Computer Science and Coding Big Fat Notebook

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

My husband is an extremely tech-savvy guy, so it's no surprise that an interest in technology and its workings has passed on to our kids. When we get a review that focuses on computer learning, I usually think of my oldest child as he has a growing interest in various outlets such as coding, graphics software, 3D design, and the like. The only problem for him is that many books are geared toward beginners, like this book from Workman Publishing.

Thankfully though, I have another son who is following in his steps toward being a tech guru. I knew that Everything You Need to Ace Computer Science and Coding in One Big Fat Notebook would be a perfect option for him.

Workman Publishing was started in 1968 and has since grown to be the largest independently owned trade book publisher in the United States. They represent many well-known brands, including the best-selling Brain Quest line. The editors of those materials have created a new series called the Big Fat Notebooks. Each book acts an innovative study guide for a school subject: math, science, world history, American history, English language arts, and computer science and coding. They are designed to feel like the reader borrowed notes from the smartest student in class as there are highlighted portions, doodles, notes "taped" into the pages, and more all in a thick composition notebook format.   

Computer Science and Coding in One Big Fat Notebook is the newest Big Fat Notebook and teaches key concepts while covering the basics of computer science and the fundamentals of multiple coding languages.

• Computer Systems
• Data and Analysis
• Software Engineering
• Algorithms and Programming
• Universal Programming Principles
• Programming with Scratch
• Programming in Python
• Web Development

The Big Fat Notebooks are geared toward helping middle schoolers ace their classes by making the information easy-to-understand and visually appealing. Even though my son is in only second grade, I felt confident that he could use the book since he has had a bit of experience using Scratch after watching his big brother. I knew he would be excited to have his own book and be able to create fun projects for school.

I had him read the first chapter, "What Is Computer Science?," which talks about what a computer is, what it does, how they are used in our lives, and what kind of jobs and tasks rely on them. It also touches on data, analysis, networks, the internet, and the impact of computing.

After that, I allowed him to jump straight to the Scratch unit.  The book immediately drew him in with its realistic notebooking style. The first chapter explains that Scratch is a simple programming language to use (that's why our kids learn it young) and how it uses blocks to create scripts. It explains different aspects of the program and what each component is.

The second chapter of the unit (chapter 20 of the whole book), is when he really started to learn more about using the language. He learned about parameters, the glide block, and the pen block which he used to recreate a turtle from the book. The chapter also covers some of his favorite features like the sound blocks and look blocks.

The remaining chapters cover storing information in variables, performing calculations on values with operator, evaluating information with boolean blocks, understanding the difference between control blocks and event blocks, repeating with loops, using conditional blocks, cloning, making your own block functions, and more.

Some of the information he was already familiar with using, but other features were new. It has been so fun watching him work through this unit. Many times I've heard, "Mom! Come see what I made!" For the most part, he has been able to work through the steps on his own, but when he has had difficulty understanding, his big brother has been right there to help him. That is one of my favorite things about my kids learning at home.

Since my little guy is still years away from middle school, he's been slowly working through the book. But he has been working through it! That shows me that the material is laid out in a way that's easy for kids to understand. Not only that, but he likes it. The book is colorful and eye-catching and doesn't feel at all like a textbook.

Other things he will learn from the book include collecting and using information, designing computer systems, computational thinking, understanding Python, creating a basic web page with HTML, styling elements with CSS, and much more. There are 39 chapters and over 560 pages packed with computer science learning. There is a brief Check Your Knowledge section at the end of each chapter to review key concepts with the answers on the following page that my boy and I always work through together. There are also color-coded tabs at the bottom of the pages that make each unit easy to access and an index at the back to find specific terms.

Our book came in pretty rough shape. It was mailed in a regular shipping envelope and sustained damage. The cover is creased in multiple places and the corners are torn. My daughter even asked, "We got this used, right?"

While I love that the inside looks like study notes, I don't want the outside to look like it's been tossed in a locker all school year and repeatedly abused. 

Here's what my guy thought of his Big Fat Notebook:

"I like it! All of it!"

He asks to do his coding work first thing every day. For a boy who conveniently "forgets" to do his schoolwork and gets distracted often, that's saying a lot.


