The Old Schoolhouse® Product & Curriculum Reviews
| With so many products available we often need a little help in making our curriculum choices. The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine family understands because we are in the same boat! Do you need more information on a product before you buy? With over 5,500 products listed in 52 easy-to-use categories, much of the information you need to know is only a click away! Let our reviewer-families help yours. |
Do you want to get the word out about your product or service to the homeschool community? Email Jenny Higgins and share a little about what you´d like showcased, and we can help with that!
|
High School Success 2005 Review by Dr. Anne Margaret Wright
By: Topics Entertainment1600 S.W. 43rd Street
Renton, WA 98055
(425) 656-3621
http://www.topics-ent.com/
If you have high school students, High School Success 2005 is a great product that will expand your student's horizons. This computer program includes 27 different high school subjects on 15 CD-ROMs and 1 DVD disc. It covers everything from how to compose a letter and the works of Emily Dickinson, to algebra, geometry and trigonometry, basic vocabulary and structure in eight foreign languages, biology, chemistry, physics, ancient history and computer skills, just to name a few. There are also two bonus CD-ROMs: College Profiles and Kaplan Essential Review of Writing and Vocabulary. Each of the subjects has self-paced tutorials with text, history of the topic, animated activities, practice exercises, help functions and quizzes to test your understanding.
The programs are easy to navigate and engaging, with lots of pictures, videos, animations, etc. Many concepts, especially in science, can be made clearer with the use of animations, and this program uses them very effectively. The text is interesting and easy to understand, building from the basics to much more advanced topics. The quizzes allow the student to see what was missed and offers explanations about why the correct answer is correct. While I don't think this program would be nearly sufficient for a complete high school education, it would be an excellent supplement, especially for history, language arts, math courses such as algebra, geometry and trigonometry, and science classes such as biology, chemistry and physics. For example, I think most students would find the math sections very comprehensive and understandable, but would probably need more practice exercises to really master the topics. The same is true for the science classes, which would also likely need a lab component to adequately cover the topics and allow further exploration. I was very impressed with the depth and breadth of materials, the high quality of the computer animations and programs, and the overall value for the price!
