Art of Argument; Classical Academic Press TOS Crew Review 2012

  
Middle School has proven to bring many opportunities to my boys. Having the opportunity to homeschool my boys through this time in their lives is rewarding and also challenging. I am always looking for curriculum to challenge them and recently was given another TOS Crew opportunity from Classical Academic Press to review their curriculum, Art of Argument. This curriculum of Logic is geared to middle school kids and early high school students, from grades 7-9 or an older child if they have no prior Logic education.
Here is what Classical Academic Press has to say about their Logic curriculum, Art of Argument...

Junior high aged students will argue (and sometimes quarrel), but they won't argue well without good training. Young teens are also targeted by advertisers with a vengeance. From billboards to commercials to a walk down the mall, fallacious arguments are everywhere you look. The Art of Argument was designed to teach the argumentative adolescent how to reason with clarity, relevance and purpose at a time when he has a penchant for the "why" and "how". It is designed to equip and sharpen young minds as they live, play, and grow in this highly commercial culture. This course teaches students to recognize and identify twenty-eight informal fallacies, and the eye-catching text includes over sixty slick and clever, “phony advertisements” for items from blue jeans to pick-up trucks, which apply the fallacies to a myriad of real life situations.







This text comes in a workbook format with clear explanations and many updated illustrations and examples to insure understanding and mastery. The text aims at the practical application of the informal fallacies through an analysis of current social, commercial and political issues, which are discussed and evaluated. This practical application should insure that students continue to evaluate arguments, detect fallacies and reason well long after the course is completed.

Students master 28 fallacies (such as begging the question, the straw man, ad hominen, et al) by studying many pertinent examples. The text features a variety of:






•Dialogues


•Worksheets


•Real-World Applications


•Phony Advertisements


•Dialectic Discussion Questions


•Tests


•Fun extras such as a humorous skit for students to perform, and the famous short story, Love is a Fallacy by Max Shulman


The Art of Argument has been revised to include:










•Improved chapter and unit organization for greater ease of use


•Fallacy explanations rewritten for clarity


•Many added and updated examples


•Ten new and revised advertisement illustrations


Parents and teachers beware--students may use these skills against you!

The Art of Argument Teacher's Edition and The Art of Argument DVD Set are also available. The greatly expanded Art of Argument Teacher’s Edition now includes the entire student text, answers to all exercises, and new chapter and unit tests. The DVD Set features three experienced logic teachers and four capable, enthusiastic students discussing the 28 fallacies with contemplation and humor. Each discussion seeks to make a practical application of the fallacy to student life, advertisements, political speech, and various kinds of ethical and philosophical debates.

   Having a house full of teenage boys there is always a debate going on about some topic or another, and more often than not it gets particularly heated as the boys do not truly know how to explain their thoughts and logic in a productive and thought out manner. Having one teenager in public school (never truly homeschooled except what we work on after school hours) and 2 middle schoolers that have been homeschooled for the last few years creates a whole other set of challenges. Many discussions at our dinner table could be a scene right from a debate forum, some even make me rather antsy to just table them before someone's feelings get hurt.

   While using the Art of Argument curriculum I have seen huge gains in my boys 7th and 8th grade as they have been learning how to truly get their point across in an articulated conversation and have been gaining tools to support their argument and stand up for themselves. They now use valid points to back themselves up and they think their arguments out thoroughly before just blurting things out when opposing each other.

  My boys have Asperger's Syndrome and do not always know how to express their feelings and thoughts even in regular conversations, especially with those they are not too familiar with. I have seen an increase in their confidence in everything they do as they continue to study the Art of Argument Student Workbooks. I know they have noticed too, they recently asked me to order the remaining DVDs that go along with the book, we received the first one with our review materials. They are truly enjoying learning Logic and want to continue, I think this is wonderful. I can see this as such a useful tool as they grow older and move into high school subjects. This can be quite useful when even writing essays and other topic papers. I am considering adding a small debate class into our schedule for next year. Having them pick a side of a subject and run with it. The possibilities are truly endless.

