diverse social studies curriculum.
So before I start this review let me put it out there we are history nerds and very critical about social studies and history curriculum. I expose my son to gentle truth history, we don’t do fluff at home. Discover! Social Studies 6 provides a rich spine for ancient civilization history.
Discover! Social Studies 6 is designed as talking points into an ancient civilization. The program is designed with homeschoolers in mind, allowing parents and students to go deeper into each topic area. The curriculum includes two student books and an instructor guide. Semester A book covers the topic of early civilization, ancient Egypt, Israel, India, and China. Semester B covers ancient Greece, Rome, Mesoamerica, and Africa. There are 10 chapters for the entire school year, a total of 76 lessons. Discover Social Studies 6 includes:
Lesson Objective
Explore and Read
Practice
Discover! Social Studies 6 has suggestions for each learning style, extension activities, and writing sections. I highly recommend using the instructor’s guide which also includes the answer key. The instructor guide provides helpful insight into each lesson and guides through to help your student.
What I like about Discover! Social Studies 6 is that it is colorful and the lessons are quick and to the point. For my student Discover! Social Studies 6 is an excellent review for him and a supplement to his current history curriculum. The lessons will not overwhelm your student and most students can navigate them on their own. I really like the vocabulary sections in each lesson. Students will use the vocabulary words on the first page of the lesson, find them throughout the lesson, and mark down the pages.
Discover! Social Studies 6 not only provides history lessons, but students will also learn geography and map skills. It also makes suggestions for online research. With a combination of illustrations and real-world photos, this isn’t your typical middle school history textbook. My son really likes Discover! Social Studies 6 he uses the textbook 2-3 times a week.
We average two to three lessons a week because my son loves history, but two lessons a week is more than enough to get you through a school year. There are chapter reviews every five to seven lessons.
I highly recommend Discover! Social Studies 6 if you are looking for a simple but comprehensive social studies/history curriculum. Discover! Social Studies 6 is included in the 2023 Nonreligious 2023 Sixth-Grade Curriculum Kit. Don’t forget to check out our previous review of Discover! Science 6.
Timberdoodle Co, finally unveiled the highly anticipated new 2023 curriculum kits and secular homeschoolers got a brand-new science offering this year. Science came at the right time for us because my son loves all things science and loves science curricula. The new science is Discover! Science Grade 6 and let me just tell you my rising middle schooler was very happy with Discover! Science Grade 6. Discover! Science is also available in grades 1 through 6 and Timberdoodle Co has them all!
Discover Science 6
Discover! Science Grade 6 is a secular curriculum designed with homeschoolers in mind. A full year’s curriculum is divided into two books with one instructor’s guide. Book 6A has six chapters and 6B has seven chapters. Chapters consist of 6 -10 lesson that includes a chapter review. The instructor guide includes the lesson layout for all the chapters. Each lesson is divided into sections:
Lesson Objective
Explore (connection to real-world interactive activities)
Vocabulary
Reading (lecture)
Practice
Take A Closer Look (experiment)
Show What You Know (Q &A about the lessons)
What is unique about Discover! Science Grade 6 is that it is colorful and appeals to all learning styles. The instructor manual offers suggestions for auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners. There are in-depth but not overwhelming instructions for instructors, along with research suggestions for you to offer your students. The student text is nicely laid out with real-life photos, detailed diagrams, and writing exercises that are not overly excessive. Students’ experiments and lab reports are also included in the lessons.
How we plan to use it!
What I like about Discover! Science Grade 6 is that it’s not overwhelming for those students who may not be science kids. The colorful pages make the lessons more interesting and encourage the students to want to continue to learn. Discover! Science Grade 6 also encourages critical and logical thinking skills. Lesson average 2-3 days a week which is about 150 days of instruction. It is encouraged that students complete 3 pages on the first day and 2 pages on the second day. You can see complete sample pages on Discover! Science Grade 6 Timberdoodle Co landing page. Discover! Science Grade 6 is a part of the 2023 6th grade non-religious curriculum kit.
