Review: Beyond Five In A Row

As a member of the TOS Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review Beyond Five In A Row, Volume 2. Most homeschoolers are familiar with Five In A Row, but Beyond FIAR is a literature based unit study aimed to the 8-12 year age group, using chapter books rather than picture books.

Volume 2 covers the following books:

· Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

· The Story of George Washington Carver by Eva Moore

· Skylark by Patricia MacLachlan

· Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson

Each volume of Beyond FIAR is designed to be completed in a semester. The study covers a variety of areas each week rather than a specific set of academic subjects each day. This could be viewed as a negative if you like the predictability of covering the same subjects each day. Emphasis on subjects varies from day to day and some subjects may be covered heavier one week than others. Subjects covered include History/Geography, Language Arts, Science, Fine Arts, and Human Relationships. The study must be supplemented with Math, and the Language Arts areas of grammar, spelling and penmanship.

Each chapter of the study contains a parent summary, allowing you assign chapter reading to the student while having knowledge of what the chapter is about (though the author encourages reading the assigned chapters aloud with your child). Other components of the chapter are a list of subjects to be covered in that chapter, lesson activities, and a writing and discussion question which encourages development of writing skills. A unique feature that occurs occasionally is “Career Paths”. These may be studied to varied degrees to learn more about various professions.

A sample chapter looks something like this:

(From Chapter 6 of Sarah, Plain and Tall)

· Science: Water Sources

· Language Arts: The Newbery Medal

· Language Arts: Patricia MacLachlan—Writing about what you know

· Language Arts: Hyperbole—Meaning to exaggerate

· Fine Arts: The Killdeer—a fine subject for drawing

The FIAR website also contains links relating to the lessons. At the end of each chapter is a reminder to check the site for these links. The appendix contains a handy scope that lists topics covered in each subject within each literature selection at a glance. A certificate of completion of the volume is also included.

The chapters are not designed to be covered in a day. As with most unit studies, a child’s interest in the subject should guide you in how long to cover it. On average, each chapter can be covered in 2-3 days. Moderate to heavy parental preparation is required, including gathering library books on covered subjects.

This book retails for $24.95 and can be purchased from the FIAR website.

The following elements are rated on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best, NA meaning that this element does not apply to this service):

Value for price:	5
Ease of use:	3
Visual Appeal:	4
Durability:	NA
Customer Service/Support:	NA
Amount of materials required:	2
Use for multiple children:	5
Appeal to students:	4