Last night I watched the orientation video for BJU Press Distance Learning for first grade Reading. It's really first grade Composition, Phonics/English, Handwriting, and Reading.
I've now done 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th grade Reading with my children through BJU Press, as well as 7th, 9th, and 10th Literature. I was an eclectic curriculum-switching homeschool mom for years so this is quite a record. ;-)
One of the reasons I love using BJU Press Distance Learning for Reading is it covers so much more than just reading. For instance, in the Reading lessons, there are often activities involving composition, art, or music. Some reading units are truly unit studies in the areas of Science, Heritage Studies, or Bible. They've also been a huge motivator for my children to read additional chapter books and have provided great booklists for extra reading. My Paperback Swap account is always filled with book requests from their reading videos.
BUT. . . this will be my first experience with 1st grade reading. I've done most of my first grade reading teaching with very few resources - Explode the Code, TATRAS, and some readers. I tried adding A beka one year and that was definitely not our style.
I have the privilege of working with many other consultants at homeschool conventions during the summer AND having customers rave about their favorite products. First Grade Reading gets excellent reviews, and I'm quite excited about having a first grader to try it out with.
First of all- it's a good deal. The distance learning combines 3 subjects for the price of one. Reading/ Phonics & English / Handwriting. You also get books for all 3 of those subjects, so if you are purchasing them anyway, you can get the distance learning package for not much more.
The class is broken into 4 subjects and is done in this order: 1. Composition 2. Phonics (2 parts) 3. Handwriting 4. Reading
After seeing my friend's child's composition notebook, I think the price of this package would be worth it just for composition. Mrs. Walker is a fantastic encourager. She gives them a topic each day and encourages them to write. She also has "Chip" a little computer guy that she encourages to write. At the beginning, my first grader will "write" by dictating to me.
Phonics includes new teaching and review teaching each day. Mrs. Walker goes over 20 service words. (These are high frequency words that don't follow phonetic rules.) Phonics is taught by phonograms (word endings, more specifically, from the vowel to the end of the word). This way of teaching phonics makes sense and is backed up by loads of research.
Handwriting is a short lesson. Mrs. Walker teaches letter formation in a font that also makes since. It is still print, but it is a curvy print that transitions easily to cursive. Letter formations are taught in a way to minimize pencil pick-ups further easing the transition to cursive. (Cursive is taught later in 2nd grade when fine motor skills are more developed.)
Reading is the last part of the lesson. I'm expecting this to be much like the other Distance Learning Reading programs we have done through BJU Press. There are six units: God's Colorful Creation, Creatures Great and Small, Special Deeds and Inventions, Adventures, Making Melody, and Treasures. There are also 3 optional booklinks: Once in Blueberry Dell, Buttercup Hill, and Looking for Home.
I watched Mrs. Walker's orientation video last night. I so wish BJU Press would make these orientation videos available for our customers because they give an in-depth overview of the course. Mrs. Walker's incredible teaching skills spill over for parents as well. She teaches US to be a great encouragers for our children, and I can't help but think homeschool parents are getting an "education" on being a great educator when they watch Mrs. Walker teach. (This isn't our first course with Mrs. Walker as the teacher.)
I do admit I had some hesitations about purchasing this course.
#1) A 70 minute video is a long time for a first grader to sit still.
They are not sitting still. Mrs. Walker has them "doing" quite a bit.
It is broken into segments. There are lots of pauses for activities. It's also broken into 4 segments so you could have a snack, a walk, or playtime in between segments. Besides that, it's mine to use as I want and if I want to do only 1/2 of it in a day I can.
Also, someone told me I could get a little exercise ball for his little bouncy self to sit on. Moving while you learn is actually good for your brain. I think he'll be fine in a regular chair, so I don't plan on actually doing this unless we need to. If you have an especially wiggly little one, I do think it's a good idea.
#2) It seems to move pretty fast (especially since my little one is hard of hearing).
I can slow it down. He also might do just fine with the pace and I need to give him a chance. I'm always amazed at how much first graders can learn in a year.
Mrs. Walker's orientation was definitely an encouragement to me. I wanted to share it with you while it was fresh on my mind. I'll have to post another review after we actually use the course.
No comments:
Post a Comment