Vocabulary Cartoons

My first exposure to mnemonics was in elementary school learning the (at that time) nine planets of the solar system in order from the sun, with a phrase using the first letter of each planet: Many Very Early Men Ate [asteroid belt] Juicy Steaks Using No Plates. Pretty effective if that memory aid is still working 30+ years later!

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a mnemonic refers to something "assisting or intended to assist memory." Mnemonics have been applied to every educational discipline but New Monic Books, Inc. has taken this technique to a new level with their line of Vocabulary Cartoons books for grades 3-12.

While spelling has been a mainstay of our homeschool diet, I admit that the study of vocabulary has not. With a high school student soon approaching the taking of college entrance exams, the importance of vocabulary is undeniable. So when I was given the opportunity to review Vocabulary Cartoons: SAT Word Power, it was a very timely addition to our school. We reviewed the first of two SAT Word Power books, each retailing for $12.95.

New Monic Books also offers a Vocabulary Cartoons, Elementary Edition for grades 3-6 which also retails for $12.95. For even younger audiences, Melissa Forney's Picture Speller for Young Writers offers an alternative to a picture dictionary by organizing the book thematically. For example, students writing a story about the beach, can look at the beach page and see pictures with correct spelling of various beach words. This book retails for $19.95.

Vocabulary Cartoons are not just appropriate for the homeschool family, many schools are using these materials and seeing great improvements in student vocabulary. Read testimonials from satisfied students and teachers here. Materials that can be purchased for a whole school include Blackline Masters for both Elementary and Middle/High School levels of Vocabulary Cartoons as well as overhead transparencies of the material or PDF formatted disks (enabling teachers to make copies as well as present the cartoons on PowerPoint). For complete pricing of these products, visit the New Monic Books website.

For smaller schools or for a homeschool co-op wanting each student to have their own copy, New Monic Books offers volume discounts. For 10-19 books, price is $11.65 each, 20-59 books are $11.00 and 60+ books are $10.35 each.

Book Format

The Vocabulary Cartoon books are organized alphabetically. After every 10 words, there was a Review that included matching words with their definitions as well as fill-in-the-blank exercises for using the new words in a sentence (with answers included in the back).

Each page has the following elements:

• Main Word with pronunciation, part of speech and definition
• Link Word that rhymes or sounds similar to the main word
• Caption shows a sentence that connects the Main and Link Words
• Cartoon illustrating a visual mnemonic for the Main and Link Word association
• Sample sentences using the word in context
  

The book closes off with a master Word List of words in order (with page numbers for quick reference) as well as the page number for reviewing that particular group of words.

Our Experience

I think that I was perhaps a little more excited about the book than my 10th grade son. He breezed through the first 30 words and 3 reviews with no problems and then lost some interest because many of the words were already familiar to him. In spite of his less than enthusiastic response, I feel as though the book has great merit. For those who struggle with vocabulary, this is a very painless (and quite humorous) way to approach building word power. My 10 year old daughter, although below the targeted age of this book, really liked it.

Using the cartoons as inspiration, I think it could be a fun activity to use the words for a game of charades. List the words on slips of paper and each family member selects a word (looking up the cartoon for help in acting out its definition). Or use the words for a game of Pictionary to help further cement the associations in students' minds.

All of the cartoons are in black and white; for a student who really enjoys coloring (this can include high schoolers), they can color in the picture and add another dimension to the visual association for each word.

I was slightly disappointed with some of the drawings. The illustrations are your typical "cartoony" style, which unfortunately means the occasional inclusion of busty women with cleavage. There is also some "cartoony violence." Other than that, the cartoons do offer a clever way of learning words.

One suggestion I would make is to offer pronunciations of the various forms of a word when used in a sentence. For example, one main word was "couture." In one of the sample sentences, the word, "couturier" was used but the way to pronounce that form of the main word was not given. This doesn't pose a problem in the comprehension of the word and its various forms, but rather in its application of the word in speaking. If this were done in a classroom setting, the teacher would have the opportunity to provide the auditory model of its pronunciation.

Who Should Purchase

• Students preparing for PSAT, SAT, ACT, GRE
• Students learning English as a Second Language
• Adult Learners wanting to refresh their vocabulary
• Learners with Attention Deficit Disorders

Ordering Information

Visit the website to view sample pages from both the elementary and middle/high school books. For additional reviews on this product by other homeschool users, visit the TOS Homeschool blog. Your order can be placed by phone (800) 741-1295 or online at the Vocabulary Cartoons website. This product gets a thumbs-up from me!

