TOS Review: ALEKS (Online Math)

I love math.  I don’t, however, love teaching it.  I feel as though I’ve been on a quest to find a math program that meets the needs of my students and does the teaching for me.  It’s possible I have found the answer: ALEKS.

What is ALEKS?
Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces is an online mathematics program that provides personalized learning and assessment tailored to a student's individual needs. Using artificial intelligence and adaptive, open-response questioning, ALEKS quickly and accurately determines what a student knows and is most ready to learn within a course.

This online math course offers courses from 3rd grade through post high school. I was provided a two month free trial for each of my children who could use ALEKS, along with a master account.  They even encouraged me to create a student account for myself so I did!  I’ve been working my way through the Algebra II course while BooBear age 16 (11th grade) has focused on Mastery of SAT Math.  Turtlegirl is working her way through Algebra I and Tailorbear is studying Middle School Math Course 2. 

A student accesses her coursework through the the MyPie tab. As the student masters each topic, the pie fills up.

ALEKS automatically assigns assessments periodically to determine a student’s progress.  ALEKS adjusts the MyPie chart to reflect this progress.  If a student misses a question the topic will reappear in the chart. These assessments typically occur after the student has completed roughly 20 topics.

One of the pluses of ALEKS is that it adapts to the students.  ALEKS will only make available topics for which you are ready.  If you have not mastered a topic, it will not let you proceed.  On the other hand if you are struggling with a concept it will not allow you to continue that session but instead will encourage you to try another concept and come back to the difficult one at another time. 

Another aspect that all of us appreciated was the notes of encouragement.  After completing a problem correctly you will see Good Job! or Very Good.  The student is told something like “Very Good, if you answer correctly two more times without help, I will add this topic to you your pie.” How many times a student must practice a topic before ALEKS will add it to the Pie depends on factors such as how many times the student asked for an explanation or whether the student got the answer correct.

I love that ALEKS is a mastery based program and that it includes review.  When a student first logs in s/he will be greeted with “Here are some topics you may want to review”.  I don’t like that the student can skip these by just clicking on the My Pie icon however, I do like that they can click on the review icon at anytime and review any topic.

Here are some thoughts from my children using ALEKS:

Thoughts from BooBear (Mastery of SAT Math): “ALEKS is OK. I’m not sure that it’s my most favorite math program. I wish it had an auditory option for explaining problems instead of just reading.  I’d appreciate having video explanations so that I could see and hear a problem being worked out.”

Thoughts from Turtlegirl (Algebra 1): “I really like ALEKS. It allowed me to go at my own pace and move as fast or as slow as I needed to. It also made sure that I actually knew the topic either through review or another assessment.  I liked the fact that I could choose from any available topics and if I needed a break I could go work on a different topic and not have to wait until I finished the first one.  ALEKS is a really good fit for me.  I wand my mom to buy it for me. It’s an awesome program.”

Thoughts from Tailorbear (Middle School Course 2): “It was good it challenged me. It was cool.  I liked the Pie Chart because it let me see.  I could see my progress.  I like trying to fill up the pieces. I wish I could keep using ALEKS for math.”

There are far more features of ALEKS than I can talk about in this review so I would encourage you to take a tour of ALEKS or check out the different courses they offer. 

ALEKS offers monthly ($19.95), 6 month ($99.95), and annual subscriptions($179.95).  ALEKS also offers family discounts for multiple children.

I only reviewed Junior High/High School level courses. Please visit the TOS Crew blog to read reviews from my fellow crewmates who have reviewed a variety a of levels.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about ALEKSAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received a two-month free trial to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

TOS Review See-N-Spell Quick Reference Guide

I do ok with spelling.  Most of my mistakes are typos and not true misspellings.  My oldest daughter though has always struggled with spelling.  Even now, in high school, it is her weakest area.  I have another daughter who is a natural speller.  Spelling comes very easy for her.  She is our walking dictionary.  This type of conversation happens frequently at my house:

“Hey, how do you spell  <a difficult word>?”

With a heavy sigh, “Look it up.  I’m not a dictionary.”

“I can’t look them up because I can’t spell them enough to find them in the dictionary.”

So you can imagine how excited I was to read this description:

“Easily find the correct spelling of 300+ commonly used American English words just by knowing the sound of the first letter or first few letters.”

I eagerly expressed interest in the See-N-Spell Spelling and Vocabulary Quick Reference Guide from CadenaSmith Enterprises.  Recommended for Grade 4 through adult this booklet is described as “Easy-to-Use, Fast, and Focused.”  The inside cover gives instructions on how to use the See-N-Spell.

This $9.99  reference guide includes a document sized See-n-Read Reading Tool.  (Want to know about the nifty See-N-Read tool? Check out my blog review of See-N-Read).   I found this tool helpful when I was trying to look up words in the “Commonly Misspelled” section.  (The instructions I mentioned above include how to use the See-N-Read tool with the See-N-Spell guide.)