Everything You Need to Ace Computer Science and Coding in One Big Fat Notebook is a fantastic resource for kids who are interested in technology. It is engaging, written in simple terms, and entertaining. We like it so much that I can't wait to check out some of the other Big Fat Notebooks for the other subjects.

Using these study guides, you can be the smartest kid in class!

You can connect with Workman Publishing on the following social media sites:

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You can read more reviews of this book on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Code for Teens

My oldest (12 yrs) is very tech-minded. He loves any chance he gets to work with technology, so he was excited for a review that meant he got to work on the computer for school. And this isn't just any computer work; this is for coding, his passion. His desire is to pursue programming as a career one day. He has a good grasp of Scratch and Python and has dabbled in HTML. Software engineering is one of the fastest growing career paths and technology is constantly changing. I believe it's good to give him a well-rounded foundation in programming, so he will be better prepared for his future job, no matter which language he will need.

He had no previous experience with JavaScript, so Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginner's Guide to Programming (Volume 1) from Code for Teens seemed like the perfect starting place for him.   

   

Code for Teens was written by Jeremy Moritz in order to offer a multi-purpose coding course specifically for kids. Though there are many such options already available on the market, Jeremy found none that moved at a proper pace without overwhelming the teen. He created a resource that needs no additional guidance, explanation, or review from a knowledgeable teacher. His book contains everything a young teen needs to learn coding by himself.    

Not only is Code for Teens written at a child's pace, but written at a child's level, too. The conversational style is easy-to-follow. He speaks directly to the student in a likable manner with some humor weaved in. Important terms are in bold print. Sometimes the definitions accompany the text, but every one of those words and their definitions can also be found in the back of the book in the glossary section. The chapters are marked by strips of color on the edges of the pages for easily finding your way around. Original artwork illustrated by his wife, Christine, enhances the pages, as well. 

The beginning of the book contains an introduction to the student, not only to explain the purpose of the book, but also to spark some enthusiasm. Next is a letter to the parents. This section explains the value of coding and the benefits the child will receive from learning it. After the preliminaries, the teaching begins. Chapter one starts very simply by explaining what the student need to code, important terms and command keys, and then gets right into the first lines of code. 

One thing that I really liked in this chapter is the attention drawn to the error messages. The author tells the student to appreciate them because they're helpful in finding mistakes. Coding is very specific, so spotting the errors is vital. The book then directs the learner to make mistakes on purpose and walks him through the steps to understanding what is wrong and how to fix it.

As the book progresses, so does the difficulty of the code. The student will learn data types, comments, functions, operators, arrays, and so much more. Each chapter is filled with hands-on exercises to get the teen on the computer programming. Much of the book is filled with simple type-this-code throughout the text because that is how it is learned best, but each chapter ends with a DIY section, too. This do-it-yourself project gives the student an assignment in which he is required to write his own code. There are easier projects such as finding the average age of your family and creating a personal bio, but the more difficult activities require the student to solve problems such as bug issues in a video game and logging messages and creating functions for a hypothetical allergy.

Each chapter ends with a ton of review. There is a quiz, a list of key concepts, code drills, and an aggregate review section, in addition to the DIY project. All of the answers are found in the back of the book.  

My son had an easy time with the beginning of the book, because of his prior experience with coding. I was surprised at his knowledge when I verbally asked him the quiz questions. He kept telling me how similar JavaScript is to Python. He didn't understand as much as he thought he did though when he found difficulty with one of the DIY projects.He had to go back and look at the information a little more closely. Once he took the time to follow along in the book, he realized just how well-written the instructions are.

The teaching throughout the book is so conversationally written that it's like having a personal tutor sitting there to help you. The writing engages the reader so well, in fact, that I even opened the console and wrote me first code! Anyone who knows us knows that my husband is the tech geek in our home and that I have no desire to learn these things in such detail. But this book truly is that captivating and makes the information easy-to-understand.

This first volume is all about JavaScript, but the second book introduces HTML and CSS and shows how it all works together to create web pages and games. If you have a teen that is interested in programming, Code for Teens is a fantastic resource. 

