Tag Archives: reading comprehension

Josefina Story Quilt Study Guide Progeny Press Review

We were recently sent a fun study guide to review from Progeny Press called The Josefina Story Quilt – eGuide.

The Josefina Story Quilt – eGuide

Downloadable PDF Study Guide

34 Pages

Grades 1-3

Retails $11.99 e-book (or CD).

This study guide is 34 pages and is designed for kids in 1st through 3rd grades.   The study guide goes along with the book called The Josefina Story Quilt.  The study guide is available for $11.99 as a PDF download, or as a CD on the Progeny Press website.  The reader book is also available for $3.99 on the Progeny Press website, bookstores, and may be available to borrow in your local library.

Table of Contents

  • Note to Instructor
  • Synopsis (summary of the story)
  • About the Author
  • Background Information
  • Before-you-read Activities
  • Vocabulary
  • Looking at the Story: Part One
  • Looking at the Story: Part Two
  • Dig Deeper
  • Crossword Puzzle Review
  • Activities, Arts, and Crafts
  • Suggestions For Further Reading
  • Answer Key

Examples of Study Guide Pages:

Our Experience:

We received the downloadable PDF version of the study guide (e-study guide) for the purpose of this review.  I printed it and put it into a three ring binder.  We were expected to acquire the reader book on our own.  I purchased the book The Josefina Story Quilt from the Progeny Press website for $3.99 plus shipping.

This story is about a young girl named Faith and her pet chicken named Josefina. Her family is moving to California by covered wagon in 1850.  Her father wants her to leave her pet chicken behind, but she convinces the family to let her bring the chicken with them.  The main characters are Faith, Josefina, Pa, Ma, and brother Adam.

The story follows Faith’s family’s journey on the wagon train. While on the journey, Josefina stayed in a cage at the back of the wagon, but on the times Faith let her out, usually big trouble ensued and Faith’s father is ready to get rid of the chicken. But he eventually becomes fond of the chicken after she begins laying eggs and acted as a watchdog to scare away robbers on the trail in the middle of the night.  The family goes through a lot of hardships on the trail including running out of food and water and faced many dangers.

While on the journey, Faith is tasked with making quilt squares that will later become a quilt that keeps the family warm, and the quilt also retells a story with fond memories. Faith decides to make the quilt squares about the journey with her pet chicken.  She makes a quilt square wagon wheel patch, and another for an egg patch.  On the journey she makes over 15+ quilt squares and then she made one for a pine tree to remember where she had to bury her pet chicken after she died.  Though it took a long time, maybe six months or more, eventually the family makes it to their new destination.  When Faith has finished her patches and has enough to make a quilt, her family pitches in and helps her make a blanket quilt for her bed to remember the story of their journey.  From that night forward, every night she sleeps under her Josefina Story Quilt.

Though the story book does not have a Christian focus, the study guide questions use a Christian perspective in evaluating the story.  Kids are encouraged to read bible scriptures and relate them to the events and characters in the story and there is a lot of room to write out their answers as they ponder these ideas.  They are also encouraged to use a dictionary and look up new words. Before you begin there is a map activity and questions about what you might take with you if you were on the wagon train, and a short encyclopedia look-up activity. There is vocabulary multiple choice questions and a word scramble and crossword puzzle.

In addition to reading the book and answering the study guide questions and cross word puzzle, my daughter enjoyed the few suggested activities in the study guide. She enjoyed homemade bread (we purchased locally made homemade bread as it was too hot to bake our own), and she made an art project creating paper quilt squares.

On her own, she also role played and retold the story to me with her Legos.  She had a wagon (her brother later dismantled), a bird (for Josefina), a girl (for Faith), boy, mom, dad, and two robbers.

Final Thoughts

For the purpose of this review, I had my daughter review this study guide with me.  She enjoyed this experience.  She enjoyed the bible study and crossword puzzle, but said she wished there were some more hands on activities in the study guide.  Also the suggestions to further the learning are additional books you can read about the time period.  Though we appreciated the book list, it was not super exciting for her as she would also prefered more hands on activities related to the book and time period.  She would have liked more opportunities to learn further and I plan to put more activities together for her.