Blessings,

Jill

Disclaimer: New Monic Books, Inc. provided me with a copy of Vocabulary Cartoons: SAT Word Power for the purpose of reviewing and blogging about my experience. The opinions expressed are my own and no other compensation was received.

William F. Buckley by Jeremy Lott

William F. Buckley by Jeremy Lott is part of a biographical series of books called, “Christian Encounters.” Due to the book’s small proportions (in size and pages—only 150 with endnotes), I had assumed the series was written for a juvenile audience. The content of the book, however, is decidedly written for an adult audience. The political discussions require a good understanding of the field and the vocabulary was a challenge in spots.

Lott does a good job of giving an overview of Buckley’s public life including the influences that shaped him as well as the shaping influence he had on the conservative movement in America. The book, while complimentary, was not an all-glowing review of the subject’s life. Lott honestly discussed some of Buckley’s missteps in politics.

While Buckley obviously held strong religious beliefs, I’m not sure I would have included this man in a series entitled, “Christian Encounters.” Being a man of conviction and faith is not the same as a man striving toward godliness—a trait that seemed sadly lacking in Buckley’s life. For example, Lott gives the story line for a spy series Buckley had written (sort of an American James Bond) whose main character lead a less than moral life.

Nonetheless, Buckley’s life is worth examination and Lott offers a valuable history, albeit brief, of conservatism in the second half of the 20th century—a topic which deserves a place in any serious study of American History. Excerpts from Buckley's TV show, Firing Line can be viewed on You Tube. Lott mentioned that The Hoover Institution assembled a collection of his programs that can be viewed here.

I learned a great deal about Buckley's career in media and politics. I liked the brevity of the book and am interested in reading some of Lott's other biographies in this series. In addition to Buckley, the following titles are currently available:

• Jane Austen
• Anne Bradstreet
• John Bunyan
• Winston Churchill
• Isaac Newton
• Saint Francis
• Saint Patrick

With three others to be released October 2010:

• D. L. Moody
• Saint Nicholas
• Sergeant York

I believe several of the other titles within this series would be appropriate for middle or high school readers. Even the Buckley one could be done as a read aloud with some selective editing , (and explanation when needed), and also a useful reference for research.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend this title. You can read what others thought of this book at Book Sneeze.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for the purpose for reviewing and blogging about it as part of Thomas Nelson's Book Sneeze program. The opinions expressed are my own and no other compensation was received.

Math Tutor DVD

Our family recently had the opportunity to preview math tutoring materials produced by MathTutorDVD. This company offers a full spectrum of math tutoring courses starting with a Young Minds DVD which introduces numbers (accompanied by classical music) all the way up through Calculus 3 and Differential Equations. There is also a Physics series as well as a DVD on Probability and Statistics.

The video instructor, Jason Gibson, has an impressive educational background including a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering, and Masters of Science in Physics. Mr. Gibson definitely knows his material but really explains things in a very understandable way.

Our Experience

We previewed The Pre-Algebra Tutor Volume 1. The 2-DVD set is $26.99 and covers 5 hours of instruction on the following topics:

Disc 1

• Real Numbers
• The Number Line
• Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To
• Absolute Value and Adding Integers
• Subtracting Integers

Disc 2

• Multiplying Integers
• Dividing Integers
• Powers and Exponents
• Order of Operations

My 7th grade son is beginning pre-algebra this year and so the timing for this review was perfect. The first lessons were a review for him but a good discipline in getting back into a math mindset after his summer vacation. I also showed some of the earlier lessons to my daughter who won't begin pre-algebra until the fall of 2011. It helped reinforce things she had learned already and also gently introduced her to concepts she would be tackling in the future.

My high school son (currently studying Algebra 2) also viewed some of the material and it provided a great review of concepts he hadn't used recently. As a teacher, I enjoyed the refresher on topics I hadn't taught in a few years. Math has been an area of struggle for my older kids so I look forward to looking into purchasing more of these materials to not only better prepare me to assist them in math but also to give them greater confidence tackling new concepts.

I also received The Texas Instruments TI-83/TI-84 Calculator Tutor to review. This DVD can be purchased for $26.99 or can be viewed free online. I had never used (or owned) a graphing calculator and was thrilled to learn more about its features. This is a tremendous resource for any student progressing into higher math levels. The calculator tutor offers step-by-step instructions and examples of problems worked out. The 3-disc set offers 8 hours of instruction with 37 topics covered.

Purchase Guaranteed

DVDs can be purchased individually and prices range from $21.99 to $49.99 depending upon the specific course. The company guarantees that their material will raise grades or your money back so you really have nothing to lose.