Thoughts from BooBear (age 16): " I was frustrated because I would try to look up a word [in the first section] that I needed and it wouldn’t be in there.  There were words that I already knew how to spell but not the hard ones I needed.  The homophones section is good though. I liked that it had gorilla and guerilla.  I do always mess that up. I think this would have been really helpful when I was in 4th or 5th grade.”

[Mom note about BooBear.  I think she would benefit from using the 2nd section “Commonly Misspelled Words” as well as the 3rd Section “My Special Interest Words” which is a blank section, divided by letter, where you can list words you need.]

Thoughts from Tailorbear (age 12): “I used it when I was writing my paper for school.  It was easier to use than a dictionary. It’s like a spelling dictionary.  I thought it was helpful.” 

My Thoughts: I think the 1st section which divides words by function (noun, verb, adjective) would have been wonderful for my oldest when she was younger.  I think for natural spellers such as my Turtlegirl, this isn’t as useful as a tool.  She rarely needs help with spelling.  My favorite aspect is the homophone part of the 1st section.   On the page for Tt, you’ll find to, too and two as well as there, their and they’re including definitions so you’ll know when to use each word.  I think this is a very useful tool to have around.

I found the website could be hard to navigate so let me give you some specific pages to check out:

Description page:  http://www.see-n-read.com/seenread.html

Ordering page: http://www.see-n-read.com/store/seenspell.htm

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about See-N-SpellAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received this product free of charge to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

Book Review: I kissed Dating Goodbye

As the mother of 4 girls-3 of whom are in or near dating age-, I want a resource I can use to discuss dating and courtship.  I jumped at the chance to request I kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris.

From the Publisher: Joshua Harris's first book, written when he was only 21, turned the Christian singles scene upside down...and people are still talking. More than 800,000 copies later, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, with its inspiring call to sincere love, real purity, and purposeful singleness, remains the benchmark for books on Christian dating. Now, for the first time since its release, the national #1 bestseller has been expanded with new content and updated for new readers. Honest and practical, it challenges cultural assumptions about relationships and provides solid, biblical alternatives to society's norm.

From the Back Cover:

Tired of the game? Kiss dating goodbye.
Going out? Been dumped? Waiting for a call that doesn’t come? Have you tasted pain in dating, drifted through one romance or, possibly, several of them?

Ever wondered, Isn’t there a better way?

I Kissed Dating Goodbye shows what it means to entrust your love life to God. Joshua Harris shares his story of giving up dating and discovering that God has something even better—a life of sincere love, true purity, and purposeful singleness.

As I read the book, I found myself nodding.  Though I have not been “single” for over 19 years (2 years of being a couple + 17 years of marriage), I do remember when I was single.  My thoughts and views on dating were very similar to Joshua’s but unlike him, my views didn’t spring from a Christian perspective.  At least not consciously.  And I dated.  I just had a “rule” that if I couldn’t see myself married to the person, I didn’t accept a second date.  Well, most of the time that worked.  There were a few exceptions here and there. I think I would have greatly benefitted from reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye.

The book is divided into four parts: “Isn’t there a better way”, “The Heart of the Matter”, “Building a New Lifestyle”, and “Looking Ahead”.   Parts 1 and 2 spoke to me about my past and helped me to better understand what I couldn’t explain to my friends then. Joshua put into words some of the thoughts and feelings I had but he went further and backed it up with a Christian perspective.  He explains why dating is a set up for failure.

Parts 3 & 4 are not applicable to me personally at this time since I am married after all .  But these parts are the heart of what I want for my daughters.  I’ll be making sure that they read this book and that we take the time to discuss it.  Especially the part on page 115 about making your parents your teammates.

Joshua writes from the heart and shares his struggles.  He isn’t perfect.  He hasn’t figured it all out yet.  But he doesn’t claim to have it all figured out.  He keeps it real.

I highly recommend this book!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for this  honest review.

January’s Snow and Ice

Now that we’re into February and I’ve had several (4!!!) days in a row of sunshine, I’m ready to share about the week of um, interesting, winter weather.  Unusual weather and “historic” amounts of snow.

The first round.  This what fell Saturday.  I had a Sisterhood meeting at church but even though I wanted to go we thought it best for me to just stay home.

On Tuesday night we got another 6 1/2 inches.  We declared it a snow day!  Snowball fights!

Snow shoveling!

And a Snow Sphinx named Edward!

The next day brought yet another storm. This one ICE!  It was too much for our little tree. 

I can’t say that I’m sorry to see that week end.  I learned I really like my heat and electricity.

TOS Review: Celestial Almanack (February)

I love astronomy.  I especially love looking at the stars and learning about the constellations.  I confess that, though I am fascinated by the concept of astrophysics, the math is beyond me but I can still appreciate the stars and how constellations have been used to track and mark seasons for centuries.

