Homeschool Friday - 180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for 2nd Grade

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review/review for each.

180 Days™: Spelling and Word Study for Second Grade

By: Shireen Pesez Rhoades

Publication: January 2, 2019 by Shell Education

240 pages

Genre: Education, Teaching, Subjects, Language Arts

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Edelweiss Description--Help second grade students improve their spelling skills with fun and effective daily practice activities. Focusing on 10 words each week, students will learn spelling rules, patterns, and vocabulary.
Help second grade students improve their spelling skills with fun and effective daily practice activities.

180 Days™: Spelling and Word Study for Second Grade

Focuses on 10 words each week with memorable and repetitive daily activities
Builds students' confidence in spelling with independent learning activities focusing on spelling rules, patterns, and vocabulary
Makes at-home learning, whole class instruction, or small group support, quick and easy
Includes standards-based activities, easy to follow instructions, and an answer key to quickly assess student understanding
Parents appreciate the teacher-approved activity books that keep their child engaged and learning. Great for homeschooling, to reinforce learning at school, or prevent learning loss over summer.

Teachers rely on the daily practice workbooks to save them valuable time. The ready to implement activities are perfect for daily morning review or homework. The activities can also be used for intervention skill building to address learning gaps.

My 7-year-old son who is in 2nd grade struggles with spelling. The language arts curriculum we use includes spelling, but spelling is not a huge focus at this level. And when it is, the words are usually high-frequency words that do not always align with phonics principles. But I've learned through kindergarten and 1st grade that spelling isn't a strength of his. At this point, he tries to spell words without vowels a lot of the time. So I decided that to be effective, we needed to add some additional spelling resources. About the same time, I saw 180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for Second Grade available for review on Edelweiss. The only trouble with using this as an actual curriculum for him is that I can't print any of it for him to actually do the lessons. So I ended up purchasing a different curriculum to use. But in the process, I was able to compare the two. I won't divulge the other curriculum's name since that's not what this review is about.

First off, the difference I noticed between the two is that 180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for Second Grade is a 34-week program that has 10 words per day and is intended to be done 5 days a week. The other program I got was 30 weeks, 10 words per day, 5 days per week. These two curricula only share 47 words out of 340 & 300 words respectively. The difference in the level of words was obvious. 180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for Second Grade had harder words by far. The shortest word included in their list was three letters. The other curriculum had multiple 1-letter and 2-letter words. 180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for Second Grade also includes an entire week devoted to contractions, whereas the other curriculum included 1 contraction. I also noticed an increased level of words with phonics blends in this curriculum compared to the other. 

180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for Second Grade follows the same pattern for most weeks. Day 1 is using the spelling words in a sentence. Day 2 is synonyms and antonyms. Day 3 is to write a question, statement, and exclamation using one of the words. Day 4 is word endings/suffixes. Day 5 is analogies. There were a few variations, like word sorts, but mostly the weeks followed the same pattern. When compared to the other program I bought, 180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for Second Grade focused more on using the words correctly, grammar, verb tenses, and such. There wasn't as much emphasis on practicing spelling the words, except for using them within the worksheet page for that day. 180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for Second Grade also included a helpful hint for each week to help children. For example: The sc- blend shows up at the beginning of words but never at the end. Instead, use -sk at the end. 

Which is better for your child is going to depend on your child's needs. I haven't had the chance to use either curriculum with my child. But because of his struggles, I'm glad that I have the other curriculum to start with. I worry some of the spelling words in that one will be too easy, but I'd rather start off building confidence than immediately struggling. Although I do think most of the words in 180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for Second Grade could be spelled easily due to the phonetic principles used. Not many words would be confusing. Even still, I think if you have a child who is mid-level for this age range, this curriculum may be exactly what you need. And I like that it does work on grammar and thinking skills, and not just spelling. However, that's not exactly what I'm in the market for. 180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for Second Grade gets 4 Stars from me. Have you or your child used 180 Days of Spelling & Word Study for Second Grade? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Cool Down and Work Through Anger

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Cool Down and Work Through Anger

By: Cheri J. Meiners M.Ed.

Publication: Free Spirit Publishing Inc.,U.S. (1 May 2010)

40 pages

Genre: Children's, Non-fiction, Teaching

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Help children understand and manage anger.

Everyone gets angry, so it’s never too early for children to learn to recognize feelings of anger, express them, and build skills for coping with anger in helpful, appropriate ways. Children learn that it is okay to feel angry—but not okay to hurt anyone with actions or words. They discover concrete skills for working through anger: self-calming, thinking, getting help from a trusted person, talking and listening, apologizing, being patient, and viewing others positively. Reassuring and supportive, the book helps preschool and primary-age children see that when they cool down and work through anger, they can feel peaceful again.