You can find Code for Teens on their website and Facebook.

Please visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read more reviews of this book.

CodeWizardsHQ

My oldest child, Jake, has a great interest in programming. I knew he would appreciate a live class  from CodeWizardsHQ to review. He got a coding book for Christmas, has borrowed a few others from the library, and has read instructional resources online. He can often be found programming on Scratch, Python, or his Raspberry Pi.

I personally don't understand any of that myself, but my techie husband does and he's able to help our son to some extent. Jake has a desire to pursue programming as a career though, so these coding classes for kids and homeschool computer programs would help him to succeed and truly understand coding at a professional level. 

CodeWizardsHQ generally focuses on 12-week courses in which they inspire students to have a passion for coding through fun and engaging projects. Occasionally though, they offer a one-time class. It is this one-time, one-hour class that we experienced.

Their approach to coding "combines the benefits of teacher-led instruction and the ease and convenience of online classrooms." Each class is taught live, so the student can see, hear, and interact with the instructor in real-time. Because each class has only 6-8 students, the instructor is able to give personal attention to each student and offer feedback, encouragement, and suggestions.

Their well-structured program and developmental curriculum have been designed by professionals with a passion for coding. Each class is challenging enough to keep students advancing toward mastery, but fun enough to keep them engaged. Students learn "real text coding, the logic, structure and practical applications of important programming languages." There are four courses a student can progress through, starting with the Introduction to Programming course and ending with an Internship Program with a nonprofit organization. By the end of the classes, a student will have the coding skills he needs for additional internships, scholarships, colleges, and jobs. 

Jake was excited for his class. Signing in was easy, and the instructor was immediately friendly and helpful. Because Jake is only 12 years old and this is a safe environment, this was his first experience with online chat. He was able to interact with the four other middle school and high school students that were in his class as they learned together.

This was the first class of first introductory course, so it was pretty basic. The student's project was to create a comic strip using HTML. There were various preset options they could choose to change the background, add a character, insert text, or include a picture. The project was based around copying these preset codes and inserting them into the template. 

I understand that this was just a first class, but there were some things that concerned me. For instance, if the students wanted to use an image that was not in the coding platform, they were encouraged to upload their own picture from an online search. There was no mention of copyright issues. This could potentially cause problems, for both the student and the company. Also, Jake didn't feel like he really learned anything as the whole class was simply copying and pasting. There was no instruction as to the format needed or what HTML even meant. I would assume these things would be addressed in later classes, but I cannot be sure.

Looking over their site, it seems like CodeWizardsHQ is a quality, structured coding education. It looks like the instructors are qualified and the projects are engaging, but I cannot get a true understanding of it with only one class. I can say that Jake enjoyed the class and would be interested in continuing with the course. 

You can connect with CodeWizardsHQ on the following social media sites:

Facebook

Facebook Group (for parents whose kids are interested in coding)

Twitter

You can read more reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog. 

The Typing Coach

It's been many years since we've reviewed a typing program. Jake, my oldest child, was only 6 years old at the time. He had been excited to learn to type quickly, but when his little hands struggled to reach the keys and stay in the proper positions, he became discouraged. Now that he's 11, I figured it was time to try again. His hands are much larger and his fingers are stronger. He's also using the computer more now and is more familiar with the letter placement on the keyboard. He's realizing how long it takes to research his interests on the internet when he's hunting and pecking for the letters. He was excited to use The Typing Coach Online Typing Course to master his typing skills.

The Typing Coach is different from most of the typing courses that are offered. Instead of focusing on games and other methods that cause the students to depend on looking at the monitor or keyboard, The Typing Coach quickly weans them from that crutch and truly teaches them to type. This self-paced audio course was developed by a veteran typing teacher  The systematic lessons are designed to help the student type faster, more efficiently, and with fewer, if any, errors by using audio, video, and written instructions.

