Freebie Friday

It's Like Having a Money Tree in Your Back Yard!

This week the focus is on history. Both websites are excellent to use as you plan next year's work.


America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty is a tested lesson plan resource and supplement for Kindergarten-12th grade teachers of social studies, U. S. history, U. S. government, political science, economics, geography, speech, and/or related subjects. Written by fellow teachers, the resource consists of age-appropriate and modifiable lesson plans grouped into three separate books according to level: elementary, middle, and high school. Each elementary school lesson plan correlates practically with the nationally applicable Core Knowledge Skills (grades K-6) (national edition). Each middle and high school lesson plan correlates with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) standards (national edition). All lessons emphasize one or more themes of freedom, unity, progress, and responsibility. The resource aims not simply to present historical facts but to provide opportunities for students to explore and understand the factual and philosophical significance and meaning behind events, causes, and effects—the whys—relating to and influencing the early history of the United States.
http://www.americanheritage.org/k-12_lessons.html


Today we feature this huge library of resource materials on all sorts of American history topics, created by teachers for teachers, incorporating the Library of Congress' primary sources into student instruction. There are loads and loads of resources and subjects here. To search the collections, just click on each category listed on their page:

Lesson Plans

Themed Resources

Primary Source Sets

Presentations & Activities

Collection Connections

Each of these sections will take you to dozens and dozens of great downloadable and online resources to enhance your history studies. Your tax dollars actually providing some wonderful resources for you. Have fun!


tp://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/

Have a wonderful summer and remember you can always visit my blog during the summer and catch up on the post you missed.

Blessings,

Lauren

Read For The Heart

Whole Books For Wholehearted Families
By Sarah Clarkson
Apologia WholeHeart
www.apologia.com



As a book lover, I can not imagine anything better than a good book about good books! Well, Sarah Clarkson has deliver just that. Read For The Heart, is not just a book with lists of good literature, it is a story that incorporates great books, while fostering a love of reading. This book is a must read for moms and homeschoolers. This 384 page soft cover book explores topics such as: Reading to Live; The state of literacy in America; Picture books; Classics; Children's fiction; Fairy tales and fantasy; History and biography; Poetry and Spiritual reading for children. The appendix includes lists of Caldecott and Newbery Medalist, historical fictions by G.A. Henty, Landmark History Books, and the Trailblazer Series. In addition to giving a brief summary of each book, Sarah Clarkson also gives suggested grade levels and other books by the author. She wraps the book up with a list of her favorite books.This is the perfect book to read this summer as you plan your reading list for the upcoming school year.

Click below to read a sample chapter from Read For The Heart. Once you read a little, go to http://www.apologia.com/ and order the whole book for just $17.00. You will want to re-read it as your children grow.
https://apologia.securesites.net/pdfs/sample/rfthsamp.pdf?zenAdminID=9df713e49ee746fbc6a32db1ed901064&zenAdminID=9df713e49ee746fbc6a32db1ed901064&zenAdminID=9df713e49ee746fbc6a32db1ed901064&zenAdminID=9df713e49ee746fbc6a32db1ed901064&zenAdminID=9df713e49ee746fbc6a32db1ed901064


Click the banner below to see what others have to say about Read For The Heart .

Considering God's Creation

http://www.eagleswingsed.com/

580-252-1555

Considering God's Creation is a creative Biblical approach to elementary earth and life science. Susan Mortimer and Betty Smith are the authors of this multi-level science curriculum designed for children in grades 2-7. The program includes 36 lessons that can be completed over one school year with older students or over several years with younger students. The subjects covered include creation, the universe, the earth, non-living things, weather, the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, animal anatomy and physiology and man. The curriculum comes with a 272 page student book, a teacher's manual and an audio CD.

Eagle's Wing Educational Materials blessed our homeschool with a copy of Considering God's Creation in exchange for my honest review of their curriculum. Karina, my fifth grader used the program over the last few weeks. At first glance, she noticed that the books lacked color pictures and was very different from the other science books she was accustomed to using. However, as we had the opportunity to use the book we found that the notebooking activities and the scientist detective activities out weighed glossy color pictures. Considering God's Creation really fosters a discovery approach to learning by integrating scientific facts along with creative research and discovery activities. The lessons require very little preparation and can be completed in as little as one and a half to two hours a week. Most of the activities use materials usually found around the house and basic school supplies (crayons, glue and scissors). The lessons provided in the teacher's manual include preparation directions, vocabulary words, the lesson content to be read aloud and spiritual applications. Each lesson has a creative song on the CD to reinforce the lesson. The lessons also have notebooking pages to complete, review questions and evolution stumpers. Evolution stumpers are scientific facts that support creation and are designed to help build faith in young believers.

Our personal favorite were the Digging Deeper activities at the end of each lesson. These activities really allow a 5th-7th grade to research and discover on their own. Some features that Karina enjoyed were the vocabulary crossword puzzles and the word search. Another favorite was the scientist dectective pages which encourages the students to discovery and discern the scientist's worldview.

The program allows for multi-level teaching and is great for families with several elementary school age students. The curriculum is also very affortable at $29.95 for the complete program. Below are some sample pages from the student book.






Click the banner below to see what others have to say about Considering God's Creation.

Mad Dog Math

http://www.maddogmath.com/
(562) 533-5772
1 year license $19.99/2 year license $29.99
Lifetime license $39.99


Mad Dog Math is a computerized math fact drill program that was created by a veteran educator. It is designed to supplement any math curriculum and just requires 10 minutes a day. This software is geared towards children in grades K-5, however it can be used for remediation of students in middle school and high school. The goal of Mad Dog Math is to foster mastery of the math facts.

