For this review I received two packages from Moving Beyond the page. I chose the Language Arts Package - Number the Stars which included the online curriculum guide and the physical book, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. I also chose the Social Studies Package - World Wars I and II which included the curriculum guide by Kathryn Walbert Ph.D., All That Jazz - A History of US Book 9 by Joy Hakim, and Where Poppies Grow by Linda Granfield. The suggested age range for both of these homeschool curriculum packages is 10-12 years old.
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| Language Arts Package (Online) - Number the Stars - $19.92 |
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| Social Studies Package (Physical) - World Wars I and II - $42.89 |
Moving Beyond the Page offers their homeschool curriculum in your choice of the online version or the physical version. You will need a computer with a high speed internet connection to gain access to the online version which contains lots of links of applicable resources on the internet that will be used in your child's study. The physical version lists those links as well. The online version also has a helpful tool called "IdeaShare" which you may have guessed by the name is an area where parents list ideas and resources they found while preparing their lessons that they think other homeschoolers will find useful as well. For the online version you will also need a printer and the free Adobe Reader software.
Each available package comes with its own curriculum guide and the literature books that are necessary to complete the study. The curriculum guide and literature books I received were soft cover. You will find a "what's included" link listed on each package page that gives you a detailed description of the resources.
How We Used Our Packages from Moving Beyond the Page
We had the online version for our Language Arts package and the physical version for our Social Studies package. My son really liked that he could type his reading comprehension questions into the Language Arts online package instead of writing them. He is not a fan of hand-written work assignments, so this was also a plus for me as well since I didn't have to hear complaints about writing. On the other hand, he did have to do some writing such as for the proofreading assignments where he used the editing symbols he had learned throughout the lessons. One of the great benefits of homeschooling - do what works best for your child - and make adjustments as needed! *smile* These assignments came in a PDF file which I was able to print out. This enabled me to keep them all in a file, ready to pull out for him if we used them. Sometimes I would let him type into the PDF file worksheet - it just depended on the mood he was in and/or the required task. Also included in a PDF file was a "Handy Guide to Writing and Grammar" that I printed and kept in a folder to use as a teaching guide for me and as a reference help for him.Very handy indeed!
My son LOVES history which is why I chose the Language Arts and Social Studies packages I did for this review. I love that Moving Beyond the Page specifies a topic of study that can be used concurrently with another subject. The two that I picked can be used independently, but fit so well together in a study of World Wars I and II.
Number the Stars, the Newberry Award winning literature book included in our Language Arts package, is the story of two friends and how their lives are disrupted and changed forever by the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Throughout this Language Arts study common proofreading symbols are taught with an opportunity to use what is learned through various assignments and projects. There was a project included where my son was able to pretend he was a journalist writing an article about Denmark during World War II. The focus of editing and revising writing assignments was the focus of study in this Language Arts package. The questions/exercises relating to the reading of the book could be done online since that is the version we had for the Language Arts package. Once these assignments were completed, I could print off my son's work from my printer. We loved the book and enjoyed taking turns reading it each day!
Helping him to understand that the story of Number the Stars was based on actual life in that time period led to great discussions that we were able to continue as we switched over into our Social Studies package of World Wars I and II that included the resources All that Jazz - A History of US Book 9 and Where Poppies Grow. We used our curriculum guide to help direct us through our reading time in these two books. Again, most of the time, I did not make him write down his answers in the guide and chose instead for him to answer them verbally. It's just as important to develop verbal communication skills as well as written skills which he gets enough of in Language Arts. There were lots of activities to choose from throughout our lessons such as vocabulary exercises and games using information from the reading assignments.
The literature included in the Social Studies package were packed with information and real-life pictures about World Wars I and II. My son poured over these two books taking in all the details included. They were a huge hit with him! My Opinion of Moving Beyond the Page
I really enjoyed using the packages I received for my review of Moving Beyond the Page. If you have a child who struggles with writing, I would highly recommend the online version of their packages since your child can type their assignments on the computer. Adobe will even allow typing on our PDF files, so that has been a wonderful option as well for his assignments! The online option will be the choice I'll go with in my future purchases from Moving Beyond the Page since my child struggles with writing.
One down-side of getting the online version is that once you activate your package, you only have it for 3 months. Be sure to keep this in mind if you decide to go with the online version. You can use your unit with more than one child as their copyright allows multiple printing of the student activity pages. This is a plus for families of multiple children.
I loved all the additional links to information pertaining to our study that helped to enrich our study even more! I loved how all the assignments and suggested schedule were provided for me in the curriculum guide. The curriculum guides are very parent-friendly as all the preparation and planning has been done for me! The answers to the student questions are included as well.
I would highly recommend Moving Beyond the Page for your homeschool! You can connect with them on Facebook to stay up-to-date on what they are offering.
Walking in His Grace,
Laurie
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