There is a lot of writing practice scattered through out the study guide and many of the writing activities seemed more relevant for an older student rather than a 1st – 3rd grader.  However the story book itself was right for the listed age range.  I would say, given that this study guide was produced in 1995, and costs $12 plus buying the book $4 (so at least a $16+ or more investment), that updating the material and activity suggestions would be a good idea.

We plan to revisit this again with our American History studies in the fall.  My plan is to use the book and study guide along with my daughter to teach this story to her younger brothers.  She is practicing some teaching and helping skills and this will be a great book and guide to practice her skills with.

When we revisit this study guide in the fall with all three of the younger kids, we plan to turn it into a unit study.  We will take more time to learn about the history of the Wagon Trains that went Westward, do a lot more arts and crafts, and do science activities about breeds of chickens, learn more about eggs, learn about feathers, mix up some homemade bird food perhaps looking in the yard or a field for grass seeds and things birds can eat, caring for horses, oxen (caring for cows), practice hand sewing projects, and take a field trip to visit a hands on historical farm and a museum.  We will also do some campfire activities outdoors in the back yard when it cools off this fall, and some baking of historical recipes, but it has been too hot this summer to do those.  We may also study the night sky and study the moon and stars.  I found some free resources online to go along with the book and study guide to create a lap book.  I will print those out and get some folders to make the lap books.  My kids love making lap books so this will be a great way to further the learning.  I think my daughter might want to make her own story quilt to use for her bed in the future.

I was looking forward to doing this review because we enjoyed reviewing Sam The Minute Man study guide from Progeny Press a few years ago.  I am cautious about what books we choose to review, so many have pagan and heretic ideals, and there are many to choose from that don’t meet our requirements.  I don’t think you can view wizards, sorcery, reanimating the dead, magic, trans-humanism, gods and goddesses, pagan rituals, and aliens (that are really demons and fallen angels as they are noted in the bible) with a positive Christian spin, that would be delusional and hypocritical no matter how many bible verses you dump on it.  However, there are many historical books and study guides to choose from where applying the bible does give a deeper understanding, and enrich our lives and spiritual outlook.  Overall, we have enjoyed learning literature with historically focused books, and gaining a deeper understanding of Progeny Press study guides.

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Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Review

Do you want to get smarter?  Do you want your kids to improve their grades?  Then you might want to check out the over 200+ Award Winning products from The Critical Thinking Co.™

Critical Thinking Detective

We recently checked out the Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Book 1.  Critical Thinking Detective is a whole series of books that helps you learn to think logically to solve dilemmas.

So far, the Critical Thinking Detective series includes:

  • Beginning
  • Book 1
  • Book 2
  • Math
  • Vocabulary Book 1
  • Vocabulary Book 2

Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Book 1

Student Workbook

AnswerKey

12 Cases To Solve

Softcover

Colorful Illustrations

40 Pages

Retails $8.99 on sale for $7.99

Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Book 1 is a 40 page softcover workbook for grades 5-12+ (would be fun and challenging to most adults too).  This student workbook contains 12 mystery cases to solve.  The student uses vocabulary, and critical thinking skills to logically solve the case.  As the student evaluates the details of the case, understands the meanings of words and learns their meanings and synonyms, uses inductive and deductive reasoning, analyzes the information, they are then able to solve the case.

Table of Contents:

  • How To Solve These Cases
  • The Antique Double-Dealer
  • The Stray Accomplice
  • The Pilfering Today
  • The Ring Coveter
  • The Acrid Saboteur
  • The Contrary Instigator
  • The Brazen Biker
  • The Cogent Denigrator
  • The Disgruntled Defacer
  • The Unencumbered Employee
  • The Wandering Wayfarer
  • The Cunning Customer
  • Answer Key

So how do you solve the case?  Well, first of all you need to CAREFULLY read the description of the case.  Read the statements from one or more witnesses, and read the statement from 4 possible suspects who may or may not have committed the crime.  Then look up the words given in the clues. These definitions will help you understand what really happened and who did it.