Once you login to The Typing Coach, it's very easy to follow the lessons:

• Course Introduction
• Slower Paced Lessons
• Practice & Testing Center
• Before and After Snapshot
• Lesson 1 - Having Good Posture
• Lesson 2 - Hone Row
• Lesson 3 - Top Row
• Lesson 4 - Bottom Row
• Lesson 5 - Shift Keys
• Lesson 6 - Typing Practices
• Lesson 7 - Number Row
• Serious Practicing
• The Final Assessment
• Conclusion
• Course Evaluation and Feedback

When you click on your current lesson, the required information opens including a brief set of instructions, an audio clip, the accompanying pages of the printed Student Packet, and additional links and documents.Each step is numbered and easy to follow.

David Kimball, The Typing Coach, wrote the instructions in a conversational style with a bit of humor tossed in. He's encouraging and understanding. Though he stresses that he requires no errors, he explains that he doesn't expect perfection. In other words, you're going to make mistakes, but you're not allowed to use the backspace to delete letters. If you make an error, you simply retype that section, no matter how many tries it takes. Typing it correctly without fixing errors helps to truly master the skill, instead of forming bad habits that need to be fixed.

Jake is doing very well with this course. The lessons are designed to be completed at the rate of one a week for ten weeks. He's not quite that far into the program just yet as we spent two weeks away from home for vacation, but he's able to consistently type the home row and top row correctly while keeping proper position and he's working toward mastering the bottom row, as well. He's got that perfectionist trait, just like his mother, so it's been fun to watch him learn to type with the laptop monitor closed down some so he can't see the keyboard as he types from the Student Packet. He keeps at it until there are no errors. I've even caught him typing random thoughts just because after his lessons are over. Now that he's getting better at typing, he's starting to enjoy it more.

By the end of the course, the  student should be typing 10 words a minute and quickly improve to 45 words a minute with practice. I'm already impressed with the precision in which my son is typing the given text and am excited to watch him improve as he finishes the The Typing Coach Online Typing Course.


You can connect with The Typing Coach on Twitter.


You can read more reviews of this program on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Digital Savvy Review

My husband is a very tech-savvy guy. Even back in our college days, he kept up with the latest and greatest gadgets. Me? Oh, I was perfectly content with a simple flip phone with no bells and whistles (until a year ago when he went out and bought me a fancy new one, ha). Though I do know my way around a computer, he is the one who knows all the nitty gritty details, from how they're built to how they run to understanding various programs and applications. And while I may not be interested in becoming a computer guru like my husband, my oldest son is following in his father's footsteps. He has a scientific mind and has been drawn to computers since he was little. He loved to play various games, but wasn't allowed to do much else on his own. Now that he's 11 years old, we permit him to use the computer for much more than recreational games. Tinkering around on his own is not ideal yet as we'd like to both guide and guard him. A course from CompuScholar, Inc. fit our need.

CompuScholar, Inc. (formerly known as Homeschool Programming) was founded by Chris and Andrea Yust as a means to provide proper teaching materials to help young students gain a love of computers and programming. Together, they have written more than 8 textbooks for kids and teens and strive to make computer science "approachable and available to all." The majority of the courses they offer are based around programming and development, but their new one, Digital Savvy,  teaches general computer skills.

Digital Savvy is geared toward grades 6-12 and is good for the those just beginning to delve deeper in computers and their applications. The course is designed for students to be able to complete it on their own (with available free technical support, if needed) even if they don't have parents who are technically savvy. They themselves, however,  should have minimal computer usage skills, like keyboarding, mouse, and operating system navigation prior to starting this course.

The two-semester class is broken into 25 chapters:

1. Fundamentals of Computer Hardware
2. Fundamentals of Computer Software
3. Operating Systems
4. Computer Files
5. Computer Maintenance and Troubleshooting
6. Computer Networks
7. Search Engines 
8. Computer Security
9. Word Processing
10. Spreadsheet Programs
11. Presentation Programs
12. Database Technology
13. Project Management and Teamwork
14. Mid-Term Project
15. Digital Images
16. Internet Communications
17. Social Media
18. More Social Media
19. Creating Web Pages
20. Web Page Design
21. Web Links, Images, and Animation
22. Programming Concepts
23. Digital Logic
24. Careers and Professional Skills
25. Team Project

Each lesson includes a video, text, and quiz. Each chapter contains at least one hands-on project and an exam at the end. The user interface is easy to use. The home screen displays all of the chapters and a short description of each. It also lists the number of files, quizzes, and assignments are included in each chapter. Once the student chooses which chapter he wants to study, he is taken to a different page that breaks it down by lesson. From there, he can decide to watch the video or read the text. Then, he's given 3 opportunities to pass the quiz.

