History Pockets

Overview:

The History Pockets program explores events in history by having students create folder-like pockets out of paper and cover them with written facts and information about events. Students who enjoy crafts and hands-on activities will especially enjoy this program.

Key Characteristics:

• Brings history lessons to life

• Content is not heavy or overwhelming – just enough information to keep interest high

• Many hands-on arts and crafts activities

• Retain information through writing

• The student-made history pockets are great keepsakes

Things to Think About:

• Available for one year in grades 1-3 and two years in grades 4-5

• A good amount of prep time is needed for lessons

• Writing, coloring, and cutting activities can be time-intensive

• Surface level information rather than in-depth

• Extra pages may need to be printed

History Pockets Website

Acellus

Overview:

Acellus uses innovative video-based lessons to accelerate learning for grades K-12. Outstanding teachers and content make learning relevant to the real world. Each lesson is followed by a set of multiple-choice questions to assess comprehension. After completing the lessons in a unit, students can review all of the videos to prepare for the unit exam. If the student passes the exam, they move forward to the next unit. If they do not pass, the program moves them to the beginning of the unit to review and re-take the unit exam.  

Key Characteristics:

• Good for auditory learners who learn best by listening.

• Students can progress quickly if they pay attention to the lessons.

• Lessons are easy to follow with a predictable format.

• Students can quickly calculate how many lessons need to be completed each day to stay on pace for the course.

• Easy to catch up if students miss a day or even a week.

Things to Think About:

• Can be monotonous.

• If a student has trouble mastering a concept, they will be required to repeat lessons.

• Students learn at the recognition level vs. higher-order thinking. In other words, there is limited analysis, reflection, or critical thinking built into Acellus.

• Students must do assignments in 2 programs to receive full credit for the course: Acellus for lessons and tests; Canvas for written assignments and projects. There is no analysis or writing in Acellus, so students do extra projects in the associated Canvas classrooms that have been created by the teacher in order to flesh out these areas – deeper thinking, and more writing.

• Students can’t go back and see previous questions or videos except in the Review lessons before tests.

• Parents cannot see what the student worked on. Teachers can see records of time worked, lessons completed, answers, and scores for lessons and the whole course. The student (and parent) can only see how many lessons have been completed and what the next lesson is. Parents cannot go back to see a previous lesson.

• The videos often start out short and may get longer throughout the course. Therefore, students may underestimate how long it will take to finish the day’s lessons.
  
  Learn More:

Acellus Website

Course Outlines for Acellus

Bookshark

Overview:

BookShark is a complete, literature-based, curriculum that uses a variety of educational resources including literary fiction and nonfiction, biographies, illustrations and hands-on experiments to deliver an engaging and complete education that extends beyond textbook memorization.

Bookshark is easy for parents to teach, providing 36-week, 4-day schedules designed to save one day a week for sports, field trips or other extracurricular activities.

BookShark combines a proprietary History, Science, and Language Arts offering with a wide range of math options, to ensure you have everything you need for an entire school year.

Learn More:

Bookshark Website

Cathy Duffy Review

Flexpoint (FLVS)

Overview:

Flexpoint is an innovative digital curriculum. While it is predominantly text-based, it also includes interactive technology such as games for review, Discovery videos, virtual labs, and even some avatar clips. These core subject-area classes are very solid and great preparation for students planning to go on to future education after high school. The content presents real-world situations and asks questions that connect back to real events and situations as often as possible. K-12th grade.

Hybrid Option:

• Flexpoint Virtual Elementary (K-5th) * worksheets will be mailed

• Flexpoint Elem Info

• Online Lessons with a workbook packet sent from BWA

• Online subjects: math, language arts, science, and social studies
  

Key Characteristics:

• Rigorous

• Includes text to speech options

• Includes videos and interactive lessons

• Discussion-based assessments

• Compelling and varied

• Students and parents can go back to content when they need to review

• There are opportunities to work with the teacher and other students in the course if the teacher has set up these assignments as an option.

• Although the math is partially multiple-choice, it has “real world” problems. The lessons present the material in a way that relates back to how math is used in the real world.

• Students can see how much each assignment is worth so they can gauge how much time and effort to spend on each assignment. This is a great skill to learn.

Things to Think About:

• Requires strong reading and writing skills.

• Assignments vary in complexity, so it is not always possible to set a consistent daily goal. In other words, finishing 1 lesson per day could mean a short quiz or a long paper.

Learn More:

Course Outlines

Flexpoint Virtual Course Tours

Get Oregonized

Overview:
Get Oregonized is a history book for students in 4th or 5th grade that focuses on Oregon’s history and regions. Both the student book and Teacher’s Guide meet standards in social sciences for historical knowledge, geography, economics/finance, civics and government, mathematics, science, and the arts.