Here are the steps to solve each cases:

  • Read the clues.
  • Use a dictionary!
  • Understand the definition of each word.
  • Understand the synonyms and antonyms of each word.
  • Take notes.
  • Reason it out.
  • Solve the case.

Following each case, the student is introduced to 18 to 25 new vocabulary words to learn. There is also a worksheet full of fill in the blank sentences to complete to practice using the vocabulary correctly.

Author

Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary was written by Diane Hartsig.  She is also the author of Vocabulary Riddles – A-Z Catastrophes, Books 1 and 2.  She is a wife, the mother of 3 kids, and an elementary school teacher.  She is passionate about kids acquiring and learning how to use language.

Our Experience:

We received Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary Book 1 in exchange for writing an honest review.  The Critical Thinking company is also offering special savings for our readers.  I think it is great when companies send products to be reviewed and also send discounts to those who want to try out the product because they read the review and were inspired to try it.  So be sure to check out the special offers listed below for a discount code, and get the free Critical Thinking Puzzle too!

I gave this workbook to my 15 year old son to include in his schoolwork. My thoughts on giving it to him was that the mystery cases are short and he might be able to do them without adding a lot of additional work onto his schoolwork.  I thought as he accomplished the cases, it would build more confidence for writing.

After reading the case, he tried to reason it out, but was not quite sure who did it.  So I had him go ahead and work through vocabulary words and complete the sentences before trying to solve the crime.   However, after working through the first handful of words, perhaps 10 or so, he was ready to quit before he had even accomplished the first case.  He wanted to quit because he found the words unfamiliar and didn’t like looking them up to find what sentence they fit into.

These are hard words!  I don’t even know most of them myself.  They are not commonly used.  Here are just a few examples:

  • congent
  • flummox
  • espy
  • sedulous
  • vacuous
  • superfluous
  • credulous
  • madras
  • tantamount
  • puce
  • tenable
  • senescent
  • foist
  • spurious

However, after a few days of setting the workbook aside (and I don’t blame him), he put his mind to it and persevered.  To complete the task, he only needed the workbook, a pencil, and access a dictionary (he used an online dictionary on the internet).  It’s portable, so he doesn’t have to sit in one place.  He can take it with him and fill in the gaps in his time.  He enjoys being outside and working on it if the weather is nice.  Having the freedom to choose where and how to learn is one of the beautiful benefits of homeschooling.  Just being outside seemed to help motivate him to work on it.

After he looked up the meaning of the new word, and learned it’s definition and other words that have the same meaning, then he would compare words and fill the words into the correct sentences. Each word can only be used once.  Taking time to do the vocabulary words gave his brain time to ponder the details of the case.  Finally, he was confident in various word meanings to reasonably solve the case.

After completing the first case, he was more confident in working through the rest of the workbook.

After completing the first few cases, he was well on his way to improving his use of vocabulary and logic.

He is motivated to finish and I have no doubt he will finish the workbook and raise his knowledge and skill level to be way smarter than me!

The Critical Thinking Co.™

Created in 1958 by John Brown, The Critical Thinking Co.™ helps students master skills needed to achieve high standards for education.  They have extensive knowledge in math, logic, reading and writing, science, and social studies.  They guarantee better grades and higher test scores when you practice your critical thinking skills with their books and software.

The Homeschool Review Crew is currently reviewing several products from The Critical Thinking Co.™

Critical Thinking Detective: Vocabulary

Understanding Pre-Algebra

Dare To Compare: Math Level 1

Critical Thinking Detective Book 1

Vocabulary Riddles Book 1

Something Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha

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Learn To Read With Reading Kingdom Review

Are you looking to improve your child’s ability to read and write? Then you might want to check out Reading Kingdom online interactive curriculum.

Reading Kingdom offers a better strategy than what has traditionally been offered to help kids improve their reading and writing skills, reduce academic failure, and reach reading proficiency.

