Tag Archives: Homeschooling

Prima Latina Review

Prima Latina Complete Set

Student Book (workbook)

Teacher Manual

Lesson DVDs

Pronunciation Audio CD

Flash Cards

Grades 1-4

Retails $90.90

This is a terrific easy-to-use, beginning Latin resource for Elementary age students in grades 1-4. It was designed to make it easy to transition into the next level of learning Latin. But honestly older students and adults who have not previously studied Latin would also benefit using this beginning level program prior to moving on.

The Prima Latina Complete Set includes a spiral bound Student Book (workbook), Teacher Manual, Lesson DVD’s, Audio Pronunciation CD, and Flashcards.

All of the resources in this set coordinate together to cover 25 easy to use student friendly lessons. You can complete this course in 25 weeks or go faster or slower at a pace that suits your needs. The lessons include:

grammar appropriate for primary grades
5 vocabulary words with corresponding English derivatives per lesson
A practical Latin phrase per lesson
One line of a prayer per lesson that is learned in 5 lessons
Easy-to-read, 2-color format
Reviews: The exercises in each lesson provide constant review of materials learned throughout the course.
Tests: Every 5 lessons, students review the material and take a test (complete with key) to ensure mastery.

Our experience using Prima Latina:

Our daughter is using the Prima Latina Complete Set we were sent for this review. We like it so much we plan to order additional Student Books (workbooks) for the rest of our kids too. You need a Student Book for each student because they write in it what they have learned. However, each family would only need one complete set of the other resources that can be shared. So you could easily use this course with multiple kids in the same house if you get each one their own student book which only costs an additional $15 per student. That is one fee for the complete set for the first student and only $15 for each additional student to learn the beginning Latin course. For a large family like ours, with 6 kids, this is a win win!!!

Student Book (workbook):

We love this workbook! It is so easy to read and write in. It is spiral bound and printed on both sides of the page. Everything is broken down into easy to understand steps.

Each lesson contains about 10 sections:

Practical Latin

Lesson

Vocabulary

Latin Prayers

Derivatives

Review Questions (and sometimes additional Questions 2)

Translation

Speaking Latin

Write and Learn

Fun Practice

At the back of the book is a vocabulary appendix that contains an alphabetized list of all the words and phrases learned, what lesson they are found in, and what part of speech.

The student goals in the Student Book are to

Learn basic Latin alphabet and pronunciation
Pronounce, spell, and translate approximately 125 Latin words.
Learn numbers 1-10 in Latin.
Learn the names of the constellations in the sky.
Understand derivatives and the English words that are derived from Latin.
Grammar

Teacher Manual:

The Teacher Manual is also a very easy to use resource. It mirrors the Student Book and contains the answers to each of the questions. It also contains the vocabulary appendix, reproducible drills and tests and the answer keys, as well as a sample lesson plan, and teaching guidelines in the back.

I like the ease of use of this program. Even though I have no previous background in learning Latin myself, following the steps in this program is easy for me to teach and learn myself as I go. This course is great for both the student and the parent/teacher. Older students above the suggested grade level could teach this program to themselves independently too using the Teacher Manual.

DVD’s:

The DVD’s include 3 discs, with a total of 9 hours (15-20 min./lesson) taught by instructor Leigh Lowe. She includes a lot of vocabulary practice, explanations, recitation of words and phrases learned, and review.
She uses diagrams and on-screen notes, and examples to convey her meaning to help students understand.

Check out this example of a video lesson with the teacher Leigh Lowe:

Audio Pronunciation CD:

The Audio Pronunciation CD includes pronunciation explanation and direction for each lesson. We found the CD to be helpful for practicing drills and learning the correct pronunciation of the songs.

Flashcards:

We like using flashcards and the flashcards in the Prima Latina Complete Set are a fun way to practice and memorize the lessons being taught. They cover vocabulary with derivatives, Latin sayings, conjugations and declensions. The Flashcards can also be used the following year with the next level of Latin training called Latina Christiana.

Memoria Press has done a wonderful job creating this Latin course. Prima Latina is a student friendly way to teach Latin to young students. It teaches important English and Latin grammar concepts, as well as vocabulary, sayings, prayers, hymns, and many well known constellations in the sky.

Prima Latina Complete Set is a wonderful choice for homeschool families with young children. It may also be helpful for families with children who are still becoming familiar with English grammar as a second language too. Perhaps it would make a nice intro to Latin for bible study classes or groups. This program will also work great for families who need flexibility and for families who have students of various ages who want to learn Latin at a much slower pace than other programs. The program is flexible and you can go as fast or as slow as you need too. Finally it can also be used by families who have students that would like to work toward a rigorous language arts program using Latin as the foundation. This is a great beginning Latin language resource. Be sure to check out the next level course called Latina Christiana and the other Latin courses Memoria Press has to offer.