  Along with our Student Workbook of Art of Argument which retails for $21.95 and is the first in a series, we also received the Teacher's Edition which is $24.95. You can see a sample lesson of the student workbook Here and one of the Teacher's Edition Here. Included with our two books was the first of the DVDs that include video lessons that demonstrate the Art of Argument using 3 experienced Logic teachers and 4 enthusiastic students. The series of 5 DVDs sell for $54.95

The Art of Argument DVD Set contains:


•5 DVDs containing a total of more than 8 hours of video


•28 videos—one for each fallacy contained in The Art of Argument text


•Fun outtakes, extras, and “logical” humor

Click here for a video sample of one of the DVDs

After finishing Art of Argument you can move on to the follow up books in the logic series from Classical Academic Press with The Argument Builder and there is also The Discovery of Deduction for children 9th grade and up.
 Please be sure to follow the linkys from our TOS Crew Blog and see what my fellow crew mates had to say about their experience with Art of Argument.
“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or


services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it

on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally

and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance

with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the

Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Creek Edge Press Task Cards TOS Crew Review 2012

   
We are always on the lookout for new Science Curriculum and add ons, Science seems to be one of the boys all time favorite subjects. Recently as part of the TOS Crew we were sent a package that contained items from Creek Edge Press. The boys lately have been rather fascinated with Earth and Space Science so I was so excited when I saw that we were sent our first choice in that category.
    Creek Edge Press has developed Task Cards in various subjects such as Science, Art, Grammar, Music and Social Studies, which includes, History, Geography and Culture. Social Studies was our next choice as that is a favorite of ours as well.  The Task Cards come with a Student/ Teacher guide as well as the set of 10 cards.
    The Philosophy behind the Task Cards is this...

Creek Edge Press Presents: The Task Card Approach







Our goal is to provide a simple tool that pulls together the best of Classical, Charlotte Mason, and Montessori education. We do this with affordable, topic based Task Card Sets that facilitate discovery based, research oriented, independent learning.






The Task Card Sets are non-consumable and are designed for use by multiple grades. Specific books are not indicated in the tasks, making them easy to customize for use within your home. They support the following educational styles:

Classical – The tasks point to key vocabulary that students will use in future years of study. The tasks encourage students to read, think, and respond. The research tasks facilitate a habit of reading for detail, preparing the grammar stage student for work in the dialectic stage.

Charlotte Mason – The tasks rely on narration, in a variety of forms, as a primary means of response to reading and listening. The student encounters meaningful ideas and beautiful expression within the materials chosen for study.

Montessori – The parent prepares a learning environment and the student engages in research tasks indicated on the cards. While the topics on the cards are specific, the tasks are purposely open ended to allow for individual investigation and response at the student's pace.

   The Task Cards are set up with a step by step student led plan of activities and there are other items needed in order for the student to complete the objectives, for instance a Science Dictionary and Thesaurus and a list of books that can be found online through E-Reader catalogs such as Amazon for the Kindle, or you can check many of them out at your local library.

    What I loved about the cards was that they promote independant study and work ethics, something we are really trying to promote this year as the boys get older. Being that they are chronologically in 7th and 8th grades this year we are working hard to have them functioning social and developmentally as their age appropriate peers, something that their Asperger's has always hindered. This year we are doing a work box study approach for many of our daily activities and these Task Cards worked right into our set up. I was also happy to see that the Task Cards are a multi-age learning resource for students grades K-8 so that the boys could work together as well as independently on the same tasks. I love when I find curriculum items that fit this category, with the boys only being 1 grade apart and barely a year in age difference it helps tremendously to do the majority of our school work together and it helps school flow when we are all on the same page.
  In addition to working on independent and group work ( the boys working together to complete a task), we have also been focusing more on independant research projects and essay papers. The Creek Edge Press Task Cards were wonderful in lending a hand in that direction.
The Task Cards are set up in a form that gives the boys bullet pointed tasks which is great for all kids but especially kids with special needs. I think I may laminate our Task Cards so they can check off each item with a wipe off marker as they complete the steps. The boys work better when they can visual separate what has been completed and what still needs to be accomplished.

