Monday, November 29, 2021

Book Club: Book Review of 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect

A Mom's Quest to Teach logo:  Book Club: Book Review of 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect with colorful leaf background

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.


In this busy world where we live, it is nice to be able to step away and find solace in the Bible. Sometimes, we don't have time to sit down and read long passages for inspiration. So, it was wonderful to read 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect: Lighten Your Load and Brighten Your Day by Christopher D. Hudson and Stan Campbell. 


About the Book 


There are 90 devotions in this 192-page paperback book from Bethany House Publishers. Each devotion written by Christopher D. Hudson and Stan Campbell is accompanied by a black-and-white illustrated cartoon by Dennis Fletcher. The devotions each begin with a Bible quote and then a reflection upon one topic, such as self-denial, wants and needs, church membership, being welcoming in the church, participating in the church, reading the Bible, and more. 


A Mom's Quest to Teach:  Book Club: Book Review of 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect with cover of book


My Thoughts 


3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect is not like other devotions where you can use the chapter titles or skim them to pick out topics you wish to read. The devotions are written in such a way that I found I had to read and reread them to reflect upon their messages. The cartoons provide a laugh, but the book is full of wisdom and deep thoughts. 

As each devotion opens with a Bible quote, I liked to have my own Bible with me as I read 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect. It was nice to read the quote in context after reading the devotion. As I was reading the book, I found many devotions I wanted to share with my family, friends, and co-workers. The devotions made me think and reflect upon the word of God and my relationship with Him, my church, and others. 


A Mom's Quest to Teach:  Book Club: Book Review of 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect Cover of book and cartoon


Some of my favorite devotions include: 

  • Something in Your Eye? – A look at how social media, restaurants, televised talent shows, and more ask us our opinion and for our judgment. 
  • Future Shock Absorbers – Clinging to God's love instead of being afraid. 
  • What's Your Number? – Examining our obsession with popularity. 
  • What Would Jesus Tweet? – Keeping the personal connection and touch. 
  • Welcome to the Priesthood – Doing our part for the church. 
  • Joyful Noisemakers – Making all welcome in our church, including noisy children. 
I would recommend 3-Minute Devotions to Laugh and Reflect to those who are seeking to reflect upon the teachings of Jesus once a day. This book would be a welcome addition to most coffee tables, bookshelves, and libraries. 

I previously reviewed The Most Important Stories of the Bible by Christopher D. Hudson and Stan Campbell. Please check out my review here: Book Club: Book Review of The Most Important Stories of the Bible.

Monday, November 15, 2021

Critical Thinking and Supporting History: A Review of U.S. History Detective® Book Two

Critical Thinking and Supporting History: A Review of U.S. History Detective® Book Two with cover of book and A Mom's Quest to Teach logo

I received a COMPLIMENTARY copy of this book from Timberdoodle in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

While I am not one to find studying history boring, I realize that many do not share the same love of the past that I do. Bringing the subject alive and making it memorable while helping students build critical thinking skills is an important part of education. When teaching history in our homeschools, we also have to keep in mind that there are so many different areas of history that we can teach. How can we expect our children to remember all the details?


Provide our children with quality and engaging resources to help children learn about the past. 


The Critical Thinking Co.™ publishes U.S. History Detective® Book Two, which is part of the Nonreligious 2021 Ninth-Grade Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle. This 312-page paperback book is a perfect addition to your homeschool US History course. It starts with the Gilded Age and moves all the way through to the Obama Administration. There are both black-and-white and color illustrations, maps, political cartoons, photographs, and more, which add to the beauty of the homeschool history book.

As our oldest son graduated recently, we used this history resource differently than we might have done in the past. I wanted to continue his education – especially as it relates to U.S. History and developing his critical thinking skills – while he decides upon his future path. Having the opportunity to review U.S. History Detective® Book Two fit perfectly into this plan.

U.S. History Detective® Book Two can be a stand-alone textbook, provide supplemental activities, or act as a review book for your child grades 8 to 12 and up. We used it more as a review book as I let our son pick and choose what he wanted to read about and complete.


Critical Thinking and Supporting History: A Review of U.S. History Detective® Book Two; cover of the book; A Mom's Quest to Teach


About U.S. History Detective® Book Two 


There are two books available for print or eBook form from The Critical Thinking Co.™, and you can find both as paperbacks available from Timberdoodle. In Book Two, there are nine sections which include 56 lessons. These lessons focus upon individual passages where students must provide supporting evidence for their answer choices. The questions about each lesson consist of multiple-choice, short-answer, and short essay questions.

Section 1: The Gilded Age: 1870-1900

Section 2: Imperialism and Progressives: 1890s-1910s

Section 3: The Great War: 1914-1919 

Section 4: The Roaring Twenties: 1920-1929

Section 5: The Great Depression: 1929-1939

Section 6: World War II: 1939-1945

Section 7: The 1950s

Section 8: The 1960s

Section 9: 1970s-2016

In the Introduction to Section 6 and Lesson 30, students will read about World War II, review a timeline of key events, read about the rise of dictatorships, appeasement, the start of World War II, and the third term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and examine a political cartoon by Dr. Seuss. This is followed by nine multiple choice and short answer questions and a written response question: "Use complete sentences to explain why President Roosevelt and Congress were reluctant to involve the U.S. in the war against the Axis Powers in the late 1930s."


text from U.S. History Detective® Book Two about the Populist Party


Questions from  U.S. History Detective® Book Two


Question from  U.S. History Detective® Book Two


How Did We Use U.S. History Detective® Book Two in our Homeschool? 


As our son has graduated, I used the book as a review source for him. At the beginning of the review period, I handed it off to him and asked for it back to complete my review. While he did not complete as many lessons as I would have liked if he was still "in school," I also understand he has many responsibilities as a graduate. If we were using this as a part of our homeschool curriculum, I would assign two to three lessons a week along with primary source and secondary source materials to read. The written response questions would provide homeschool students and parents with excellent starting points for discussions. They could also be developed into essays or research papers with a little bit of work.


My Thoughts 


I have had the pleasure of using several products from The Critical Thinking Co.™ over the years, and they have never disappointed me. They do help our children use critical thinking skills and reinforce key ideas such as fractions, vocabulary, and events in history. U.S. History Detective® Book Two is wonderful because it does not require a lot of parent involvement. While you can easily discuss each lesson and examine the supporting evidence for each question, you can also allow your child to work on it by themselves.

I really like how the U.S. History Detective® Book Two encourages readers to use their critical thinking skills to find evidence to support historical conclusions. The book provides both primary (first-hand accounts) and secondary (materials written by historians or others who were not present at the event) sources to help students reach conclusions about what they have read. Each passage has the sentences numbered so that students can mark their answers with the supporting evidence. A key part of upper-level history courses is also drawing inferences and conclusions based upon historical events and evidence. This book helps students practice and hone those skills which will help them in future essays.

Having taught Advanced Placement U.S. History when I was a high school teacher, I could see this being a very useful resource to assist students in their preparation for the AP Exam. As each lesson is short, they could review the material, complete the questions which require them to critically think about the subject material, and write essay outlines for the written response questions. This homeschool resource can help students on their journey to bring together, compare, and contrast historical information and present clear arguments. 

I would recommend U.S. History Detective® Book Two for any family who is studying U.S. History II. I think the grade recommendation by The Critical Thinking Co.™ is accurate (8-12) and the placement in the 9th Grade Curriculum Kit from Timberdoodle is also good. It provides a compact look at U.S. History while helping your child develop their critical thinking skills.

 

Cover of U.S. History Detective® Book Two and written response page

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