Blackbird & Company Literature Guides Review & Giveaway
OK, you're looking for a good book for your child to read, and you want a literature guide to go along with it. You look at the library and online, but you don't know where to start or what kind of guide to choose.
Blackbird & Company approached me about a month ago to review one of the bundled literature guide products they offer for parents and teachers.
We chose the Level 3 (appropriate for middle school) bundle "The White Mountains". In a bundle pack you receive the book and the literature guide at a discounted cost of buying each item separately.
If you've never used a literature guide before and are wondering what the benefits are here are a couple of reasons they might be a benefit to you:
* If you have limited time as a parent or teacher to come up with comprehension/discussion questions and vocabulary words yourself on a particular book, a literature guide will help you.
* Literature guides produce a gauge on whether your student is comprehending what they are reading.
Blackbird & Company literature guides are written by two families, with six children who have twelve years of innovating education and twenty years of teaching under their belts!
The culminating factor in these guides is a special project the student can complete when they have finished the book. An art project or activity that ties all they have learned together.
Blackbird & Company provides guides (and their associated books) in 4 levels from Early Bird (grades K-2) to Level 3 (grades 5-7).
So let's get to what we thought of the literature guide we received!
The first thing I loved about this product before we even started using it was the way it was organized. Each section is divided up the same way. The student therefore is already aware after completing the first couple of chapters what is expected of them and what to look for and retain while reading.
We have been using this for three weeks now, and for my reluctant reader this has not been a chore to go through. One thing Amber has pointed out is that the comprehension questions are straight forward. So many guides we've used in the past have ambiguous questions. The questions in the Blackbird & Company guides make sure the student understands. In order to be balanced though, the discussion questions allow the student to explore outside the boundaries of the written text and imagine what they would do, how they would act or feel in response to the storyline and plot.
The only thing I have not liked about the guide is the grade marks assigned to each section. If you choose to use the scoring provided, the whole book and activities are graded out of 100. That means each small section is anywhere between 2 and 7 points. That to me did not allow marks to reflect spelling and grammar errors. To be fair though, on our own, outside of a review, I would simply change the suggested grade guidelines on my own.
Blackbird & Company is generously sponsoring a giveaway for one of my readers to receive a Level 1, 2 or 3 bundle pack of their own! To enter visit Blackbird & Company and tell me which bundle pack from Level 1, 2 or 3 you would choose. (This is a required entry before any others will be counted).
For extra entries: (list each as a separate comment)
* Suggest a book that Blackbird & Company could provide a literature guide for that they have not already published.
* Subscribe to my feed by reader or e-mail.
* Follow my blog publicly.
* Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway.
* Blog about this giveaway linking back to bothy my site and Blackbird & Company.
This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents ages 18+ only. It will end on June 10th, 2009 at 11:59 pm cst.
Activities, Books, Homeschool, Review, Website
Reader Comments (49)
So many to choose from! I think I would choose "Love That Dog" from Bundle 1.
I would like Perloo the Bold. Great giveaway!
I would recommend developing sets for books by E Nesbit like Enchanted Castle, The Railway Children...
I subscribe to your blog via email.
I also follow your blog.
level 3
A Wrinkle in Time :)
subscribe
follow
I'd choose the Level 1 pack.
I'd suggest one of my favorite childhood stories - Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. It's appropriate for early readers.
I would love My Father's Dragon in level 1 for grades 1-3
We home school seven so I would have to choose level 2 to hit the most in the group!
amberleighdecker@yahoo.com
Hi! I'm following you from the Follow Me Club/MBC! Nice Blog you have here! I like it!
i like level 3.
neenee838@yahoo.com
we are a homeschooling family, so this would be a great win for us! i would pick level 3 for my ds who is starting 6th grade.
Following the blog publicly.
I like the Level 3 The Westing Game.
I would like to see Charlotte's Web.
I subscribe by email.
I follow your blog publicly.
Level 2 bundle - Half Magic looks like a great story this is such a nice giveaway
I like the level 2.
I subscribe.
I also like the Level 3 The Westing Game.
erma.hurtt@sbcglobal.net
level 2
I would choose level 2!
I follow!
I would like the Mozart Season from Level 3.
Thanks.
pamelashockley(AT)netscape(DOT)net
I would choose A Mouse Called Wolf from Level 1.
I'm a follower!
Perloo the Bold would be my pick. Thank you!
kneecree at gmail dot com
i subscribed
treyhoward01@gmail.com
If I won I would choose the Level 1 bundle pack.
I think that Blackbird and Company should make a literature guide for the book Hatchet. When I was younger I used to love that book.
I subscribe via email.
I follow your blog
I tweeted and follow on Twitter.
http://twitter.com/nomorecages87/status/2107854476
I blogged about this giveaway.
http://nomorecages.blogspot.com/2009/06/blackbird-company-bundled-literature.html
id like the Level 1 is suitable for lower elementary. . . . .
following your blog as klp1965
kathy pease
I have a large family with kids in all of the levels, so any of the levels would be great. I am leaning towards level 2 because I want one of my kids in this age group to read more. vidomich(at)yahoo(dot)com
I'd love the level 2 bundle pack. Sounds like a great system!
I follow your blog.
Level 1 :)
I would choose the A Wrinkle In Time bundle pack from Level 3.
I would like to see a a literature guide for The Secret Garden.
I subscribed to your email feed.
I didn't see Charlotte's Web on their book list. That should be added.
renee
yeloechikee at hotmail dot com
I forgot to put that I'd take My Father’s Dragon from level one--sorry about that! My first entry shouldn't count.
renee
yeloechikee at hotmail dot com