Lesson 1 Scientific Process
We do have a spine curriculum that we love and will use, but because my son really loves science I always add a supplement to our science curriculum. Discover! Science Grade 6 lessons are interactive which will be a great supplement for him, and he can do them on his own. Discover! Science Grade 6 lessons are quick and short for him and will act as an opener to what we are learning. They will also help enhance what he is learning and give him extra practice.
The Middle Schooler
Hey, everyone, it’s me and I am happy to co-author this review with my mom. I love science and I like to research and learn as much science as possible. I helped my mom look over Discover! Science Grade 6 and I really like what we noticed in the lessons. Almost all the lessons match up with my spine curriculum. I like the pictures and the experiments in the book. The experiments give me more things I can do to explore the lessons. I also like that the book has really nice diagrams. I also like that they include talking points for me to think about. As a middle schooler, I think it’s important that books still look like they are fun and not just a bunch of words and things for you to learn.
I also like that in the second book, there are four chapters dedicated to the human body topics. There are also topics in the books that aren’t like typical science books. I think if you are a 6th grader, and you don’t want to do boring science, Discover! Science Grade 6 is a great pick for a middle schooler. I am looking forward to using Discover! Science Grade 6 this school year and I am trying to persuade my mom to let me start it sooner than September
In Closing
We both highly recommend Discover! Science Grade 6, I feel like even if you have no experience with teaching science this curriculum will work for your family. I also think if your student is a visual learner or if you want to change things up Discover! Science Grade 6 would be a great fit. The price point is affordable and experiment supplies cost is minimal. Stay tuned for our upcoming review of Discover! Social Studies 6.
Hey, guys, I’m jumping on right now to bring you a review that’s probably not like our typical reviews. We were given the opportunity to review the new Khan Academy Khanmigo. If you aren’t familiar with Khanmigo it is Khan Academy’s new AI teacher assistant and learner tutor. I’m gonna be totally honest with you I was a little bit skeptical about the whole AI technology being used in my homeschool. Like many families, we do have several Alexa devices in our home. and So when we were given an opportunity to try out the new Khan Academy Khanmigo AI resource I jumped at the chance to just check it out.
As of right now, the Khanmigo is not available to the general public but you can eagerly put your name on a waitlist. The platform that we were using was the beta platform. We shared the teacher dashboard but there is an area for learners. Once fully launched Khanmigo will be available to students on their dashboards. Khanmigo’s goal is to be an assistant teacher to help you plan creative lessons. For the student, it is used to be a progressive tutor in which the student facilitates the learning and Khanmigo adapts and tutors.
Khanmigo is a wonderful resource from what I can tell right now. There are lots of prompts and details to tell you how the system works. The AI is very responsive, honestly, I didn’t run into any problems using Khanmigo. I was really impressed at how thoroughly the system works.
Teacher Dashboard
The teacher dashboard has and on the left-hand side of ten activities to choose from:
Chat with GPT-4 (Your AI buddy)
Class Snapshot ( Lets you see what going on in your classes)
Summarize student chat history ( lets you see how your students have been chatting with Khanmigo)
Refresh my knowledge ( Lets you pick topics and grade levels you need refreshing on)
Create a lesson hook and write exit ticket questions
Options for creating lesson plans
Write learning objectives
Co-create a rubric
The dialogue box is to the right of the activities and this is where you will see your interactions. How I tested Khanmigo’s lesson planning skills is I asked for the AI to create a lesson plan for Meso- America. I was completely blown away. AI the system gave me a complete breakdown of:
Objectives/Standards
Essential Questions
Materials
Lesson Hook
Lesson Activities
Assessment
Higher-Order Thinking Questions
Extensions Activities
Differentiation
Take your teaching to the next level with AI-guided lesson planning and insightful student feedback. Khanmigo frees up our educators’ most limited resource—time.