My son was ecstatic when I set up his account and handed the computer to him. He couldn't wait to learn so he'd be able to take advantage of the benefits of using a computer. That first day, he sat and watched the first 2 videos and completed the quizzes, even redoing the first quiz because he had gotten an answer wrong and wanted 100%. I soon noticed that he lost interest though. When I asked why, he responded with, "Why do I need to know this? It's boring." I urged him to work through it until the material got to a more interesting subject. When he continued to be uninterested, I encouraged him to skip ahead to a chapter he found more appealing. Unfortunately, that didn't help either. The monotone videos just could not keep his attention. Of course, there is the option of reading the text, and while he is an avid reader, that is not the optimal learning style for him in this instance.

Digital Savvy contains much information about early computer skills that might be more appealing to other students. My son is at the very low end of the intended age range. As he gets older, he may find more interest in this course. Just because it was not a good fit for us, doesn't mean you should let that stop you from checking it out for your family though. What's best for one isn't always what's best for another. Or maybe you'd be interested in another of their courses like Web Design or Java Programming.

You can connect with the company on social media with both their new rebranded name, CompuScholar, Inc., or their previous name, Homeschool Programming.   

CompuScholar:

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Homeschool Programming:

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You can read more reviews of this program or of some of their other courses on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Fun-Time Phonics Review

I am a firm believer in making learning fun, especially in the early years. Many hands-on learning exercises and play-based learning are vital to little ones. I will incorporate some formal education though by following the cues of my children. One way that always grabs their attention is the use of electronic programs. The little ones feel it is a treat to use the computer to do their own school. Programs like Fun-Time Phonics!™ Software - 2-PCs Win Download from The Critical Thinking Co.™ are perfect for these times. It allows the child the privilege of using the computer, while learning in the process.

The Critical Thinking Co.™ has been "committed to developing students' critical thinking skills for better grades, higher test scores, and success in life" since 1958. Their award-winning products help students achieve better results through highly effective lessons that sharpen the mind. They teach reading, writing, mathematics, science, and history in a fun, easy-to-use way. Their methods aren't based on drill and rote memorization, but techniques that empower the mind to get the student to think. Michael Baker, the company's president said, "If we teach children everything we know, their knowledge is limited to ours. If we teach children to think, their knowledge is limitless." One of the reasons we homeschool is that we want our children to be able to think for themselves, to be able to problem solve to find a solution. It is our job to prepare them for life, not just memorize facts. We strive to give our kids the tools necessary to make clear, reasoned judgments. The programs from The Critical Thinking Co. are designed to do the same thing.  

Fun-Time Phonics is a comprehensive reading program based on data from the National Reading Commission. Cute robots teach the lessons, guide the activities, and engage students through listening, thinking, speaking, and reading. The lessons portray that spoken words are comprised of individual sounds, and that those sounds are written with letters, through the emphasis  of sound/spelling patterns, vocabulary, and comprehension. 

The program is divided into 4 sections:

• Section 1 -- This first section teaches that words are made up of sounds and focuses on beginning sounds, ending sounds, vowel sounds, and words that rhyme.
• Section 2 -- This part teaches the short vowel sounds and the letters that make the sounds.
• Section 3 -- These activities get the student to understand that different sounds are made based on the consonants and short vowel sounds that are used.
• Section 4 --  This final area combines all the skills that have been taught, and the student learns to read his first words.

My 4-year-old has been the one using this program. He and I sit together at the computer and do the lessons together. The program explains the lessons in a fashion that a student could work on it on his own, but since my guy is at the very beginning stages, I prefer to be there with him for further explanation and encouragement. Each lesson starts with brief instructions and then many examples. For instance, the first lesson teaches the letter T and its sound. Then, there are 15 opportunities to choose the /t/ sound out of 3 choices. One of the robots articulately pronounces each picture word so the student can hear them. After the child clicks his choice, there is either positive reinforcement through clapping and cheering or simply a reply letting him know he picked an incorrect option.