   Another trait of the Task Cards that I like is that all of the components are non consumable so not only can we use them again but I can share with my good friends that homeschool as well. I love being able to share my homeschool resources with friends, it is a great feeling to bless others after you have been blessed by a stellar product.
  Be sure to check out the gallery at Creek Edge Press for more images of the vast array of Task Cards they offer to homeschoolers. Also there is a FAQ that goes into more deep discussions on the hows and whys of the Task Cards. You can purchase your Task Cards for $18.00 and up per topic or the whole set of a Subject like Science for $65 and higher. There are other areas worth checking out on the Creek Edge Press Website, like testimonials and the About Us pages. There are also some great articles written about the Task Card approach.  Be sure to take the time to stop by the blogs of my fellow TOS Crew Mates to hear all the details of which Task Cards their families were blessed in receiving. Each of us got to chose which ones we felt would be the best fit for our family. So there are many choices to read about.

Reading Eggs TOS Crew Review

              
   TOS Crew members were given a 3 month trial of an online reading comprehension program called Reading Eggs. This is an online interactive program that helps children ages 3-7 get started with finding a love for reading. There are games and colorful characters and sound recognition. The children become captivated by songs, puzzles and games all while learning alphabet recognition all the way to reading early reader books. The characters are fun and do a wonderful job of engaging the children into reading.
 There is another component of the Reading Eggs World and this is called Reading Eggspress, this is for older children that have some fluency with reading but need to build on their reading skills. This is perfect for children ages 7-13.

  Reading Eggs was designed by Educational Experts and focuses on core concepts and site words.  Children will enjoy using Reading Eggs as they work on their own individualized reading experience as they work at their own pace, not feeling rushed or overwhelmed.  There are 100 reading lessons for the "Eggsplorers" to work through as they continue on the reading journey. There are more lessons in the works for the older age range of kids.

  Here is a glimpse into the world of Reading Eggs so you can get a feel of what is in store for your young reader...

  As your children work to explore Reading Eggs World, they will work on stories that are on the year 2-6 level and earn online game rewards for completing lessons and quizzes. As your little reader ventures through stories both fact and fiction they will travel the Reading Eggs World by the online map. As they complete each map they have a quiz to take. Reading Eggs Parent reporting system then emails the progress and quiz results to the parents, so you always know how well your children are fairing in the land of reading.

As they complete maps by taking and passing the Quizzes they will unlock a new map to explore. Here is a sample of what the reading test looks like.

  There is more to Reading Eggs than just an online world, they offer companion books a writing workbooks.
While these added workbooks and companion books are optional and do not need to be purchased to use the online Reading Eggs World, they do help to reinforce the lessons and principals learned and used online.

There is a 14-day free trial available, so there is no risk with Reading Eggs. Subscriptions are available in the following options:
•12 months for $75 (add a second or third child at 50% off)

•6 months for $49.95 (add a second or third child at 50% off)

•Monthly for $9.95
To learn more about Reading Eggs, be sure to visit their website.  Also be sure to check out the reviews from the other TOS Crewmates and see what they are saying about Reading Eggs. I do not have children in the Reading Eggs age range so my review was simply informational, but many of the crew members used this program with their kids that fit perfectly in the recommended age range.
 
 


“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or


services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it

on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally

and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance

with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the

Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Wordless Wednesday A Lil' Ink Amongst Friends

Beeyoutiful TOS Crew Review

       
Over the course of the last couple years my family and I have made a conscious effort to maintain a healthier lifestyle and with that comes searching for and using more natural products. We have been eating more organic foods and far less processed foods and each week add one more healthier choice and remove a processed item from our daily regime. This of course is not just food orientated. Healthier choices come in all varieties and one of this is health and beauty aids. Some of us on the TOS Crew were given the opportunity to try some products from a company called Beeyoutiful. The folks over at http://www.beeyoutiful.com/ have made a decision to use healthy and natural alternatives when it comes to taking care of their health and they have chose to share many of these products with the public on their website.

     All of us on the crew were sent 2 products but the fun thing was we were not all sent the same 2 products, I was sent a B.A.L.M.: Beeyoutiful All Natural Lip Balm that sells for just $3 which if you know anything about good lip balms in the store this is a fair and comparable price and yet a much healthier alternative than most. I was also sent was Ow !- Ease  which sells for $15 on their site. I am pretty sure that you all know what lip balm is for, so I won't bore you with a bunch of details about how it is used. I will tell you that it is made from all natural ingredients and it works wonders and there are 2 flavor choices orange and then the peppermint that I received, I cannot wait to order the orange since I love citrus scented and flavored just about anything and I am going to order more than one since if you order in bulk you receive a discount so I can order 3 or more and they will go from being $3 to only $2.70 each.
Here is what Beeyoutiful has to say about B.A.L.M.

