Building Reading Comprehension and Fluency Skills: A Review of Mosdos Press Literature - Opal

I received a copy of this curriculum from Timberdoodle for a 50% discount 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.

For our younger son's third grade year, I did a lot of research into what type of language arts program or materials I wanted to use with him. I knew I did not want to piece together something myself from books we read together or use solely unit studies. These are both valid ways to improve reading comprehension and fluency skills, but I wanted something different for his third grade homeschool year.

I read and watched several reviews of Mosdos Press Literature before I made the decision that I wanted to try their Opal edition this year with our son. As part of the Timberdoodle Blog Team, I was fortunate enough to receive a 50% discount in exchange for my honest review of these language arts materials. 

Description of Product 

• 2 Teacher's Editions – spiralbound
• 2 Student Textbooks – hardcover
• 1 Student Activity Workbook – softcover

Teacher's Editions 

While the Teacher's Edition has a classroom feel to it – describing the steps the manual takes to help you teach the same thing next year – and discusses possible classroom activities, a homeschooling family can easily adapt the lessons. I really appreciate that it is also homeschool-friendly, too. 

The Teacher's Edition has 12 parts: 

• Scope and Sequence 
• Lessons in Literature 
• Reviewing Vocabulary 
• Getting Started 
• Selection Summary 
• Blueprint for Reading 
• Guiding the Reading 
• Literacy Components 
• Tie-In Poems 
• Studying the Selection 
• Jill's Journal 
• Teacher's Answer Guide for the Workbook Activities 

The lessons are split between six units which are organized between the two Teacher's Editions and the Student Textbooks. The Student Activity Workbook is used for both units. Your student only has to flip the book over the second unit. 

• Unit One: All About the Story! 
• Unit Two: All About the Plot! 
• Unit Three: All About the Characters! 
• Unit Four: All About Setting! 
• Unit Five: All About Theme! 
• Unit Six: The Grand Finale! 

My Thoughts on the Teacher's Edition 

We are about halfway through Unit One after using the language arts curriculum for several weeks. I am finding it very easy to prepare for each reading selection. The largest amount of prep time on my part is reading the selection summary, getting started portion, and the eyes on focus each week. After this initial prep, I can easily assist our son as he completes vocabulary exercises in his workbook, answers the literal and analytical guided reading questions, and answers the closing questions in his notebook. 

I love the fact that the Student Textbook is part of the Teacher's Edition. I am easily able to point out key details in his text without having to look over our son's shoulder. The quality of the paper of the Teacher's Edition is thick, which reinforces the idea that these books are meant to last for a classroom teacher or a homeschooling teacher using them through the years to teach reading comprehension and fluency skills. 

A key component to the Teacher's Edition that helps me ensure that our son understands and comprehends what he has read is the Guiding the Reading questions. For each reading selection, there is a series of questions on each page that check for understanding. Questions might ask for a specific detail such as "What did the plane have to fly over in order to reach America?" Other questions require our son to think deeper about the story and sometimes make predictions when asked, "Can you guess where the ship was headed?" 

Previewing the material for the next reading selection

Student Textbooks 

Our Student Textbooks have that wonderful new book smell! The pages are colorful, and the text is easy to read. Each unit follows a similar setup, so children who enjoy consistency will find the textbooks easy to navigate and use while working on reading comprehension and fluency skills. 

With the Lesson in Literature, our son has learned about the elements of a story, plot, characters, and setting so far as he reads his textbook. This is done using short selections and key questions. Next comes the Blueprint for Reading in his book and a description of the focus of the reading selection. For example, in A Cane in Her Hand, the focus was on characters. We talked about the main character of the story, Valerie, and how she felt and reacted to events in her life. After the reading selection closes, there is a brief description of the author. This is followed by a prose piece before the final set of questions on the reading selection in the textbook. 

Just like the Teacher's Edition, the Student Textbook is divided into two parts with the Sunflower book having units 1 to 3 and the Daisy book having units 4 to 6. I found having the material split between two textbooks is helpful because the book is more manageable for our son to carry around and read away from the dining room table. 

