JessieC Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Intellego Unit Studies seem to get rave reviews, and I need help understanding why? I recently bought the Animal Kingdom K-2 unit study for my first grader for $15. There are a lot of pages in the download but some of them are repetitive--like making a KWL chart, or a list of all the different ways the child can show their knowledge (write a play, sing a song, etc.) are copied for each chapter. Then there are some links that lead to interesting and focused information or activities, and others that are, say, a link to 31 pages of Sea World classroom lesson plans to "explore." We have done a few days' worth of the lessons so far, and dd has enjoyed them, but I'm skipping a lot--like I'm not going to have her make a KWL chart--to me, this is a classroom activity. Currclick is having a sale for $9-$10 for Intellego studies right now, and I'm tempted to try another even though I'm not sure I get why people like them so much. What Intellego Unit studies have you purchased, and did you love them? Why or why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 We're doing the 3-5 Weather and 3-5 US History I, and I absolutely love them! I'm pretty sure I'm going to stock up on more before the sale ends. But I don't have anything against things that seem "classroomish" for my 8 and 9yos. Maybe the K-2 stuff wouldn't be a good fit in my house, but I ramp up the expectations by 3rd/4th grade. The 3-5 stuff makes me very, very happy. We find it fun, interesting, and the content has both depth and breadth. We can pick and choose activities and I suppose I could adapt some if I wanted to. Zero complaints from me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paceofnature Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I have a couple...but I really don't like them. I really wanted them to work for us, but they just don't seem to be what we are looking for. I wish they were written to the student instead of the teacher ~ I'm not sure why that bothers me. Also, I don't care for the fact that it is mostly computer based. I find that many of the links lead to long pages of text that my kids just don't enjoy. If I were to pull out a book with the same text they would be OK with it...I guess they expect something different online. I make a point of doing all the activities (on and off line), but the kids just groan when I pull up Intellego. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 I have a few of the K-2 ones but the one we've done the most out of has been the Continents and Cultures. I like it. We don't do everything in it by a long shot (my kids are pretty young) but I think there's enough information that we will be able to use it again in a few years. The activities have been fun, my guys LOVE anything on the computer so the links are always a big hit and I don't think you can beat the price for what you get. We will be using the US Geography and US History ones starting after the new year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessieC Posted December 14, 2011 Author Share Posted December 14, 2011 We're doing the 3-5 Weather and 3-5 US History I, and I absolutely love them! I'm pretty sure I'm going to stock up on more before the sale ends. But I don't have anything against things that seem "classroomish" for my 8 and 9yos. Maybe the K-2 stuff wouldn't be a good fit in my house, but I ramp up the expectations by 3rd/4th grade. The 3-5 stuff makes me very, very happy. We find it fun, interesting, and the content has both depth and breadth. We can pick and choose activities and I suppose I could adapt some if I wanted to. Zero complaints from me! This is the type of review I normally hear! We will keep going along with the animal one and see if our experience is similar. I am not so much against classroom activities, but some are designed for a larger group, not for homeschooling. I guess I see a KWL chart as possibly helpful for a group discussion so people can pool their background knowledge, but overall I have trouble with the format. How can my dd6 name everything she knows about animals, or wants to know, and who is to say the material will answer what she wants to know? I am keeping an open mind and will forge ahead. The CurrClick sale ends on Dec. 19th, and I have a few in my cart that look interesting. As I said, DD has enjoyed it so far and it's giving us some organization for an animal unit that seemed impossibly broad before I got this. Thanks, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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JessieC Posted December 14, 2011 Author Share Posted December 14, 2011 We're currently using Globetrotting with Cinderella. My dds are really enjoying it, but dd8 wishes "there was more crafts". (That's what she just told me.) At this time of year, we're usually dealing with burnout and the holiday rush. I like how this Intellego unit adds small touches of music, art, and science. I don't feel as guilty about not getting to them as their own subjects. We've completed the first 2 chapters so far, and we've built a castle, learned about the elements of a fairy tale, listened to French folk music on an electric violin (the girls that this was great!), made impressionist paintings, studied chromatics, watched parts of Cinderella performed as a ballet, opera, and broadway show, learned a little about the culture and geography of France, made French food, etc... We've found it very easy to use, complete (as in lots of little stuff I would never get pulled together - i.e. youtube links, art activities, etc...), and interesting. The girls have asked to pick another when we finish this one. The fact that it is computer-based is a definite plus to me. Wow--thanks for your review! That one is in my cart. I looked at the sample pages and saw the materials for the castle building and didn't know where I would get some of the things. Did you use everything it listed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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ErinD Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 So far we've done Ancient Rome, Great Lakes, and are working on Cinderella. They are just great, and so full of information! We love them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessieC Posted December 14, 2011 Author Share Posted December 14, 2011 Amana, Thanks for the pic! :) I think we will try this one. Eddie, glad to hear you like them too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 We're currently using Globetrotting with Cinderella. My dds are really enjoying it, but dd8 wishes "there was more crafts". (That's what she just told me.) At this time of year, we're usually dealing with burnout and the holiday rush. I like how this Intellego unit adds small touches of music, art, and science. I don't feel as guilty about not getting to them as their own subjects. We've completed the first 2 chapters so far, and we've built a castle, learned about the elements of a fairy tale, listened to French folk music on an electric violin (the girls that this was great!), made impressionist paintings, studied chromatics, watched parts of Cinderella performed as a ballet, opera, and broadway show, learned a little about the culture and geography of France, made French food, etc... We've found it very easy to use, complete (as in lots of little stuff I would never get pulled together - i.e. youtube links, art activities, etc...), and interesting. The girls have asked to pick another when we finish this one. The fact that it is computer-based is a definite plus to me. I have this one and am so excited to use it!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChandlerMom Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) Any estimate when currclick might have Intellego for sale again? :D ETA: I mean, are the sales on a given curric frequent or rare? Edited January 7, 2012 by ChandlerMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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