My 7-year-old has a temper. I can't imagine where he got it from. (Literally both sides of the family). So anytime I see children's books about anger, I get them so I can help him learn to process his emotions. 

Cool Down and Work Through Anger starts off by saying that we all like to control certain things. And when we don't get the things we want, we can feel frustrated and angry. This can also happen when we feel disrespected by others. And sometimes anger feels explosive. It gives a few steps that might help the child calm down, like breathing and counting. Then the child can think about their actions or what they want to say or do. Going somewhere to relax or drawing, reading, and singing might help. Playing outside and spending time with others is another option to relax. Then it highlights the benefits of feeling calm. We can all think more clearly when we're calm. We might actually be part of the problem. We can talk things out with an adult to help us understand and work through our anger. Making sure we show respect when we talk to an adult or the person who was there helps convey one's feelings. The importance of listening is highlighted. An important step is saying "I'm sorry" and taking responsibility for my actions without blaming others. Then it concludes with things the child can do like forgive, be patient, remember that everyone makes mistakes, and have a positive attitude when things are outside our control. We have the option of seeing the best in others and changing the way we think about others can change the way we feel. In the end, the conclusion of working through one's anger is that one gets to feel at peace again. 

Cool Down and Work Through Anger does a good job of showing lots of options and the whys behind them to continuing to feel the anger (not ignoring it), while also being productive with it to see if we can learn something. All of this is contingent on the child being receptive to improvement. In my experience, my child is resistant during times of anger. You have to teach these principles during times of calmness so that recall is easier in the moment of anger. Because resistance is more likely to occur if the child is already being controlled by his or her emotions. Cool Down and Work Through Anger gets 4.5 Stars. Have you or your child read Cool Down and Work Through Anger? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Know and Follow Rules

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Know and Follow Rules

By: Cheri J. Meiners M.Ed.

Publication: March 31, 2005 by Free Spirit Publishing

40 pages

Genre: Children's, Non-fiction, Teaching

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A child who can’t follow rules is a child who’s always in trouble. This book starts with simple reasons why we have to help us stay safe, learn, be fair, and get along. Then it presents just four basic “Listen,” “Best Work,” “Hands and Body to Myself,” and “Please and Thank You.” The focus throughout is on the positive sense of pride that comes with learning to follow rules. Includes questions and activities adults can use to reinforce the ideas and skills being taught. The Learning to Get Along® Series

The Learning to Get Along series helps children learn, understand, and practice basic social and emotional skills. Real-life situations, lots of diversity, and concrete examples make these read-aloud books appropriate for home and childcare settings, schools, and special education settings. Each book ends with a section of discussion questions, games, and activities adults can use to reinforce what children have learned. All titles are available in English-Spanish bilingual editions.

On the one hand, Know and Follow Rules looks a little outdated to me. The colors and illustrations remind me a little of the 1980s. At the same time, I like that the illustrations are very clear and detailed--even down to the little girl with her tongue sticking out as she's coloring. What the characters are intending to do is obvious. Their thoughts and feelings are quite clear. I like the diversity of characters included. 

The content of the book is beautifully well done. What I mean by that is that the information is presented so clearly. There's a reason we have rules: to know what to do. Rules are different depending on the situation or location: work, play, school classroom, cafeteria, playground, gym, library, etc. There are benefits to having rules: we're all able to learn, help us show respect, remind us to be polite, help make things fair for everyone, help keep everyone safe, when we use the rules things go better for us, help us have personal responsibility, and when everyone follows the rules it helps us get along. Examples of some rules are: listening while others are speaking, asking questions when we need help, following instructions, doing things the first time we're told, trying our best, thinking carefully, taking time to do a good job, keeping our hands and feet to ourselves, asking permission to use something that doesn't belong to us, saying "please" and "thank you," help others, waiting our turn, let everyone participate, walking in the hallway, use things carefully, This subject is just spelled out in such a simplistic way that it helps the reader see the benefits of following the rules. 

I have been doing a study on manners in our homeschool, and Know and Follow Rules is a perfect choice to add to my study for my kids. Most of this information is stuff the older ones already know, but presented in this way, helps to solidify why we follow rules. Showing the benefits of following rules is a way to help children get on board. Know and Follow Rules gets 5 Stars from me. Have you read Know and Follow Rules? What did you think? Let me know!