Reviewing setting

I really like that the selections chosen are varied. We have read and will read works of literature that include: 

• The tale of a Pueblo Indian girl 
• The story of two young boys in Mexico 
• A story of a young blind girl 
• A Goldrush story 
• A tale about a young Korean girl who moves to America 
• A story taking place during the American Revolution 
• A story taking place on the journey of the Mayflower 
• Children searching for frogs 
• And more! 

Student Activity Workbook 

The Mosdos Literature Opal Student Activity Workbook is two-sided. For 99 pages, our son will use the Sunflower side and then flip it for the remaining 97 pages to use the Daisy side. While I like having the two textbooks, I am glad that the workbook is combined into one book. 

Just like the other two books, the Student Activity Workbook has thick pages which allow for erasures of mistakes without tearing the page. The pages are primarily green (Sunflower side) or blue (Daisy side) with some color illustrations scattered throughout. There is a glossary of vocabulary words at the end which I recently discovered. I can't wait to point that out to our son! This will help as he works on his reading fluency and learns new vocabulary with each reading selection.

Each story selection has several worksheets associated with it, including: 

• Two vocabulary activities 
• More About the Story 
• Language Arts Activity 
• Graphic Organizer 

Another helpful part of the workbook is the reference to the accompanying textbook page at the bottom of the workbook page. If our son has difficulty with a question, he can easily look back in his textbook for an answer or idea. Being able to go back to the textbook helps provide a way for our son to check how accurately he understands the story. 

Our Son's Thoughts 

When asking our son his thoughts, here is what he shared: "It helps me learn words I do not know yet." (Can you tell we were discussing vocabulary words today?) 

His favorite story so far is A Cane in Her Hand. He liked the story of Valerie. He really likes the ending, "Seeing with your eyes is important, but it isn't everything." He quoted that to me without the use of the book. 

He enjoyed completing one page in particular in the Student Activity Workbook: A Conversation. In this activity, he needed to fill in the missing parts of the conversation that was happening at a support group for the visually impaired. Valerie was a new member of that group and he needed to write down two things she would say in response to the other members. For example, when he had to write what Valerie would share as an introduction he wrote, "Well, when I got up, I couldn't find my new clothes. Everything was coming out of a dark fog." 

And, finally, when I asked him to flip through his Sunflower Textbook to look for what story he was excited about reading next, he picked the one we will start this week – Boom Town. It was either the bright colors of the illustrations that got his attention or the apple pie. Or maybe the fact that a lot of the vocabulary are words that we could relate back to Minecraft. For whatever reason, he can't wait to start reading it. 

In Conclusion 

While the main focus of this curriculum is building reading comprehension, fluency skills, vocabulary, and more skills connected to the language arts, there are also a number of unique assignments included with each reading selection that go beyond just reading and writing. For example, in the first selection, The Jar of Tassai, one of the two final questions said to "find an empty jar. Clean it well and decorate it. Fill it with something you like, such as candy or small pieces of a game." Another Creating and Writing question asks students to design an ad for a business that would have been in existence during the Gold Rush. Our son appreciates the opportunity to go beyond reading and writing to do something he considers fun and not like homeschool work at all. 

I know our son enjoys reading, but sometimes when asked to share about the book he is reading, he would not remember or be able to retell the story. I strongly feel that by working through the activities presented in the Opal edition, our son will build his ability to comprehend and remember what he has read. The fact that he can quote some of the stories already demonstrates that he remembers what he has read. 

I could very easily see our family using this same curriculum in a few short years for our daughter. The story selections are interesting, the questions posed are ones that develop critical thinking skills and reading comprehension, and they are attractive materials to use. As Timberdoodle provides you with the option to purchase the entire set - like we did - or just the parts you need, we could pick up the Student Activity Workbook for our daughter and reuse the Teacher's Edition and the Textbook. Being able to reuse materials is always a blessing for larger homeschool families. 