Reading Kingdom

Reading Kingdom

Online Learning Program

Interactive Curriculum

Highly effective

Adapts To Each Child

Individualized Instruction

Research based

Ages 4-10

Retail $19.99 month ($9.99 additional child).

Reading Kingdom in an online learning program developed for students ages 4 to 10 to help them become proficient at reading and writing to a 3rd grade level.   It is fun to use and kids can use the program on their own.  Because it is filled with learning games and books, kids are motivated to use it each day.  Reading Kingdom works as a standalone curriculum or as a supplement to your curriculum.  Reading Kingdom works on any device with an internet connection (including Windows, Mac, iPad, Android, Chromebooks, etc.)

Reading Kingdom uses a patented strategy called the Phonics Plus decoding system created by Dr. Marion Blank, a developmental psychologist who is also one of the world experts on reading.  Learning with Reading Kingdom has been made available in a fun online interactive program by her son Jonathan Blank, an expert in computer software development.   Now families everywhere can have access to this award winning learning system to help kids learn to read and write.

The Phonics Plus decoding system is based on learning the meanings of words, the pattern sequencing of letters, and sounds that create meaning.

Sequencing:  recognizing patterns from left to right.
Writing: understanding letter placement on keyboard and writing through out the program.
Sounds (Phonics): sounding letter blends,
Meaning: understanding the meaning of words and their context.
Grammar: grammatical rules
Comprehension: remembering and understanding what has been read.

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The Department of Education reports that two out of three kids today are failing at reading and writing proficiency and Dr. Blank believes it is because they learned to read with phonics only.  There are many reasons why learning with phonics only fails to help so many kids.

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However, rather than just learning phonics only, Reading Kingdom teaches the Phonic’s Plus decoding system as foundational for mastering reading and writing proficiency.  This method brings reading, writing, and comprehension together. As students learn these skills, they will benefit both now and later in life as many of these skills overflow into other areas in a person’s life.

How It Works:

Reading Kingdom uses fun reading games, story books, and the Phonics Plus decoding strategy to boost each student’s skills and confidence in reading, writing, and comprehension.  When kids finish the program, they will have mastered above a third grade reading level.

Reading Kingdom contains 5 Levels.  Each level is adaptable for the skill level of the person using it, so it customizes itself per the child’s needs.  Each level builds upon the skills learned in the previous level.  Before moving forward it gets kids ready for the next level so both sets of skill levels flow smoothly together. A Progress Check (review quiz) is given after each level. More practice is given if needed, or if they have mastered everything, they are promoted to the next level.

Reading Kingdom is designed to be used 4 days per week. Each level is filled with several sessions and you complete one session each day.  Each session takes about 10 to 20 minutes to complete.  A child learns 1 new word or reads 1 new book during each session.

Below are a few examples of different skill levels.  The first picture shows the level, the number of new words, new words plus word variants, total new words, and new books learned in that level.  The second picture in each category below is an example of a learning game in that level.

Level 1

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Level 2

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Level 3

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Level 4

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Level 5

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The entire Reading Kingdom online program starting at the lowest level and working your way through to completing the highest level, is designed to take about 12 to 15 months to complete all the levels and skills.   However, an older child child who already has acquired some reading skills, takes the placement test and scores above the beginning level, etc. maybe able to complete the program quicker, perhaps in as little as 6+/- months.   This program could also be used for review for older students and ESL and remedial learning.  A child who is a struggling reader may take longer than average to complete.  The program is flexible and adapts to the skills of each child.  However if your student is on the Autism Spectrum or has other learning challenges, then you might want to check into another program Reading Kingdom has developed called ADS Reading.

Who is Dr. Blank?

Dr. Marion Blank

Dr. Marion Blank is known around the world as a literacy expert. She developed and directed the Light on Literacy Program. She has served on the faculty of Columbia University. She lectures around the world, and has authored several peer-reviewed articles and books. Dr. Blank has developed award winning teaching programs.  She is the author of the Reading Remedy and creator of the Reading Kingdom.

