Memoria Press (A Homeschool Crew Review)

Recently, members of the crew were offered their choice of four curriculum available from Memoria Press ranging in subject and grade level. 

For this review, I selected the Simply Classical Spelling program.  This included two books - Simply Classical Spelling Book One: Step-by-Step Words and Simply Classical Spelling Book Two: Step-by-Step Words.  This spelling program is for grade levels 1st-3rd as well as struggling writers.   I selected this selection because while my son excels in many different aspects of his homeschool education, language arts has always been a huge struggle with him. 

Written by Cheryl Swope, Simply Classical Spelling approaches word/sound recognition using a multi-sensory approach.  Students work thru necessary skills such as concentration, memory work, and phonological processing to help students to master spelling.   This program uses a phonics based oral spelling method . 

We were given both Book One and Book Two of the Simply Classical Spelling program.  These are consumable workbooks that the student completes their work in. No other materials are needed to teach this spelling curriculum. 

  

Book One works to introduce beginning sight words as well as consonant/vowel/consonant words, silent e words, plurals, consonant blends, consonant digraphs and possessives.  Book one includes 34 weeks of lessons with 30 different spelling lists.  It is a softcover book printed in black ink on white paper and is 76 pages in length. 

Book Two continues with more advanced combinations of phonograms, multi-syllabic words and includes more challenging words each week.  After studying words each week, students then can be tested to identify specific sounds, write the words that are comprised by those sounds, and then write full sentences using those words.   Book Two also includes 34 weeks of lessons. This softcover book is 154 pages in length and is also printed in black ink on white paper.  The last 20 pages of this book include an index that include weekly dictations,  weekly assessments (spelling tests), a scope and sequence for the course, and a "Certificate of Merit" at the end that is presented to the child after completion of the book. 

How We Used It

While Garrett is above the target age/grade for this program, I really thought he could benefit from it.  Garrett has really struggled with reading and spelling.  Being a special needs student, Garrett has a hard time making connections between letters in order to create sounds.  For example, Garrett recognizes the word "car" and will pronounce it properly most of the time.  However, the word "care" will more times than not trip him up and he will want to pronounce it much the same as "car". If I remind him "What does the E make the A do?" he will instantly make the connection and then pronounce the word properly and proceeds until he comes across the word again and the cycle continues. 

For our review period, we initially began working with Book One. However, after two weeks, we switched to Book Two simply because I thought he could benefit more from the format as well as the more advanced words included in those lessons.  

Because Simply Classical Spelling takes a multi-sensory approach, it seems to read Garrett on a different level then simply repetition does.  

This was the Week 1 work from Book 1.   These lessons consisted of two pages per week with activities using these words spread out over the course of the week.    The spelling list consisted of 5 spelling words along with two to three "Words to Know".

For Monday, Garrett would have to read the word aloud, spell each word out aloud, and also read the words in context section.  Tuesday, he was asked to again read and spell the words aloud and he would identify the patterns he found find in each word (CVC words, short e words, ect).   Wednesdays again he would read and spell the words aloud from the book and then we would have him close his book while I asked him to spell the word for memory.   Thursday we would do a spelling test  where he would write the word dictated to him.  Depending on how he performed on this test, he would spend Friday working on the words he misspelled until he could recite it correctly.

After two weeks of using Book One, I made the decision to instead switch him to Book 2.  Our use of this book following much of the same format as the weekly schedule for Book One, however, the weekly lessons in Book 2 are much more time consuming.

Book 2's spelling list consists of 8 words (although a few lessons have 9 words) as their Key Words as well as five "Words to Know".   Each week, the Key Words follow a specific spelling rule, such as Short A words, Double Consonant words,  CK words, ect. Each lesson consists of 4 pages in total to be works over the course of the week.

Using Book 2 was much similar to using Book 1.  Day 1 was spent introducing the key words and the words to know.  Garrett would read the words aloud and spell them and well as reading the sentences provided in the "Words in Context" section.  He would also take the time to write the word one time on the provided blanks.  On Tuesday, he would again read and spell each word, and read the sentences.  Day Three he would again recite the words and on this day he would write each of the words a second time on the blanks provided.

Thursday he would again have a quiz where he would  have a quiz.  This quiz would simply be my reading each of the spelling words aloud and Garrett would have to write them properly from memory. Any words incorrect he would then have to go back and correct and write three times in order to help him remember next time.