They offer a tremendous price break if you purchase their entire line of DVDs--a whopping 50% discount bringing the cost down to $450. If you divided that out to 13 grades (K-high school), that amounts to less than $35/year. Considering that some of these courses are sometimes taken in college (calculus and statistics), you could divide out the cost by 15 years making each year's tutoring costs only $30/year. Have more than one child? Then your savings per student is even greater! If you had to pay a private tutor, $30-$35 might pay for 3-4 sessions--not assistance for a whole course!

By purchasing the whole DVD library of courses, you would have at your disposal all math tutoring needed throughout your child's elementary, middle and high school years as well as help with Physics. You can read more about the Supersaver Math and Physics promotion here. If you are unable to purchase the complete set in one payment, you can divide the payments into four installments and still receive a 30% discount on the set.

Online Subscriptions

If you have a number of students at various math levels and the whole set is just not in your budget, then you might want to consider a monthly online subscription. For $19.95/month, you will have access to all levels of tutoring material for the use of any child in your home. For large families, this is a very cost effective way to receive the benefit of tutoring on various levels. With your online subscription, you'll have no worries about keeping track of discs, plus the ability to access the material anywhere internet is available, and access all levels of the material for any number of users. Online subscribers can view materials 24/7, access worksheets, discussion forums, and also enjoy a 25% discount on DVDs they choose to purchase.

Who Should Buy

• Families wanting extra assistance in math (either to supplement their school curriculum or strengthen their homeschool curriculum)
• Individuals providing math tutoring services
• Home educators wanting to refresh their skills to assist their students
• Teachers wanting to build a tutoring resource for struggling students
• Students at any age wanting to improve their grades in mathematics
• High school students brushing up for college entrance exams
• College students needing extra assistance with higher level math or physics
• Adult learners filling in gaps in their education
• Non-traditional college students needing to refresh their math skills
• Any math lover wanting to tackle a new challenge

Website Freebies
For a plethora of free math podcasts on the website, check out Mental Math Secrets. You can subscribe to these podcasts through iTunes or watch them directly from MathTutorDVD.com. You'll currently find free video demonstrations on the following topics:

• Rapidly Multiply by 11's
• Rapidly Calculate a Restaurant Tip
• The Secret to Rapid Mental Addition
• Rapid Mental Column Addition
• Rapid Two Column Addition
• Rapid Money Addition
• Rapidly Multiply any 2-Digit Numbers
• Rapidly Square any Number Ending in 5
• Rapidly Square any Number in the 50s
• Rapidly Square any Number Near 100
• Mentally Multiply any 2-Digit Number by a 1-Digit Number
• Mentally Square any 2-Digit Number
• Multiply 3-Digit by 1-Digit Numbers
• Multiply 3-Digit by 2-Digit Numbers
• Multiply 3-Digit by 3-Digit Numbers
• Divide any Number by 0.5, 5 or 50

Contact and Ordering Information

You can shop securely online through MathTutorDVD.com . If you have any questions about the material before you order, you can contact the company toll free at 1-877-MATH-DVD or contact Jason Gibson directly at jason.gibson@MathTutorDVD.com.

You can listen to testimonials of many satisfied customers from the website. And for additional written reviews about MathTutorDVD.com please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.

Blessings,
Jill

Disclaimer: I was provided a sample of 2 math tutoring DVD courses for the purpose of reviewing and blogging about my experience with this product. The opinions expressed are my own and no other compensation was received.

The Dynamic Homeschool Duo

Fight chaos on every front with your own Dynamic Duo! With a subscription to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and its trusty sidekick The Schoolhouse Planner, you'll be equipped to tackle every enemy known to homeschoolers:

• Disorder
• Discouragement
• Procrastination
• Time shortage
• Lack of motivation
• Balancing home and school
• Curriculum confusion
• Menu planning
• Household management
• Scheduling chores
• School boredom
• Burnout
• ____________ (fill in the blank)

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is a quarterly 200 page magazine that will infuse your school with great resources and inspiration. This is the professional journal for homeschoolers with each issue brimming with tips for teachers, product reviews, articles by veteran homeschoolers in various disciplines, ideas for science studies, read alouds, phonics, writing helps and much, much more.

For a limited time, this incredible magazine is only $7.95 for a year subscription in the US (new subscribers as well as renewals). The normal subscription price is $25 dollars! And the digital version is only $6.95--at that price, you may want to take advantage of both. The print version to tear out and file articles for later reference or to loan to a friend and the digital version so you don't have to wait for the print one to come in the mail!

Read the digital version from a reader or using a reader app for your i-Touch. So when you are sitting at the doctor's office surrounded by outdated or immodest magazines, you can pull out the latest edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and read away (hardly noticing your 30-45 minute wait...)!