I would recommend Mosdos Press Literature Opal to families who are homeschooling third graders. I feel it has been a perfect fit so far for our son. I look forward to continuing to use it the rest of our homeschool year. 

Interested in more products from Timberdoodle? Check out these posts: 

• Puzzles in Our Homeschool
• Building Critical Thinking Skills with Games
• Using Classics to Teach About God: A Review of Little Pilgrim's Big Journey

Book Club: Book Review of The Barrister and the Letter of Marque

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.

I really did not want The Barrister and the Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson to end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how William Snopes gathered information for the trial of Captain Tuttle so much that I was sad when I approached the end of the story. Did I want to know the outcome of the trial? Yes! But I would have loved to read more about the characters. 

About the Novel 

Set during the Regency era of England (1795 to 1837), The Barrister and the Letter of Marque introduces readers to a range of characters, from the pickpockets of Whitechapel to the Prince Regent himself, and brings them all to life. If you are a fan of British history or Regency novels, there are so many locales you will recognize, including Newgate Prison, Whitechapel, The Old Bailey, and the ports of the Thames.

Lady Madeleine Jameson seeks out representation for her cousin – Captain Harold Tuttle. She needs the barrister, William Snopes, to prove Captain Tuttle innocent to keep him from the gallows as well as rescue her investment in the Padget and its cargo acquired in the Indian Sea. 

Before Snopes even agrees to take the case, he and his associates are met with difficulties at every step. They can't even meet Captain Tuttle for a long while because no prison will admit to holding him captive. The Crew scatters once they are released from the ship, including the important first mate who had seen the Letter of Marque. 

What Is a Letter of Marque? 

A letter of marque is a document issued by a government (in this case England) that authorized the person carrying the letter to act as a privateer. The private person would be able to attack and capture vessels or seize cargo from the ships of nations with whom the privateer's country is at war. So usually, letters of marque were only issued during times of war to private persons. In The Barrister and the Letter of Marque, the letter was issued to Captain Tuttle of England to enable him to attack and seize the cargo of a French ship, even though England and France were no longer at war. Without this document, Captain Tuttle would have engaged in an act of piracy like he was charged by the British government. So when it goes missing the night he returns from his voyage, things become very difficult. 

In addition to seeing how the rich live – through a ball and a few other scenes involving Lord Brummell – we also read of The Lanyard Pub in the East End and the home of the solicitor, Obadiah Cummings. Finally, we get a peek into the lives of the ruffians of Whitechapel when we read of Lonny McPherson and how he runs his crew.

My Thoughts 

I enjoyed reading The Barrister and the Letter of Marque immensely, from the prologue (where we learn why William Snopes turned his back on his privileged life) to the epilogue (where life appears to return to a happy normal for William Snopes, Edmund Shaw, and Obadiah Cummings), each scene was well written and interesting. 

I found William Snopes to be a most intriguing character. I looked forward to seeing what steps Snopes would take next as he prepared the case. I enjoyed reading the conversations between Snopes and Father Thomas, as well as learning more about Snopes' personal background. Of all the characters, Snopes was definitely the most developed. 

While there is a hint of romance to The Barrister and the Letter of Marque, that is not the focal point of the novel. At the heart of the matter is the trial of Captain Tuttle and the journey to collect evidence to prove his innocence. This work of historical fiction has a heavy mystery novel feel to it, and I think it all ties together very nicely. If you enjoy historical fiction, I would recommend The Barrister and the Letter of Marque.

Book Club: Book Review of Unexpecting

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.

There are some books that are so powerful and moving that I read the inspiring words through tears in my eyes. In Unexpecting: Real Talk on Pregnancy Loss, I found the words and wisdom that I wish were shared with me when I suffered a miscarriage before our youngest son was born. Rachel Lewis has shared her own stories of pregnancy loss as well as the stories of others to help moms and dads find the encouragement they need. 

"What to expect when you are no longer expecting." 

