| Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp |
| Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp. All rights reserved. |
| about the book |
| The Homeschool Diner's Guide to Workbooks and Worktexts by Julie Shepherd Knapp, copyright 2006 Some children adore workbooks, others abhor them. If your child doesn't mind workbook-based learning, it can be a useful method for encouraging independent work, tracking progress, and providing skill-specific review and repetition. Workbooks are also helpful for keeping one child occupied while working with another. Workbooks that children can do on their own are valuable supplements for homeschooling families who travel or who frequently do their "school time" away from home. Many workbooks are actually "worktexts", containing both instruction and practice, providing both drill and review. Unfortunately, workbooks and worktexts often rely on a trivia-based approach to learning, where students simply re-hash the same information, over and over, in the course of several exercises. While this is a good approach for attaining rote memorization it does not provide adequate opportunity to apply the knowledge to new situations or in practical or ways. Better quality worktexts include problem-solving items that encourage this kind of higher-level thinking in addition to the traditional fill-in-the-blank and define-the-term exercises. Be aware that some workbook activities are mainly busy work in nature (not really teaching new skills). Some children need busy work, others rebel against it. Either way, do be sure that the work you give your child is worth their time and effort. Look for a variety of exercise types to keep the student's interest, including fun items such as mind-bogglers, puzzles, challenges, and extension activities. When choosing a workbook, read a few sections to see if the explanations are clear and sufficient for independent work. Check the Table of Contents to see that the book cover the topics you need. Keep in mind that some children enjoy workbooks with colorful pages and cartoon humor... others are distracted by anything but plain black and white. You will soon get to know your child's preferences. Curriculum Suppliers and Other Resources: Here is a sampling of workbook and worktext suppliers. In addition, several curriculum suppliers listed in the "School-at-Home" Section use worktexts that can be purchased separately or as a package. Alpha Omega Publications - (K - 12) a Christian focused curriculum available for purchase separately or by enrolling in the "Alpha Omega Academy", the Academy is a "mail correspondence school" which uses the "LifePac" work-text based curriculum, placement tests available for each subject, homeschoolers can mix-and-match LifePacs for an individualized learning experience, emphasis is on rote memorization and review, LifePacs are mostly fill-in-the-blank format, lab science includes watching videos of experiments, uses Horizons Math, uses Power-Glide for foreign language, offers Weaver unit study curriculum, curriculum comes in compact, matching boxes Switched on School House - (3 - 12) a CD-Rom version of the Alpha Omega curriculum used in some private schools, 90% of school work is done on the computer thru interactive worktexts A Beka - (preK -12) a packaged accredited curriculum used by many private Christian schools, can be used independently or by enrolling in "A Beka Academy" cyber school, a textbook-based curriculum with DVD options and worksheets, emphasis is on detailed rote learning, focus on computation skills, lots of quizzes, tests, quite a bit of busy work Global Village School for Peace and Diversity Studies -- (K - 12) a progressive, customizable homeschool program using online worktexts and text-based curriculum, students may work at their own pace, accredited diplomas available, "...Our courses integrate peace, justice, and diversity studies with the core subjects..." Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company - publishes workbooks in all subject areas and for all grade levels, the Mark Twain Media division includes many high-quality middle school level worktexts Learningpage.com - (preK - 6) free instructional materials and worksheets to download or print, registration required Evan-Moor Educational Publishers - (preK - 6) a variety of standards-aligned workbooks, thematic units, and practice books for all subjects SRA/Mcgraw-Hill - (K - 8) a variety of workbooks and worktexts for all subject areas, designed to help students build skills needed to improve scores on standardized tests Bright Minds Critical Thinking Books and CD-Roms - workbooks full of puzzles, brain teasers and critical thinking activies, and educational software Bright Ideas for the Gifted and Talented (a.w.peller & associates) - educational games, workbooks, and hands-on activity kits PrufRock Press - a supplier of worktexts and magazines for Gifted and Talented education, parenting resources Dover Publications -- a wide variety of activity and coloring books |
| "What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence." -- Samuel Johnson "Practice is everything" -- Periander |
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