I am sure you have heard about the Gold Rush in California, right? Well, there is some literature books, Jem Strikes Gold & Jem's Frog Fiasco as part of the Goldtown Beginnings Series by Kregel Publications, that we are reviewing, and they are about the Gold Rush.
About the book:
A good paperback cover with cute imagery. Each book as 10 chapters that are written in short story format. They are meant for children 6-8 years old. They address issues that kids experience today but in the context of old times. Each book is at $6 each. You can order on her site above or even on Amazon!
About the Author:
Susan K. Marlow is the author of the series. I have reviewed some of her books in the past as part of the Homeschool Review Crew.
Jem Strikes Gold
Well, when you hear the words "strike gold" what do you immediately think of? I don't know if it's because I am originally from California, but it's automatically taking me back to the days in California history class when I was learning about the Gold Rush.
My 13-year old's Review:
The first book, "Jem Strikes Gold" is a heartwarming story of family and adventure as the main character Jem has to navigate a series of challenges set against him. The plot is enveloping and a good way for younger ages to learn how to read more articulate language. It is a very compelling story to read and an overall great ride to follow.
My 8-year old's Review:
I am reviewing "Jem Strikes Gold." Jem is the main character. It's an adventurous story. He delivers pies for money for his family. And he pans for gold for money for his family.
I am reviewing "Jem Strikes Gold." Jem is the main character. It's an adventurous story. He delivers pies for money for his family. And he pans for gold for money for his family.
Jem's Frog Fiasco
The picture is super cute on the front and shows fun.
My 13-year old's Review:
In the second book of the series, "Jem's Frog Fiasco", the now-familiar main character Jem encounters a problematic situation. He is trying to find a job, but he can't find any. When he finally accomplishes his goal, he faces another problem. His sister, Ellie, attempts to help him, but he snaps at her and she runs off. The consequence of this makes the whole story shift and makes the content much more spontaneous. Overall I see this series as a great education tool for children to start to read more lengthy and word-dense books. The books are not just restricted to kids, so adults can follow along with the exciting adventure of Jem as well!
There are other things like finding clues, drawing, vocabulary, word riddles and more in the learning
guide.
As well, I would like to note that for special needs kids, this is written very well so that way students
don't get overwhelmed by the inundation of questions for each chapter. While you would think,
"well, duh!" But now and days, a lot of my scouts are up until 10pm or 11pm doing homework and
the amount or number of questions they have and how detailed each response has to be is way too
tedious.
This is definitely formed as a fun activity packet and has the answers in the back, which I appreciate
as a mum. I can have my kids know that it's okay to know the answer or look if they need to. That it
is not a test at all but more of an activity to do. Then later, I can have them take a home written
assignment in the form of an essay or test. That way, they have the proper build-up to be able to feel
confident in what they have learned.
In the second book of the series, "Jem's Frog Fiasco", the now-familiar main character Jem encounters a problematic situation. He is trying to find a job, but he can't find any. When he finally accomplishes his goal, he faces another problem. His sister, Ellie, attempts to help him, but he snaps at her and she runs off. The consequence of this makes the whole story shift and makes the content much more spontaneous. Overall I see this series as a great education tool for children to start to read more lengthy and word-dense books. The books are not just restricted to kids, so adults can follow along with the exciting adventure of Jem as well!
My 8-year old's Review:
I'm reviewing "Jem's Frog Fiasco". Jem paid attention to the dog more. Also, he had a job.
You should be in second grade to read the book.
Free Learning Guides can be found at https://circlecadventures.com/free-learning-guides/.
You can also buy them here especially if you are like me and don't have a printer.
You can also buy them here especially if you are like me and don't have a printer.
What I am excited about with the free learning guides, is that you can save paper and print
what you need. This means you can tailor more of the lessons to what your child needs to master.
I am a huge educational proponent of meeting kids where they are at in terms of asking them questions
about the books and engaging their critical thinking skills while challenging them to grow.
what you need. This means you can tailor more of the lessons to what your child needs to master.
I am a huge educational proponent of meeting kids where they are at in terms of asking them questions
about the books and engaging their critical thinking skills while challenging them to grow.
What is even cooler about the learning guides is that it comes with a daily schedule to be able to
coordinate with your students or even homeschool co-op to be able to layout a lesson plan that is
good for the children that are learning it.
good for the children that are learning it.
What I am doing is downloading the PDF and putting into my children's google classrooms to be able
to complete the lessons online as much as possible-- you know, save trees. Plus, honestly, at the rate
that my kids lose their papers, it can be hard to keep track of things like this when you have to turn it
in during the homeschool review session for your state. So there is benefit in both. Plus, my kids are
used to working online.
As you can see from the image above, as an example, one thing I really like about the workbook/
the learning guide is that you can challenge your kids with basic SAT skills such a being able to
pick out words from a sentence and be able to find the meaning or definition of the word based on
its context. Now, believe it or not, this isn't always taught in schools today. And if it is, it's not
something that is consistently enforced as a basic skill to know how to do. However, it's a very
important skill to know.
As you can see from the image above, as an example, one thing I really like about the workbook/
the learning guide is that you can challenge your kids with basic SAT skills such a being able to
pick out words from a sentence and be able to find the meaning or definition of the word based on
its context. Now, believe it or not, this isn't always taught in schools today. And if it is, it's not
something that is consistently enforced as a basic skill to know how to do. However, it's a very
important skill to know.
There are other things like finding clues, drawing, vocabulary, word riddles and more in the learning
guide.
As well, I would like to note that for special needs kids, this is written very well so that way students
don't get overwhelmed by the inundation of questions for each chapter. While you would think,
"well, duh!" But now and days, a lot of my scouts are up until 10pm or 11pm doing homework and
the amount or number of questions they have and how detailed each response has to be is way too
tedious.
This is definitely formed as a fun activity packet and has the answers in the back, which I appreciate
as a mum. I can have my kids know that it's okay to know the answer or look if they need to. That it
is not a test at all but more of an activity to do. Then later, I can have them take a home written
assignment in the form of an essay or test. That way, they have the proper build-up to be able to feel
confident in what they have learned.
How Did My Kids' Read This?
They are super fast readers so they did it independently. However, I want to have them, especially
my youngest with his speech problems, to be able to read it out loud so he can grow the skills of
learning auditory but also so he can better his speech.
Kregel Books Social Media Links:
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