Who hasn’t struggled at some point with dry, chapped lips?
Either during the dry winter months, after being outside gardening or during sporting events, or even during a cold. Conventional lip moisturizers can be harsh and even damaging to fragile lip membranes with chemicals and fuel derived bases. Beeyoutiful’s all natural Lip Balms offer you a choice of a soothing, healing lip balm that you can be confident in the ingredients, knowing you are using the very best on your lips!
The convenient size fits in your purse, pocket, diaper bag or gym bag for easy access wherever you may be.

  The other product I received was Ow! Ease and unfortunately I got to use alot of it, this past month has been a menagerie of bumps and scrapes and bruises and cuts around our house. The most recent was my tumble in the parking lot at a doctor's office resulting in a broken  foot, a sprained ankle and a swollen knee and bruised hand. I was so happy to know that I had Ow! Ease waiting for me at home. Ow! Ease is a pain relief salve .
A smooth, creamy blend of beeswax and olive and coconut oils is the mellow base for a dream team of herbs and essential oils known for their anti-inflammatory, restorative abilities. The star of this team is wildcrafted arnica, famous for erasing bruises and swelling with record-breaking speed.

I am happy to report that my hand which almost instantaneously bruised was completely healed in only 2 days. You could not see any residue of my fall on my hand at all. This was the testimony I needed to be able to show all of my friends and family and the non believers in natural healing. I have also used it on my poor swollen foot and it has helped alleviate a whole heap of the pain that was keeping me up at night. I recently went away for the weekend for my Stampin' UP! business and I forgot my Ow! Ease at home and let me tell you that I now know it was not my imagination that it was working wonders for my foot, because I suffered all weekend and nothing seemed to help, but as soon as I returned home I spread some all over my foot and I had the best night's sleep. PAIN FREE!
Ow! Ease
Ease your pain away. Using a proprietary blend of herbs, Ow!-Ease relieves pain associated with sprains, strains and pulled ligaments and muscles, bruises, and contusions. It works quickly and effectively to help reduce swelling and muscle pain, and is excellent as a rub for body builders, construction workers, and gardeners alike. The amazing qualities of these herbs work synergistically to soothe, restore, and actually speed tissue healing.

  They sell so many other products that I am interested in trying like Bug Me Not, with camping season approaching and the purchase of our new camper I will definitely be buying that in bulk. You can purchase 1 bottle for $7 or buy in larger quantities and the more you buy they price goes down and down. Like for instance a 12 pack would be $6.04 each. I think that is an awesome deal and so much healthier than the bug sprays that have all those nasty unhealthy chemicals in them. I want my family to be safe from chemical harm and with the help from Beeyoutiful I think we are on our way to continuing our journey of a healthier more natural lifestyle even while camping.
  There are a whole host of other products, there is bound to be something for everyone, like Tension Tamer, Liquid Sunshine,Natural toothpastes, skin lotions, Men's shaving and complexion bar, and so many more. You can check out http://www.beeyoutiful.com/ and shop by health concern, such as digestive or respiratory or simply search through all of the products they have to offer,
To help you know which product may be the right fit for you be sure to check out the rest of the TOS Crew's reviews to see which products they got to try out.


 


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“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or

services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it

on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally

and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance

with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the

Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Apologia: Who am I? And What Am I Doing Here? TOS Crew Review 2012

    
    Apologia is quickly becoming one of my favorite curriculum companies to turn to when I need thorough content from Science to the study of Why? God put us here on Earth. The review I am  bringing today fits right in that category and once again Apologia did not disappoint. As part of the TOS Crew I was given the pleasure of reviewing this heartfelt curriculum, Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here?

