Review: The Life of Christ from the Gospel of John

Positive Action for Christ is a publishing house that has been offering Bible curriculum for churches and Christian schools since 1969.  Our family had the opportunity to review The Life of Christ from the Gospel of John, one of their many high school studies.

The Life of Christ study can be used independently by the student, taught by the parent, or a combination of both, which is how we have chose to use it.  It can also be used in a co-op or group setting or as a family devotional.  The student book is divided into seven units, each unit containing between three and seven chapter lessons for a total of 35 lessons, one for each week of a typical school year.

Each chapter/lesson begins with a short reading to help the student connect their world today with the lesson and the truths found in the Bible.  This leads into the Student Work, the questions in their textbook.  These questions are designed to help the student imagine themselves as part of the story of Christ.  They will "help you to put yourself in the place of the disciples, the Pharisees, or the multitudes as you investigate for yourself just who this Jesus is."  I am really impressed with the intent of the Student Work:

"Since the objective of this study is not just to fill students' minds with facts, but even more importantly to help them grow in the knowledge of their Saviour, we have designed this section to help their minds ponder Him and His teaching.  Our intent is not to use these questions to provide definitive answers, but rather to get the students thinking about the personalities and their character qualities as well as the meaning of the text and the spiritual truths it teaches."

The Student Work in the student textbook leads into the teacher's lesson, which, depending on how you schedule your school week, may very well come in the middle of the week.  The reason for this is because it is recommended that you discuss their answers to the student work as an introduction to the teacher lesson.  In doing so the student will already know many of the questions you will be discussing in the teacher lesson before you even begin.  Each chapter in the student textbook has space for the student to take notes during the teacher's lesson.

The Teacher's manual contains the teacher's lessons, copies of the student textbook along with answers to the student's fill-in-the-blank sections, as well as masters of chapter quizzes and unit tests.  Also included is a CD-rom of overhead transparencies to use with each lesson.  I'm not sure how many homeschool families will actually use these in this way since it requires an overhead projector or video equipment.  However, each 'transparency' can also be printed out, but duplicates of each are also in the student textbook so I'm not sure that this is really necessary.  Personally, I choose to not use the transparencies CD since it is just duplicating what is already in the student book.  If I were using this study in a group or classroom setting then I would most likely use the transparencies to teach the lessons since I would be teaching several students at one time instead of just my daughter.

A list of recommended scriptures for the student to memorize is also included in this study, all taken from the book of John.  While not mandatory, I choose to have my daughter memorize each lesson's corresponding scripture and have her write the verse from memory on her weekly quiz paper.

Having a daughter in high school it is my plan for her to earn a Bible credit as one of her required electives.  However, finding just the right study for her to complete in order to earn that credit is not as easy as it may seem.  The original plan was to have her earn this credit while completing the Bible study that corresponds with her American history book.  This turned out to be nearly impossible since her history is very in depth and requires most of her time during the school day.  To also complete all that is required for the Bible section was simply too much for her.  Besides, while the intent of tying history and the Bible together is a good idea, in my opinion it simply teaches facts more than helps her grow in her relationship with her Saviour.  That is what I like the most about The Life of Christ study, that the emphasis of the lessons is to challenge the student and help them apply the lessons to their own lives. 

Since it is my standard to give my complete and honest opinion of anything I review, I feel I must add that while researching the Positive Action for Christ website I came across their Doctrinal Statement and I do not agree with a few of their positions.  However, this is not a discussion on differing beliefs but I felt it important to inform you of this fact.  Despite our differing beliefs, I have yet to read anything in The Life of Christ study that teaches differently than what we teach our children, which I am very happy about since the study fits our needs so well.

To check out this study or other products from Positive Action for Christ simply click here.  They offer products for churches and Christian schools, which can also easily be adapted for homeschool families as well.  I have been considering purchasing their Bible curriculum for my other children who are in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades since I am so impressed with The Life of Christ study for our 9th grader.  If you'd like to see what each study covers you can download (or order for free) a Scope & Sequence here.