The lessons are simple and short. The format is repetitive, and therefore, my little guy loses interest after a bit. I wish there were some different activities in the lessons. Also, when he gets an incorrect answer, it doesn't tell him which one was correct. It just tells him that he was wrong. I would like to see it do both. For example, the program says, "Pup does not rhyme with hop," and that's all. I wish it would say something like, "Pup does not rhyme with hop. Drop. Hop. Drop rhymes with hop."

It's really easy to move around through the program to find which lessons your child needs to practice. You just log into the admin section and choose the lesson. Otherwise, it will start you at the beginning and proceed through them on its own. You can also see your child's progress on each section and add more users.

All in all, I think the program is fine and a good job of teaching the aspects of reading. It's just not my favorite option. I really wish there was more variety. We'll still continue to use Fun-Time Phonics!™ Software - 2-PCs Win Download as a supplemental program at times, but I will not require it as part of our weekly schedule.

     

You can connect with The Critical Thinking Co.™ on the following social media sites:

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Pinterest

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The Crew was able to review many different products offered by The Critical Thinking Co.™. If you'd like to read more reviews of this program, other components of the Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic Before Kindergarten!™ program, or reviews of some physical books, please visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

LearnBop Review

Math. You either love it or hate it. Regardless of your feelings about the subject though, it's a very-needed, often-used skill. We had been using workbooks for learning, but when we had the opportunity for a subscription for LearnBop for Families, I thought it might be a good fit. The kids always love using the computer and it would be a nice change.

LearnBop is an interactive math learning system for K-12 grades. The program is designed to respond to a student's answers. The step-by-step method personalizes the learning like a tutor would. A student can move past what he already understands and focus on concepts that he struggles with.

Setting up our family plan was simple. I created a profile for each of the older kids (10, 8, 6 yr) by inputting their names, creating user names and passwords, allowing them to choose an avatar, and then picking a roadmap for their learning. The avatars are really cute. There are male and female versions of Pirate Navigators, Astronauts, Codebreakers (spies), Fashion Designers, Celebrity Chefs, and Hollywood Animators. Each of the characters possesses a special math power, like cryptography, linear algebra, and Newton's Laws of Motion. The powers have no effect on anything, but are just cute additions to the characters.

Choosing a Learning Roadmap is the most important part. You pick what your student will be studying. There's the option for an entire grade's curriculum (3rd-12th) or a specific concept.

• Operations & Algebraic Thinking
• Numbers & Operations in Base Ten
• Measurement & Data
• Geometry
• Number & Operations-Fraction
• Ratios & Proportional Relationships
• The Number System
• Expressions & Equations
• Statistics & Probability
• Functions    

There are also a few high school roadmaps. After a topic is chosen, the student completes a quick Warm-Up for each unit. This evaluation identifies any missing knowledge that he needs to work on. From there, the system personalizes the roadmap to focus on the student's needs.  The instruction is given through short videos with examples. The student has the option of watching the videos first or heading straight to the exercises if he already has a grasp on the concepts. If he can master the problems with 90% accuracy, he may move on to the next area of learning. Every incorrect answer will lower his percentage, giving him more time to understand the information. Each incorrect answer gives him the option to go step-by-step through that specific exercise so he understands what the correct answer should be.

My kids can easily move through the program using their dashboard. It shows what concept they are working through, what percentage they have completed, and where they are in the process. They can see which videos have been completed and which step is next. It also shows the activity on the site for the past week like time spent, "bops'" and videos completed, concepts mastered, and more.  

  
While I appreciate the ability to personalize their learning, there are some things about this program that I find frustrating. For instance, it is aligned to Common Core standards. While that doesn't affect many of the concepts, there are some that are very confusing, even to me. Simple problems that should have been very easy to my kids (I have seen them complete similar examples in other materials, after all) left them clueless. Also, some of the technical aspects of the program could be made better. For example, in some visual exercises, the kids were supposed to answer the questions where a blank box was. The problem is that often the box was not by where it should have been (like on a graph or number line) so it seemed like it was asking for something else. The biggest issue though was that the questions did not fit on the screen. The kids would have to scroll down to another page. The question would be at the top, the answer choices would be at the bottom, and then they were supposed to drag the answer back to the top again. Everything for each question should be on one visible screen.

