And Then There Was One...

Here's some of my favorite scenes from this year's Theater Competition, the show was a spoof of Agatha Christie's murder mystery.

My boys... the inspector and the old lady!

He was very convincing as an old lady!

And so was the inspector!

My favorite moment... everyone pulls out their gun.

 The twist... it was just his "disguise"!

Awesome cast of friends!! 

Shakespeare Comedies from Hewitt Homeschooling: A TOS Crew Review

Shakespeare Comedies from Hewitt Homeschooling 
Summer is a wonderful time to spend time with the Bard... that is, Shakespeare!  The Bentz Test Laboratory has been learning a new appreciation for one of history's greatest authors with  Shakespeare Comedies & Sonnets from Hewitt Homeschooling.
This program is designed for your 11-12th grade student to use independently to study literature in a meaningful, in-depth fashion and respond to it in written form.  
We received both the Teacher and Student's Guide.  The required books can be purchased from Hewitt Homeschooling, or gotten on your own.  
We are Shakespeare lovers, so we had the four works covered - Twelfth Night, As You Like It, A Midsummer's Night Dream and The Merchant of Venice.  This volume concentrates on Shakespeare's Comedies (You can also get - Shakespeare Tragedies in another volume).

 
This volume can be covered either in a semester, or over the course of a full year.  Handy schedules are included to help keep your student on track.
The Student Guide is a 174 page, softcover book which includes each of the 4 Shakespeare Comedies covered as an in-depth unit.  Each unit includes 2 lessons.  One lesson covers the Comedy with plot summaries (helpful for understanding Shakespeare!), comprehension questions, literary lessons on themes, characters and language and writing exercises. 
 

 Another  lesson focuses on Sonnets (which are printed in the book). Finally, each unit wraps up this a section on Perspectives - Elizabethan Theatre, Elizabeth I and James I, Did Shakespeare Actually Write the Plays and Sonnets? (a VERY hotly discussed topic with the Bentz testers!)
The Appendix included Discussion questions, project suggestions, additional reading, and even movie and video recommendations.

The Teacher's Guide is a handy, three-hole punched, 47 page guide.  It includes very useful grading tips for your student's writing.  Anyone else appreciate a checklist to use?  They have them all done for you.  Semester and Full Year Schedules are included to make it easy for your student to keep moving ahead.  Both schedules allow the student to complete two papers for each book.

The Teacher's Guide also includes answers to Comprehension Questions, helpful if you haven't had time to read ahead of them!  Writing Exercises are detailed for each Unit and lesson - they offer a variety of suggestions, so you can pick and choose which works best for your student.  They vary in length  from rewriting a sonnet into prose, writing a poem built on puns, or completing a full research paper.  I love the flexibility this offers!

Discussion Questions and projects are included that will help bring the literature to life. I love the discussion questions!  My testers truly enjoy Shakespeare - grades 11-12.  It was interesting to hear their deeper thoughts.  This is an example:   "If music be the food of love, play on" - Do certain types of music affect your emotions?  When is this good, when might it be a problem? This sparked a very interesting conversation about music choices in our family, and how they have been personally affected. (We choose to listen almost exclusively to Christian music for this very reason).  These types of questions truly get your teens talking, and not just about the literature!
Projects cover areas of Art, History, Geography, Music, Bible, Science  and even memorization. 
I love that Hewitt Homeschooling has jam-packed their literature study with rich learning.  I also appreciate how very independently my students can work, but that I can jump in at any time.  The Guides are very well organized, and easy to use.  They make teaching high school literature painless, and fun!
Be sure to check out other titles the Crew has reviewed in the High School literature collection:

• American Early-Mid 19th Century
• American Mid-Late 19th Century
• Speech
• British Early-Mid 19th Century
• British Mid-Late 19th Century
• British Medieval
• Shakespeare Tragedies
• British Christian
• American Christian
• World Lit 1
• World Lit 2

Find Hewitt Homeschooling on Social Media:

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HewittHomeschooling    Tag:   @HewittHomeschooling 
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/hewittonline    Tag:   @HewittOnline   
• Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/hewittonline/          Tag:   @hewittonline   
• Google+:  https://plus.google.com/118179952485411291615   

Hashtags:

#hsreviews. #homeschool

See what other members of the Crew thought here

Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series: A TOS Crew Review

Adventures of Rush Revere #1 New York Times Bestselling Book Series by Rush and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh


The Bentz Test Laboratory is having a blast reading the Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series!  American history has never been so much fun!  We were delighted to get the entire series, we're reading them together as a family read aloud this summer and haven't been able to put them down. They do come in audiobook versions as well, perfect for your summer road trips.


There are five books in the series designed for 8-12 year olds (but, we all are enjoying them!)


1. Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims - Rush Revere takes us back to 1620 with his time traveling, and talking horse - Liberty.  Learn all about the challenges the brave Pilgrims faced to travel to this new world.
2. Rush Revere and the Brave Patriots - Rush and Liberty, along with their favorite students - Tommy, Freedom and Cam, are busy meeting important figures like Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry and even King George III.  This book takes us to the events leading up to the American Revolution.  
3. Rush Revere and the American Revolution - Rush, rush, rushing to history!  Rush, Liberty and especially Cam learn important lessons from the leaders of the American Revolution.  This one is an action packed history adventure!
4. Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner - Rush and the gang explore the places that have become beloved America symbols while learning all about American government with a stop at the White House and Washington Monument.
5. Rush Revere and the Presidency - Rush, Liberty and the students take a time travel visit to the wives of past Presidents to give us a lesson on American elections and the responsibilities of our leaders.
My husband and I were big fans of Rush Limbaugh (while we were dating... over 25 years ago!)  So, I was immediately interested in what Rush, who has co-authored with his wife, had to say about American History.  He is a very passionate lover America, and his personally written forward in each book is very  inspiring. 
He highlights that America is truly exceptional because of our "everyday people".  He is grateful for those who defend our country in the Armed forces.  He encourages us to "honor, revere, and appreciate" our freedoms. And finally, to stay informed citizens. 