Get Oregonized is divided into two sections: Oregon’s history and Oregon’s geographic regions. The history section highlights various Native American tribes and the arrival of white people to the region. Students learn about famous explorers including Lewis and Clark, pioneers on the Oregon Trail, and about Oregon life through the eyes and words of children their own age. Important historical pioneer figures are featured including Henderson Luelling, Tabitha Brown, Asahel Bush, Asa Mead Simpson, and Abigail Scott Duniway.

The second half of the book explores the regions of the state. Students learn about Oregon’s diverse geography, geology, climate, economy, and agriculture.

Get Oregonized Website

Moving Beyond the Page

Overview:

Moving Beyond the Page is a unit study approach based on constructivist theories of learning that primarily targets gifted children. Each year’s curriculum is designated with an age range rather than a particular grade level.

• Age 4-5 (Recommended for kindergarten or advanced pre-k students)

• Age 5-7 (Recommended for first grade students or advanced kindergarten students)

• Age 6-8 (Recommended for second grade students or advanced first grade students)

• Age 7-9 (Recommended for third grade students or advanced second grade students)

• Age 8-10 (Recommended for fourth grade students or advanced third grade students)

• Age 9-11 (Recommended for fifth grade students or advanced fourth grade students)

• Age 10-12 (Recommended for sixth grade students or advanced fifth grade students)

• Age 11-13 (Recommended for seventh grade students or advanced sixth grade students)

• Age 12-14 (Recommended for eighth grade students or advanced seventh grade students)

Key Characteristics:

• Connects literature across many different subjects

• Students benefit from literature-based thematic learning

• Great for students above grade level and are good listeners (k-2nd) and independent workers (3rd+)

• Project-based learning – hands-on

• High-quality materials

• Great literature collection

• Offers an age range rather than grade level

Things to Think About:

• May be more challenging to use if teaching multiple children at once

• Significant amount of reading or lessons to be read out loud to students

• Significant 1:1 time for instruction and parent prep time

• Weak spelling instruction

Moving Beyond the Page Website

Odysseyware

Overview:

Odysseyware includes standards-based core courses and electives designed to support personalized learning. In many ways, this is a textbook online with a limited number of games and videos. Odysseyware is straightforward and easy to use; the program establishes a reliable routine with each unit following the same pattern of instruction, quizzes, and projects. 3rd-12th grades.

Key Characteristics:

• This is an online, teacher-graded curriculum

• Struggling readers may use the read-aloud feature to have all lessons read to them

• It has been around for a long time and includes a large variety of courses, especially high school electives in the area of computers, technology, and career fields

• Students and parents can go back to content when they need to review or check information

• Students choose 2 projects out of a larger list of projects for each unit

Things to Think About:

• Lots of reading is required, but the text is not difficult

• The projects include short research papers and posters; students are encouraged to reflect on and apply their own experiences

• Students use the percent progress to determine how much to do each day

• Assignments vary in complexity, so it is not always possible to set a consistent daily goal. For example, one lesson may be a short quiz while another lesson may include a longer research paper.

Odysseyware Website

Story of the World - History

Overview:

Story of the World History covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present in a four-volume series. While these books are written at increasing levels of difficulty, they might be read aloud to younger children and read independently by older. Provides a classical education approach to history. 1st - 5th grade.

Key Characteristics:

• Siblings from multiple grade levels can work on curriculum together

• Includes many optional project suggestions to deepen students’ understanding of each time period in history

• Parents often enjoy reading/listening to the history

• Vol. 1 -4 will give you a chronological account of the history of the world

Things to Think About:

• There is lots of reading out loud and explaining concepts in the early grades

• Book and workbook are not colorful

• Some of the histories include descriptions of violence

Story of the World Details

Timberdoodle

Overview:

Timberdoodle all-in-one curriculum kits are perfect for students who want their school-at-home life to be creative and fun. Games, art projects, and activities are all included in this kit along with specific instruction in every academic area. This is not an online curriculum. K-8th grade. 

Key Characteristics:

• Kits offer something for everyone

• Creative and specific instruction

• For the creative students

• Strong geography for younger students

• Has a weekly schedule for each grade level

• High emphasis on thinking skills

• High-quality workbooks, games, and activities

Things to Think About:

• The parent needs to have a significant amount of time to prep

• The curriculum kit includes many pieces

• The hands-on games don’t necessarily follow what’s being taught in the subject areas

• Subjects are not integrated

Timberdoodle Website