Does your child need extra practice in their math and language arts skills? Do you wish they could do these practices activities independenantly or perhaps with the help of a tutor-like program from home and you could keep track of their progress so you knew where they needed more practice?
If this sounds like you and your child, then you will want to check out the IXL Math and IXL Language Arts online programs through IXL.
IXL is a popular academic skills practice website for grades PreK-12. IXL was one of the first online learning programs I learned about when I became a homeschool mom many years ago and it has continued evolve and be one of the best programs available. IXL is designed to help kids have fun while they learn. Their motto is “Practice that feels like play. Dynamic, adaptive learning.”
IXL has over 4000 practice skills to help your child improve their math and language skills. It uses Smart Score Technology and adapts to your child’s performance. So it is like having a tutor handy to adjust the questions based on how your child is learning and scoring on the materials. It also has an audio feature that has the option to read math questions to students in pre-K through 5th grades. And best of all, IXL is mobile and can be using on your computer, iPad, or tablet.
Membership
Online Membership Subscription can be purchased for either a monthly or yearly subscription for Math, or Language Arts, or for both subjects together. You can purchase the program for one student or for several students too. See the descriptions below for the pricing combinations, and the website has additional information so be sure to check that out and find the right combination for your homeschool needs.
Math
Grades PreK-12
$79 per year or $9.95 per month
Language Arts
Grades 2-8
$79 per year or $9.95 per month
Both Math and Language Arts
$129 per year or 15.95 per month.
Each additional student is only $20 per year (or $2 per month).
How We Are Using IXL:
We were given a 1 year family membership and it came just in time to add this into our daily learning activities for this school year. It has provided us with practice of new skills as well as review of previous skills we have learned. We are using IXL as a supplement to our regular curriculum and practice for 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
The program is easy and fun to do because it is set up in a way that encourages kids natural desire to play and find rewards. My kids like a challenge and they are motivated to fill in their game board with rewards. IXL encourages them to earn awards on themed game boards that are like treasure hunts. Each grade level has it’s own game board with it’s own theme. So when my kids log in to IXL, they get a screen with grade options to choose from. Most of the time we work in our current grade level, but sometimes we go back and practice in a younger grade level for review too.
There are two ways to access the practice skills once they have clicked on the grade they want to work on. Kids can choose from a list of skills or they can choose to work from a game board.
When they choose a skill to work on from the huge list:
When ever they complete a skill on the list, they recieve a ribbons for progress or a gold medal showing they are done learning that skill. The kids like earning medals and find the list approach to be an easy way to keep track of what they have completed, where to go next, and where they still need more work.
When they choose to work on a skill through the game board:
Working from the game board approach, it is rewards based and this is my boys favorite way. It is more random, so you don’t know what skill will be required until you click on a square on the board.
On the game board, the kids uncover the hidden treasures as they complete quizzes and master skills. Awards are fun badges that are revealed on the board. These rewards might be animals, foods, places, and hobbies that kids can relate to and enjoy.
At anytime kids can click on the awards button at the top of the screen and it will show them their game board with the prizes they have achieved, and empty spaces they still need to fill. Kids can also click on a “? mystery square” to learn what “challenge task” they need to complete to reveal that specific mystery prize. When ready, they can return to the list of skills and select the one (or several) that corresponds with the task or skill or group of skills they need learn so they can achieve the next prize on their game board. Each time a new skill is mastered, a prize is placed in a corresponding square, but what thrills my kids the most is to earn the prize that goes into the “?mystery?” square.
Kids and parents can easily monitor progress. On the progress / score page, one can learn how much time they spent, how many problems they finished and how many they got correct, and how many overall total points they have earned in the program, etc.
I can see my kids improve in their understanding of math and language concepts as they practice each skill set. I am also sent an email on a regular basis, letting me know how the kids are doing and what they have achieved.
It is easy to keep track of my kids progress with weekly emails updates and also by logging in on the parent dashboard. On the dashboard I can see and print various reports and acheivement awards. I can also adjust challenges that I want them to work on if I choose to do so. All I need to do is log in and choose the student I want to review. IXL is a great supplemental learning program and I would encourage everyone to give it a try and see if it works for your homeschool needs.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow IXL on their social media links for all the latest news and product updates.
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IXL
Twitter https://twitter.com/IXLLearning
Google + https://plus.google.com/+IXL
Be sure to check out what other homeschool families on the Schoolhouse Review Crew had to say about using IXL in their homes.
