Veritas Press

[dallas12]

I was wondering if anyone uses Vertias Press' full curriculum for their children and what they think about it? Thanks!

[meet me in paris]

What grade levels are you looking at?

 

I used the very young grades - K & 1. I love their stuff. It's very rigorous, though, so be ready for that. Their book selections are some of my favorites through all the grades, and I think they have a nice balance of fiction/non fiction for history reading.

[SilverMoon]

We use and love their history and literature, but haven't used their graded packages. :)

[dallas12]

Thanks very much for the help. My daughter is just starting out so I was looking at Kindergarten. But, I am interested in what people think of the graded packages, scholars academy, etc. Thanks again!

[Mosaicmind]

Have you seen they have a free trial to their scholars academy? We are using that now.

[dallas12]

Yes, I have seen it. I would love to hear what you think about it. Thanks!

[ByGrace3]

interested in replies as well! We are not doing it, but I definitely used them as a reference in putting together our K curriculum this year. :lurk5:

[Heather in VA]

We use a great deal of their materials now and have over the years. I am very pleased with their products. My oldest has been using Omnibus for several years - this year she is doing Omnibus IV and taking Latin II and Rhetoric from their online class. My middle daughter has done their history and literature program for a few years and this year is taking History Survey and Transition online. I am also using their Scholars plans for her for literature and Latin. I have used the Scholars plans for history in the past as well. My youngest did Phonics Museum - which we loved and used pretty much Scholars as written for K and 1st grade with the exception of Math. I don't use Saxon. This year I am only using Scholars plans for her with literature because she's using the Self-paced Old Testament and Ancient Egypt course. I can not over stated how much she loves that. She's a visual learner so it's absolutely the best way for her to learn history. Next year I will do enough VP subjects with her that I will probably buy the full scholars plans instead of just the one subject even though she'll be using the self-paced again. If you want plans for 2 or more subjects it costs the same as paying for the full grade plan.

 

As you can see we use three different types of VP teaching tools - Scholars plans for at home teaching, self-paced and online classes. It's nice to have such a variety to choose from. I like the scholars plans because it keeps me on track and gives me a good idea of what is a reasonable pace/volume of work. VP is rigorous but not excessive. I don't find that we can just sail through their assignments but I don't feel overwhelmed either.

 

All in all - it works for us and the years since I started using Scholars and other VP things have been the most effective and more productive since I started homeschooling.

 

Heather

[tennismomkelly]

As you can see we use three different types of VP teaching tools - Scholars plans for at home teaching, self-paced and online classes. It's nice to have such a variety to choose from. I like the scholars plans because it keeps me on track and gives me a good idea of what is a reasonable pace/volume of work. VP is rigorous but not excessive. I don't find that we can just sail through their assignments but I don't feel overwhelmed either.

:iagree:

 

We are new to VP Scholars but I'm absolutely thrilled with it! It is everything that I was looking for in a curriculum. Our year has started off great! It is rigorous, yet, it's not too overwhelming. Love it!!!

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

If you want plans for 2 or more subjects it costs the same as paying for the full grade plan.

 

 

Heather

 

So, I'm guessing the $99 is the cost of lesson plans for 2 or more subjects - what is the cost of just one? I'm really interested in their Latin LPs and maybe history ... Can't decide between Scholars and the self paced or homeschoolers teachers manual option I saw in the catalogue ... Can anyone explain the differences?

 

Sorry if I'm hijacking btw!

[Mosaicmind]

Yes, I have seen it. I would love to hear what you think about it. Thanks!

 

So far my boys have really enjoyed it and are learning. We have only done it for 3 days so I don't know what it will be like 2 weeks from now. So far all my boys who are 8, 10 and 12 have talked about what they learned even after they have done the lesson. I am impressed that they can get so much out of something like this on a computer with no books, worksheets,ect...

 

If we would choose to stick with it, it will cost $250 per kid, but since I have three I would get a discount and get one of the kids free. I just don't know if I am going to do that because I also would want to get the cards and the literature that goes with it and that would be another $200 or so more.

 

I have decided to sign my oldest up for the free trial of their 1815-Explorers that starts Oct 15. Even if he isn't doing that time period, he likes it so much that it won't hurt.

[Heather in VA]

So, I'm guessing the $99 is the cost of lesson plans for 2 or more subjects - what is the cost of just one? I'm really interested in their Latin LPs and maybe history ... Can't decide between Scholars and the self paced or homeschoolers teachers manual option I saw in the catalogue ... Can anyone explain the differences?

