IXL {A review for a math and language arts drill website}

 

IXL is something that we have used previously, so when it came up for review with The Schoolhouse Review Crew.  We jumped right on board.

They have math drill type website that you can access 20 questions daily for free. 

Most kids I have seen don’t want to stop at the 20 questions.  They want to keep going.  They will want to earn the prizes (in digital sticker form), and ribbons (also in digital form).

About The Company:

IXL Learning is a company that has been around since 1998 with a website called Quia.  In 2007, IXL was introduced.  IXL began as just a math curriculum.  It is a fairly comprehensive one with over 2500 math topics to explore for all ages, Pre-K to 12th grade. Questions are set up using an algorithmically, which means they are all unique.  Your student won’t get a bunch of repeat problems.  In 2013, they expanded even more by adding in Language Arts for 2nd through 4th grades.  With future plans on expanding even more. 

About The Product:

Can you imagine?  Kids that actually want to do more math!  Well it’s true.  Let me explain what makes IXL so appealing to kids.

You begin by choosing a math topic in your grade level and then it goes right into asking you the question.  That’s right, there is no lesson first.

Upon answering the question if you get the answer correct you get an accolades.  There are goals to meet, such as;

• work for 5 minutes
• answer a certain number of questions
• cover a wide range of topics
• many more

See more about the awards offered here.

If you get the answer wrong, you are then taught/ shown how to do the problem correctly.

Here is a sample problem:

Uh oh, I got it wrong. Here is a review the problem and my answer as well as some tips on solving it.

Next it goes into detail on how to solve the particular problem.

 

All along you can keep track of your progress with this gadget that sits up in the right hand corner of your screen.

Sometimes I choose to have my kids work for a minimum number of problems, or for a certain amount of time, or even until they earn a ribbon. There are 3 ribbons to earn. 

Sometimes I say just work until you have earned your next reward. 

They love having the variety of topics to choose from as well as the variety of how much work they are expected to do each day.

Here is a peek at Tyler’s award board from my parent screen.

They have a new section of IXL now.  Which is the Language Arts Section.

The Language Arts program is set up very similar to the math section.

Here is a question from the 3rd grade level.

Oops, I got it wrong. Here is the explanation about why.

The math program is available as a iPad app as well now.  We got the app and that is the kids’ most favorite way to “play” on IXL. 

IXL is priced at: $9.95 for the first child monthly and $79 yearly.  Additional children are $2 per month/ $20 per year.  This includes access to one subject.  To add an additional subject is $6 per month per child / $50 per year per child.

The IXL app is included with any membership. You can even do the free daily questions on the app.

I highly recommend the free daily questions to give it a try.

A day/week in our life:

We used the app part of IXL quite a bit.  I like that it will read the questions to my preschooler and read the answers to him as well.  Up above I mentioned the different ways I told the kids how much they had to work on it.  However I often found them all going over the requirements set by me.

Our thoughts and feelings:

My younger kids enjoyed IXL a lot due to the reward system that is in place.  Emily, my older daughter enjoys it because she doesn’t have to relearn things she already knows.  She feels like she can “test out” of a topic. 

We are not the only ones who tried out IXL. To see what others think of it, click on the banner.

  To see a wide variety of reviews check out our crew blog.

  

IF YOU WERE ME AND LIVED IN……..

If You Were Me and Lived in…. is a fun series of books that introduces them to learning about other cultures. 

There are currently 4 books in the series.

• If You Were Me and Lived In… Norway
• If You Were Me and Lived In… Mexico
• If You Were Me and Lived In… France
• If You Were Me and Lived In… South Korea

Written by Carole P. Roman with Away We Go Media, these books give you a gentle introductory into what life is like in each of these different countries.  

About The Author:

Carole P. Roman began writing as a dare from one of her sons.  She is now an award winning author to the Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012.  So far she has written and published 9 books.  She has found her passion in writing children’s books where she can share her love of history and culture along with her sense of humor.

About The Product:

If You Were Me and Lived In Norway is the newest book in this series.  Throughout this 28 page book you learn about the location of Norway, the weather, some geography as well as many interesting facts, such as the nickname of Norway.  This book incorporates some of the basic language used there. Don’t worry there is pronunciation help as well as a pronunciation guide in the back of the book.  You learn what they call their money; A Kroner.  You learn about a special holiday they celebrate and what types of food are eaten there. 

There was a really neat thing about this book is that it brings up Aurora Borealis.  That is my dream to see in real life.  My son even had to look up the Snow Hotel on the internet after reading about it in this book. 

If You Were Me and Lived In… France shows you what life is like in, yep, you guessed it, France.  This book starts off with the location of France, the nickname, and common children’s names.  Then you move on the places like the Eiffel Tower, along with learning facts about it.  The French language is gently incorporated throughout this book.  You see what they eat and how they dress, along with a special holiday they celebrate. 

If You Were Me and Lived In… Mexico follows the same pattern as the other two books, beginning with location and common children’s names.  Moving along to famous places and the language used there.  You learn how to say mommy and daddy in Spanish as well as what Spanish money is called. You see the types of food they eat, the types of clothes they wear and a special holiday they celebrate.

