CTCMath

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

CTCMath is a complete online K-12 grade Math curriculum. What is wonderful about CTCMath is that it offers several membership options for families. Homeschoolers receive 1/2 off the price of monthly or yearly membership for single user membership or the family membership. So how exactly does CTCMath work? First, students have the opportunity to work at their own pace. Math is often a subject that either comes easy for students or students tend to struggle through. What is great with CTCMath is that if your student is struggling to grasp a mathematical concept they are able to stop and rewind or simply listen to the 4-9 minute average instructional video again and again until they grasp the concept. This process helps your child build confidence because they are not having to compete with their peers. Your student has unlimited access to CTCMath 24/7. Why is this great? Some students work best in the morning while others work best in the afternoon or maybe even in the evening. Maybe your child needs to break up their math lesson in small incremental times in order to be more successful. Well, CTCMath saves your child's progress and lets them pick up exactly where they left off in their last session. Whether your child needs help catching up or your child excels in math and wants to work ahead the self paced curriculum enables students to work towards their individual goals. 

Levels taught in the CTCMath curriculum?

• Kindergarten
• 1st Grade
• 2nd Grade
• 3rd Grade
• 4th Grade
• 5th Grade
• 6th Grade
• Basic Math and Pre-Algebra
• Elementary Measurement
• Elementary Geometry
• Algebra I
• Geometry
• Algebra II
• Pre-Calculus (Including Trigonometry)
• Calculus 

After the completion of each instructional video students can either use paper and pencil to work the problems out or print a worksheet out. Answers are entered in to the interactive questions and the automated grading system will store your child's grade for that lesson and keep an ongoing progress report that can be accessed at any given point to see how your student is progressing. After each tutorial students have the option of printing out summary sheets that contain the notes for the tutorial. These are great for using while working through the lesson problems are for referring back to later for review. 

After a student has completed a lesson they can view a worked solutions page showing all of the problems that they completed in the lesson and the steps taken to get to each answer. These pages can also be printed out. This is a great way for students to use for studying for exams. 

This page shows each lesson, the level of understanding is shown by stars, and the grade attained. Each topic within a section of the curriculum will have an ending average score. There are many pages within the student and parent pages that enable you to see progress, grades displayed, certificates earned, etc. For my daughter's privacy I decided not to add most all of these in my review. 

Every week you as the parent will be emailed a Weekly Report of your child's progress. If you have more than one child working through the program they will all be included in the same email. The report will show each day of the week and the times that your child signed into the program. It will state if they viewed their material or actually worked through a lesson. If they worked through a lesson and completed the lesson it will show the percentage grade that they got. At the end of the report there is an Overall Performance section. In this section it will show the total lessons that your child has completed total and their overall percentage grade. 

At the end of each lesson your student will be given a score. If they receive a 100% they will get confetti  and be directed to the next lesson. If a score is above a certain percentage they will be directed to the next lesson. If they receive a low score they will be asked to continue on to complete more questions before moving on to a new lesson and concept. 

I originally was only asked to write an informative review about CTCMath but ended up actually using it with my daughter. She really struggles with Math and so I decided to give this a try with her. I have reviewed this curriculum in the past with some of my other children but never used it beyond the review period. I will say that CTCMath has been a great fit for my daughter. I have taken her back a grade level or two because some earlier concepts just were not clicking with her. We have been able to work through about three lessons a day. There have been some tears but together we have been able to make some amazing headway. I feel like she has been able to really grasp concepts that have been better explained through this curriculum. I believe that by the end of this next school year, at the pace that we are going, she will be at grade level or very close to it. She does not dread doing Math as much as she used to. Some lessons are definitely more challenging. She gets easily frustrated on those days and the tears flow. I am very grateful for the additional problems assigned in the lessons so that the student is able to gain mastery of the concept. I am not sure my daughter would say the same but she gets the reasoning behind it. Overall, I would definitely recommend CTCMath to other homeschool parents. Be sure to check out what my Fellow Review Crew Members had to say about CTCMath. 