 

Sorry if I'm hijacking btw!

 

I can help with this but I'm on my way out the door for an evening of kid shlepping. I didn't want you to think you are being ignored but I will get back to you on this later tonight.

 

Heather

[Amy in KS]

For just one subject the lesson plans are $49. Don't forget, though, that for history there are many books required for the lesson plans.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Thank-you, Amy, and thank-you, Heather - I'll be patiently waiting. :D I appreciate it!

[Heather in VA]

UGH I just spent 30 minutes typing up a response and it vanished.

 

Basically there are 4 ways to implement Veritas Press: you schedule and teach, Scholars plans, self-paced course and online class. What works for you determines which is the best. They all utilize the same core materials. Most people who talk about 'doing VP' are referring to their history program. Scholars plan and online classes can be more than that as will hopefully be clear in a few minutes.

 

If you choose to teach VP history on your own you will start with their cards and the enhanced CD. VP elementary history covers the history cycle in 5 years, beginning in 2nd grade. Each year there are a set of cards that cover key people and events of the chosen time period. There are 32 cards per set, each card representing one week of the school year. On each card is the main information the child should learn as well as a list of resources (books - both spine type and whole books) that can expand the teaching of the weekly card. On the CD is the history song - which is a memory song to help the student memorize the cards in order and create a timeline in their mind. It also has the worksheets and tests for the week, projects to print out and mapwork. What it does not have is a daily plan of what to do or narrowed down choices. The cards and the CD have far more resources than you'd ever use. So when teaching it yourself you will have to look through these resources and determine what to do, what to read, and what to skip. You will also have to teach the lesson about the card and help the student put the event in context and make any connections about it. Some people are good at this, some aren't. The cost to do it this way is $44 for the card/CD pack plus whatever resources you purchase. That cost is as varied as there are people.

 

For those who want a bit more structure or plan, you have the Scholars plans. For the history plan, Scholars basically makes all of those choices for you. It tells you exactly what to do each day, what resources to use, what to say to help make those connections, what writing assignments to assign - all of that. It also does it for any age child so if you are teaching a 6th grader and a 2nd grader the same time period it will tell you what to assign to the 6th grader and what to assign to the 2nd grader since obviously they won't be doing the same books. In addition to history, Scholars plans will schedule all of the subjects/curriculum VP recommends for elementary: Latin, literature, Bible, grammar, history, math (they use Saxon), and a couple more too that vary depending on the child's grade level. So if you use the same curriculum as VP sells (Saxon, Shurley, Latin for Children, their literature list etc) then you can get these products all set up and scheduled day by day for you. The cost of scholars is $49 for one subject, $99 for a full set of one grade plans. If you have two children in different grades and want the full plans the first set is $99 and the second is $49. Of course then you have to purchase the curriculum and associated books - costs vary. You do not have to buy that from VP and if you want to buy them from VP - they will price match.

 

The self-paced course is currently history only although I hear they are doing other subjects in the future. It does all the teaching interactively on the computer. All you need are the cards. You do not need the CD. The program teaches the information on the cards, interesting background on the event, puts the event in context, helps the student make connects etc. Basically it does all that teaching for you and works the child through interactive games and questions to make sure they are learning. It's hard to explain how good it really is unless you see it, which you can do either by their online sample or signing up for a free 30 day trial. My youngest thinks it's the greatest thing ever. She's very visual so it's ideal for her. The cost for this is $250 plus the cards ($20). The program also schedules historical literature for Level 1 (2nd and 3rd) or Level 2 (4-6th) that is optional. This is truly optional as they don't ask questions or require feedback in the program on the reading. If you choose to do it (we do) then you would have to buy the books or get them from the library. I noticed that in the 30 day trial they do not provide the full year's schedule for this literature but when you buy the program there is a file that tells you which book is assigned in which week so you could use the library because you'd know ahead of time.

 

The online class option is pretty self-explanitory. You take the class online with a live teacher. Their online classes meet 2x a week for 1 1/4 hours at the elementary level and 1 1/2 hours at the secondary level. They are $500 plus books. The minimum age for this is 9 and they are offered in a variety of subjects.

 

I hope this helps some.