If You Were Me and Lived In… South Korea sticks to the style of the series.  Each book is set up where the words are in larger easy to read font. Katey can read them on her own, except for the foreign words. Each book is priced under $9.00 and are available for purchase here. They are perfect for kids ages Pre-K to 8.  They are available in paperback or Kindle versions.

2 more books are due out soon,

• If You Were Me and Lived in… Kenya
• If You Were Me and Lived in… Turkey

A day/week in our life:

I used this series as just an introduction to other cultures.  I would read a book aloud to Katey and Tyler and if anything in there interested them we would research it further follow the rabbit trails.  I have read each book to Katey twice so far and many more times than that to Tyler.  They are both fascinated in learning the simple words in all the different languages.   

Our thoughts and feelings:

We really enjoyed this series.  We really enjoyed using it as just a gentle introduction, only delving further if the interest was there, however I could see how you could use these as part of a bigger study as well. I do recommend them. 

To see what others think of these books click the banner below.

To see a wide variety of reviews check out our crew blog.

  

Vocabulary Spelling City

Vocabulary Spelling City is a website that provides completely customized spelling and/or vocabulary teaching.

They have been around since 2008 and have been growing rapidly with the times.  In 2011 they added vocabulary and changed their name from Spelling City to Vocabulary Spelling City. In 2012 they added an app, which has since been wildly popular.

There is a free version.  Go ahead and try it out.  

I received a year of the premium version for review purposes.

About The Product:

Vocabulary Spelling City Premium Membership offers so much more than the free version. 

You start out by choosing and importing a word list. Or you can create your own from scratch.

Then you go into create an assignment.

First you select an imported wordlist. 

After that you select activities. You can choose up to 10. As you are choosing an activity you can see which ones are available on the app. Next you assign it to a student.  Then you add in the details, such as a name for the list, if you want to change it. You can add a special note to your student.  You click whether the activities need to be done in the order you put them in or not. Then you can also choose a due date here. Another neat thing about Vocabulary Spelling City it the Teaching Resources section.

So you have now created an assignment and your child has been working, but what have they been doing and how did they score?

Vocabulary Spelling City makes that easy too. Just a few quick clicks and you can view progress of an assignment, progress of a particular child.

A day/week in our life:

I scheduled some time on Thursdays for me to update the Spelling City info.  After the initial learning curve that it took to get started.  It only takes 5 minutes per child to verify previous work and import a new wordlist and assign it out.

There is an entire page with FAQ videos.  There you will find videos that walk you through any and all parts of the program. 

The kids would start their new work on the following Monday and I would create a due date for the next Sunday. 

For Katey we stuck with shorter (10 word) lists.  I would have her stick with mostly spelling on the lessons and games.

For Emily I did a mix of spelling and vocabulary – all using the same words.

For Tommy we strictly focused on SAT Vocabulary.

Our thoughts and feelings:

When I mentioned my interest in reviewing this I pictured it being used mostly for my 3rd grader and 7th grader.

However when I saw that there were prewritten vocabulary lists for the SAT Vocabulary words.  I put my 9th grader on it as well.  I still had my 3rd grader and 7th grader us it.

All of the kids loved the iPad app.  Most everything they can do on it.  There are only a few assignments that cannot be done on the iPad, they must be done on the computer.

My Opinion:

The learning how to set it all up can be a bit overwhelming at first, there is so much to choose from in all this massive customization.  The FAQ videos were imperative to me learning how to do it all.  Once I got past that this program really is a breeze as far as teacher prep and student enjoyment.  We have stepped way back this year as far as computer learning.  So having this online and on the iPad are actually a very nice change of pace for all of us.  I appreciate how quick and organized all the information is, from test results to assignment progress, to what lists are available and setting it all up.  One small thing that bothered me is that it didn’t tell me how long a word list was without clicking on it.  One time I chose a word list for Emily and it ended up being 40 words long. 

The Details:

A Family Vocabulary Spelling City Premium Membership is for up to 5 students and is priced at $29.99 per year.

This is really for any age as they have lists from the Pre-K Dolche sight word list to SAT Vocabulary words. 

To see what others think of this check out this post.

To see a wide variety of reviews check out our crew blog.

  

Audrey Bunny {A Children’s Book- A Review}

 

I was lucky enough to be able to receive for review a copy of Audrey Bunny which is the #1 book on Amazon right now in Christian children’s books.  

You could be lucky enough to win a copy!

Read on….

 

About Audrey Bunny

From best-selling women’s author Angie Smith (I Will Carry You, Mended) comes this sweet children’s book about a stuffed animal named Audrey Bunny who fears her imperfections make her unworthy of a little girl’s love. She'll learn the truth soon enough, and young readers will learn that everyone is special and wonderfully made by God.

Let author Angie Smith tell you more about this book:  http://youtu.be/hB6YFDowXxs

Angie Smith is the wife of Todd Smith (lead singer of Dove Award winning group Selah), best-selling author of Mended, I Will Carry You, and What Women Fear, and one of the most popular speakers and blog writers in the country. She holds a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University and lives with her husband and daughters in Nashville, TN.

