ALEKS Math Review

“ALEKS is a web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system.” It’s an online, interactive Math curriculum that evaluates each student’s math skills and provides instruction in the areas needed.

It can be used as a personal tutor, or a supplement to public school, or as a homeschool curriculum. It offers instruction in K-12 mathematics, up to and including Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Trigonometry, AP Statistics, AP Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Fundamentals of Accounting, and Business Math.

My homeschooled children have been using this system for the past month. April is registered in Algebra 2, and Jonathan in 6th grade. After their initial registration, which went smoothly, they were each given an online assessment to find out what they knew.

A list of topics is then assigned to each student in a colorful pie shape, called MyPie. Each time the students log in they are asked to do review work, or they are placed exactly where they left off from a previous session.

ALEKS provides assessment reports for the parents, and the kids can see their progress right on their MyPie charts. They can pick and choose any part of the pie to work in. ALEKS will not let them move on to more difficult topics until current ones are mastered.

Jonathan, my 6th grader, is plodding along quite well. He’s a kid that has meltdowns from mathematics! I have not seen any of these so far. He likes the freedom to pick and choose his topics from the ALEKS MyPie for the day. The instruction is straightforward and uses diagrams and examples for instruction. If Jonathan gets a problem wrong, he can click for an explanation and it solves it for him. Then it prompts him to practice similar problems. Jonathan says he likes it better than the Saxon math he’s doing. I have him in Saxon Algebra 1/2 which is a little above his level. His ALEKS level is easier for him, and less stressful. I’ll continue to use both programs with him. He needs all the math support he can get.

My daughter, April, works in ALEKS Algebra 2. She’s been working slow and steady through it. She wishes there “was more structure to the program in terms of telling her exactly what problems she needs to do and what “grade” she got on the assignment.” But ALEKS doesn’t work that way! It doesn’t give grades; it provides mastery! She will either learn it and master it, or continue to work on it.

Overall, I’m pleased with the ALEKS system. I’d like to continue with them for both of my kids.

Click Here for ALEKS

Time 4 Learning Review

Joshua loves his “school time.”

My Joshua is a special child. God has gifted him with an extra chromosome (Trisomy 21, aka Down syndrome) It takes him longer to learn some things. He’s a very visual learner. He makes connections when he can see it, feel it, hear it, touch it. His life and world experiences make his learning come alive. Enter Time4Learning – a new approach that takes advantage of today's technology. It's a convenient, online home education program that combines learning with fun educational teaching games. (From their website.) 

I had 2 of my kids working here this month. My youngest, Joshua, works in the Kindergarten level. Here, he is learning phonics, special sounds, counting by 2’s and 5’s, ordinal numbers, comparing numbers, and odd/even numbers. Joshua is just beginning to learn these number concepts and Time4Learning provides the “fun” school time he needs to reinforce these concepts. He loves it. Since I am homeschooling, Joshua likes to think of this as his “school” time. In Joshua’s experience with Time4Learning, I have been most pleased with the Language Arts section. It does a very good job of introducing new sounds or sight words, and then working with them. Creative-looking, colorful sock puppets, finger puppets, and little bugs are used to teach the lessons. He would be on this site all day if I let him! Joshua loves his “school time.” If I could afford it, (it is reasonably priced) I’d keep Joshua on Time4Learning indefinitely. He truly enjoys it and is making connections. It has been beneficial, indeed, for Joshua.  

The only drawbacks are the size of the graphics in the math sections.

• At times, the items to be counted are too small for him to clearly differentiate.

• The number grids and graphs are also too small for him to see and therefore

• He has a hard time understanding the concept being taught.

The Science and Social Studies sections are fun and interactive also. But, it seems some reading is involved, which the parents will need to read to the student. This is fine in my case. Joshua likes to sit on my lap and learn that way. We read through each section and I help him to understand the lesson, then we take the quizzes together. The program leads Joshua through each section with flashing arrows. He can click on any icon and work in any section, but it keeps track of what he has or hasn’t finished. So, each time he works, it prompts him to what he needs to finish. 

My other son, Jonathan, has been working in the 6th grade level. He’s been focusing on the math and language arts sections. This is quite different for him, since he’s been engrossed in Saxon math for the past 2 years. Time4Learning is big, and bouncy, and loud, and he was a little embarrassed when he began. I think he felt it was too juvenile for him. He’s gotten over that; he keeps the volume down… For Jonathan, I see Time4Learning acting as a great supplement to his math and grammar studies. The lessons are very entertaining and keep his attention.

Reviewing Time4Learning this past month has been a privilege. You simply sign up each child in their appropriate level and then they are assigned a username and a password for each time they log in to learn. There are two levels for logins, an Upper Level Login, and a Lower Level Login. There is also a Parent Login that gives access to a parent forum, and lesson plans. It gives an account status and allows you to make changes to the student levels. 

Time4Learning’s interaction is very similar to the kid’s computer programs JumpStart series and Winnie-the-Pooh learning software. There is also a child’s portfolio icon which shows what they’ve worked on, how successful they’ve been, how much time they’ve spent on each section, etc. These reports can be printed out for reference. 

Their website says...

Time4Learning's curriculum can be the foundation of a homeschool program.

Many homeschool families use Time4Learning as core curriculum in one or more subjects: others use Time4Learning to supplement other homeschool curriculum with a fun interactive reinforcement of the day's lessons. Families with children in school use Time4Learning after school as an alternative to tutoring, learning centers, or supplementary workbooks. Time4Learning is also popular as a summer skills sharpener or instead of summer school.

Click Here For Time4Learning

MOVING FORWARD WITH... RIME TO READ

I say to my son Joshua, "Want to learn Rime To Read?"