If you are interested in the Life of Christ study for your high schooler here is what it will cost you:
*Student Manual- $17.95
*Teacher's Manual- $41.95 (this is also available on DVD for $29.95)
*Deluxe Presentation DVD (which looks SUPER COOL!)- $79.95
*Overhead Transparencies (full color printed acetate transparencies)- $99.95

*As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews contain only my own honest opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

Review: Virtual Nerd

Did you know that according to the U.S. Department of Education 29% of eighth grade students tested at a "Below Basic" level in math in 2009?  At least 27% (and up to 67%) of student families in grades K-12 pay for tutoring services.  Typical hourly rates for private tutoring range from $30/hour to over $200/hour.  The private tutoring industry in the U.S. is estimated at over $5 billion annually.

If you are one of these families with a student in grades 7-12 who could use a little extra help in either math or science I am happy to tell you about Virtual Nerd.  Virtual Nerd is an award-winning subscription website that offers tutorial videos 24/7 in different areas of math and science. 

Currently students can view these video tutorials and receive top-notch help in Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Intro. to Physics with much more scheduled to be available later this year, including Geometry, Calculus, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, and Biology!  At only $49/month, that is like wrapping up SEVERAL tutors into one for a very affordable monthly price!  And if you're like me, when it comes to most of the subjects listed above, I'm MORE than happy to pay someone else to do the teaching and tutoring, someone who actually knows what they're doing!  LOL!

What I like most about Virtual Nerd is that as opposed to a physical-person tutor your student may see once a week for an hour at a time (if even that long), with Virtual Nerd they have 24/7 access to a tutor so the help is right there at their fingertips any time, any where.  And the amount of help available is so vast!  For example, the number of Algebra I tutorials is over 450 with over 15,000 step-by-step graphics created for just for Algebra I.  It would take a student over 18 hours to watch all the tutorial videos that go along with JUST Algebra I!  Now multiply that 18 hours by the typical hourly rate for tutors these days and I think you'll agree that Virtual Nerd is well worth looking into!

If you'd like to give Virtual Nerd a try you can do so here.  They have several subscription options, including a two-hour free trial if you'd just like to get a feel for how it all works.  One word of warning however.  On their pricing page it has an orange button that says: Educators click here, which takes you to a free educator sign up page.  This free service IS NOT available to homeschoolers.

*As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews contain only my own honest opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

And Mom & Dad Can Hardly Wait...

Need I say more?

Marcy's Thoughts About Fran

Remember Kaity and I picked up Marcy on our way to deliver the quilts to Fran's family?  I encourage you to read her thoughts on Fran and the day.  It was a blessing to me to read it as I'm sure it will be for you as well.

Delivering Fran's Quilts

I feel as though I lived a Hallmark Christmas movie yesterday.  It was quite possibly the most perfect day I have ever lived, and it could only have been orchestrated by God himself.

When Fran passed away from breast cancer back in June her friends and fellow homeschool moms from the Five in a Row message boards decided to make quilts for her husband and two daughters as a way to show our love and support for them.  I had no idea at the time just what a blessing God had in store for me.

I am truly humbled and honored that I was able to help in the creating of these special quilts, although I never sewed the first stitch on any of them.  To be used by God as a vessel to get these quilts into the hands of Fran's grieving family is beyond the shadow of a doubt the most precious thing I have ever had the privilege of being involved in.

Yesterday started early for my oldest daughter, Kaity, and I as we jumped in our van and headed north-then-west to Louisville to pick up friend and fellow Five in a Row mom, Marcy.  It was a cold and beautiful Christmas-y feeling kind of day.  We tuned into a 24-hour Christmas music radio station and enjoyed the beautiful scenery on our 2 1/2 hour drive. 

We picked up Marcy (and promptly gave her the KENTUCKY BLUE-hatted penguin in a BLUE bag tied with a BLUE Kentucky lanyard we had brought her for Christmas- she's a Louisville Cardinals fan, who's color is red, BLECH!) but before we headed north to Fran's house in Indiana we had to stop for a bit of nourishment at Lynn's Paradise Cafe, the place Marcy takes all her special friends who come to visit! 