Written by: Angie Smith

Publisher: B&H Publishing

Hardcover with jacket:  32 pages

Release Date: October 1, 2013

$14.99

 

My take:

Caroline is a small girl who is shopping with her mom when she sees some stuffed animals.  She leaves the store without purchasing anything. The bunny feels very sad she didn’t get picked and wonders if she never will.  A few days later (on her birthday) they return and she chooses out her gift.  The stuffed bunny. She names her bunny Audrey.  Caroline and Audrey play together.  Audrey keeps trying to cover up a flaw in her.  Caroline takes her to show and tell and is proud of the bunny’s flaw and tells the class that is what made her special and that is why she was chosen.  Audrey Bunny feels so excited and loved that she doesn’t have to try and hide her flaw anymore. 

 

This book was a fun heartfelt read.  As I read it aloud to my children I could see that the pictures held their attention and they paid attention to the storyline. 

What makes this book extra special is the moral of the story, which is that everyone and everything deserves to be loved. Just because you’re different doesn’t mean you’re not special.  You can be special for the very reason you are different. 

In the back of the book is a parent connection.  This is where suggestions are given to take the moral of the story further.

Stay Connected:

http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/books/products.asp?p=9781433680458

http://youtu.be/hB6YFDowXxs

https://www.facebook.com/bhpublishing

https://twitter.com/bhpub

http://www.pinterest.com/bhpub

Win a copy for yourself. 

Comment below telling me you want to win. It’s that easy.

Then on Nov. 7th I will choose a winner using random.org and you will get your very own copy.

 

Bridgeway English {A review}

Bridgeway Academy is a fully accredited customizable home education resource.

About The Company:

Bridgeway Academy’s mission statement is:

We help kids succeed by tailoring learning to their strengths and needs, by offering dedicated support to their family, and by giving them the freedom to pursue their God-given gifts and abilities.

I love their mission statement.  They offer a plethora of resources and you can completely pick and choose what you would like based on your teaching style, your child’s learning style and what you want your child to learn.  As well as what they want to learn. 

About The Product:

From their website:

Starting with the basics of nouns and verbs and moving on to writing sentences, paragraphs, resumes and essays, this course is great for middle school students preparing for high school, for high school students who need to gain essential English skills, and for adults who hope to gain success in language and communication. This remedial English course does not teach literature. It is a skills development course designed for students who need help with grammar, with writing, with usage, and with skills required for the realities of life. Written in a step by step fashion with each new skill building on earlier skills, students gain confidence quickly and are able to experience success.

Bridgeway English is a resource for high school students needing a refresher course on grammar and/or writing.  7th to 12 grade students are considered the target audience for this program which is written to the student.  They complete it on their own with checkpoints along the way for the teacher to grade. 

This program is broken down into 2 workbooks.  Each book is divided into Paks. Each Pak is divided into lessons of several pages with all background material provided as needed.  Tests for the Paks are included at the end of each student book.  Each workbook is priced at $23.33.

 

The 1st book “Focus on Grammar” has 6 Paks and focuses on the following concepts:

• Subject and Predicate
• Four Type Sentences
• Sentence Fragments
• Run-on Sentences
• Compound Sentences
• Noun Functions
• Pronouns
• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
• Conjunctions
• Interjections
• Grammar Review

 

The 2nd book “Focus on Writing” has Paks 7-12. This book focuses on the following concepts:

• Clauses
• Sentence Variety
• Subject/Verb Agreement
• Grammar and Mechanics
• Writing Skills
• Rules of Capitalization
• Rules of Punctuation
• Proofreading
• Editing
• Letter Writing
• Business Writing
• Study Skills
• Critical Thinking and Reasoning
• Fact versus Fiction

There is a single teacher guide that covers both of the books. It is priced at $23.33 also.  The teacher guide has a reduced actual page of every page in the student workbooks with the correct answers.  This makes for very easy correcting. 

The way these books are set up is that it is completely self taught. There is a quick lesson – along with a sense of humor – totally our style,

then some examples. Next come practice and putting what you just learned to work.

A day/week in our life:

I began by assigning one Pak per week.  Each Pak is upwards of 30-40 or so pages.  That ended up proving to be too much and it was more stress then it was worth.  I quickly realized that we had to give each Pak 2 weeks.  I realize that the grammar book is supposed to be used 1st and the writing one second.  We chose to use both together.  How we did that is I would have him do 1 Pak in the grammar book and then move to the writing book and do 1 Pak in there.  We just kept switching it up every 2 weeks.  The student is supposed to correct their own work.  There are some things the teacher needs to correct and those are noted in the teacher guide.  This made correcting very easy.  Him seeing the mistakes he made along with the correct answer, I think, really helping with his comprehension of the materials. 

Final Thought:

I know I have said this before, my son has always struggled with grammar.  He gets that from me.  As he gets older I struggle with the “am I teaching him enough” mentality.  I was so glad to receive these books.  He actually likes them.  I actually like them.  He actually does the work in them. He is getting “it” and retaining the information! YAY!   

To see what others think of this check out this post.

 

 

To see a wide variety of reviews check out

our crew blog.