Mosdos - Discussion for fans and current users?

[Wheres Toto]

If Mosdos ends up unavailable except at inflated prices, I may go with Beyond the Book Report combined with some literature guides.

[Jyhwkmama]

FYI--For anyone looking for Opal:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/classifieds/item/23322-mosdos-third-grade-literature-program/

[CAtoVA]

I agree with Jyhwkmama that come May/June there definitely should be more of Mosdos available on Ebay, Amazon, all used book websites (try Bookfinder.com) and used curriculum websites. People will be finishing up the year and selling curriculum.  I'm hoping I may even find something at the huge used curriculum book sale at my state's homeschooling convention in June.

 

Moving Beyond the Page is fine (and fun!) but I find it "lighter" than Mosdos fwiw. The uniqueness of Mosdos ("deep" literature discussion and solid literature selections even for young grades) is very hard to match. I know the series is expensive to publish with the graphics, multi-colors and page lengths, but I wonder if the founders/authors/publisher even tried to sell their work to another curriculum publisher? It's too bad if they just folded up their tent completely after all that hard work. I certainly think their offerings fill a niche that is not being filled as well currently.

[deerforest]

We are going to use Oak Meadow English 8 next year because I didn't like the grade 8 Mosdos selections. We only used the Jade level, and it was a perfect fit for us this year. I told DD that it seemed like the company went out of business and she said, "oooh, I loved that book."

 

I will have Jade for sale once I sort it out but I just haven't decided if I should sell it as a complete set or not.

[bwdiaz]

FYI--For anyone looking for Opal:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/classifieds/item/23322-mosdos-third-grade-literature-program/

Thank you thank you thank you!

[atozmom]

The Mosdos website is up and running and I was even able to add something to my cart when I tried. 

 

Mosdos Press

[Meadowlark]

The Mosdos website is up and running and I was even able to add something to my cart when I tried. 

 

Mosdos Press

 

WHAT? Whoa! Totally did not expect to see the website up and running. Please let me know if anyone successfully places an order.

 

Now that it looks like this may actually be a possibility, here's my next concern:

 

Since it SO thorough, which I love, tell me how you actually TEACH it. Do you conference with the kid, have them read it and then come back to it? Which parts are done independently? How much time would you say you spend on literature? The issue is I have 5, soon to be 6 children, and without officially "teaching" reading, I'm barely able to get everything in these days. To be honest, I've even thought about putting a few in school because I'm on the verge of burnout. I see this curriculum though, and it makes me excited and actually want to keep homeschooling them. But I'm afraid I'll do what I usually do, which is bite off more than I can possibly chew. I'd just like to hear how a typical day with Mosdos would go. Thanks for posting the update!

[deerforest]

Well, I might not be the best to share how we did it because I just have 1 child and we just did one of the higher levels. I also read all the material too. We tried using the workbook but we have low tolerance for school-like materials which it was. I ditched it and asked DD to review the questions at the end of each reading in her book. I told her to jot down notes to help herself remember if she needed but I didn't require it. . But then we'd just talk about the daily readings. We would use those questions as a starting point, I'd go into some more detail with something from the teacher guide, and we really just talked and discussed. I'd sometimes pair it with Figuratively Speaking or some other things.

 

I was interested in her expanding her preferences and being more willing to try things outside her comfort zone. I wanted to just continue to expand her strong critical thinking skills. I wanted her to enjoy the experience. I honestly didn't care about output at all. She's an advanced studen who is sometimes inflexible in her willingness to expand her horizons but she had a very positive experience and she's actually much more willing to read outside her preferences now.

 

ETA: I have typos from responding from phone and am too tired to fix them!

Edited April 26, 2017 by deerforest

[Jess4879]

WHAT? Whoa! Totally did not expect to see the website up and running. Please let me know if anyone successfully places an order.

 

Now that it looks like this may actually be a possibility, here's my next concern:

 

Since it SO thorough, which I love, tell me how you actually TEACH it. Do you conference with the kid, have them read it and then come back to it? Which parts are done independently? How much time would you say you spend on literature? The issue is I have 5, soon to be 6 children, and without officially "teaching" reading, I'm barely able to get everything in these days. To be honest, I've even thought about putting a few in school because I'm on the verge of burnout. I see this curriculum though, and it makes me excited and actually want to keep homeschooling them. But I'm afraid I'll do what I usually do, which is bite off more than I can possibly chew. I'd just like to hear how a typical day with Mosdos would go. Thanks for posting the update!