What a fun and quirky place Lynn's is!  (Oh, and the food is de-LICIOUS!)

While there we just had to try on some of Lynn's crazy hats!

 As we left and began to drive out of Louisville Kaity and I were amazed at the completely ice-covered sidewalks throughout the city...

Before long we arrived at Fran's house to meet her precious family.

Here's what her front yard looked like, completely ice-covered...

As we walked into Fran's home we were welcomed with big, real hugs from Ed, Fran's husband, the aroma of fresh coffee brewing in the coffee pot and a warm, cozy fire in the fireplace.  And it was a REAL, wood-burning fire, not one of those fake ones stores try to convince us are just as good today!  With the snow-covered ground and forest of trees outside the windows, a woodpecker that had landed on a bird feeder and that fire crackling while we sat near the Christmas tree... ahhh... it was a scene straight out of a movie.

We met Emma, Fran and Ed's 7-year-old daughter, Eden, their adopted 5-year-old daughter, and Elliott, one of Ed's three grown sons.  And let me just stop right here and say what an obvious blessing Elliott is to Ed and the girls.  He has helped take care of Emma and Eden since Fran passed away and his love for them was so evident in the way he scooped Eden up and held her, rubbing her little arm, then taking her to give her her feeding and laying her down for a nap.  What a fine, Godly young man!  I know Ed is proud.

Marcy began by sitting down and explaining to Emma in a way she could understand who we were, how we knew her and her mommy, and the reason we had come.  Then we showed her her quilt...

Much to our excitement, Emma and her daddy recognized what books many of the quilt squares represented!  They told us they own several of the books and plan on purchasing those they don't already own so they can always have them to go along with the quilt.  Emma told us that one of her two favorite colors is red, just like her quilt.

Next, we showed them Eden's quilt...

Once again we listened as Ed and Emma commented on several of the squares.  And guess what color Emma told us is Eden's favorite?  Purple.  I am constantly amazed how much God is in even the smallest of details.

Then, we opened up Ed's quilt.  I don't have a picture like the ones above because it got a little more emotional and I wanted to be sensitive to that.  But I have a picture of his quilt I had taken earlier that I'll share with you.

He noticed one block in particular right away.  He said, "Oh, it's Fran's Thanksgiving tree."  Then he saw the one in the top right-hand corner with the three hearts that says 'Amazing Grace' and said, "Fran's favorite song."  That's when the tears gently rolled down his cheeks and I couldn't hold mine back any longer either.  We pointed out the breast cancer awareness symbol in the body of the butterfly and the hidden stitching in one of the blocks that spells out Fran and Ed's names.  It was obvious he was very touched and that these quilts are already a priceless treasure to him.  Ed even said, "We'll have to find a very special place to put these, won't we Emma?"  For a minute or two there was just silence as he took it all in.  It was a very humbling moment and one I'm honored to have been witness to.

I then handed Ed a zip-lock bag of all the notes and cards and letters several FIAR ladies had sent along with their quilt squares.  Whenever I received one in the mail with a square I simply put it in this zip-lock bag, unopened, for only Ed's eyes to see.  (Except for one that was addressed to Emma.  She found that one and as Marcy, Ed, and I talked I noticed she opened it and was reading it.)

After that we all sat and talked for a while and even laughed some, listening to what all was happening with Eden and Emma and the things Emma's involved in, what's on her Christmas list, and how she will soon be 'Aunt Emma' when her big brother gets married in January!  She will also be going to school for the first time in January after continuing to be homeschooled by Ed and Elliott throughout this past fall.  "Fran already had the whole school year laid out.  All we had to do was pull each week's sheet out and we knew what to do."  What a momma.  Emma will be attending a small Christian school very close to home with only 13 in her class, including a couple friends she already knows.  She's a very excited little girl!