No matter where your loss falls – early to late miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss – Lewis tries to present useful information for you and your journey. In four parts, she goes over loss lamentations, love, and legacies. In each part, Lewis leaves readers with journal prompts for those who need to work out their loss on paper. One could easily skip from section to section as you seek the knowledge you need most at your time.

Rachel Lewis asks us to join her on this journey and offers love to us and our baby or babies. The book is written from a place of love in an attempt to comfort parents in the most difficult of circumstances. And while she opens her own heart, throughout Unexpecting, we read personal experiences from other moms and dads, too. There was more than one experience that resonated with me during the reading of the book.

"You get to grieve however you need." 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to grief presented in Unexpecting. Everyone's loss is different, and everyone approaches their grief differently. We have choices to make after our loss as our bodies, our spirits, and our minds need time to heal. We must work out our own grief triggers and decide when and how we will face those triggers. No one knows our journey better than we do, but it is so helpful to read that we are not alone on that path. 

Some of the specific things Lewis writes about include: 

• Needing to care for a postpartum body without a baby 
• Facing a myriad of emotions such as jealousy, betrayal, guilt, and joy 
• Seeking help if grief becomes depression 
• Finding comfort in God or the Bible when suffering 
• Helping your other children grieve
• Finding the new life you will lead
• Pregnancy after loss
• The decision to try or not to try again 
• Creating a legacy  

My Thoughts 

I found Unexpecting: Real Talk on Pregnancy Loss to be a wonderful book to read. One of the parts I felt the most connected to was in the very introduction. People often see the loss as just losing a baby. But Lewis writes you lost: 

"Your daughter's first smile.

The first time your son rolled over. 

The look on your sweet girl's face when you soothe her tears."

And so much more. 

"A whole generation, a whole lifetime of memories – gone the instant your baby's heart stopped beating" (13-14). This is the way I still feel all those years later. Whenever my due date rolls around, I wonder what our child would be like and enjoy doing. Would he or she like Minecraft like the rest of our children? What would our child look like? 

There are many points that hit home with me from Lewis' book. I think many parents – moms and dads (there is a section just for dads) – will find Unexpecting to be very helpful to endure their loss or losses. I would recommend this book to those who have suffered a loss or know someone who has. It can help those on the journey and those who walk alongside individuals on the loss journey.

Getting Ready to Homeschool: Last Minute Tips

Whether you are new to homeschooling or not, getting ready for a new homeschool year can bring many emotions and thoughts. There is the excitement of seeing your children learn alongside you, the worry that you will not do enough to teach your children, and the questions you ask as to whether or not the curriculum will work for each of your children. Through all the eagerness to get started and the anxiety that bubbles up, I want to remind you can homeschool your children. No matter if you need to use three math programs and two different foreign languages, you will be able to homeschool your children.

Finding a Curriculum That Works for You and Your Children 

There are so many options that finding curriculum can feel overwhelming. Perhaps you found what you thought was the perfect fit, but then you started using it. You read lots of reviews, watched numerous vlogs that showed you an inside look, but the curriculum just doesn't work for your family. 

Do not be afraid to put the curriculum aside. This could mean that you resell it, throw it out, or never log in again. Yes, this might hurt to do if you spent a lot of money on the curriculum. I like to pinch pennies and use what I have – especially if I paid a pretty penny for it – but nothing is worth the aggravation and stress an ill-fitting curriculum will give you. 

As a reviewer, there have been several products that are wonderful but not for us. There was even one where I could see my son learning typing and spelling skills, but he did not like it. He stalled having to complete the tasks every day. The fact that it was online and timed was causing him stress. I reevaluated and, after the review period, we took a step back for a few months. We went back to it once before our subscription expired but even after the hiatus it still did not work for him. So, we did not use it again for our son. And I would make the same choice even if I had paid for the subscription. Nothing is worth causing friction in my relationship with my son. 