 

Heather

[newbie]

luv online school:001_smile::001_smile:

[cjbeach]

Wow Heather... thank you so much for the awesome info. We're starting VP this year and I was juuuuuusstttt about to the order icon when I started waffling (CC CD or the VP cd for audio songs). Should've read this post first! I have more research to do now...

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Heather, you're an angel. THANK-YOU for taking the time to type out all that info ... and twice, no less! It is EXTREMELY helpful!

[Joy at Home]

Heather,

 

Thanks so much for taking the time! VP's options always confused me, but you've made them very clear for me. Thanks!!

[Heather in VA]

My pleasure ladies. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 

Heather

[Mommy of boys]

Heather,

I have a question about VP Phonics Museum. I am considering using the whole set for Kindergarten next year. I've looked at a friend's Phonics Museum set and looked at the lessons. I am close to deciding to use Phonics Museum, but wanted to know if you were happy with it. I am familiar with Phonics Road that you have listed for 2nd grade (I'm also familiar with the approach) My question is, did Phonics Museum lack a lot in your opinion? Or was it a good intro to reading and spelling. And what do you think of Phonics Road and why did you add that in 2nd grade?

Oh, the decision making of first round homeschooling. I guess my first kid will have to be my guinea pig:001_smile: But, we're having fun.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

[Heather in VA]

Heather,

I have a question about VP Phonics Museum. I am considering using the whole set for Kindergarten next year. I've looked at a friend's Phonics Museum set and looked at the lessons. I am close to deciding to use Phonics Museum, but wanted to know if you were happy with it. I am familiar with Phonics Road that you have listed for 2nd grade (I'm also familiar with the approach) My question is, did Phonics Museum lack a lot in your opinion? Or was it a good intro to reading and spelling. And what do you think of Phonics Road and why did you add that in 2nd grade?

Oh, the decision making of first round homeschooling. I guess my first kid will have to be my guinea pig:001_smile: But, we're having fun.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

 

I've gotten this question a couple of times and I'm never sure if I can explain it well but I'll try.

 

 

I used Phonics Museum in K and 1 before starting Phonics Road. I really loved Phonics Museum and so did my daughter. I know Phonics Road is supposed to teach the student to read as well as spell (and then later grammar etc). To me using Phonics Road to learn to read would be very difficult for many kids. It's so many sounds and so many rules all at once. It focuses so much on spelling. Phonics Museum's focus is learning penmanship and reading. Yes especially in 1st they do spelling but not as the whole focus.

 

I doubt that their approach would be considered similar but I haven't found them to be contradictory. PM teaches phonics sounds. It doesn't teach every sound of every letter and letter pair. To me that's the plus. Throwing everything at the student upfront seems overwhelming to me. It can take a child time to figure out that these sounds they are learning get put together and blended into words. So starting right out and teaching them the rules to putting them together when they are still figuring out that they even go together in the first place is not how I want to teach reading. I think of it this way - imagine getting a Lego kit that builds a house and giving directions to the student to put together the house. But the student has never seen a Lego before so they don't even know they click together and stick. It's not the greatest analogy but hopefully it makes some sense. I know many kids have learned to read with the Phonics Road or other OG program's approach. I just far prefer moving into spelling rules etc with a student who is reading. To me it's the next layer of understanding how words work.

 

About Phonics Museum itself - a few things you might want to know:

 

Phonics Museum has a lot of writing. When I first started, I figured I'd just skip the writing. That was a mistake. The writing is really good for them. What I did instead, because it is ALOT of writing, is when it asked for a line of 'h' I asked her to do a couple (2, 3 - whatever) of very good ones instead of a whole line of ok ones. The readers are fun. They are a bit stilted - this is a big complaint about PM - but after 2 kids who did Bob books, anything was an improvement. Another complaint is that the workbook is 'schooly'. My daughter loved doing the workbook. She never minded that it was 'schooly'. By the time we were done she was reading very well. Phonics Museum is nice because it has such a variety of activities. We had a lot of fun doing it. My daughter loved the books. When I sold PM she made me go buy another copy of the Alphabet Quest because she missed it LOL. I really recommend it. Oh - one other thing - I would recommend taking the workbook to Staples or Kinkos etc and get the binding removed and have it coil bound. I think it ran me about $6. It makes the book lie flat which is really helpful to a young child who is just learning to write.

 

I hope this helps some. Feel free to ask more questions if I wasn't clear or didn't answer everything you wanted to know.

 

Heather