Khan Academy
Fellow educators let me just tell you, I WAS SHOCKED !!! I want to take this time and thank Khan Academy for saving me HOURS of research and agony. The systems even referenced activities to use within Khan Academy. I then further tested the learning objectives activity on the same topic and the AI helped me come up with and pinpoint my personal own objectives for this topic for my son.
For Learners
The learner’s section of the dashboard also includes a welcome screen and on the left side there were twenty activities that included:
Brainstorm admissions essay
Grammar and Mechanic check
Tutoring Math, Science, Humanities
Ignite your curiosity
Practice general subjects
Practice for Elementary, Middle School, High School, AP Exams, College
Debate topics for Elementary, Middle School, and High School
Chat with Historical and Literary characters
Story writing and writing prompts
Vocabulary
College and academic and career growth
My son took his turn at Khanmigo and so far he has studied Indigenous Tribes, Civil War, Juneteenth, and Indigenous mounds. He has also used writing prompts and debate topics for middle schoolers. He has also used Khanmigo to help him dig deeper into his physics and history lessons.
Khanmigo mimics a writing coach by giving prompts and suggestions to move students forward as they write, debate, and collaborate in exciting new ways.
Khan Academy
Now I know what you’re thinking is Khanmigo doing all the work for kids and teachers is it taking away the ability to research and be creative. On the contrary, Khanmigo gives students and teachers the skeleton it encourages them to dig deeper into what they have asked about or created. Students are encouraged to use the resources within Khan Academy as well as outside resources. Khanmigo is not about giving your students answers they are testing their knowledge and building upon it. I appreciate that when students type in answers if the answers are wrong or they come close to being correct the system is very encouraging and they help them learn about the topic rather than listing a bunch of facts and historical events.
Khan Academy Khanmigo receives a huge thumbs up from both my son and myself. There are so many capabilities of this platform. The things I took away from reviewing this Khanmigo are that it saves time, and takes my lesson planning to a new level. I definitely see Khanmigo as an assistant teacher at my homeschool.
Middle Schoolers Thoughts
I really like Khanmigo I was able to learn about topics I am interested in. I also like the writing prompts helper. The writing prompts help me develop my writing with greater details. My favorite area is science, I was able to ask questions and search through my own books, and the internet based on the suggestions Khanmigo gave me. Khanmigo is like having another teacher that helps you learn. I also like Khanmigo because I felt in control of what I wanted to do and learn about.
Final Thoughts
Khan Academy Khanmigo is a great resource for educators and learners. Right now it is in beta testing, so I would hurry and get on the waitlist. In the future, the learners will have their own dashboard. I also foresee Khan Academy Khanmigo getting some tweaks. I am hoping they included a printing option so you can print out the conversations. You can copy and paste your conversation into a Word document which is helpful. We really like Khan Academy Khanmigo and I will be using it more often in our homeschool and for planning purposes. I know my son really likes it so I see it being in high rotation with him as well.
Ok so I am in the 40+ club and I try to keep my brain sharp by working on logic games and puzzles. So when presented with the opportunity to review BrilliantPremium Subscription I thought this would be perfect for me. Well, I was wrong…my husband who was laying beside me became curious about what I was doing and took over.
Brilliant is a digital way to bring STEM to your family designed to provide daily math courses in areas of
Mathematical Fundamentals
Pre-Algebra
Geometry Fundamentals
Geometry 1
Algebra 1
Algebra 2
Brilliant is designed to help your student think logically in areas of math, science, and computer science. The program is for students in grades 6th – Adult. What is unique about Brilliant is students will move along a learning path as they work on areas of interest. My student is a rising 6th grader, but he really enjoys working at Brilliant. I think what caught his attention was one exercise with balance beam math, he instantly recognized the concept and enjoyed reviewing this in a digital form. I really enjoy the logical parts of Brilliant my husband and I take turns solving them. I also like how Brilliant will send you emails of new challenges and reminders to log in.