This special subscription rate will begin with the 2010-2011 Winter issue. If you'd like to start off your school year by adding in the Fall issue as well, the price is $12.95. You may want to do some early Christmas shopping and purchase a gift subscription for homeschooling friends. It will help fend off their post-holiday blues and give them encouragement to finish the second half of the school year strong!

The other half of the Dynamic Duo is The Schoolhouse Planner. Basically, it's the planner to end all planners. With over 600 pages to guide your organization of home, family, kitchen, school and time, you will have at your fingertips the tools to not only plan but bring to fruition your goals. One feature I especially like is the variety of school planning schedules to choose from. Here's an example of the lesson planning form I printed off for my kids. I used different color paper for each child:

I chose to print off and fill in my information by hand but it is possible to type directly on the form and save and print that way as well.

The Schoolhouse Planner is not just a bundle of forms, it also provides articles written by respected speakers in the field of homeschooling to instruct and inspire you each month of the year. Read them all at once for a super dose of encouragement, or save to read each month as it comes. Either way, you'll have lots of tips to refer back to and implement as the need arises. With helps for the whole year and forms for every area on the home front, $39 for the planner is a great investment (that's about the equivalent to the cost of one foo-foo coffee each month)!

Normally this Duo would cost $64 but for a limited time you can get the pair for $46.95 (that's more than 25% off the pair). So for less than $50, you can be armed with the tools of your homeschooling profession (far less than the cost of the average professional journal alone!). Or if you are only interested in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, order for $7.95 and enjoy a 68% savings on your subscription.

At The Old Schoolhouse Magazine home page, you can take an online peek at the summer issue. Then hop over here to see some sample pages of the planner. You won't believe what's included.

For ordering information, you can sign up for your Old Schoolhouse Magazine subscription here.
And the Schoolhouse Planner can be ordered through here. You may also want to browse some new combinations of the Schoolhouse Planner along with specialized planners for primary, middle or high school students.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and The Schoolhouse Planner can be purchased separately. But the deal on the 1 year subscription is only available through Wednesday, September 15 so hurry to take advantage of this offer. And remember you can add in the current issue for a total of $12.95.

Happy Homeschooling,

Jill

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of The Schoolhouse Planner for the purpose of reviewing and to help promote this product. I have been a subscriber to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for several years. The opinions and views in this post are entirely my own. For assisting in promoting the current subscription promotion, I will be entered in a prize drawing. No other compensation was received.

The Read Aloud Handbook Winner Is...

Ginger! I'll be contacting you, Ginger, to get your mailing address. Thanks everyone who posted comments.

One person asked for ideas on storing books. Debbie gave some great answers about having shelves in hallways and bedrooms. We've put small bookshelves on a stairway landing and at the end of hallways. I have used crates (plastic or old wooden ones), filing cabinets (for lesser used books or for books all on one theme), even kitchen cabinets are fair game if you happen to have a spare. Metal utility shelves can work in a pinch as well (although I think Rubbermaid utility shelves are a bit stronger if you want to avoid sagging shelves). Even in a storage tub under a bed could be a good place for a child's personal library.

In desperation one weekend, my husband went out and bought 2x6 boards and just pounded some together for a shelf to fit a particular space we had open. First we used it for videos and then I later took it over for books instead.

I was surfing for more ideas and remembered the use of rain gutters for displaying books. Interestingly enough, there's a link at Jim Trelease's website. You can see the concept here. We have very little wall space (and frankly, if I had any, I'd put up more bookshelves). But I was thinking that the walls in a stairwell could be a fun place for the rain gutter system. Creates a fun use of space, adds decoration and could be changed out seasonally to highlight books on various topics.

Some clever person (sorry I can't recall the source) had taken a curbside dresser (drawers missing), repainted it, fit the inside with plywood for a solid surface to slide in baskets (wicker or plastic would work) and you could have books by subject in there (or a very chic workbox set-up!).

One challenge I have dithered about is storing holiday books--especially Christmas (we have dozens). I didn't have enough shelf space to leave them out all year and I really wanted the element of surprise and wonder at seeing them anew each Christmas. I had packed them in a tub and put them in a closet just to get them out of the way. Then as I was putting away picture books one day, a light bulb went on. We have one smallish bookshelf that holds most of our picture books. Since most of our Christmas books are picture books, I decided that come December, I'd put all the Christmas books on that shelf and pack the books that were normally on that shelf in the tub. After the holidays, we'd simply switch them back again.

I'd love to hear how others have solved their book storage issues.

Happy Reading,

Jill