Looking for the perfect curriculum to teach your kids can be such an overwhelming experience. But it does not have to be, here I will give you my honest review on Master Books all in one homeschool curriculum.
I remember when I was searching for a curriculum I was going crazy because I didn’t really know what I wanted for my kids and if I was going to have the time to teach it.
I work full-time and also homeschool my 8 years old daughter along with my twins who are in the coloring age.
To be honest, I was lost!, with my daughter that had just been taken out of school and used to sitting all day on a chair, I was pulling out my hair.
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So I decided to go with a done, grab and go curriculum that fit the budget, was interactive enough and provided everything my daughter was going to need to continue with her education.
Before we continue let’s define what Master Books is.
What is the Masterbooks Homeschool curriculum?
Master Books Homeschool an academically sound curriculum that is faith-based. It’s a non-denominational, Christian faith-based series that teaches Christian values and that God is the origin of all true knowledge.
Each chapter in the book has a link biblical explanation for the subject being discussed. And it’s teaching myself a whole lot about the bible and things that I had not come to the relation.
Is Masterbooks accredited?
I see this question a lot and I want to answer this since Master Books is a curriculum and not a school, it’s not accredited. Only schools can be accredited.
That being said always check your state laws when it comes to homeschooling.
Do Masterbooks have a placement test?
Master Books have placement tests for Language Arts. You can find the Language Arts placement guide here.
You can find the placement guide for the Writing Strands series for Language Arts here.
Here is a link to the placement test for the elementary math series, Math Lessons for a Living Education.
There are two placement tests for pre-algebra.
Principles of Mathematics Book 1: Assessment Review Test (Book 1)
Principles of Mathematics Book 2: Assessment Review Test (Book 2)
What grades are Masterbooks for?
Masterbooks covers preschool through grade 12, which is great for an all in one homeschool curriculum.
How do you choose your curriculum?
You can choose according to grade or according to the subjects. If you choose according to grade, you have two options for every grade. I chose according to my daughter’s grade.
The good thing is that at the beginning of the curriculum the first couple of weeks it’s a review of everything your child has done in the previous school year. Which it’s great since sometimes they forget or didn’t learn something very well.
There is also an amazing schedule that they provide which takes the guesswork out of questions since you just have to follow the schedule to keep yourself on track.
Thi curriculum can be taught on a 4 days a week basis or 5 days.
You have 2 options to choose from:
For option 1: you have a 4 basic subject set that includes math, language arts, history, and science. Which is the bundle I chose for simplicity and the fact that I didn’t exactly know what to get.
And this bundle has been perfect! because when I started homeschooling I knew I wanted to take it slow until my daughter got used to being homeschooled and until I figured out a schedule and routine that would work for us.
For option 2: you can mix and match from options subject sets offered by Master Books. This is a great feature or this curriculum – you can make up a bundle of your own choice for your students.
This is a great option if your child its more advanced in one subject. For example your child is doing 3rd grade language arts but is more advance in math and you want him to do 4th grade math to challenge him.
In that case this would be the perfect way to go.
You choose the option that works best for you and your family.
If you choose by subject, you’ll notice that there are multiple options for each subject in your child’s grade. Each one offers a slightly different approach to teaching the subject. You just need to choose one option.
Masterbooks Language arts review
Teacher Instructions
The Masterbooks language arts curriculum, Language Lessons for a Living Education, doesn’t really require teacher instructions as the books are written at the student’s level. There is nothing much to prepare.
In the back of levels 3 and 4, there is a Teacher Aids appendix, including an answer key, assessment charts, independent reading list, recommended book lists, activities and games, spelling practice, and space where you can create your own dictionary.
When it comes to open and go curriculum this has been the easiest one to use, its really open and go. And when your child wants to play there are games on the back of the book that you can play with your child to make the lessons even more interesting.
Student Workbook
The lessons are written to the student at the student’s level, so they can get on with the work independently, especially older students.
For Language Lessons for a Living Education, students have a full-color book that they can draw and write in. The workbook pages are perforated and three-hole-punched so you can easily take them out and keep them in a binder
I love this, because I explain the topic to my daughter and she is able to follow directions and do the work independently.
Daily Lessons
There are lessons for every week with different exercises for every day. The work covers reading phonics, reading skills, poetry, writing, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation.
Scripture features throughout with students having to memorize some verses from the Bible. They also get to draw pictures and tell their own stories. For writing practice, they can write a poem, short story, or psalm.
Masterbooks Math review
Homeschoolers who use the Master Books Math curriculum rave about it. The lessons for every day are short with one exercise per lesson.
All the lessons are story-based with a clear, practical application of the math that is being learned. The stories follow two siblings that students read about in every lesson.
Every lesson also reviews concepts that were previously learned. Children learn through activities like stories and crafts, oral narration, and copy work.
All the lessons include all the learning styles. This ensures that students don’t forget what they’ve learned and at the same time they’re not overwhelmed with too much new content.
Masterbooks American History Review
These books take history to a new level with clear to follow instructions and crafts you can do after each section. Your kids will never be bored since history taught in a uniquely engaging way.
I am not a history person and it’s not my favorite subject to teach but since this an open and go curriculum I am able to teach without much preparation.
Masterbooks Nature Study Review
I love this subject, sometimes I think even get more excited than my daughter when it comes to science.
But these books really make easy for you to teach. There are 2 books the teacher’s manual which are where you teach from and the student workbook which was all the worksheets are and projects.
The projects are so easy and keep your kids busy and wanting more. My daughter is in 3rd grade so we are doing 3rd-grade work. And on the plant section, there was a project to plant a seed and then plant it.
I have never planted anything before so this was a new experience for myself and my daughter. Each project has directions so you and your child won’t get overwhelmed.
How much is the curriculum’s individual price?
Master Books is very affordable – about a third of the price of other curriculums. Most Master Books curriculum is less than $30 per book.
Full curriculum price? around $200 dollars but it really depends on your child’s grade and what you are getting with the curriculum.
But again it will depend on every individual case. There isn’t a set curriculum. For every grade, a parent has different options to choose from.
My final thoughts…
We are honestly enjoying Masterbooks homeschool curriculum. It has really changed the way we look at learning. Coming straight out of public schools to this has been an easy decision.
We love the interactive activities that each curriculum has and since there is a schedule at the beginning of the books we just follow those schedules. We school year around since we have toddlers and we need to take time off from time to time.
I hope you enjoy this review.
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