Social Media

Be sure to follow Memoria Press on their social media links for all the latest news and product updates.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/memoriapress/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MemoriaPress
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/memoriapress/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/memoriapress/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104379865092561103366
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/memoriapress/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/memoriapresstrk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin

Homeschool Review Crew

Be sure to check out what other families on the Homeschool Review Crew had to say about using products from Memoria Press.

Please share.

With Lee In Virginia Review

With Lee In Virginia

With Lee In Virginia
A Civil War Story of Courage, Honor, and Duty
Audio 2 1/2 hours
2 CD Set
Plus: 1)free downloadable PDF Study Guide
2)free printable poster and 3)free downloadable MP3
Ages 6 – Adult
Retails for $29.97

Benefits of sharing these CD’s with your kids:

Truthful retelling of the facts of the Civil War.
2 1/2 hours of “Active Listening” that captivates children’s
imagination!
“Travel time” becomes fun and exciting “Adventure Time”
Creative and exciting method of story telling to learn and remember history.
Inspires kids to have strong moral values like daring, determination and duty
FREE Study Guide with a bible study that helps parents engage children with the story
Christian Entertainment For Families

With Lee In Virginia 2CD Set

This audio production is so vibrant with sound and life it is amazing. It is full of honest people sharing their struggles in the midst of a Civil War. The audio production has amazing sound effects and you feel like you are right there in the middle of the action. They have a huge cast of stars with great character voices that keep you captivated in the story including Sean Astin, Kirk Cameron, Chris Anothony, Kelsey Lansdowne, and Kim Weiss.

Cast of With Lee In Virginia

Watch this short video clip about the making of With Lee In Virginia and see the amazing talent and excitment that went into this great retelling of history.

How We Used This In Our Home:

My kids were so excited to listen to With Lee In Virginia. The story follows a 15 year old boy named Vincent who joins the Army of Virginia where he meets and observes the life of General Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Vincent learns valuable lessons about character and honor and duty and war. His decisions are impacted by what he learns from these great leaders who care about their men, their families, and their country.

CD set and Study Guide

We listened to the CD’s together in the living room. I printed out the free study guide and put it into a three ring binder. There is a free word hunt on Live The Adventure Kids Corner.

I also printed off some Civil War coloring pages I found on the internet for the kids to color while listening.

Civil War coloring pages

The kids loved coloring the pictures while listening to the story. There are no coloring pages in the study guide so you need to find these elsewhere.

There are 8 of us in our family, and our kids ages range from 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, and 3. They were all captivated. Because we are on our summer break, we are doing a “lighter load” of about 1 hour of schoolwork a day through the summer. Listening to this audio product was a good fit for us to do for a couple of days.

For now, we did a pleasure round of listening of the story and just enjoyed it tremendously. We listened to CD1 on the first day, and CD2 on the second day and the kids were hooked to the story. It takes a little more than an hour per CD. At times the youngest two kids got up and down and played which is to be expected for their age. But the rest of the kids were quite satisfied to sit and listen to the whole story. We also took sometime one afternoon to make some Civil War food. The kids tried Johnny Cakes and we plan to learn to make our own Hard Tack (like crackers or very dry bread), and some other Civil War era recipes this fall during our unit study. We are really looking forward to this.

I had the kids look over the map provided in the study guide and see where the story took place. We also completed the first lesson of questions and defining words from the study guide. Each question covers between 4 to 10 minutes of the audio drama. You can either have kids write out their answers to the questions, or just use the questions for discussion. The questions cover three areas of learning:

The Listening Well: discussion about events, characters, and facts in the story.

The Thinking Further: increase understanding of the story by looking up facts and doing further research, deductive reasoning about characters actions and mindset,

The Defining Words: Look up vocabulary words in a dictionary.

This is a fantastic study guide with lots of questions to get your kids to think deeper and remember the facts. We are going to make the study guide a regular part of our learning this fall and do a complete unit study and lapbook on the Civil War this fall. The depth of the study guide will be a perfect fit this fall when we can dig deeper and go over each section of the audio at a slower pace and pause to do the corresponding pages in the study guide.

With Lee In Virginia makes history come alive. You feel like you are right there with all of these great men in their daily lives. You can continue learning when you sign up for the newsletter called Live The Adventure. The newsletter is jam packed with additional learning including recipes and projects for kids to do.

“Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less.” ~ General Robert. E. Lee

This is the second product from Heirloom Audio Productions our family has had the privilege to enjoy in our home and we give Heirloom Audio Productions our highest recommendation. These CD’s would be great for homeschoolers, learning coops, church classes, history clubs, and gifts for family and friends of all ages.

Heirloom Audio Productions

“Building character in the next generation by bringing the lessons of history to life. “

With stories from Heirloom Audio Productions, kids are transported back in time to live the adventure of history. Their products are amazing and they make history come alive! “WOW!” is all I can say. We love it! We can’t wait to see what they will produce next.

The question for parents and grandparents is what do we want our children to learn and who do we want them to emulate? Do we want them to be like Spider man or the Hulk or some character in their video games and movies? Or do we want them to be like real men and women with courage and dignity and responsibility who chose to do what was right no matter the cost.

“Who is teaching and what are they learning?” What morals are our kids learning from TV, Video Games, Smart Phones, and all the media they encounter through the days, weeks, and years of their life? Who and what is influencing them?

With Heirloom Audio Productions kids can LIVE THE ADVENTURE. They will desire to be like real heroes from history. People who stood for what was right and honorable and people of character and endurance. People who loved God and loved their fellow man are the real superheroes our kids will come to love and desire to be like.

Social Media

Be sure to follow Heirloom Audio Productions on their social media links for all the latest news and updates.

With Lee In Virginia (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/WithLeeInVirginia

Heirloom Audio Productions (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/heirloomaudio

Heirloom Audio Productions (Google+): https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/114534826166314080647/114534826166314080647

Heirloom Audio Productions (Twitter): https://twitter.com/HeirloomStories

Live The Adventure (Newsletter and teaching ideas): http://www.livetheadventureletter.com/

Live The Adventure KIDS CORNER (Website with activities for kids): http://www.livetheadventureletter.com/category/kids-corner/

Be sure to read what others on the TOS Review Crew have to say about using this in with their families too.

Please share.

CTC Math for Homeschoolers Review

CTC MATH for Homeschoolers 12 Month Family Plan

Unlimited online access of over 1,367 teaching videos, and 57,000 questions and activities, for up to 10 students, 24 hours a day / 7 days a week to all lessons and all grade levels K-12 for one affordable family price!

Currently this great resource is on sale for homeschool families with 2 or more students for $118 a year. (It normally runs $297. This current sale is 60 % off and saves you $178 which is a huge savings!) Check out the website for single student use and other pricing options too.

The virtual math teacher is Pat Murray from Australia. He speaks English with an Australian accent, and is easy for kids and adults to understand.

Video of how CTC Math for Homeschoolers works:

How we used CTC Math For Homeschoolers In Our Home:

We were thrilled to be chosen to review this fantastic curriculum. All of my school aged kids are using it. We fell in love with CTC Math a year and a half ago, and have stayed with it. When our yearly subscription ran out, the kids literally cried. We start the academics of our school day everyday with CTC Math.

We are currently using it in K, 1st, 4th, 6th, and 8th grades. It’s hard to believe that five of our six kids are school age now. We love this math curriculum and don’t want to miss anything even if it is review, so we chose not to test out of any sections, and worked through the lessons one by one even if it was reviewing a concept they already knew. I usually ask the kids to complete at least one, and often two lessons a day. The lessons are short, and they can easily complete a lesson in about 20 minutes or less. So doing two lessons, gives them about 30 to 40 minutes of good math instruction and practice each day. I receive reports from the program when the kids have achieved various levels in a section: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, and weekly updated summary reports too. I can choose to save the reports to my computer, or print them out and put them in my kids portfolio, and also print out the kids certificates too.

My oldest is 14 and is working through the 8th grade level. Last year he reviewed the 6th grade level, then progressed through the 7th grade and now is finishing up the 8th. I am so proud of his accomplishments. Last year it was his idea to go back through the 6th grade math level as a review first to be sure he had a good handle on it before he moved ahead. He wanted to spend more time on certain skills to develop more confidence. By going back and reviewing the previous level, he gained a strong grasp of division, fractions, and skills he was struggling in before. He likes using the Speed Skills Practice challenges to improve his skills. He loves to work on improving his score and doesn’t mind redoing the assignments to improve his grade.

He is mastering the lessons and gets an average of 95% to 100%. He can get a bit upset with himself if he gets anything below this level and really tries hard to understand and do a good job on the lessons. One great thing about this program is that the kids can repeat the lesson questions and bring up their average scores on each lesson. So if he got 90% the first time, and then re-did the lesson and got 95% his second time, and 100% his third time, then his average score for the lesson rises to 95%. He usually scores high his first time through and doesn’t need to repeat it, because the teacher / tutor explains the lesson so well. But I have seen him get a 97% and want to raise his average and retake the lesson two more times. So 97%, then 100%, and 100% raises his overall score to 99%. He loves this opportunity to raise his score!