The final part of the program is the Friday Dictation.  I would simply use the list provided for each week in the appendix in the back of the book.   These dictation quizzes included him having to identify the sound I dictated, write the words dictated, and write the sentences that I dictated to him. 

While we are only a few weeks into Book 2, I am finding that it has been helping Garrett develop some confidence in actually writing in another curriculum that we are using.  While he's not composing large paragraphs, he is writing more than he has in the past without complaints, using many of the words he has studied so far with this program.   I highly recommend Simply Classical Spelling for any family who has a very reluctant writer/speller, especially special needs students,  as it's approach really seems to work well for these types of students.

For more information about Simply Classical Spelling or any of the other offerings from Memoria Press, be sure to visit their website.  You can also find them on the following social media platforms:

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Members of the Crew were offered their choice of four products for different age/grades from Memoria Press.  Be sure to click the banner below to read their reviews. 

Latina Christiana (A Homeschool Crew Review)

Ashleigh loves Latin.  After trying our hand with Chinese, Spanish and French, we struck gold when two years ago we were given the opportunity to review Prima Latina from Memoria Press.  Ashleigh absolutely loved it and her choice in foreign language was cemented for her.  This time around, we are reviewing Latina Christiana which is the next level Latin curriculum also from Memoria Press.


About Latina Christiana

Latina Christiana is considered an Introduction to First Form Latin, written by Cheryl Lowe.  As like most of Memoria Press's Latin courses written by Ms Lowe, it follows a Trivium learning path - grammar, logic and rhetoric learning.  In the first stage of learning (Prima Latina thru Fourth Form Latin),  students memorize Latin grammar and vocabulary words to create the foundation needed to progress to the Logic and Rhetoric stages of learning.   The Logic stage brings mastery of syntax and translation skills and the final stage, rhetoric has students reading Latin literature such as Ovid, Caesar, and Vergil.

Designed for grades third and fourth, the course is designed so that younger students will be prepared to move on to First Form Latin with success. Lessons are structured in such a way that even a parent who has had no previous education with teaching Latin can easily pick up the teachers guide and successfully teach the material. 

Latina Christiana picks up where Prima Latina leaves off.  The course is taught by Jessica Watson, Latina Christiana goes beyond simply memorizing vocabulary words and begins to introduce conjugations and declensions.  Designed to be taught as a beginning Latin course for students, the course is broken down into 25 weekly lessons.

For this course, students learn two of the five declensions and three of the six conjugations found in Latin.   By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

• pronounce, spell, and translate approximately 200 Latin words, 25 Latin sayings, 2 prayers and 3 songs
• understand concepts of tense, number, gender, and 1st, 2nd, 3rd person
• conjugate first and second conjugation verbs in the present, imperfect, and future tenses
• decline first and second declension nouns and adjectives
• give the singular and plural forms of first and second declension nouns

What We Received

For this review, we were given the following items:

• 3 disc DVD Set:  Contains all video lessons for the curriculum.  Roughly 5.5 hours of lessons taught by Jessica Watson. 

Screen Capture from DVD of Ms Watson

• Pronunciation CD: Audio CD containing complete pronunciation for each lesson as well as prayers and songs covered in the lessons. 
• Student Book (Fourth Edition):  105 page softcover book that serves as both the student text as well as workbook.  Contains 25 weekly lessons as well as 5 review lessons. Exercises reinforce memory work and teach grammar in incremental steps through simple translation. Grammar coverage includes 1st-2nd declension nouns, 1st-2nd conjugation verbs, 1st-2nd declension adjectives, the irregular verb to be, and 1st-2nd person pronouns.
• Teacher Manual (Fourth Edition): 187 page, soft cover, spiral bound teacher's guide that is designed for teachers who have no prior background in Latin.  Contains the complete copy of the student book with overlaid answers, comprehensive teaching instructions, grammar overview, as well as tests and quizzes. 

• Latina Christiana Flashcards:  pre-cut 3.5 x 2.5 inch heavy cardstock cards that contain all vocabulary, Latin sayings, and grammar forms taught in each lesson.  Latin is printed on one side while the English translation is printed on the opposite side.  Cards are numbered in the top corner to indicate what lesson the material was presented.