Video
Here is a short video about Reading Kingdom:

How We Used Reading Kingdom In Our Home

I was thrilled for my kids to have the opportunity to use Reading Kingdom.  We were given a one year subscription in exchange for writing an honest review about our experience.

My kids have been using the Reading Kingdom program for about 6 weeks, and have practiced almost daily during our language arts study time since getting the program.  I am using this program with my three youngest kids, ages 6, 8, and 10.  The 8 year old is the most consistent user.  He has averaged 4.3 days per week.  The 10 year old has averaged 3 days per week.  The 6 year old has an average of 2.3 days per week.

Sometimes the 6 year old isn’t as motivated as the 8 year old and 10 year old are to sit at the computer.  I think he has stopped a few times before his lesson was completely finished for the day, and I am not sure if that reduces the average number of days counted.  I think he will become more motivated to finish each lesson as he gains more skills.

This is our second time to use this program and I can see similarities in the ages in regards to skills and motivation.  We had a subscription to Reading Kingdom three years ago and the kids learned a lot at that time and loved it.  We were excited to see how much they have improved since then.

Each child has two options when starting the program.  The first option is for those starting at the beginning level and are just learning to read.  They can start at the very beginning with the very first lesson session.  The second option is to take a placement test to find out what skills the child already knows and where they should be placed.  The placement test has two parts, a keyboard typing test and a sequencing test.

Typing & Keyboard Test

Typing & Keyboard Test

These placement tests help the parent, and the Reading Kingdom program understand what skills the student already knows, and what skills they have yet to learn.  Because Reading Kingdom is an adaptable reading program, it responds to the child’s skill level and their ongoing progress.  It also recognizes what they don’t know because of the mistakes they are making, and provides extra support and training in those areas.  This helps customize the program to their learning level.

Sequencing Test

Sequencing Test

Since he is a beginning reader, I had my 6 year old start at the beginning level without taking the placement tests.  My 8 year old son and 10 year old daughter both took the placement test.  They took the letter sequencing test and a keyboard typing test.

The placement test put the 8 year old a little above where I thought it would.  He is a strong reader and quick learner and did well on the placement test.  It placed him on Level 3.  However the 10 year old struggled more while taking the test, as it is timed and she is slower to answer even if she knows the answer, and it started her in the middle of Level 1.  Both she and I thought she would place on a higher level.  It seem to us that because she struggled with speed on the placement test is the reason why she started at a lower level, and not because she didn’t know the answer.  Though she was a bit disappointed at first, it has turned out to be good review for her to go back over many of the words and practice them, and the parent report is showing she is getting an “excellent” score on her lesson sessions.

After the tests, and placement, then each kid can begin their sessions.  The program is set up to do 1 session a day, though you can do more.  After they log in, each of my kids have a dash board that shows their progress.

On the parent dashboard, I can go in to a tab and choose to review reports, change the level or speed for responses, or even set it to retake the test if needed.  For now, I have left everything at the default speed and mainly use my dashboard to review the reports.  Reports can also be downloaded and sent by email too.  I like the parent dashboard because it gives me a basic summary of how each child is progressing, what words they are learning and what words they are struggling with.

As a parent, I know each of my kids learn differently, some are fast and some are slow at picking up certain skills.  It is nice to have a curriculum that can adapt to their learning styles.

When my kids complete a level (or test out of a level) they have the option to print a diploma certificate for that level.

I would encourage other homeschool families to check out Reading Kingdom. You can help your child achieve reading proficiency when you team up with Reading Kingdom for the Phonics Plus solution to help your child succeed.

FREE

Try before you buy with FREE Sample Lessons. Reading Kingdom also offers a FREE Trial Offer, free worksheets, and many other free resources too.  They also have special discount offers to choose from when you subscribe.

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A Better Strategy With Reading Kingdom Review

Our school year is going strong, and my kids have been using Reading Kingdom Online curriculum from Reading Kingdom and it is a fantastic learning program.