We decided we had taken up enough of their time so we said we would go, but Ed said, "Let's have a word of prayer first."  Words can not describe the feeling in that room as Ed prayed.  The spirit of the Lord was there in a very real way and once again the tears fell, this time by all.  When I looked up little Emma had her head buried in her daddy's shoulder, crying.  He said, "Would you like to give these ladies a hug too?" and I got down on my knees as she melted into my arms, still crying.  I tried not to, but my heart was broken and I cried with her.  As I squeezed her tiny little body and caressed her hair I thanked her for such a wonderful hug, told her that her mommy loved her so very much, and then pulled her back to look at me as I told her, "I sure hope I get to see you again some day, but even if I don't, I want you to always remember that as you grow into a young lady, and one day a young woman, you will always have lots and lots of mommies all over the world who love you and are praying for you!"  That made her smile.

Our visit was over all too soon.  Pictures and hugs ended our time together, along with Ed offering to sell me his camper!  LOL!  (We may just take you up on that one of these days Mr. Konick!) 

(Marcy and Emma)

(Kaity and Emma)

I didn't get any pictures of Eden, although I wish I would have.  But again, I wanted to be sensitive to her needs and didn't want to appear pushy, so I'll just share with you my very favorite picture of her from Fran's blog...

(Isn't this the most precious picture?  At one point during our visit Ed reached down and got Eden's hand and the biggest smile spread across her face!  It was precious to witness.)

Elliott had shoveled all the ice off of the sidewalk while we were visiting (I told you that boy was a fine young man!) and we drove back to Louisville to drop Marcy off at home, but not before we stopped off for some yummy Starbucks treats and a bit more visiting.

(What's up with teenage girls making duck-lips in all their pictures these days?  LOL)

After leaving Marcy (and her precious family whom we got to talk to for a few minutes), Kaity and I headed back to Lexington where we stopped off at a Target, grabbed some taco's and Mt. Dew (for the drive home, it was getting late you know), and snapped these pictures...

I have replayed the day over and over in my mind and each time I do, or each time I tell someone about it, I cry all over again.  But you know, it's funny.  While my heart obviously breaks for those Fran left behind, my tears are not all sad tears.  I can't exactly explain it, but it's more of a humbled, amazed-at-God, thankful, cup-running-over cry.  I am simply honored that God chose to allow me to be His vessel to bless this wonderful family.  I am nothing.  Without Him I can do nothing.  I don't deserve the blessing He has given me through this, but oh I am so very, very thankful and humbled because of it. 

I have just had my very first REAL Christmas, and I need nor want anything else.  I found Jesus in the tears of a beautiful, blond-headed little girl and through the prayer of her daddy.  No other gift could begin to compare.  THIS is what Christmas really is.

Merry Christmas my friends.  Merry Christmas.

Review: ALEKS

I had heard of ALEKS before, but to be completely honest, I really had no idea what it was when this review was presented to me.

So what is ALEKS you ask?  Well, ALEKS stands for Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces.  If you'd like a quick and easy answer, it's a math-learning website.  But that doesn't really give it the credit it's due.  So the 'official' description of ALEKS is this:

"...a Web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system that uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what a student knows and doesn't know in a course. ALEKS offers truly individualized instruction that meets the student at her learning level and instructs her on the exact topics that she is most ready to learn."

ALEKS can provide you with the instruction and support that you need to homeschool your children in mathematics for grades 3-12. With a comprehensive course library ranging from elementary school math to complex subjects such as PreCalculus (as well as higher education science), ALEKS acts much like a human tutor to help take the stress off of homeschooling parents.  ALEKS is accessible from virtually any computer with Internet access, making it a flexible and mobile educational solution for your children.

-Complete Curriculum Solution for Math with Access to Full Course Library
-No Textbook Required
-Artificial Intelligence Targets Gaps in Student Knowledge
-Assessment and Individualized Learning for Grades 3-12
-Master Account - Monitor and Direct Learning Progress
-Unlimited Online Access - PC & Mac Compatible

Since our oldest son, who's 11, has struggled just a bit with fractions I felt he might get the best use out of this site so he helped me with my review.  The first step, once you purchase a subscription to ALEKS, is that your student(s) will begin by taking an individualized, adaptive assessment to determine what they already know and what they are ready to learn next.