Flashcards for practice

How We Used It

Memoria Press uses a Classical Education approach to their learning materials, something my kids do not typically do well with, especially with their literature studies.  However, their approach to Latin education has always been well received in our home - Ashleigh does VERY well with their format.  Unfortunately, we hit a stand still last year when we tried to skip right to First Form Latin, which she wasn't ready for so we took a bit of a break.  I was pretty happy to be offered the opportunity to review Latina Christiana, the step below First Form, to allow Ashleigh to jump back into her Latin lessons without being overwhelmed.

Latina Christiana has been perfect for her needs.  While it wasn't part of the review items, we did purchase the lesson plans for the program from Memoria Press, which helped to break down what we should work on each day.  From there, it was really easy to add Latin back into our homeschool routine and only add roughly 20 minutes extra to our day.

Optional Lesson Plans for Latina Christiana

Our schedule worked as followed :

On Monday, Ashleigh watched the video lesson located on the DVDs.  These lessons are roughly 15 minutes in length and we found Ms Watson to be very easy to understand, although there were times we had to pause the video to allow Ashleigh to complete tasks in her book.   Each weekly video does a great job of breaking down the lesson so that Ashleigh can understand it.  Graphic slides, when presented,  are clear and easy for Ashleigh to read and follow along with in her book.

Capture from Latina Christiana Lesson 

After watching the lesson, Ash would work on her vocabulary drill sheet, simply writing each of her ten vocabulary words both in Latin and English as well as the weeks Latin saying.   Monday is also the day we would add her flash cards to her growing pile to work on all vocabulary during the week.

Ashleigh working on her Day 1 Vocabulary Drills

Tuesdays we listen to the included audio cd which helps to solidify proper pronunciation of her vocabulary words.  This audio lesson is also taught by Ms Watson and is perfect for uploading onto her tablet.  We also converted the CD to MP3 and put it on a thumb drive so that we can listen to the lessons when riding in the car.  After listening to the audio cd,  Ashleigh then works through the exercises located in her student workbook.  We also drill through her flash cards at least once and then she works on filling out another copy of her vocabulary drill sheet.  Tuesdays also have her working on her Grammar drill sheets where she can work through the conjugations and declensions of her words.

Day 2 Bookwork

Wednesdays and Thursdays are review days.  We spend a good bit of time working though flashcards, listening to the audio CD, and working on our vocabulary and grammar drills.  Ashleigh's goal over the course of these two days is to be able to write her Latin vocabulary words properly from memory to prepare for her weekly quiz. To help accomplish this, I will dictate the word to her and she fills out her grammar sheet, writing first the word followed by the English translation.

Finally, on Friday, Ashleigh has a quiz.  These quizzes are located in the back of the Teacher's Manual and can be printed out for the student to use.  These tests are pretty short and to the point - simply translating the English translations into her Latin vocabulary words as well as to show knowledge of her grammar portion of the weekly lesson.

One of Ashleigh's end of the week quizzes

Final Thoughts

Latina Chrstiana has been the perfect bridge between Prima Latina and First Form Latin and I really wish we had not tried to skip this step previously.  Ashleigh was completely over her head with trying to figure out the declension of nouns and the conjugations of verbs that it really shook her confidence in learning Latin.  Latina Christiana eases the student into this material, allowing them to get comfortable with it slowly so that they fully understand the process.    This has been a game changer for Ashleigh and I have no doubt that once she finishes this particular curriculum, she will be more than ready to move on to First Form Latin - the next step offered by Memoria Press in their Latin language curriculum.

For more information about the many different products Memoria Press offers, including their huge selection of Latin curriculum, be sure to visit their website.  You can also find them on the following social media platforms:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/memoriapress/ 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MemoriaPress    Tag: @MemoriaPress     

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/memoriapress/         

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In addition to Latina Christiana, members of the Crew were offered the opportunity to review curriculum for Phonics, Latin, and also Prose and Poetry.  Be sure to click the banner below to read their reviews today. 

Classical Composition 1: Fable Set (A Homeschool Crew Review)

If you've followed my blog for any amount of time, you'll know there are a handful of Homeschool Curriculum companies that I really enjoy and feel are leaders in the field.  Memoria Press would be one of those vendors.  We absolutely love their Latin curriculum and Ashleigh has done really well with it so when we were offered a chance to review Classical Composition 1: Fable Set, I thought it might be a good option for Ashleigh, since she enjoys Aesop's fables.