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Are you looking for a Reading curriculum for you kids?  You might say “yes,  we need to work on reading skills”  but you might also say “no, my kids can read fine”.  But when you stop and think about it, are your kids strong readers?  Could they improve?   The Department of Education reports that only 1 out of 3 kids today achieve reading proficiency.  What is a parent to do?

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Reading Kingdom has a better strategy than what has traditionally been offered to help kids rise above and reach reading proficiency. Reading Kingdom Online uses fun reading games, story books, and an award winning patented reading strategy to boost each child’s skills and confidence in reading, writing, and comprehension.  When kids finish the program, they will have mastered above a third grade reading level.

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Reading Kingdom Online

Ages 4-10

Cost $19.99 month, and $9.99 for each additional child.

Can also be used for :

ESL and Remedial Learning and Review for older students.

Reading Kingdom Online uses Dr. Marion Blank’s patented 6-SIM strategy called the  “Six Skill Integrated Method”.   You can read more about this strategy in her book titled the Reading Remedy.   This method is foundational for learning  and mastering reading proficiency.  The skills learned will overflow into every other academic area too.   This method brings reading, writing, and comprehension together in an integrated and fun way for kids.

The full program is divided into these key areas:

Keyboard and Mouse Training
Sequencing Survey 1
Sequencing 2
5 Levels with 4 to 6 sessions each.

Why does it work?  Because this method is based on learning the meanings of words and and the pattern sequencing of letters and sounds that create meaning.  This is superior to other methods of learning to read.  Most programs only use a phonics program.  But phonics are a deceptive way to learn English because there are 100’s of combinations to remember.

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The 6 Skill Integrated Method (6 SIM) covers six areas of learning: Sequencing, Writing, Sounds (Phonics), Meaning, Grammar, and Comprehension.   This online program cooresponds to a printed program with teachers manuals, workbooks, and level reader books.  You do not have to buy the printed program, but if you want to, it is available.  I hope to purchase some of the workbooks and readers in the future.  I would like for the kids to have practice writing what they are learning, and not just typing only.  I can see the value in having both.  But for now, the kids can do the reading online and that is perfectly fine too.

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Sequencing:  recognizing patterns from left to right.
Writing: understanding letter placement on keyboard and writing through out the program.
Sounds (Phonics): sounding letter blends,
Meaning: understanding the meaning of words and their context.
Grammar: grammatical rules
Comprehension: remembering and understanding what has been read.

What skills will your kids master on the road to becoming proficient readers?

Here is a partial list of skills mastered that correspond with Elementary grades:

Preschool (skills: left and right, sequencing, letters, upper and lower case, keyboarding skills for writing, etc.)

Kindergarten (skills: common words and meanings, punctuation, upper and lower case, auditory processing, sound descrimination: speaking and listening skills, keyboard skills, etc)

First Grade (skills: sequencing, motor skills, phonics, grammar, reading comprehension, blending, decoding, sentences, punctuation, and more)

Second Grade (skills: vocabulary, sight words, reading, spelling, decoding, writing complex sentences, summarizing, and more)

Third Grade (skills: reading, comprehension, writing, spelling, language expansion, increase their abilities to read and understand more complicated texts, academics, and literature, etc. )

Struggling Readers (useful in helping build skills for: struggling readers, learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and English As A Second Language (ESL) more).

The entire program starting at the lowest level and working your way through to completing the highest level takes about 12 to 18 months to complete.    A child who already has acquired some reading skills maybe able to complete the program in 6 months.  A child who is a struggling reader due to learning disabilities may take longer than average to complete.  The program is flexible and adapts to the skills of each child.

Skill Levels

Reading Kingdom offers 5 different learning levels.   Each level is adaptable for the skill levels of your kids, so it customizes itself per the child’s needs.  Each level builds upon the skills learned in the previous level and gets your kids ready for the next level so it all flows smoothly together. A Progress Check (review quiz) is given after each level.  More practice is given if needed, or if they have mastered everything, they are promoted to the next level.

Each level is filled with several sessions.  It is expected that kids will work on the program for at least 4 sessions per week.  In each session takes about 20 minutes.  A child learns 1 new word or reads 1 new book during each session.