   This comprehensive unit expands upon the first book, Who Is God? And How Can I Know Him? Which started off the series "What We Believe." The books can be used as stand alone units but work best if used in succession of each other as they build upon one another. We have not had the opportunity to use the first book and it really was not difficult but we are going to go back and do that one as well, so we can continue to build as we move on to the third book in the series titled, Who Is My Neighbor? Which covers Biblical Servant-hood  and then on to other books as they are added to the series, like the upcoming fourth book, What On Earth Can I Do? The series is geared for children ages 6-14 but could easily be adapted for younger and older children. My boys that used this were 12-15 and we did just fine. We used this curriculum as a companion study to our Bible that we do with our current complete curriculum and just added in an extra time slot to the morning.  Samples of each volume in the series can be found on the Apologia website.

    There are several components to the study unit, the first is the text book which retails for $39 and let me tell you this is not a light book by any means, this is worth every penny you put into. This book, being the second in the series covers topics such as developing a healthy self image based upon Biblical truths, there is a sample schedule to follow and can be completed in as little as 4 months or stretched to cover and entire school year or 9 months, we are hoping to do something in the middle as we would like to be done by Summer but do not want to feel rushed through it.

  We were also blessed with the notebooking journal which sells for $24, this is a spiral bound journal that includes lesson plans, writing prompts, puzzles and much more. This was designed with the intention for your child to keep track of what they are learning and to cherish it for always.

  To add on to your curriculum, there is a CD version of the text book which can be used on a computer or MP3 supporting device, and is great for auditory and independent learners, and is narrated by Marissa Leinart and retails for $19. This makes a wonderful companion to the text book.

 Lastly we were given the opportunity to review the companion coloring book which sells for $8, now you might think that is pricey for a coloring book, but let me be the first to tell you that anything from Apologia is made of the utmost quality and you will never be disappointed with a product coming from their company.
The coloring book is made to be used with younger learners or those like my boys that sometimes need to be kept busy while listening to boring Mom read. It is packed full of 64 pages and builds reinforcement of what is learned in the text. My boys are older and they still enjoyed the addition of the coloring book.

  Have your tried Apologia yet? If not what are you waiting for? There Science curriculum is extraordinary and there are so many other great homeschooling resources they offer as well, be sure to check out my previous reviews on other wonderful books like, How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. and Educating the Wholehearted Child. You won't be sorry I know your family will be as impressed with Apologia just like my family is. My boys wholeheartily enjoy each and every item we have received from Apologia.

  Please do not just take my word for it, be sure to check out what my fellow TOS Crewmates are saying about their experiences with Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here?

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or


services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it

on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally

and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance

with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the

Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Simple Woman's Daybook Journal Entry for 02/21/12

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

FOR TODAY


Outside my window...dreary and wet, we had some snow earlier this morning but it is too warm to stick around, yes you heard me. We have not had much snow to speak of this Winter at all. I am not complaining by any means but seriously.



I am thinking...
about how much needs to get done this week before I head out on Friday for an SU mini convention


I am thankful...that the weather has not been as horribly cold this year as it was last year



From the learning rooms...(if this applies) Many new things happening look for my reviews coming up, some awesome companies we have been getting to sample thanks to the TOS Crew



In the kitchen...groceries are being put away



I am wearing...blue jeans and a tiedyed shirt




I am creating...my swaps for SU regional Convention this weekend



I am going...to a stamping workshop tonight with Lisa and then Thursday night our second SWAP night for a new group we joined, a great place to purge the old and replace it with things you need or want
Friday it is off to Bowling Green Ohio to my SU Upline Sherrie's house for a DIVA night of stamping and then we are off from there to Columbus Ohio at 5:30 AM for SU Regional Convention day then out to dinner with our whole group then back to Sherrie's for the night to return home Sunday afternoon. I cannot wait and I am so excited that Lisa will be joining me, wish Sue and Gyda could have too, but maybe next time.



I am wondering...how much longer until Spring...



I am reading...nothing at the moment



I am hoping...that my Cam Walker will come off by the 10th of March



I am looking forward to...getting away this weekend, this Momma needs a vacation



I am hearing.. Alyx's laugh at the Brits on Wheeler Dealers, he gets a charge out of that show.



Around the house...everything is in its place Thank GOD



I am pondering...a few projects that I want to get done before Spring



One of my favorite things...is PInterest these days



A few plans for the rest of the week:See Above



Here is picture for thought I am sharing...My broken foot.... SO not what I needed but hey it was in my cards