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctcmath 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ctcmathofficial 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ctcmath
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/ctcmath/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWn5e6974bpIEAe46VnovZw

Home School in the Woods

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

Over the past weeks my daughter has been working through a study on the Civil War with Time Travelers U.S. History Studies from Home School in the Woods. This hands-on learning study is intended for grades 3-8. The curriculum pack contains 25 lessons and ideally can be completed in 5-10 weeks. I received a download zip file of the material. Don't be overwhelmed when you first open up the files because there is a lot of them. They are neatly condensed into four main folders. The pdf folder is the main folder that will be used. The Menus folder will only be used a couple of times. I will be honest there is A LOT of printing involved in these packs but it is well worth it. Over the years we have completed many Home School in the Woods Lap-Paks, Activity-Paks, Timelines, A La Cart Projects, Bundles, and Studies and have loved them all. What I love so much about Home School in the Woods is that it is an interactive hands-on activity based curriculum. After reading each lesson your student works through activities that help to reinforce what your child has read. This makes history come alive and STICK!

There are two main components besides the lesson text: the notebook and the lap book. The Lesson Project Pages will tell you what will go into the notebook and what will be included in the lap book. They suggest storing completed lap book activities in a folder until it is time to assemble the lap book. I have always placed completed activities in the lap book as we go. There will be some activities that will not go into the notebook or the lap book due to being three-dimensional. 

This Civil War curriculum contains the following activities:

• Timeline
• Notebook Activities
• Lap Book Activities
• Games
• Civil War Recipes
• Penmanship Pages
• Factfile Cards
• Creative Writing
• Crafts
• Newspaper 
• Three-dimensional Projects
• Maps
• Sewing
• Reading
• More...

The lessons included in the Civil War study are:

1. Slavery in America
2. Slavery in America Part 2
3. Advancing towards an Abrupt Stop
4. Fort Sumter and the Union Blockade
5. Project Day 1
6. Bull Run
7. The Merrimack and the Monitor
8. The Peninsular Campaign 
9. Antietam 
10. Project Day 2
11. Fredericksburg 
12. Gettysburg and Vicksburg
13. Frederick Douglass
14. The Gettysburg Address 
15. Project Day 3
16. Wilderness to Petersburg
17. Sherman's March to the Sea
18. The War Comes to and End
19. The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln 
20. Project Day 4
21. Before, During, and the Aftermath
22. Reconstruction...Another War?
23. Project Day 5
24. Pulling Together the Lap Book
25. Wrapping up the Unit with a Civil War Jamboree!

Taking a look at some of what is included in the study...

Here my daughter is putting together a "Routes of the Underground Railroad" map. 

There were 9 points on this activity. Point 4 says, "There were often discreet signs that a

house was safe for fugitive slaves. A lantern hung on a hitching post, painted

bricks on a chimney, or possibly a quilt hanging on a clothes line could signal that the 

house was safe or where to go next." 

My daughter had so much fun Making this Safe House Lantern. 

It was quite the experience hammering a nail through a can

in order to make holes. 

The trick was trying to keep the can in place while hammering the nail

into the pattern. We used two wooden pieces to hold the can in in place.

This constellation of the North Star helped guide slaves in the right direction. 

This activity, Library of Leaders, helps students get to know some of the 

famous Civil War leaders. Each of the twelve men represented include a four

page biography which includes both information on their personal life 

and political and war contributions.

There is a great map of the Decisive Battles to the Course of the Civil War. 

This activity took a LONG TIME to complete. These are Factfile Cards.

There are three types of cards: History Makers, The Civil War Soldier, and Civil War Vocabulary.  

These help students learn many of the important Civil War terms and people. 

History Makers...

Clara Barton

"A nurse whose service for the Union earned her the title 'Angel of the 

Battlefield,' she came to found the American Red Cross in 1881." 

The Civil War Soldier...

bushwhackers

"Runaway soldiers who banded together and stole for 

local civilians." 

Civil War Vocabulary...

sawbones

"The nickname for doctors."

Factfile Cards completed!

The Liberator

The Liberator published by William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist 

newspaper that was in circulation from 1831 until 1866. 

In Garrison's first issue of The Liberator, he stated, "I do not wish to think, or speak,

or write, with moderation...I am in earnest—I will not equivocate—I will not excuse—I

will not retreat a single inch—AND I WILL BE HEARD."

Here is what a lesson looks like. Lessons are 2-3 pages in length. Home School in

the Woods does a great job of packing a lot of information into the 25 lessons. 

The text is grade appropriate and easy for the student to understand. 

Each lesson includes a Lesson Projects page. Detailed instructions for 

the projects are listed. They also list the pages that you need to print

out from the pdf downloads along with all of the supplies that are needed. 

My daughter is working on the activities for Lesson 12. 

The finished activities are really pretty neat. When you open up the 

medicine flaps there is information about medicine during the Civil War era.

Here is what the finished lap book looks like. 

I absolutely love Home School in the Woods and would definitely recommend all of the products on their site to fellow homeschoolers. My Fellow Crew Members reviewed many of the various Home School in the Woods curriculum. Be sure to click on the link to see what they had to say about each of the reviewed products. 

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolinthewoods/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HSintheWoods 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homeschoolinthewoods/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hsinthewoods/_saved/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrKq6iLty2fpB6R6ZpcUb8A/videos

EdAlive

 

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

I have been asked to write an informative review about Words Rock Online from EdAlive. www.wordsrock.com is an online comprehensive literacy program for students ages 5-15 and beyond. Words Rock Online covers Spelling, Grammar, Advanced Grammar, Punctuation, Vocabulary, and Pre-Literacy with automated Adaptive Learning that systematically builds word skills. The program works on all major browsers, PCs, Macs, Tablets, iPads, Chromebooks, and Android tablets. In the US the topics follow the Common Core State Standards. 

The Words Rock Online app is just one of the six EdAlive Central apps.

Whether you choose for your student to use two or all 

of the apps your student will only need one log-in for all EdAlive apps. 

Each app can be purchased by the month or by the year. 

Below is what the Home Screen looks like. The program creates individualized 

learning pathways for your student that will specifically target their 

learning needs. Your child will be able to work at his/her own pace. Parents will

be able to choose what they know their child needs to practice most. If while working

through a particular subject and the subject matter becomes too difficult simply click the 

button entitled TOO HARD and the questions will

automatically be adjusted in difficulty. 

When you click the QUESTIONS ONLY screen your student will have the option 

to choose from the following Adaptive Learning content. 

There are 4 modes of literacy content:

Adaptive learning with ALL CONTENT

Adaptive learning with a specific topic such as Spelling

Manually select questions by CURRICULUM CONTENT

Play the Words Rock Game

The program covers a wide variety of elements. 

Achievement Report

This is a student's achievement report based on the content that they

have successfully completed. 

Students earn AGENT CARDS for each correct problem that

they answer while working through the Words Rock questions.

There is a fully interactive, real-time, multi player game. Students are 

Street Smart Seekers. The object of the game is to sleuth out the Super Slugs. As

students complete questions they will earn points to then play the game. 

Students can play against each other or against Smart Computer Players. 

There are two game modes, a basic game for younger students and 

a more advanced game for older students. Students will use both 

logic and deduction as they try to locate the parts of the Super Slugs 

location. 

HERE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS that your child will

may be asked...

Be sure to check out the reviews from my Fellow Crew Members and see what they have to say about the various EdAlive apps. After reviewing the Words Alive app I would be very confident in recommending it to friends, fellow homeschoolers, and educators. I was impressed by the wide variety of topics used in the questions as well as the assortment of ways that questions were asked. The program is very user friendly for both the student as well as the parent or educator. 

Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdAlive 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/edalive 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edalive_onlinelearning/ 
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/edalive/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/EdAliveTube 

God's Creation

 “But just ask the animals, and have them teach you;

And the birds of the sky, and have them tell you.

Or speak to the earth, and have it teach you;

And have the fish of the sea tell you.

Who among all of these does not know

That the Lord has done this,

In whose hand is the life of every living thing,

And the breath of all mankind?”

Job 12:7-10

Pictures taken by my daughter Emily Ladewig

Blackberry Cobbler

I am not good at measuring all of my ingredients when I bake.

Here is what I used to make my cobbler. 

I used about 3 cups fresh blackberries

I used a little under 3/4 cup sugar

1 cup gluten free flour blend

We have to use Gluten Free Flour in our house. 

You can use regular All-Purpose Flour too. 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, softened

Mix blackberries and sugar together. 

Mix all other ingredients. Melt butter before adding to flour, baking powder,

salt, and milk. 

