Art History Curriculum REVIEW

The days disappear so fast.  It is so hard to believe that my 8th grader will be starting high school this fall.  I'm not sure I'm ready for this!  As I was contemplating curriculum I had the opportunity to review The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective from The Master and His Apprentices.  I received digital copies in PDF file format for both the Textbook and the Teacher Guide.  The files were simple to download and with the print/photocopy rights, I was able to print out the Teacher Guide on my color printer.  You can also print the Textbook, but it is VERY large (380 pages) and I chose to download the PDF file to my son's Kindle Fire.  He can use it as a digital textbook and it works just great!

This is a full curriculum and qualifies for a full high school elective credit under art history.  The Teacher Guide contains all the workbook pages, paper assignments, and tests needed to complete the course.  Of course, there is also an included answer key at the back of the Teacher Guide.  There are a total of 4 written papers and 4 exams.  The curriculum covers 36 weeks (19 chapters in the Textbook) that amount to over 120 hours (spending about 3-4 hours per week on assignments) of work. I REALLY like that it also comes with a sample syllabus and a link to a file so you can customize the syllabus as you like.  If you need to shorten the 36 weeks there are suggestions in the teacher guide on how you can do that.

Hardcover textbook sample

It is recommended that you view the digital textbook from a computer because of the size of the pages, but it has not been too bad or awkward on my son's Kindle Fire 8.  If you will be printing your digital files there are included instructions on how to do this on either auto duplex or single-sided printers.  If you will be printing for more than one student/child you can easily purchase the $2 license for each additional copy.  You can't beat this price!!

Sample workbook page from Teacher Guide

If you have any worries about what an art history curriculum might contain, just know that this is not only written from a Christian perspective but there is absolutely NO nudity or objectionable material in this curriculum.  This curriculum is easily adaptable to conform to not only homeschool but also co-op and private school needs.  The periods covered include:

• Ancient Cultures (Ancient Near East, Egyptian, and Aegean)
• Classical Antiquity (Early Greek, Etruscan, and Roman)
• Middle Ages (Early Christian & Byzantine, Medieval & Islamic, Romanesque, and Gothic)
• Renaissance (Proto, Earl Italian, High Italian, and Northern)
• Baroque and Beyond (Baroque, Rococo to Today, and Global Highlights)

Chapter 1 introduces art and Chapter 2 covers the beginning, Creation (I love this!). There are over 600 images in the textbook.  I imagine the hardcover book is fantastic to view.  The images on our computer screen are incredible.  Also, note that the digital textbook is formatted just like the physical copy so they can be followed page by page.  The text does not flow like a typical pdf or kindle page but has two columns per page like the physical textbook.  Being able to cover Art History from a Christian Perspective is such a blessing.  This is such a doable elective and a good introduction for my struggling learner who just does NOT like to read or do any schoolwork for that matter!

PDF file downloaded to Kindle Fire 8

Our schedule for this curriculum follows the syllabus pretty closely.  Our goal is to cover a chapter a week (sometimes a challenge in the summer).  Instead of relying on him to do the reading I am using the textbook as a read aloud right now.  I will be giving him a lot of grace in his 9th-grade year because I know he struggles so much.  We will get through this and he will realize that he is more than capable of independent study.  I break the chapters up into daily readings (easier for him to process).  We take time to discuss the daily readings and then he works on the chapter questions throughout the week.

Teacher Guide printed out on a color printer and bound

If you are looking for electives and would like to cover art history than this is the curriculum for you.  We are learning a lot and despite his objections, he is enjoying the learning too. He is a budding artist and loves to draw so this is not so far out there for him.  We give The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective a thumbs up.

You can connect with The Master and His Apprentices on FACEBOOK and PINTEREST.

Please also be sure to check the others reviews out to see what everyone else is saying about this wonderful Christian Art History curriculum.

The Three Amigos Have a Sibling

Pip for pipsqueek

And we shall call her Pip.  She is so tiny.  She may be a he, but I hope not!  Pip was abandoned by her mom in our other coop.  She was born a few days after her siblings and her mom decided to reject her.  Sassy, after some convincing, decided she was up to the task of fostering this little cutie.  I'm pretty sure she is one of Sir Galahad's offspring (he was the cute black silkie I had to rehome recently because the other rooster in the pen had had enough of him).  Pip's  mother is Snow White, my supposed Olive Egger that lays like a typical Easter Egger (she is all white).  Pip has feathers on her legs but I am not yet convinced she has all black skin so we shall see.