Video Lesson PreAlgebra: Learning to Calculate the Volume of a Cube.

My 6th grader also works independantly with CTC Math. This son went through a big maturing process last year. Schoolwork used to be a chore, but he likes it now. He processes information differently than his older brother, and it takes him longer. He used to get frustrated easily and would give up. So it has been a huge challenge for me to help him master some of the skills. Thankfully we have gotten over that hurdle and he is motivated to do his schoolwork. He does very well with a combination of the video (he is an audio visual learner) instruction plus writing to learn concepts. He started reading well last year, and is doing better at remembering details, paying attention, and with all these skills coming together, his math grades and all his skills showed huge improvements. Last year when we first got CTC Math, it was and still is the answer to my prayer for this son! He is just as proud of his grades in math as I am. He tells me “Mom, look what I did, I got a 90%.” or “Mom, I love how the teacher explains this one, look I got a 100% on this lesson!”. He is very proud of himself and I am too. His average scores range from 80% to 90%! He pauses the video for each problem and writes the math problem down on paper and work it out before he works it out on the computer screen. HE GETS IT! He has improved so much!

Video Lesson 4th Grade: Learning Grid Coordinates.

My son in the 4th grade is also doing very well with CTC Math and school in general. This is a huge improvement for him as he doesn’t like to sit still very long. He wants to play, or build, or go outside if the weather permits. He is working at grade level in CTC Math, watches the videos, completes 1 or 2 lessons a day depending on his mood, etc., but does not like going back and repeating the lesson questions if he didn’t pass. This has remained consistent since the beginning. He doesn’t want to repeat the lesson if he doesn’t score high enough. I want him to repeat the lesson until he understands the concept. So we struggle with this sometimes. In CTC Math, you don’t pass the lesson unless you reach a score of 80% correct or more. His scores range from 70% to 95% correct. He does not want to go back and repeat the lessons he did not get a passing grade on. It is just not his personality and he is not motivated by this method. His two older brothers love this opportunity to improve, but this son sees it as a form of torture to make him try again, and he would rather not. He is doing well with reading the questions, but if he doesn’t pay attention to the video instruction, he misses how to apply the method to solve the problem. Since starting the program, I have wished there was a button we could push, and the virtual teacher could read the problem to him, and perhaps there be a back button he could click that would instantly go back over that portion of the lesson. This would be a great help to struggling readers and for audio learners. Overall, he likes using CTC Math and is learning a lot of math concepts and skills, but he doesn’t care what the score is.

My son in K completed his K level and moved up into 1st grade level a few months ago. He is showing maturity in math skills, and sitting still to learn lessons, and moves along pretty quickly. He actually begs to get on the computer to complete his CTC Math lesson. My daughter is also working in 1st grade level and moves at a slower pace than her brother. This curriculum is so nice because it lets each child move along at their own pace.

Video Lesson 1st Grade: Recognizing 3D Objects

I am thankful for this opportunity to use this curriculum. With the 12 Month Family Plan, our whole family can use this curriculum for one affordable price. We can have up to 10 students using it at the same time. Wow! We have never had such a great curriculum resource so easily accessible and adaptable for everyone in our whole family!

All of my kids and I think this math curriculum is really AWESOME! Though it is not fun and games, it is still fun because it challenges you to get better and reach your goal. it is serious math instruction.

I would encourage homeschool families to check it out and see if it meets their needs too. I think CTC Math would be a great resource for college students to review and improve their math skills too. It sure would have helped me get through college Math 101 and 102 if I had a resource such as this.

Social Media:

Be sure to follow CTC Math for news, updates, and information:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctcmath
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CTCMath/videos

Be sure to check out what other homeschool families on the TOS Review Crew had to say about using CTC Math in their homes.

Please share.

Weiser Academy

Homeschool and Family Life Adventures

Tag Archives: Homeschooling

Prima Latina Review

Prima Latina Complete Set

Our experience using Prima Latina:

Student Book (workbook):

Teacher Manual:

DVD’s:

Audio Pronunciation CD:

Flashcards:

Social Media

Homeschool Review Crew

With Lee In Virginia Review

With Lee In Virginia

How We Used This In Our Home:

Heirloom Audio Productions

“Building character in the next generation by bringing the lessons of history to life. “

Social Media

CTC Math for Homeschoolers Review

CTC MATH for Homeschoolers 12 Month Family Plan

How we used CTC Math For Homeschoolers In Our Home:

Social Media: