Mosdos Press Literature—Gold (A Timberdoodle Review)

 

My ninth grader has been working through the Timberdoodle Ninth Grade Curriculum kit and coming into December, I am pleased with his progress. One of my favorite aspects of these kits is that you can customize them. You are not locked in or required to use all subjects meant for a certain grade level. If your student is ahead in a subject, order a level or two above. If they need review in other subjects, order a level below. 

For literature, I ordered the Mosdos Press Literature—Gold which is actually found in the Timberdoodle Eighth-grade kit. After looking through the content for both grades, I felt that this was the level where he needed to be. As homeschoolers, we often fear "holding our kids back," but what does that even mean? I remember growing up, for reading, we would switch classrooms. Some would go to a higher level class, and others were in remedial. I always felt special going to the higher level class, but when I was older, and we switched for math, I was in the remedial level. Math has never been my strong point. That said, one of the joys of homeschooling is we can tailor education to our child's needs. The gold level of this book is exactly what my son needs at this time. What I love about these books is you will not find an assigned grade level, so it does not look like he is using eighth-grade material in high school.    

This level is perfect for him in so many ways. He is an excellent reader, but he needs to work on his abstract and critical thinking skills, which this book does a tremendous job of honing in on. In the student textbook, you will find thought-provoking questions that will spark meaningful conversations. My favorite part is what is found in the Teacher's Key. As you read through the stories, you will find discussion questions on literal and analytical levels. You also will find additional questions to go over as you read. In both books, you will find definitions for difficult words that you can discuss along the way.

Another aspect of this curriculum is the student workbook. This is an excellent addition that can be used along with the text. The text alone has plenty of opportunities for your child to think critically, expand his thoughts, and work on his writing skills, but if you are looking for more, this workbook is perfect. It does not include activities for every story, which I prefer. It breaks the work up a bit, providing variety. 

I already mentioned that the Teacher Key was my favorite, but I need to make clear that in this curriculum kit, you actually receive two keys. The entire book that your student is reading is found in the pages of these books, along with extra content in the margin for your eyes only. If you were ever a teacher in a classroom setting, this might bring you back to those days, but don't let that drive you away. This is truly an excellent resource for homeschooling parents, even though it could also be used in a classroom setting. It helps me know what questions to ask and dig deeper into the text in a deep and meaningful way. 

I also want to point out that the stories have been engaging for my ninth-grade son. They are intriguing, challenging, and just right for his age level. I highly recommend this curriculum for homeschoolers! 

Disclaimer: I received the above product(s) in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.