Each level takes between 10 weeks to 15 weeks (10-15 weeks according the the FAQ Pdf, but the website also lists it can be done in 6-10 weeks) to complete if your child completes 4 or 5 sessions a week and depending on how quickly they progress.

A Quick Glimpse Of The Desktop For Different Levels:

Here are some desktop views from the different levels.  The first picture under each level shows the number of words and books learned in that level.   The second set of pictures in each level shows screen shots of various learning games with blending, sequencing,  and online story books.

Level 1

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Level 2

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Level 3

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Level 4

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Level 5

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How We Used Reading Kingdom In Our Home

I am a mom of 6 kids,  and they all have different learning styles and different skill levels. Each child learns a little differently from their siblings and I am so grateful for homeschooling because it gives us the freedom to pursue what works best for each child.

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We are using Reading Kingdom Online with our 6 year old son and 8 year old daughter.  We began by taking a skills test to learn the exact skills they already knew, and what skills they have yet to learn.  They took a letter sequencing test and a keyboard typing test.  This helped customize the program to their exact level.

Sequencing Test

Sequencing Test

Typing & Keyboard Test

Typing & Keyboard Test

Reading Kingdom Online is an adaptable reading program.  It responds to the child’s skill level and their ongoing progress.  It allows kids to skip over practicing words they already know.   It also recognizes what they don’t know and provides extra support and training in those areas.

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The dash board shows their progress.  This is a very nice feature.   Also I can go in to an advanced step on the dashboard and  set it to redo the test or a level if needed,  and change the speed for responses or leave it at the default speed.   So far they are doing great and I don’t see a need to make any changes.

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Since some of my kids find it easy to learn to read, and some find reading more challenging, it is a blessing to have a curriculum that can adapt to both of their learning styles.

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I like the parent dashboard because it gives me a basic summary of how each child is progressing.  I also get a weekly summary emailed to me alerting me of progress and any concerns.

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Dr. Blank

Dr. Marion Blank

Dr. Marion Blank is known around the world for her literacy expertise.  She developed and directed the Light on Literacy Program and is on the faculty of Columbia University.  She lectures around the world, and she has authored dozens of peer-reviewed articles and books. Dr. Blank has developed several award winning teaching programs.  She is the author of the Reading Remedy and creator of the Reading Kingdom.

The online modality of delivery of the Learning Kingdom system software was put together by Dr. Marion Blank’s son, Jonathan Blank.   He is a top software designer in his field and has many other digital software accomplishments. He has designed programs for top name brands like Google, Adobe, Sony and more.

Dr. Blank and her son and have made this an exceptional educational software program.  They made a great team and produced an amazing product for kids, parents, and teachers.  This online learning program has come together in a beautiful way.  Their collaboration together on this project using her strategy and expertise in teaching, and his expertise in digital software is combined and packaged into a fun online delivery system (computerized learning) for kids.  I would encourage every family to give this system a try with their kids and beat those national average statistics and come out a winner who has mastered reading proficiency.

Social Media

Be sure to follow Reading Kingdom of their social media sites for all the latest news and updates.

Blog  http://www.readingkingdom.com/blog/

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/readingkingdom

Twitter   https://twitter.com/readingkingdom

Pinterest   https://www.pinterest.com/readingkingdom/

Reading Kingdom Review

Check out what other families on the TOS Review Crew had to say about using this product in their homes.

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Super Teacher Worksheets

How would you like to have just about any worksheet you need (or imagine) at any time through out the school year, right at your fingertips?

Super Teacher Worksheets

Have no fear!  Super Teacher Worksheets are here!

I just love this special Super Hero who has come to save the day!  We were sent a 1 year Individual Membership for our family to use.  This wonderful site has so many awesome resources to enhance the learning going on with your kids and make it even more fun.

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Super Teacher Worksheets

Membership $19.95 year

Grades K-5, but there are many worksheets for middle and high school too, and more will be developed for the upper grades.