Brilliant exercises take about 10-15 mins to complete, if your student needs to break from the course the progress is saved until they are ready to work again. Students can toggle between math exercises, logic, science, and computer science fundamentals. There are over 60 + courses in the BrilliantPremium Subscription which is such a great variety of STEM learning opportunities that your homeschool is covered when using the Premium Subscription. Brilliant is downloaded to all of our Apple devices and we all are working on learning paths. My husband and I are in steady competition over who can complete the new challenges first. Our son has sometimes beaten us to challenges, but it is okay because I love the benefits we are getting from Brilliant.
If you would like to read more fabulous reviews on BrilliantPremium Subscription be sure to check out the Crew’s reviews by clicking the banner below.
As we move through our current school year my mind is always focused on the future of upper-level math for my son. We are pretty much set for this school year for math curriculums, but I have been wondering if we are on the right track for Algebra. I was given the opportunity to review TabletClass MathPre-Algebra.
TabletClass MathPre-Algebra is an online math curriculum with pre-recorded lectures. There is a student and parent portal, student portal is where your student will do their coursework. I really do like the parental portal it gives you an in-depth understanding of the curriculum along with answer keys. Once the student completes the course student you can print out a certificate. The parent portal is easy to use and gives you a pacing guide which I really love because it shows you the different levels of pacing from slower, average, and accelerated. Having this pacing guide will allow you to use TabletClass MathPre-Algebra as it best works for your family.
TabletClass MathPre-Algebra is a little long and reminds me of a traditional classroom lecture. Mr. Zimmerman opens the class by him teaching the lesson on a whiteboard, I really like this method of teaching because it encourages students to take notes. We are working on taking notes in our other curriculums and I am always on my son about taking accurate notes in his current math curriculum. I like how Mr. Zimmerman uses highlighting as he teaches the lessons, my son loves to highlight. I had my son watch a few of the videos and asked him what he thought of this teaching style, and if would it be something he would like to try, and he did point out to me that lessons are long, but he likes how Mr. Zimmerman writes great notes and teaches slowly each of the steps. I totally agree with his observations, and for this reason, I will pull this out when we are really struggling with a concept.
Parent Portal
How to Complete a Lesson
Students will take notes from the instruction video, I highly recommend you encourage your student to do this. After they watch the instruction video students will then work on the example problems, which are available to print out or students can work in a notebook. Once the student completes the first set of examples problems, they can go to the video that is marked for that section of problems and check their answers or correct the problems they didn’t get correct. I love this self-correcting option because Mr. Zimmerman walks them through the steps of each problem and your student can see what they did wrong and make the adjustments accordingly.
Student Portal
There are sixteen chapters in TabletClass MathPre-Algebra currently out of those sixteen chapters I can honestly say that my son has had exposure to each of the topics covered. Now I said exposure not mastery, so with that being said will start from chapter one. One of the things I really enjoyed was Mr. Zimmerman’s tone of voice/pace, visual aids, and bits of humor in the lessons. I felt like he was having a conversation with the students rather than talking at them and rushing through the concept. My son watched the first video and instantly caught on to the concept being explained and didn’t feel overwhelmed.
What I found different about TabletClass MathPre-Algebra is they really concentrate on those pre-algebra concepts that I remember in 8th and 9th grade. If your students don’t have the proper foundation for basic elementary skills, you will know right away once you start TabletClass MathPre-Algebra. My son is almost 10 years old and works at a 6th-grade math level he had no problem looking over the topics we previewed, so I highly recommend you make sure your student has basic and early middle school math skills nailed.
Overall Review
I really like TabletClass MathPre-Algebra it gives me that old-school way of learning upper-level math. Notetaking is a huge plus in my opinion because it is setting your student up for success with math and independent learning. The self-correcting alongside Mr. Zimmerman is also a plus because it not only helps your student to see their errors but also allows the parent to help students. The self-correcting also helps support your student with the organization. I don’t know how many times I have to tell my student to show his work in his current curriculum and have to explain why he needs to make this a habit. Mr. Zimmerman wants your student to show their work so they can review and better understand.