Mad Dog Math imcludes four skill levels. Level 1 has addition and subtraction facts.There is plenty of review built into this level. Level 2 also includes addition and subtraction problems. This level includes more difficult problem then level 1. Level 3 contains both multiplication and division facts from 0-12. The fourth level or challenge level has all four operations mixed on a practice sheet.

One nice feature of the program is the ability to time the practice sets. Students start out with two minute drills then progress to one minute drills and finally to thirty second drills. The timer feature allows for the program to be used by children above the targeted age group. Mad Dog Math is easy to use and keeps track of your student’s progress. I think that by breaking the math facts into small manageable pieces, mastery is more easily achieved. I used Mad Dog Math with my fifth grade daughter over the past few weeks. She found it fun and enjoyed the timed drills. She also got a kick out of the dog barking when she successful completed a practice sheet.
Mad Dog Math is a Windows PC application that is easily downloaded to your computer. Try it for free at: http://www.maddogmath.com/


Click the banner below to see what others have to say about Mad Dog Math.

Freebie Friday

It's Like Having a Money Tree in Your Back Yard!

This week I will share several FREE websites that are great science and math resources. Bookmark these sites for furture use!

http://www.chem4kids.com/
http://www.biology4kids.com/
http://www.cosmos4kids.com/
http://www.physics4kids.com/
http://www.geography4kids.com/
http://www.numbernut.com/

Check back next week for more free resources. May 27th will be the last Freebie Friday until September.

WonderMaps

BrightIdeasPress.com
877-492-8081
$49.95





WonderMaps is an easy to use software program which allows you to create customized maps for lessons, worksheets, quizzes or tests. The program is divided into four sections. The first area has maps of the World, Continents, Regions and Nations. This section also includes an alphabetized index for easy use. The second section has numerous maps of the United States of America and also has an alphabetical index. Third section includes historical maps, with a chronological index that includes dates and scriptures. The fourth section contains thematic maps, which encompasses Biblical maps, Chinese Dynasties, Native Americans, Explorers, American History, World Wars and 20th Century Treaties.

The WonderMaps program has a teacher's guide which has a tutorial video and user manual.Another great feature is the inclusion of two bonus MP3 workshops. These workshops were recording live at a home school convention. They are entitled, "Loving Geography" and "Packing a Punch with Timelines and Maps". Some of the other resources included in the program are: 16 Easy Mapping Projects, How to make a Salt Dough Map and a sample unit on Joseph's Journey.

The WonderMap software is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. You will need to have Adobe Reader 9.1 or higher installed on your computer to run the program. Adobe reader is available as a free download from Adobe.com.

I received a free copy of WonderMaps from Bright Ideas Press in exchange for my honest review of their program. I have used numerous black line master map programs over the years and none of them have come close to the standard of WonderMaps. WonderMaps allows for creating customized maps in some many areas of teaching. You have the freedom to highlight regions, rivers, cities or print a blank map for your students to fill in. WonderMaps added an element of fun and excitement to our history and Bible lessons. It is also extremely easy to use.

WonderMaps is designed with easy-to-use layers that allow you to enjoy great customizable features with just a click.

Select:
historical or modern-day maps
outline, reference, political, or topographical maps
black-and-white or color maps
features including: names, borders, rivers, cities, and physical features.

WonderMaps includes:

60+ maps of the world
60+ maps of the USA
125+ historical maps, including 25 biblical maps
The complete map sets from The Mystery of History vols. I–III and All American History vols. I & II

Click the banner below to see what others have to say about WonderMaps

Freebie Friday

It's Like Having a Money Tree in Your Back Yard!

This week I have two websites full of resources and a free e-book!



America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty is a tested lesson plan resource and supplement for Kindergarten-12th grade teachers of social studies, U. S. history, U. S. government, political science, economics, geography, speech, and/or related subjects. Written by fellow teachers, the resource consists of age-appropriate and modifiable lesson plans grouped into three separate books according to level: elementary, middle, and high school. Each elementary school lesson plan correlates practically with the nationally applicable Core Knowledge Skills (grades K-6) (national edition). Each middle and high school lesson plan correlates with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) standards (national edition). All lessons emphasize one or more themes of freedom, unity, progress, and responsibility. The resource aims not simply to present historical facts but to provide opportunities for students to explore and understand the factual and philosophical significance and meaning behind events, causes, and effects—the whys—relating to and influencing the early history of the United States.
Click below to check out this great resource.
Tip: The links to download all the PDF lessons and resources (grouped by Elementary School, Middle School and High School) is at the bottom of the page… or it looks like you can order it all on CD for free using the link at the top of their page.

http://www.americanheritage.org/k-12_lessons.htm


THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS'
CLASSROOM MATERIALS FOR TEACHERS Site

Today we feature this huge library of resource materials on all sorts of American history topics, created by teachers for teachers, incorporating the Library of Congress' primary sources into student instruction. There are loads and loads of resources and subjects here. To search the collections, just click on each category listed on their page:

Lesson Plans

Themed Resources

Primary Source Sets

Presentations & Activities

Collection Connections

Each of these sections will take you to dozens and dozens of great downloadable and online resources to enhance your history studies. Your tax dollars actually providing some wonderful resources for you. Have fun!


Click below to go to the site!
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/

How Flat is Your Homeschool World?

By Phyllis Wheeler


Learn about the revolution in the regular classroom that is boosting test scores and pointing former dropouts toward college. How might YOU be able to use some of these ideas in your homeschool?


Download now . . . the free E-Book is only
available for a limited time!



http://thehomeschoolmagazine.com/teachers_toolbox/wp-content/uploads/hflatr21.pdf

Have a wonderful week!

Lauren