I remember being so excited to take my first astronomy class in college.  The prereqs clearly stated that I did NOT need to know physics.  Somebody forgot to tell the professor who took over the class.  I think he thought it was the astrophysics class.  I just wanted to study the movement of the stars and planets and be able to recognize what I saw in the sky.

When ever I gaze up at the night sky, I am in awe of the Creator. 

The heaves declare the glory of God; the firmament shows the creation of His hands. (Psalm 19:1)

Jay Ryan, of Classical Astronomy, has started a monthly almanac for novice stargazers.  The Classical Astronomy Celestial Almanack a Visual Representation of the Sky is a monthly publication available from Curriclick for just $3.  As a member of the TOS Review Crew, I’ve been given a copy of the Volume 1 Number 2 issue.. 

Even though I love astronomy and star gazing, I was really hesitant about this almanac by Jay Ryan.  Why?  Well I live in the Pacific Northwest and I was afraid that I would only be able to read about the cool things in the night sky and not actually get to witness them.  But we’ve had several days in a row with beautiful weather and clear night skies. But even if I had not been able to do some of the activities, this almanac is still worth taking the time to read.

This 21 page e-book is overflowing with information! I learned so much and I am so impressed with this inexpensive (but highly valuable) resource.  I think the most important thing I learned was that I am in love with classical astronomy.  I didn’t know there was a name for it!

Two of my daughters have been as delighted and fascinated by this Celestial Alamanack as I am.  The three of us have been taking advantage of the rare clear skies here and were able to go out three nights in a row.  I love how Mr. Ryan has categorized things to find by 1 star, 2 star etc.  The higher the number of stars the more difficult it is to find with the naked eye.

I could keep going on and on about how much fun my daughters and I have had.  I could keep telling you how impressed I am.  But I think I want to tell you to just go buy it!  I know we’ll be wanting to purchase these every month.  We want to take the “Orion Challenge” and learn all 35 constellations in a year.

One last thought.  I just can’t resist.  I have to share how thrilled I was to see The Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple on the chart of page 4.   As a liturgical Christian, I just have to share this quote from page 3:

It is lesser known that February 2 is the The Feast of the Presentation of the LORD in the traditional liturgical calendar. This feast commemorates the dedication of the baby Jesus at the Temple, as recorded in Luke 2:22-40. This feast occurs 40 days after Christmas, to commemorate the period of the purification of Mary, as stipulated in the Law of Moses, according to Leviticus 12:1-4.
This is another aspect of how the traditional church calendar is designed to mark the seasons while commemorating events in the New Testament, with their correspondences to the Old Testament. In this way, the liturgical calendar dedicates large portions of the calendar year to remembering the narratives and other teachings of the Bible.

I wish that college professor had been able to use Jay Ryan’s materials!  I might have actually learned something back then!

I also highly recommend checking out Jay Ryan’s website especially the Sky this Month page.

Click on the banner below to read what my fellow crew mates had to say about Celestial AlmanackAll information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received this product free of charge to review. This review is my honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

DVD Winner (A Mile in His Shoes)

Thank you to all who entered my giveaway for A Mile in His Shoes.

I had 18 entries.  I used Random.org to choose a winning entry and random.org picked:

Number 18 is PK!   Congratulations PK!

I’ve received her mailing information and passed it on to the people at Propeller (who provided this giveaway opportunity).

PK, congratulations!  I hope you enjoy the movie!

The Measure of Success

It’s been a long while since I’ve participated in a TOS Blog Cruise. This week Marcy asks “How do you measure success in your homeschool?”

At first I thought, “I have nothing to say.”  Measure success? Many days just getting school work done is a mark of success.

Seriously, a successful day, a day I feel really good about, (which happens every now and again but not nearly often enough) is a day where I feel I have accomplished something.   All four girls getting 90 % or more of their assignment sheets complete, a couple loads of laundry done, and dinner actually made.  That’s a successful day in my life.

But how to measure achievement in my homeschool?  How do I know that my efforts in providing an education for my children is successful?  Is it all about grades? 

Nope.  As I type this I realize it is very much NOT about grades.  It’s about learning.  It’s about growing.  It’s about building character.  So how do you measure those things?  Can those things be measured?

For me, the measure of success is a light up look in the eyes, or a smile of delight at a discovery.  Sometimes, success is laughter or yes, even tears.  Those are outward signs of the successful work of learning, growing, and building.

“Mama, 2+2= 4.  I remembered!” “Mom, relationships are hard.”  “Look!  Look!  I got it!  I solved the problem!”  When I hear those things, I know I’ve been successful in my home school. 

This topic: How do you measure success in your homeschool? Will be live on the TOS Blog Tuesday, February, 7th.  You will be able to click on the link and go straight to this question.  Until then, please enjoy re-visiting past Blog Cruise topics.