I have to mention,  these are BEAUTIFUL books.  They are hardcover with pages that are heavy, high quality paper, which just feels right, anyone know what I'm talking about?
They are also filled with beautiful, full-color photographs.  They have been done with excellence, which is a lesson in itself... right!
The books are written in a light-hearted, contemporary style that appealed to my children. We like to laugh!  
Liberty, the talking horse, was hands-down our favorite for his semi-snarky comments.  It's our love language around here.   Interwoven into the exciting time-travel stories, is quite a substantial amount of American history lessons,  But, it doesn't feel like "one of mom's educational books", according to my testers!
In addition - you do not want to miss the activity packed website. Find links for online games, quizzes, activities, a book club and even scholarships! Check it out here.  

Rush Revere's library is a treasure trove of additional links and information for your American history study,  all in one place.

The website offers a free, downloadable Study Guide for each of the books.  They include chapter summaries and quizzes for your students.  Extra activities for each book are available as well.

This series is a welcome addition to your American history study, proving that learning can be fun and educational at the same time.


Don't miss it!





Find Adventures of Rush Revere Book Series on Social Media:

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rushrevere    Tag:   @rushrevere   
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rushrevere    Tag: @rushrevere
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSFc9ZP_GpWdARuKAl08Wdw   

Hashtags:

#hsreviews, #history, #AmericanHistory

See what other members of the Crew thought here

Bring on Summer!

They're all back! There is nothing like having the whole crew back in the nest...

Bring on summer....

Conway - We love YOU!

Our trip to Conway... all our friends, celebrating crossing the homeschool finish line.

  We love you!

HORSES

You may remember that our ballerina decided to take a year off to see what else God has in store for her (other than pointe shoes)

She has had an amazing year!  She started taking lessons and learning how to jump (horses this time).  She realized that years of ballet had given her the strength, balance and control she needed for riding and jumping too.

But, her favorite thing has been to become a volunteer with a friends Equine Therapy business. She works every week with horses and disabled kids.  What a blessing it is to see her using her talents to serve too!

The lesson from this year... God always has MORE for you.

Internship for High School Credit from Apologia Educational Ministries: A TOS Crew Review

Internship for High School Credit from Apologia Educational Ministries

Wouldn't it be nice to have a guide for homeschooling in high school?  We've found a new resource that is a practical, hands-on guide for these years, it's Internship for High School Credit from Apologia Educational Ministries.  
This is a 99-page, spiral bound book filled with practical help for your high school student to get them considering and working toward their career goals while earning high school credit with internships.  
It's divided into 5 parts:

1. Getting Started
2. Information for Parents
3. First Semester
4. Second Semester
5. Course Wrap-up

In Getting Started students are introduced to what an internship is, and the benefits of getting some real life experience in a field they may be interested in pursuing.  Too often, students are graduating from college (with mountains of debt) and no real knowledge of the career they have studied.  Internships can give them first-hand knowledge and earn high school credit in the process.
The course covers how to determine the type of internship, company and preparation needed.  One of my favorite sections,it includes how to write a resume, letter of introduction and how to prepare for an interview. 
 My testers are my 19 year old college student, and my 17 year old high school senior.  They have been working on creating resumes.  This information is worth getting the course for!  It's all clearly defined, and easy to use.

Information for Parents is written directly to parents with what they need to know to help their student earn high school credit for internships.  It covers how to document their experience on their transcript, how many credits to award, and even how to grade their internship in a way that will be attractive to college admissions.

First and Second Semester sections are weekly worksheets for your student to document their experience. Goals, weekly summaries, work performance and skills gained worksheets will help the student track and record their internship experience.   
Questions are included throughout these sections designed to prepare your student for the workplace.  From "Pay close attention to work attire.  Is office-formal or casual" to "Reflect on how God may be leading you to continue in this career field or to consider other options" the questions provide a way for your student to critically evaluate their experiences.

Mid-Term and End-of-Semester work performance worksheets will help your student see where they may need more help.  The course helps your student learn how to work with their supervisor as well.

The final section - The Course Wrap-up helps the student summarize their experience and evaluate the understanding of the career based on what they learned by writing a paper.  It also gives practical suggestions for writing thank you notes, getting letters of recommendation and updating their resume.

I thought this was a solid, straightforward course.  It was filled with information that is useful for any high school/college student.  I would highly recommend it!

Other members of the Crew got a chance to review - How to HOMESCHOOL with Stunning Confidence, Contagious Joy, and Amazing Focus (DVD & Coursebook).  

Find  Apologia Educational Ministries on Social Media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/apologiaworld Tag: @apologiaworld
Twitter: www.twitter.com/apologiaworld Tag: @apologiaworld
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/ Tag: @apologia
Instagram: www.instagram.com/apologiaworld Tag: @apologiaworld
Google+: https://plus.google.com/105053356034237782125
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/apologiaworld

Hashtags:
#hsreviews, #homeschoolsupport, #startinghomeschool, #organizing, #howtohomeschool,
#highschool, #highschoolcredit, #internship


See what other members of the Crew thought here

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