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wehave8

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Posts posted by wehave8

    Veritas Press for Bible??

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    The beauty of VP's Bible and History is that you can do as little or add as much as you want, but it really comes down to a matter of preference. If you're looking for an in-depth Bible study, strong on application and doctrine, then perhaps VP isn't what you'd want. However, if you're looking for a chronological approach that will help to comprehend the whole story of Scripture, and prepare for more vigorous study, then VP could be your pick. It's comprehensive, yet flexible. (Exodus Books has a great review of VP Bible that is worth reading.)

     

    That said, you may be interested to know that VP's OTAE (History) and Genesis (Bible) are so close, sharing 18-ish cards with the same topic/event, that some think it's a waste to buy the Bible cards for that year. It wasn't an issue for us, since it made our first official year with VP a little lighter but still complete. (A runner-up chronological Bible study, though only a 4-year cycle, for VP Bible could be CAP's OT and NT Bible series—God's Great Covenant.) 

     

    We're nearly done with our fourth year of VP Bible—only one year left in the 5-year cycle. For us, it's been a perfect spine. And I have to say that we actually enjoy the Bible songs that correlate with each year. We listen to our current CD first thing every morning on our study days. In the beginning, I lead our Bible studies, reading aloud and such. Now, in 5th grade, my little man reads independently and then completes the activities. Afterwards, we review and discuss. On a side note... we used the Child's Story Bible by Vos and the Illustrated Bible—both listed as primary resources on the cards—in Kindergarten (OT) and 1st grade (NT), so when we began the Genesis Bible cards in 2nd grade... we used the first few Guerber's Histories as our narrative spine alongside the Bible cards, our KJV, and the Victor Journey Bible. Although the self-paced courses now include Bible as an option, we still do it ourselves. We prefer this approach to any other. 

    Thanks, Cmama.

    I am not looking for a 'devotional' or 'application' Bible study, so I think VP will fit the bill.  But, I am hoping to like it as much as we love BSGFAA.  I am mainly considering VP Bible because of the chronological order and going along with our History.  I have seen a chronological plan someone made up for BSG, but then the review questions in the lessons wouldn't work well.

     

    So are there other aspects to the program besides reading and questions?  e.g. maps, activities, songs (besides the 'timeline' song), memory work

     

    I am going to read the EB review right now!  :)

     

    Pam

    Veritas Press for Bible??

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I do love BSGFAA, but I am planning on using VP OT&AE History, and I can't decide if I want go ahead and  do VP Bible along with the History.

    Any reviews on VP Bible?  Is there more to it than reading the cards, reading the Bible, and answering questions?

    BSG has maps, timelines, fun songs, and review planned into each lesson.

    Could you give some good reasons to go with VP Bible?!

     

    Pam

     

    edited to change up my questions  :)

    What level CLE math before Saxon 5/4?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    We've done the same thing.  I planned on Saxon 54 after CLE 3rd.  We ended up not finishing CLE level and one ds went right into 54 and the other into 65.  Thay are having NO problems at all.  Not sure yet what ds (7) will do.  He is finishing CLE1 and flying through it.  He did Saxon DIVE 54, lesson 1 today just because he wanted to be like his big brother.  :)  He will probably get to CLE 3 and we'll see how far he goes in it before we transfer to Saxon 54 for him.

     

    Pam

    Can't wait for convention time!

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Okay, we're going to finish up the year with our PA history using Pennsylvania Keystones by Kemmerer.  We started it, and the boys love the notebooking and read-along books.

     

    At convention time, in May, I am going to have to make up my mind if we are going to use TQ, VP, or something else for history. We tried ABeka for a little while this year, and at first it seemed like it was good, but it became like our reading program...when we do a text, the extra reading doesn't happen.

     

    Keep the history posts and reviews coming!!!  :)

     

    Pam

    Spalding with an older child?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I don't test and place. I start everyone at the beginning–if I'm using Spalding which I'm often not anymore. I have never had a poor speller that did not need extensive handwriting remediation as well. I have found it necessary to start the handwriting, rules, and markings on review words rather than new and challenging words.