This example doesn't show the answer needing to be dragged back to the top, but it does show the need to scroll.

Unfortunately, this program was not a good fit for us. That does not mean that it's a bad choice  for everyone though. In fact, LearnBop has won many awards and has helped many students. If you'd like to see how this program worked for other homeschool families, please read the reviews on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

You can connect with LearnBop on the following social media sites:

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MaxScholar

With 5 kids in the family, it's pretty common to have to share things. That's why the kids get excited when they gets things--even review things--all to themselves. My kindergartner was the lucky recipient this time with a one-year subscription of the MaxScholar Reading Intervention Programs. 

MaxScholar is a "comprehensive, multi-sensory, reading and language-based program. Their research-based methods their language and reading skills. My favorite thing to teach is reading. I love watching the realization that the sounds together form words, seeing little faces light up and they read their first words, experiencing the excitement as the words are understood as sentences, understanding how foundational reading is. Years ago, I taught first grade in our Christian school. I got to help those students through the steps. Now, I get to help my own precious ones. Don't get me wrong, just because I love it doesn't mean that it's easy. Teaching little ones to read can be challenging. A lot of homeschoolers are nervous about that responsibility. In fact, I was talking to a friend today who is preparing to teach her daughter to read in the coming months. She's feeling a bit overwhelmed. If you too are feeling overwhelmed or just need someone to help your child with reading or comprehension, MaxScholar might just be what you need.

   

We've been using the MaxGuru portion of the site. It includes the following:

• MaxPhonics--This section uses a multi-sensory approach to teaching phonics that is ideal for ages 5-7. The student can focus on individual letters, blends, or digraphs. There are videos to demonstrate correct pronunciation, drill exercises to strengthen skills, and games for reinforcement. 

• MaxReading--This portion cam be summed up as highlight, outline, and summarize and focuses on learning to read. The 13 levels of difficulty each contain several multi-chapter books. Your student can use an electronic highlighter to identify important parts of the text and learn to outline and summarize each chapter. Comprehension questions help with retention.   

• MaxWords--This part helps the student to learn to build words: roots and more. Learning word parts helps to build vocabulary and improves both spelling and reading. My dad taught me the skill of combining prefixes, suffixes, and Greek and Latin root words. Using this method, MaxWords teaches the student to increase his vocabulary by 16,000 words.    

• MaxMusic--Sometimes you have to use whatever your child responds to to teach him. This section uses music and games to teach reading. The piano game and more also help memory, recognition, and auditory skills. 

• MaxVocab--This is the complementary dictionary for the site. It teaches thousands of words and definitions with interactive games.

• MaxPlaces--This is a great way to learn geography. The student can choose from 51 places on a world map. He learns fascinating things through a short passage and then answers multiple choice questions to check reading comprehension.

• MaxBios--This portion introduces students to famous people from around the world through biographies. It uses a timeline format which teaches chronological ordering skills.

 

 

 There is really so much on this site. It was created specifically to help those with Dyslexia, learning disabilities, ADHD, processing problems, and those struggling to read. No one in our home deals with those issues, but MaxScholar can be beneficial to anyone. Since we're in the summer months and on a light school schedule, I let my kindergartner to choose how he used the program. Since I was also given a parent account, I can login and see exactly what he's been doing. The reports show me where he's been studying and how well he's doing.Not surprisingly, his favorites are the games. He spends much of his time in the MaxPhonics portion playing memory, word builder, and space rhyming. I always say that little one's learn best through play. Because he's an advanced reader, I don't mind him spending the majority of the time playing games for learning. He has ventured into the other sections as well, but the phonics is a favorite. 

 

 

 

If you have a student who struggles with reading, is learning to read, or just needs some practice, MaxScholar could be a great option for you. Its multi-sensory approach to reading will appeal to all learning styles.


You can connect with MaxScholar on the following social media sites:
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If you'd like to see how other homeschool families used this program, please read the reviews on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.