In the past, I have shared several posts looking at specific curriculum for different subject areas, so I won't go into great detail on all your options in this post. I will recommend you remember even if you purchased something that is not working for you, seek out assistance from the company. They may have advice to offer you. And try not to spread your dissatisfaction across social media. Constructive criticism is one thing, but complaining just to complain doesn't help anyone. It is okay to say this did not work for us while remembering it can work for someone else.

Homeschooling Resources: Mathematics 

Homeschooling Resources: Language Arts

Homeschooling with Curriculum: Creating a Connection

How Do You Pick a History Curriculum? 

Ask for Help 

Don't forget to ask for help if you are struggling - even early in the homeschool year. There is a multitude of places where you can go for encouragement, from small blogs like mine to curriculum companies. You could reach out to members at your church or find a local homeschool co-op. On our homeschooling journey, one of the things I learned early on was that homeschoolers love to help other homeschoolers. 

Give Yourself Grace 

One homeschool tip to remember all year round is that you should give yourself grace. You and your children will make mistakes. That is okay. Even if you are a veteran homeschooler, you might need to find a new groove as your life circumstances change. If you are new, every day may seem like a challenge. I encourage you to take a day (or week) off if you need to. And if you need to track hours in your state or country for homeschooling, look at what constitutes life skills. I guarantee you there are many hours each day where you are homeschooling life skills. 

It is hard to give ourselves grace, but it is important. Our family is working through a unique set of circumstances. My mother moved in with us, and then she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This causes daily disruptions, scheduled and unscheduled, as I take care of her. I have had to change how I homeschool our younger children. So, they have a bit more independent work. I have also had to look at when we homeschool. Some nights, our son and I work on his language arts after dinner.

There are days when I feel like I am not doing everything that needs to be done while homeschooling them, but then I remember (or I am reminded) to give myself grace. They are clothed, fed, and clean. They can read, write, and do arithmetic. They enjoy learning new things. They have compassion. From book learning to learning how to care for others, their days are filled with valuable lessons. 

I pray you have a successful homeschool year. Remember, your year may look different from everyone else's, and that is perfectly fine!

Book Club: Book Review of Praying Mom

 

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.

I must admit that I often look at my prayer life as something to do when I have time. I join my husband in praying with our kids each evening at their bedtime but I often put off my own prayers and prayer life. yet I need to look beyond this idea of 'waiting for the perfect time.' Brooke McGlothlin has a chapter in which she addresses this in her new book, Praying Mom, so I was very happy to read and review it. 

So Many Challenges 

Brooke McGlothlin examines seven challenges moms face as they attempt to pray in Part One of the 203 paperback book. From not knowing what to pray to finding those moments to pray when taking care of our family, there are real world examples from the author's colleagues and friends to verses and prayer examples. There is also no assumption that those reading Praying Mom will only be Christian (she includes information for those who have recently accepted Jesus in the appendix), but she does assume readers will believe in God. 

To help combat all the challenges presented, McGlothlin presents many great points in Praying Mom. Readers could easily use the chapter titles to help direct their reading to find exactly what they need to support their own prayer life and journey. Some of the key ideas I pulled from Praying Mom include the following: 

• Pray the Scriptures. 
• When our lives are difficult, God has the strength we need. 
• God does hear our prayers but His plans are not our own.
• God is the only one who can fix our lives. 
• We need Jesus every day. 
• Prayer is important for mothers. It can help us see beyond the moment and get closer to God. 
• Take our lack of time and allow it to motivate us to pray. 

While Part One looks at the challenges a praying mom might face, Part Two provides specific quotes from Scripture and inspired prayers. These pages provide a great jumping point for those moms who feel they don't know where to start. Now they have Bible quotes they can examine in their leisure and prayers that they can pray. 

The key ideas I shared are just the tip of the iceberg for what the books has to offer moms who are struggling to find the time to pray. Readers could easily read through the entire book in a short period, but there are so many points that readers may go back and re-read the book several times. I recommend Praying Mom for those who are seeking to form a stronger relationship with God. It will help moms reach out to God as they raise and teach their children. God told us to pray, and I believe this book will help you to do that with confidence.