     

    I recently managed to obtain a pdf of the 4th edition and can now print out flashcards or any part of the book I want. It gives me more incentive to use this program.

    Where did you get that?  Never saw it offered in pdf.

     

    Pam

    Another IEW Fix It! question

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I have Fix It!  We started using it at the beginning of the year.  I REALLY liked it, and the boys did, too.

    My problem was that I didn't want to stray away from our R&S and get behind in it, so we put Fix It! aside.

    How do you choose which to use????  Maybe a whole year off from R&S and just be a year behind in it?  BUT we already do it a year behind.  :(

     

    What do you do if you use R&S?  Do you just not look at anything else?   :huh:

     

    Pam

    VP for the long haul?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I mean this specific collection listed in the history section - http://www.veritaspress.com/browse-by-grade/third-grade/history/nt-greece-rome-literature-kit.html- not the graded literature stuff. You can see a broad range of skills in that set. Children's Homer would be for 5th-6th+ or a read aloud, and Trojan Horse is an easy reader.

     

    Some of the graded literature does correlate to the history. We didn't use the guides.

    Thanks!  The fog is clearing. :)

     

    Pam

    VP for the long haul?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Homeschool kit - Yes. That's what you want. The TM on CD versus hard copy is completely personal preference. I have a mixture of both. I really like having hard copies to flip through, but they can be a pain to copy pages for the kids unless you get the binding chopped off.

     

    Every year is designed for grades 2-6, so pick whichever one you want. You certainly do NOT need every book they list. The priority one resources are the main spines listed on the cards. The "literature kit" has the titles that have lit guides in the history TM. The others are extras, pick the ones you're interested in and can afford.

     

    The NTGR priority one resources are:

    • 100 Events in Christian History
    • The Church in History
    • Famous Men of Greece
    • Famous Men of Rome
    • Journey Through the Bible
    • Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
    • Streams of Civilization Vol. 1
    • The Usborne Illustrated World History: The Greeks
    • The Usborne Illustrated World History: The Romans

    If you need to cut corners choose just one church history book, Famous Men or Usborne, and KHE or Streams. Do get Journey. Here's a PDF with the frequency and VP's importance rating for the spines and some of the extra recommendations. I own all of them but the Usborne, but I have been doing this a long time.

    So some of the Literature selections specifically go with the History theme, and some don't?  The lit. guides look like mostly comp. questions?  Did you use the guides, or did you just read the lit. books that went with?

     

    Pam

    VP for the long haul?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    From your other thread:

     

    I mean the DIY version, not self-paced. There aren't daily schedules or lesson plans unless you also buy the Scholars lesson plans. I've taught it by the seat of my pants, and after doing summer prep for the whole year. Summer planning makes it open and go. We've never used Scholars, but they get great reviews from those who do.

     

    The card has a picture and title on the front. The backs have a summary of the event, and a list of the spines (w/ page numbers) that cover the event. They don't have enough themselves for that flow, but the history itself through the spines does.  There is some mapping, but not heavy. We did use a correlated MapTrek pack one year. It was well-done, and I'd highly recommend it if you want more mapping. It was too much mapping focus for us and we dropped it.

     

    The TM has simple worksheets, tests, and a mixture of a few projects, coloring pages, maps, extra readings, picture study, writing assignments, and such for every lesson. You are expected to choose which one is best for your students. In the back of the TM there are different extras like a huge wall map (Ancients) w/ a medallion for each card, games, timeline pages, etc.

     

    The blackline worksheets and tests only have comprehension and memory exercises; all the answers can be found on the cards. Worksheets review the current card. Tests review the current card and old ones. I used these differently depending on where the kid was with writing. Little ones answered orally. As they grew I had them answer either the worksheet or the test (never both) with complete sentences. As that became easier I transitioned them to writing summaries using the questions as guidelines for what information they ought to include. Eventually they would read the card, spines, and write the summary independently. One DD that struggled mightily with oral narration used these in the same build-up manner to help her see what she ought to include.