I sit with him on my lap and open up the first book - Pat. We say it together… “Pat.” We look at the cute girl in the blue dress with the long curly hair. She’s Pat. She’s really cute.

We click the arrow for the next page. We read… "Pat and cat." He smiles big and looks back at me. He likes the cat.

We click for the next page. I read… "Pat, cat, rat."

“No, no,” Joshua says, “I’ll do it.” And he does. And he reads it to me. And he reads, “Pat and cat and rat.” And he smiles big, and he’s proud of himself. And I’m proud of him. I tell him he’s a fantastic reader, and he agrees.

And he finishes reading the page, and then the book,

“Pat and a cat sat. The rat and the bat sat.”
They are all smiling at him from the pages of this little book. And he is smiling back, and happy.

So goes our first experience with Rime to Read. It was sweet...

I am pleased with the simplicity and gentleness of the pages and Joshua likes… to read them. We’ve come back many times to read Dan, and Dad, and Ned in Bed, and Nell, and Joshua’s favorite, The Pet. Each time we reap the rewards of this wonderful reading program.  My son, Joshua, is eight and he is learning to read. He’s a little behind, but we don’t focus on that. We focus on moving him forward. Rime to Read is doing just that. Moving him forward.

What is Rime to Read?
Rime to Read

Pat, Rat, Sat, Cat, Bat.

Pam, Sam, Am, Jam, Ham.

Pet, Met, Get, Wet, Let, Bet.

What do these words have in common?

They rhyme; and they’re rimes.  

Yes, that’s how it’s spelled. “Rimes” are words that rhyme and are also spelled the same way. Rat, cat, fat, splat, hat, - they are all in the same word family and sound alike, and look alike. Rhyming words such as “son, fun” or “care, hair, bear” are not spelled alike, thus they are not “rimes.” 

For me and Joshua, we look forward to sitting together and learning to Rime to Read by reading the sweet, simple stories that bring smiles to both our faces.

Rime to Read is a beginner’s reading program that uses “rimes” to teach reading, starting with basic, simple words and building upon them in their stories. See their web site for a more thorough explanation.

 Some highlights from their web site:

• A program for Beginning Readers is now available ONLINE!!
• Highly effective approach to beginning reading
• Emphasizing word families (rimes)
• Unique color-coded system
• Structured for success
• Having trouble reading a word? CLICK it and it will be read back to you.
• The cumulative 20 book program can be printed or read on your home computer monitor.

Rime to Read

HelpMe2Teach.com Review

Are you looking for safe, family-friendly websites for your homeschool?
Looking for online, safe resources for your homeschooling needs?

HelpMe2Teach.com is the perfect landing place.

An internet directory for teachers, students, and parents, HelpMe2Teach.com provides safe and educational links for over 2,500 sites. Each one is family and homeschool friendly and has been checked out by the company for kid safety issues. Feel safe when you click on a link.

From Preschool to High School, HelpMe2Teach.com has links to activities, customizable worksheets, and many free resources. Let me stress these are Safe, and educational links. While browsing, I found all of the homeschool websites I use listed here.

Want a place to turn to for listings of homeschool resources available online?

HelpMe2Teach.com is a subscription-based, online resource that provides homeschoolers with access to many websites carefully chosen for their appropriateness. The entries are arranged by category/subject and have grade level symbols for easy scanning.

Some categories:
• Animals
• Bible Study and Christian Links
• Computers
• Foreign Languages
• Holidays
• Jewish Curriculum
• Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Sewing, and
• For Teachers and Parents Only.

Navigating through HelpMe2Teach.com is easy and simple. They are constantly updating and improving their web site. This is a great resource for beginning homeschoolers!

Ambleside Online takes Charlotte Mason into the 21st Century

“But Beauty is everywhere – in white clouds against the blue, in the gray bole of the beech, the play of a kitten, the lovely flight and beautiful colouring of birds, in the hills and the valleys and the streams, in the wind-flower and the blossom of her broom.”

These words, written by Charlotte Mason, speak to her appreciation for the world God made, and the beauty in it. She taught that children should learn to love and appreciate the natural world around them. Seeking to teach these values to the children, she founded many schools in England using her unique teaching methods.

A living wealth of information, Ambleside Online homeschool curriculum takes Charlotte Mason’s teaching methods from the turn of the century and brings them into the 21st century, while keeping all of her philosophies, thoughts, and ideas alive. An appreciation for fine works and things “above the ordinary” is one of Miss Mason and Ambleside’s goals.

Learning of history and science is done through biographies, autobiographies, living history books, and outdoor nature study - hoping to create within the student a relationship and an intimate connection with the study.

The Ambleside Online advisory investigates, reads and researches literally 100’s of books, speeches and essays in order to stay true to Miss Mason’s standards for twaddle-free living books. The simplicity of nature study, the enjoyment of living books, the practice of narration – all are encouraged and taught in the curriculum. Essays, articles, schedules, and books written by Charlotte Mason and her school instructors are greatly encouraged reading for parents.

Amazingly, this great resource is FREE! The Ambleside Online curriculum is available completely free of charge at amblesideonline.org. Understand, it consists of literature available online or through the library, used-book stores, Project Gutenberg, Amazon.com, etc.

Simple and well thought out, the web site has easy to follow guides and simple navigation. It’s divided into 12 years, with booklists and schedules for each grade. Ambleside Online is an advanced curriculum – some students will work well in their grade level, others will need to work one or two years below. If just beginning to home school a 6th grader from public school, Ambleside’s Year 4 or Year 5 will, most likely, be the right level.

There’s so much more to this curriculum. Visit their web site; peruse their booklists and schedules; read some of Charlotte Mason’s articles, and learn about nature study.

Charlotte Mason’s methods and Ambleside Online will inspire and breathe life into any home school program.