 

I have been using Mosdos (Coral level - the text only) with all my kids.  We read aloud together and then discuss the story, using the questions in the text.  Occasionally I will have the older two do a writing assignment from the text.  We also have INB's that we use to reinforce literary terms.  All of my kids love Mosdos. :)

[Wheres Toto]

My kids do it fairly independently.   They read the story and we discuss the questions at the end, then they do some of the activities out of the workbook over a couple days, which includes vocabulay, comprehension questions, graphic organizers.

 

I'm really glad their back but now I have to make a decision because I also liked the look of Beyond the Bookreport.  I wonder if doing both would be overkill?

[Jyhwkmama]

I ws just able to successfully buy the Jade TE!

[MistyMountain]

I have been using Mosdos (Coral level - the text only) with all my kids. We read aloud together and then discuss the story, using the questions in the text. Occasionally I will have the older two do a writing assignment from the text. We also have INB's that we use to reinforce literary terms. All of my kids love Mosdos. :)

I was hoping to use it like that so it is good to hear it is working for someone else.

[bolt.]

I have questions for mosdos users about what is contained in each part of a level. (My focus is on jade -- grade 7.)

 

The "student edition" contains: the actual written text of the pieces of literature, and anything else? Intros, author info, some kind of guidance for each piece? Something after each piece, like questions? An assignment?

 

The "teacher edition" contains? Lesson plans? Additional info on the pieces, more than the student edition? Additional questions or assignments? The text of the literature pieces?

 

The "student workbook" contains? More questions or assignments (beyond the student or teacher editions)? The same questions or assignments, but with blanks to fill in? Something else?

 

Do people really buy all 3? If not, how do you use the parts you use?

 

Also: does anyone know about this company and shipping to Canada?

 

Another "also" -- is American patriotism and/or awareness of American history one of the 'values' that this series considers positive? (I'm sure it is, for American children, but stories of great American people and events have less resonance with Canadian children.)

Edited April 26, 2017 by bolt.

[Jyhwkmama]

It is a multicultural literary view. The stories we have read have been from all different cultures.

 

Each story in the student book has three sections: background information "Blueprint for Reading", the story, and 1-2 pages of questions about/assignments relating to the story "Studying the Selection".

 

The workbook has vocabulary pages for most stories, a creative writing assignment for most stories, and a unique graphic organizer for most stories. The Pearl Level also has comprehension questions for each book story plus an additional mini story and questions "Mini Original" which is amazing but unique to Pearl. You can use as much or as little of this stuff as you want. I never used the creative writing, but might with a different student.

 

The Teacher's Edition has everything from the student book (smaller size) plus more background, the literary explanation of everything, and answers to everything.

 

I took some snapshots of the same page in the SE and the TE. If you PM me your email, I will send them to you.

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by Jyhwkmama

[Jess4879]

I have questions for mosdos users about what is contained in each part of a level. (My focus is on jade -- grade 7.)

 

The "student edition" contains: the actual written text of the pieces of literature, and anything else? Intros, author info, some kind of guidance for each piece? Something after each piece, like questions? An assignment?

 

The "teacher edition" contains? Lesson plans? Additional info on the pieces, more than the student edition? Additional questions or assignments? The text of the literature pieces?

 

The "student workbook" contains? More questions or assignments (beyond the student or teacher editions)? The same questions or assignments, but with blanks to fill in? Something else?

 

Do people really buy all 3? If not, how do you use the parts you use?

 

Also: does anyone know about this company and shipping to Canada?

 

Another "also" -- is American patriotism and/or awareness of American history one of the 'values' that this series considers positive? (I'm sure it is, for American children, but stories of great American people and events have less resonance with Canadian children.)

 

We're in Canada too.  :)  Shipping and exchange make Mosdos pretty pricey, which is another reason we chose just to use the text.  The company sends excellent samples if you email. 

[Raifta]

Well I decided to try and order and when I got everything loaded up and went to fill out the payment details, the website told me that since I was in Canada I should contact them by email or phone.  I have not done so yet.  But just a heads up for any other possible Canadian purchasers.

 

For Canadian buyers please contact us at mosdospress@ydtcleveland.org or 216-291-4158 to place your order.

 

 

[kbutton]

I bought the Gold TE. 

[CAtoVA]

FANTASTIC News!!! I bought the Ruby student text used (Ebay) for DD next year and was fretting about having to find the Ruby TE somewhere. Whooo Hoo!

[bolt.]

We're in Canada too. :) Shipping and exchange make Mosdos pretty pricey, which is another reason we chose just to use the text. The company sends excellent samples if you email.