     

    We did a card a week. Some weeks we did every fun project, and others we barely read anything extra. We memorized the card titles, and about once a week we'd practice the card titles in a round robin, and the kid who called the next name had to say something about the event. They learned their history well and enjoyed it.

     

     

    When my oldest started I had VP and SOTW. VP seemed like too much for him, and I was too new to teaching to see how to customize it. He used SOTW until upper grammar or so. Then I had two students and littles on the way. VP fit wonderfully then and he used it through 7th grade. In 8th he used portions of it along with some homegrown, off the beaten path studies. DC #2 listened to SOTW as a little one, and used VP straight through until she stepped into Where the Brook and River Meet (year long Anne of Green Gables unit) for 7th. She used Beautiful Feet in 8th, and in hindsight wished we'd just have done VP; BF, even ahead of grade level, was too easy after that VP foundation. My little ones only ever knew VP history; they were folded in as they were able. The last couple years have had us in Narnia years and such, and a full history in addition would have been overkill. Next year my oldest little (will be 7th) wants a geography year and the girls (will be 5th and 2nd) want American Girl driven history. (The baby will start K this fall.) When their interests turn to something else, all the cards and TMs are sitting on the shelf waiting for us to come back to them. By now we own nearly all of the spines, and gobs of the correlated literature. I won't have to buy K-8 history for any of the littles. :001_smile:

     

    We used the literature recommendations from VP heavily over the years as well.

     

    VP starts Omnibus in 7th grade. My oldest two weren't ready for Omnibus in 7th grade, so we just modified the elementary history to be at their level. Now in high school we've done a few units from Omnibus here and there, and we thoroughly enjoyed them. We like our custom designed literature courses way too much to just follow Omnibus as written though.

     

     

    eta: I tried to fix the horrible grammar in this post. I am posting with half a cup of coffee in my system. :tongue_smilie: Feel free to ask more questions.

    No grammar errors are seen when my eyes and mind are so fixed on the history review! :)

     

    What an awesome review!!  Thank you so much, SilverMoon, for taking time to share all of that!  That is a lot to digest.

     

    When I finally quit MOH, and mine didn't care for SOTW, I thought I'd just get them the ABeka history book and read it with them.  We started into it, but I just don't know if I can stick with it.  It is not bad, just don't know if it is US.

     

    Would the Homeschool Kit with CD be what I'd get for a year?  And does it matter which 'grade' we start with?  I have 11, 9, and 7-year-old boys.  The 11-year-old is a struggling reader.  We are reading through the Old Testament in our BIbles for the 2nd time, so I was thinking of starting  New Testament, Greece & Rome.  Would it matter that it is 3rd grade?  How do I know what books I would HAVE to have for the spines?  Hopefully we don't need ALL the ones listed on their site!!  

     

    I'll be thinking of more questions.  :)

     

    Pam

    History K-8

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    SilverMoon,  Is VP very open and go?  I've briefly looked at it before, but I get confused looking at their web page.  I don't want to do the self-pace.  Is there a 'lesson plan' on the cards.  Do the cards have enough on them to keep the flow and connections of history going?  Do they have map lessons?

     

    Pam

     

    ETA: Also, I see there is a TM?  Do you use that, or is it the same as what's on the cards?

    History K-8

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I have All Through the Ages from 20? years ago.  I forgot about it.  It looks like it's been updated since then...of course. :)

    It looks like it is annotated?  I don't remember the older edition being so.  I'll have to look.

     

    Pam

    Which math program REALLY explains concepts easier... CLE or Saxon?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    We have used Saxon and CLE.  We use CLE for 1-3 and then switch over to Saxon.  I am considering NOT switching over our 7 year old when he finishes CLE 3rd.  Our 9 yr old is doing okay, but our 11 yr old takes forever!  It is mostly just the way he is in everything, but I still wonder if I should have left him stay in CLE until he got to the end of the Sunrise editions.  I think CLE teaches more clearly, but I like textbooks.  ;)

     

    Pam

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