Pip and her big sissy

She is only about a week, maybe two younger than her current foster siblings, but she is SO TINY!! (Another reason I am thinking she is a silkie).  At first, her new siblings were scared to death of her.  It was so comical.  This tiny little thing chasing them everywhere because she just wanted a friend.  She has adjusted so well and they are all doing fabulously together.  It is so cute.  Today her big sissy actually was trying to protect her from me when I was trying to catch her.  Gave me a good chuckle.

Pip with 2 of her siblings and mom

It's never a dull moment in the chicken yard!  Plenty more stories to come. Waiting on some chicks that were ordered because we have TWO more broody mommas whose eggs didn't hatch.  I ordered Australorp, Amber Link, Light Brahma and if I'm lucky Lavender Orpingtons!  Are you hatching?  Did you hatch any this spring?  What's in your egg basket?

MaxScholar Reading Intervention REVIEW

It's easy to take learning to read for granted.  You just get a simple phonics program and before you know it, voila, your child is reading, right?  Well, that generally works as long as your child doesn't have learning issues such as ADHD, dyslexia, or processing problems.  I was so glad to have a chance to review the Reading Intervention Programs from MaxScholar.  I received a 12-month online digital subscription to this reading intervention program for both of my kids (age 5 and 14).  The programs are geared for Pre-K to 12th grade but can also be used for adults needing help.  Remember, this is a READING INTERVENTION program.  It is geared toward struggling learners such as those with ADHD, dyslexia, or processing problems.

I learned the hard way with my son that he needed the Orton-Gillingham approach to learning to read.  He had both ADHD and dyslexia and he still wasn't reading by 2nd grade. Thanks to the Orton-Gillingham approach my son was reading at level by the end of his 2nd-grade year.  MaxScholar uses a multi-sensory approach based on Orton-Gillingham, Lindamood-Bell Process©, and other phonics and reading strategies.

I really could have used MaxScholar back then but was glad there was something available at the time that helped us.  Now, with Little Bug getting ready to start Kindergarten in the fall I was so happy to have MaxScholar available for her.  She does not seem to have the same problems as my son had but has her own learning struggles that we are still trying to figure out.  So far she is doing well with MaxScholar.  Since she is only 5 we are focusing on the phonics part of the program.  She usually only takes about 15 min or so to complete a lesson.  Her lessons are reinforcing the skills she has learned and introducing more blending that she has not worked on much yet.

Little Bug working on her lesson

Once you open your account and log in, access to the different programs is very simple and easy through your dashboard.  There are pretests to be taken to place your child at the correct level.  

Homescreen Dashboard to access programs

The Reading Intervention Programs that are available include Pre-K PHONICS (age 3-5), MAXPHONICS (age 5-7), MAXREADING (reading comprehension, highlighting, summarizing and outlining too), MAXWORDS (building words with prefixes, suffixes, and Greek and Latin roots), MAXMUSIC (learning games for memory, recognition, and auditory skills), MAXVOCAB (dictionary and vocabulary games), MAXPLACES (exploring the world), and MAXBIOS (biographies with timelines that teach chronological ordering skills).  The three main programs are the MAXPHONICS, MAXREADING, and MAXWORDS. The other 4 programs use games and strategies to enhance the learning process in reading and writing.  For example, in MAXPLACES your child can choose a destination, then read a selection about that place, learn to highlight important points, and answer questions about the passage.  It helps you work on your highlighting skills and reading comprehension.

MaxPlaces map to choose a destination

MaxPlaces reading passage with highlights

Don't let the age designations keep you from realizing that this program is for adults as well as kids.  For those who have either never learned to read or that need help in spelling and reading skills, these programs are geared to help even adults.  For students who excel, this program would probably be too easy and boring for them unless they needed help with specific skills like reading comprehension.  For the purpose this program was created for, I think it is wonderful.

MaxPlaces questions from the reading passage.

I can't get over how much material is available for our kids and they are really enjoying working through the program.  The lessons are fairly simple and short enough that they do not become bored or overly frustrated with the material.   While Little Bug is mainly doing phonics I have my 14-year-old working heavily on MAXWORDS to get his vocabulary boosted and learn his Greek and Latin roots.  I truly believe our kids can excel when they can learn the root words.  There will be no limit to the words they can learn and decipher in the future with these skills.
Based on what we have worked with so far and what I see for potential with my kids I would definitely recommend a subscription to these Reading Intervention Programs if you have struggling learners.  You can connect with MaxScholar on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and LINKEDIN.


Please be sure to look at the other reviews from my fellow Crew members to get more information from different perspectives on this program.  Want to try it for FREE?  Check out their 10-day FREE Trial offer, no credit card or commitment necessary!