Once they have finished that they will be shown their 'pie'.  The ALEKS Pie summarizes a student's current knowledge and offers topics that the student is ready to learn next. The darkened portion of each pie slice represents the topics that the student has mastered and the lighter portion represents what the student has yet to learn.


While ALEKS appears to be a wonderful tool, my only real issue with it is that our family has always focused on the mastery way of learning math as opposed to the spiral method and the ALEKS assessment includes questions on several topics that my son has not learned yet.  This made his pie look like he knew very little, which was a bit discouraging for him.  However, students can work on one particular concept at a time until mastery is acheived, so if we had a paid subscription that we could use over an extended period of time I can see my children really liking and doing well with ALEKS.
 
Subscription prices are as follows:
 
*$19.95 per student, per month, or
*only $99.95 every 6 months, or
*only $179.95 every 12 months.
 
They also have a family discount plan.  And just for my readers, ALEKS has graciously extended a one-month FREE trial!








 While I really like ALEKS and belive it would be a great help in our homeschooling, our family simply can not justify spending this amount of money on something that isn't crucial.  Would it help?  Yes.  Would my children enjoy it?  No doubt.  But is it a neccesary purchase for us?  No, it is not.  While we would use ALEKS every day in our homeschooling, we do have our wonderful math books that we have used for years that are also getting the job done for a lot less.  For our family, four student accounts, even with the family discount plan, would cost us $300 for six months.  That's just not in our budget and I'm afraid that it's not going to be in a lot of homeschool family's budgets, the majority of whom are one-income families.

However, if you have a struggling math student and would be willing to pay for a personal tutor who is available 24/7, then ALEKS may just be what you're looking for.  Here's some more information to help you see just how many great things ALEKS has to offer...

ALEKS provides a free response environment and sophisticated input tools that avoid multiple-choice and require students to demonstrate content mastery.


 
 
 
 

The Learning Mode provides students with practice problems, and offers explanations of topics and procedures as needed. Once a student has demonstrated mastery in the Learning Mode, the topic is added to the ALEKS Pie, and new material that the student is now ready to learn becomes available.

When a student is working on a particular problem, she can access an explanation of that problem by clicking on the "Explain" button. The explanation typically provides a step-by-step solution, with commentary. In some cases, an alternative or more detailed explanation is also available.

Students receive immediate feedback and, in some cases, suggestions for correcting mistakes.

 
Students have the ability to print out 16-question worksheets for additional practice or review. These worksheets are uniquely generated based on the student's current knowledge.

QuickTables is a research-based, math fact mastery program for multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction.

Interactive games provide additional review and built-in rewards.

Master Account Homepage: Easily manage all student accounts, monitor student progress, view customized resources, and more.

Attendance Report: Track student time spent in ALEKS per day, the topics attempted, and the topics mastered and added to the ALEKS Pie.

Student Progress Report: Track student progress made throughout the course. The blue bar represents the percent of course material that the student has mastered during an ALEKS assessment; the green bar represents the percent of new topics the student has mastered in Learning Mode since the last assessment; and the yellow bar represents the percent of topics the student has yet to learn in order to complete the course.

Quizzes are automatically graded and the results are available to both the parent and student immediately.

 
 
 
 
So, overall I would give ALEKS an A-.  The 'A' for how well it is laid out and the numerous amount of help and options it offers.  Their customer service response time and the friendliness of their staff also contributes to that 'A'.  I had some issues setting up a second student account for our other son and while the issue still hasn't been completely resolved, I can't complain about the helpful emails I received regarding this issue. 
 
The 'minus' comes after that 'A' simply because of the cost.  If a subscription were half the cost it currently is, then I would seriously considering purchasing a subscription for our family.

*As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received this product free of charge in exchange for my review and honest opinion of it. As a believer and follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I promise you that all my reviews contain only my own honest opinions...'cause He told me to not lie!

The Greatest Gift

Isn't this beautiful?  I found this framed picture, of all places, at a yard sale!  For $1.00!  Underneath the picture, within the mat around it, it says "The Greatest Gift" and has the scripture John 3:16.

I LOVE it.  It will never find it's way into one of our yard sales.