We will defiantly be using TabletClass MathPre-Algebra once we finish our last 10 lessons in our current math curriculum to bridge the gap until we start our new curriculum in January. I would love to fit it into our rotation now, but I want us to finish these last 10 lessons first. I highly recommend this curriculum if you are looking for pre-algebra support. TabletClass MathPre-Algebra also works well for those independent learners and for those families looking to help transition their students to independent learning. TabletClass MathPre-Algebra tests and exams are also a big plus for me. I know some homeschoolers aren’t big on tests and exams, but I do like to have something that reflects that my student understands what he has been learning and use these results to help me with lesson plans and for his portfolio.
Be sure to check out the other crew member’s reviews of TabletClass Math by clicking the banner below.
If you aren’t familiar with Hewitt Learning the company has always been at the forefront of supporting homeschool education since the early 1960. The company has since created award-winning literature-based curriculums for grades 1st-12 grade. They also have administered over 350,000 P.A.S.S tests to homeschool students for standardized testing. Along with the curriculum and standardized testing, they have ventured into the arena of STEM with their Innovators Challenge program. Hewitt Learning is currently developing an online component coming soon. This Fall their highly anticipated release of Kids Chemical Solutions is coming in the next few weeks.
I love the design of the student book, the illustration are colorful and not overwhelming. There are 36 weeks of lessons which include grammar/mechanics and reading comprehension. Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5 students will read nine novels. Students will also work on poetry which is included in the student text. The included poetry is new for us this year. In grade 4 we used a poetry book that my son LOVES and had me buy the sequel to the book.
The literature selections for this year’s curriculum are phenomenal. Every book selected for this year was on my to-be-read list. You can purchase the literature pack from the company or check them out from your local library. I was equally impressed by the inclusivity and diversity of the book selection. The very first-week students are The Mighty Miss Malone.
Gary, New York City, and the Deep South; they’ll journey to Canada, Europe, and Pakistan; they’ll travel from a hundred years in the past to some unknown time in the future; and they’ll explore a fantasy world peopled with strange characters.
Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5
I love the student checklist that breaks down the chapters the students are responsible for reading for the week. The checklist also includes the grammar/mechanics as well as the composition assignment for the week. Each week has four days of written work including reading comprehension questions. The fifth day is reserved for finishing the final draft of the composition or extension lessons. Students are expected to work on their compositions throughout the week.
Students will also review sentences diagramming. My son loves to diagram sentences I am not a huge fan, but I do understand the reason behind learning the skill.
Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5 doesn’t include spelling, reading, and handwriting. These other disciplines can easily be supplemented and blended into the curriculum.
About the Teacher’s Guide
Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5 Teacher’s Guide is comprehensive. The how-to-use sections provide parents with information on how to teach the lessons. I really like how the guide tells you to tailor the course to your needs. The teacher guide also includes a week at a glance for the lesson along with the answers to the student text. There are also extra resources available on the the companies website.
Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5 Teacher’s Guide includes detailed help for guiding your student through writing their composition for the week. Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5 Teacher’s Guide is must have when working with your student, please don’t skip purchasing this guide.
How We Use
Okay, this isn’t our first time working with this curriculum, so I consider ourselves pros now. We have used both pdf and hard copies of Lightening Literature & Composition curriculums. I like both versions, but for this review, we are using the Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5 hard copies. My son is a grammar monster he loves grammar. This year we have a spine English curriculum, but Lightening Literature & Composition Grade 5 is also being used alongside his spine as his independent work.
This year we are excited to use Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5 and have already started listening to and reading week one novel. We use the novels from Lightening Literature & Composition Grade 5 Teacher’s Guide & Student Workbook novels as our read-aloud. My son works on the lesson on his own and he does the compositions as part of his writing time on Fridays.
Parent Involvement and Preparation.
With any curriculum there is some level of parent involvement. With the upper elementary levels 4-5 grade students are on the independent track. I personally preview the lesson each week on Sunday and evaluate if this something my son can do on his own or do I need to review with him. I also enjoy reading/listening along to the literature so we use them as our read a-louds and do the reading comprehension questions together. If you purchase the hard copies you don’t need to prep the lessons you can tear them out the book and put in a binder or keep them in book. My son prefers I tear them out each week. If you feel you need to prep external resources for the lesson that is clearly up to you. The pdf version does need some preparation. The curriculum is low prep and requires parent involvement based upon your students capabilities.