Unlimited 24/7 Access to over 10,000 pdf worksheets, activities, flash cards, games, and more.

New worksheets are added each week.

“Members have unlimited access to thousands of worksheets and printable materials on Super Teacher Worksheets. We offer math worksheets, reading comprehension stories, spelling lists, handwriting practice sheets, grammar worksheets, holiday printables, and much more!” source

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Just A Few Of The Subjects Covered:

There are wonderful high quality printables for more subjects than I can tell you about.  It is really mind boggling just the number of worksheets and resources on this site.  But here is a short list of some of the subject areas covered.

Math
Reading & Writing
Phonics & Early Literacy
Handwriting
Grammar
Spellings Lists & Worksheets (Gr. 1-5)
Science
Social Studies
Geography
History
Holiday
Health and Nutrition
Puzzles & Brain Teasers
Games
Flash Cards
Teacher Helpers
Pre-K and Kindergarten Resources
Make Your Own Worksheets

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Super Teacher Worksheets company was created by Tim Weibel in 2007.  Tim worked as a 3rd and 4th grade elementary school teacher for over 10 years and saw a need for easy access to affordable high quality worksheets for teachers and parents.

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How We Are Using Super Teacher Worksheets In Our Home

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I am so excited to have this resource!  It has enhanced what we are doing.   If I want the kids to practice more on certain skills we have a worksheet for that.  If I want them to do a quiz, I can find several worksheets to cover it.  If I want to expand their learning with unit study on a specific subject, I have found so many great resources on this website that I can include to further the learning.  I am just thrilled!

We are using these worksheets to supplement almost every subject of our learning this fall.  So far I have printed off math, language arts, phonics, spelling, history, geography, nutrition, and found worksheets for our dinosaur unit study, human body unit study, and more.

There is something to go along with everything you are doing, and if something isn’t there, you can create your own using the tools on the site too. There is also a feature for the kids to create their own calendars.  I can’t wait to be able to use these worksheets for the up coming holiday season this fall.  These resources will give a nice touch to our learning during the holidays too.

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We are studying the History and Geography of the USA.  I found maps of the USA and some with latitude and longitude coordinates.  The kids had to use the clues to locate the city and state the meet the coordinates listed.  I found a wonderful State Report for the kids to work on. The report is about 9 pages long and there are interesting things to do on each page that relate to the state you are studying.  We started off learning about Indiana state history and geography since we live in Indiana.    Really proud of my 12 year old son’s handwriting.  He is doing such a great job since taking a handwriting course, and all of these awesome worksheets are giving him plenty of hands on practice to implement his writing skills.  I also saw there were handwriting worksheets to get in more practice and guided instruction as needed too.  I plan to implement the handwriting worksheets with all the children next week.

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My opinion is that every homeschool family (and anyone else working with kids) needs to subscribe to this program.  There is so much to do and learn and the kids will have fun learning too.

Science Worksheets

More About Super Teacher Worksheets:

Members can make their own customized math worksheets, calendars, flashcards, quizzes, and word puzzles with the generators.

Members can save their favorite files in an online filing cabinet for easy access and to help save room on their own computer’s data storage.  I usually just save the worksheet to a file in my own computer.  This has really helped with planning out our learning schedule by having such easy access to these resources.

Look over their blog http://blog.superteacherworksheets.com/ for ongoing CONTESTS, GIVEAWAYS, FREE learning resources, and great ideas.  They write great articles to help parents and teachers and have given away microscopes, science kits, and all kinds of great stuff so keep an eye out for what is happening over there.

Super Teacher Worksheets also has a site called ModernChalkboard.com with SMART Board Notebook resources for teachers.

Social Media

Be sure to follow Super Teacher Worksheets on their Social Medial links for all the latest news and updates.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superteacherworksheets/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/superteacherwks/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/superteacherworksheets/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/superteacherwks/

Super Teacher Worksheets Review

Now that you read what we think about these wonderful worksheets, be sure to check out what other homeschool families on the TOS Revew Crew had to say about using this product in their home.

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