About Memoria Press

A family run company, Memoria Press aims to produce easy to use classical Christian Education material for both homeschool and private school situations.  Using a educational philosophy that focuses on training in liberal arts as well as familiarity with the great books and great thinkers of the Western tradition, Memoria Press believes a true Classical Christian education is the cultivation of wisdom and virtue though meditation on the Good, the True and the Beautiful.

Memoria Press overs a wide variety of subject material for grades K-12.  From Latin and Greek to Math, Penmanship and Language Arts, Memoria Press provides quality curriculum in a format that can be trusted to uphold Biblical beliefs while offering challenging material throughout your students educational career.

Classical Composition 1: Fable Set

The Classical Composition 1: Fable Set is written by James A. Selby and is for grades 4-12th. The set consists of three components:

Classical Composition 1: Fable DVD set - This 4 DVD set contains video instruction taught by Dr. Brett Vaden, an instructor at the Highlands Latin School and the Memoria Press Online Academy. Each DVD contains 5 lessons, for a total of 20 lessons of video instruction total.

Classical Composition 1: Fable Student Book - This 101 page spiral bound softback workbook contains both the reading selection as well as the written assignments for each weeks lesson.  Lessons are broken into 6 sections:

1.) An individual Aesop fable that the student will be focusing on for the assignment

2.) Plot Components - Students focus on the plot components: Recognition, Reversal, and Suffering.  Students must identify and give examples of these plot components from the reading selection.

3.) Variations - Each lesson contains two Variations exercises that are used to teach students how to

paraphrase both words and sentences by first identifying synonyms for given words from the reading selection and then using those synonyms to rewrite sentences from the same selection.

4.)  Outline - Students begin to identify plot structure from the reading by summarizing what they have read in the form of a structured but abbreviated outline by giving a basic account of the sentences used in the reading.

5.) Paraphrase - Students are asked to paraphrase the lesson reading twice in this portion of the lesson.  In the first paraphrase, the student tries to rewrite the fable as near to the original as possible.  They will then write the fable a second time, using their outline to write a more abbreviated version of the story.

6.) Final Draft - Using one of the two paraphrase activities, students can be asked to practice proofreading and correcting by creating a final, polished writing.

Classical Composition 1: Fable Teacher Guide - 101 Page Spiral Bound softback book provides sample answers for each of the 20 lessons, as well as offers both teaching and grading tips and guidance for assisting with the curriculum.


How We Used It:

Fable is the initial curriculum for the Memoria Press Classical Composition Series. This series focuses on the Greek ideology of learning called progymnasmata, which used rhetoric activities in order to teach composition.  Memoria Press's author James A. Selby is one of the leaders in using this method of learning to teach students compositional writing. 

Garrett isn't quite ready for this type of a curriculum, so I knew that I would be using this exclusively with Ashleigh.  Ashleigh is always up for something a bit challenging so I knew this would be perfect for her, but I also knew that it would be something we would use at a slower than recommended pace.  Because of this, we worked on one lesson over the course of two weeks.  This gave Ashleigh enough time to work on the larger sections of the lesson, such as the outline and paraphrase assignments, without feeling overwhelmed.

We started each week by watching the video lesson, so Ashleigh was able to watch each lesson twice during the course of the two weeks.  She liked Dr Vaden well enough and by watching the DVD lesson, I knew that she was being presented the lesson the way Memoria Press feels is proper, rather than Mom bumbling her way through it.  This took the pressure off me, allowing me to also focus on the lesson being taught by Dr Vaden, so that when we got to the workbook, I would have a better idea of how to instruct her if necessary. However, the structure of the lessons are pretty repetitive and easy to follow, so once Ashleigh understood what was expected from her, she basically could do much of it with little instruction from me.

The curriculum is a good one. It is well written, easy to follow and the structure seems as if it accomplishes the goal of teaching students how to paraphrase and rewrite passages they read.

For more information about Memoria Press and the Classical Composition series, visit their website. You can also find more information on the following social media platforms:

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• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/memoriapress/   

While Ashleigh and I worked on Classical Composition 1: Fables, members of the Crew were given the option to review not only Classical Composition 1 and 2, but also Traditional Logic 1 and 2 and also New American Cursive. Be sure to click the banner below to read those reviews and see if Memoria Press is right for your student.