I'm expecting shipping and exchange, but did you also encounter import "duties" (that you had to pay at the post office when the package arrived)?

[kbutton]

I believe the website did note that some of their products are backordered. By the wording, it sounds like it might be something you find out when you put the item in your cart, but I am not sure. They are working hard to fulfill all orders by fall for the start of the school year.

 

[Jess4879]

I'm expecting shipping and exchange, but did you also encounter import "duties" (that you had to pay at the post office when the package arrived)?

 

I have always ordered my Mosdos from Rainbow Resources and after the second order realized they don't charge GST, and was hit with extra fees for both orders.  As soon as Canada Post stops it to add GST, they tack on a $9.99 "processing fee."  :(   I have never had that happen with Teaching Textbooks or any other US order, actually.  Just Rainbow Resources. 

[tmstranger]

Wow!  This is exciting!

 

I'm also curious about which pieces everyone actually buys/needs.  I thought I had read that the workbook was not necessary.  What do you think?

[CAtoVA]

I think it depends on the level. The Jade workbook I have is underwhelming and if I had been able to see more of it before I purchased (from RR) I would not have bought it. The Jade textbook and TE provide enough in depth questions already, imho. I know some users say the TE is not necessary but, with Jade anyway, I'm glad I have the TE and I find it very useful.

 

I have heard that the Pearl workbook, on the other hand, is well worth the cost because it provides extra stories, questions, etc. Not sure about the Pearl TE because I have not seen it.

[Jyhwkmama]

Pearl TE is amazing too. Loaded with info.

 

The jade workbook will be helpful for my son because of the vocabulary. However, nothing is going to be as good as Pearl.

 

I started with Pearl, so I am uninformed about earlier levels.

[deerforest]

I agree too about Jade--workbook was useless for us!

[MorningGlory]

The Mosdos website is up and running and I was even able to add something to my cart when I tried. 

 

Mosdos Press

 

Thank you so much for posting this!

I ordered the Opal level Monday, and it was delivered by UPS today. It is so beautiful and well-done; I really look forward to using it next year with my daughter. 

 

Just fyi---I never received an email order confirmation or a shipping notification from Mosdos, so I wondered if the order even went through. But then YES! The books came today. :-)

[strawberryjam]

I have always ordered my Mosdos from Rainbow Resources and after the second order realized they don't charge GST, and was hit with extra fees for both orders.  As soon as Canada Post stops it to add GST, they tack on a $9.99 "processing fee."  :(   I have never had that happen with Teaching Textbooks or any other US order, actually.  Just Rainbow Resources. 

 

I'm in Canada also and received my Mosdos  order just a few days ago from Rainbow Resources and did not get any fee's tacked to my order.

[bolt.]

I'm in Canada also and received my Mosdos order just a few days ago from Rainbow Resources and did not get any fee's tacked to my order.

Thanks! Was it a single book, or more of a substantial order? (I'm trying to figure out if the 'value' of a package makes a difference.)

[bwdiaz]

So I have received my 3rd grade materials. I've got everything books, workbooks, teachers manual.

 

Now ... how do I schedule this? It's the most textbook-y thing I've ever tried to use!

Edited May 17, 2017 by bwdiaz

[strawberryjam]

Thanks! Was it a single book, or more of a substantial order? (I'm trying to figure out if the 'value' of a package makes a difference.)

 

It was a substantial order... I think it was over $500. No duties and no fees! Maybe I just lucked out this time.

Edited June 13, 2017 by strawberryjam

[strawberryjam]

So I have received my 3rd grade materials. I've got everything books, workbooks, teachers manual.

 

Now ... how do I schedule this? It's the most textbook-y thing I've ever tried to use!

 

I'm in the same boat. I've spent hours today pouring over the materials and I am overwhelmed. I do not get overwhelmed easily. I was prepared for there to be a lot to go through... but there is a LOT. 

[Jess4879]

I'm in the same boat. I've spent hours today pouring over the materials and I am overwhelmed. I do not get overwhelmed easily. I was prepared for there to be a lot to go through... but there is a LOT. 

 

This might not be a lot of help, as we only use the textbook, but what I've done is just literally open the book, discuss the theme/idea and then read the story and discuss.  If we added in the workbook, I imagine we'd do those pages the following day.  If I pick a writing assignment, I allow several days, to an entire week, to complete those.  I have no idea how to use the TE as we don't have it.  I've heard they are jam-packed with info.  I wanted simple and "warm-fuzzy" so we took the read/discuss approach and never bothered with the TE.