Final Thoughts
Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5 is a great curriculum it can be used as a stand-alone or combined with another spine. The lessons are short and in-depth. Students have plenty of practice over the week of the grammar and mechanics. After every five lessons, students will get a review of the previous lessons. The poetry is spread throughout the book over the course of 36 weeks.
Is it on grade level? Absolutely, actually above grade level in my opinion. My son works well in Lightning Literature & Composition curriculums, the literature picks are great and keep his interest. If your student doesn’t have a strong grammar background I would consider looking over the sample pages of each of the grade levels before purchasing. I would also recommend that if your students aren’t familiar with the writing process you give them a quick review or use the composition as a way of teaching them about the mechanics of writing.
Lightning Literature is a language arts curriculum designed to:
instill a love of literature in students,
expand their ability to read intelligently and deeply, and
prepare them for more advanced language arts concepts.
Hewitt Learning
Hewitt Learning’s website provides excellent sample pages of the curriculums and great customer service. At the time of this review Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5 Teacher’s Guide & Student Workbook combo is on sale for $80.65 and the regular price is $84.90. If you would like to purchase the Lightning Lit — Gr-5 Pack w/Readers the cost is $154.33 on sale!
I highly recommend Lightning Literature & Composition Grade 5 we have used their curriculas for several years. One of the things I really enjoy about this curricula is their commitment to including divirsity in their booklist and illustrations. My son loves the books and academically they have been phenomenal. I think that curricula works well for those looking for a relaxed approach to grammar while being challenging. The upper grades provide checklist for students allowing them to be independant and a steward over thier learning. You can do the lessons as part of a morning basket and the learning schedule will fit into a loop homeschool schedule perfectly.
We have never read any of the Laura Ingall book series, I know how could we be a homeschool family and never read any of her books? It’s simple for us my son and I didn’t find the books relatable as an African -Latino family. When the crew was given an opportunity to review Progeny PressFarmer Boy Study Guide 4-6 grade, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to check out the series.
Farmer Boy is the second book in The Little House series, the story follows the adventures of 9-year-old Almanzo Wilder as he works on his family’s farm. As the book moves through the different seasons we learn about the chores of a farmer boy and Almanzo’s many adventures in farm life.
We have previously reviewed two other Progeny Press study guides and have found them to be comprehensive literature guides. We received the pdf and answer key, you will need to purchase the book or you can use the audio. Farmer Boy Study Guide follows the same flow as the previous guides providing the student with:
Instructor Notes
Book Synopsis
Author & Historical Background
Students start the study guide with activity ideas for pre-reading the book. These activities can include reports, giving an informative speech, map work, and much more. The goal is to get your student’s mindest prepared for the book as it whisks them away to the Wilder farm at the turn of the century.
As the student moves through the study guide the lessons are divided into chapters, some lessons covering more than one chapter. Students will work on vocabulary, literary terms, comprehension questions, projects, and writing. You will see Biblical scriptures reference in some of the activities, but it isn’t overwhelming and can be easily skipped over if that is your preference.
I really do like Progeny Press study guides and the Farmer Boy Study Guide was a welcoming introduction to one of the Little House book series. I like how we can easily use the activities that will work well for us and do some activities orally. The study guide can be done over a period of time or it can be used just as your literature lesson for a month. One of the other things I do like about these study guides is that each study guide works on character-building and moral lessons. Farmer Boy Study Guide is for grades 4-6, so your student can work independently.
There are a few more Progeny Press study guides I plan to pick up over the next few years. I really like how they have organized their guides and it’s not a bunch of busy work. The guides are affordable and are in black and white so they don’t eat up your ink. Be sure to check out the other Crew’s reviews of Progeny Press study guides by clicking the banner below.
Little Learner and Mom 