Spread blackberry mixture in an 8-square pan. You do not need to spray your

pan. Spoon tablespoon sized heaps of the batter mixture in various places 

over the blackberries. You will not cover all of the berries. Bake on 350 degrees

 for about 30 - 45 minutes or until the cobbler crust turns golden brown. 

Take it out of the oven. Serve hot with ice cream!

Pursued To Eternity

I received this complimentary product through the 

Homeschool Review Crew.

John Riley's book Pursued To Eternity by Covenant Books explores the fundamental flaws of evolution. With scripture, evidence found in nature, and basic logic, clearly there had to have been a Creator of the universe. John also sets out to show how the Creator desires for man to know Him. He points to all of the problems found in evolution and the need for a designer. John weaves in apologetics, creation science, and storytelling to make for a very exciting read from beginning to end. The book has 17 chapters and is 151 pages in length. In the Introduction it states, "This is a short novel with fictional events, such as hunting for dinosaurs, living during the Exodus, managing school conflicts, searching for oil. Also blended into the book are nonfictional challenges to evolution and an extensive survey of apologetics." 

The book is very special in that it is about two brothers. One who knew God and the other who had faith in science by not God. Together they would journey into ancient history. Connor Bridges, a biology teacher, and author of this book is a Christian. Dr. Alan Bridges, a geologist, would be pursued by God, and before his death he accepted Christ! This book chronicles Connor and Alan's six-month amazing odyssey before Alan's death. 

John takes us on a fast ride through time. The book uses timelines referencing the Bible beginning with Creation. God was there when time began. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 Chapter One discusses God's pursuit of man and Satan's desire to keep man in unbelief. Darwin's book, The Descent of Man, which came out in 1871 which brought with it lies and racism. 

Chapter Two takes us back to the flood, the Tower of Babel. We meet a group of hunters. The hunters wound the mighty beast. The dinosaur cries out. The net holding the creature in cannot contain it. The creatures tail strikes one of the men and flings him into a nearby bog. Struggling to escape the creature falls backwards on top of the man's head. Death overtakes both. 

The next chapters cover Egyptians and the Hebrew people. 

In Chapter 9 entitled, Please Don't Indoctrinate Us!, Connor grapples with how to reach his students concerning the topic of creation in a public school district that only allows the teaches to teach evolution in the science curriculum. Following a school victory by the basketball team Connor invites some students over for pizza. To pass the time one of the students asks about a particular question on a test given earlier in the week. 

Given a box of jigsaw-puzzle pieces of the fifty states, you are asked to select each piece from

the box in alphabetical order...blindfolded. How many incorrect selections are probable 

before one correct selection, with all the pieces in proper order, is made?

Connor uses this to explain the flaws in evolution. He gives evidence to back up the need for a designer. The students begin to see the flaws in evolution and get excited. They begin to question and research on their own. They then start a website for students to share their insight and list 65 flaws in evolution. Some of the questions were:

• What was the origin of the energy that was released by the Big Bang?
• How could a chaotic event like the Big Bang produce the planet earth, which seems to be very well ordered to support life?
• New human cells are constantly being produced in the human body. How does science explain the origin of human cell regeneration as described. Two million new red blood cells each second. One-half quart of new cerebrospinal fluid each day. Nine thousand new taste buds every ten days. A new stomach lining every five days. A new epidermis every twenty-seven days. A new liver every year. 

Connor eventually will pay the ultimate price for his students questioning of their curriculum and loose his job. This though only opens further doors of opportunity to explore and share. This begins his next chapter in life, Digging Up History. 

Connor's first excavation was in Africa. The discovery turned out to be a human man that had fallen into a pit followed by a large animal, dinosaur like that had crushed the human. This proved that humans and dinosaurs existed together. Final proof never was determined due to a plane crash. In searching for the two skulls in the sand of Cairo they yet again stumbled upon another HUGE discovery, that of proof of the Exodus. 

John teaches a course on SchoolhouseTeachers.com entitled, Apologetics: Creation vs. Evolution.

Please take the time to read what my Fellow Crew Members had to say about Pursued To Eternity. I would most definitely recommend this book. This would be a great book to read as a family, as an individual, in a small group setting, church youth group, class room, or homeschool.