When I was asked to review Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek - Level 3 Set from Greek 'n' Stuff, I'll admit that I was excited and nervous at the same time. I was excited because my son and I would be learning koine or common Greek which is the original language of the New Testament that was written so that everyone whether educated or not could read it. I was nervous because I had no training in Greek. Therefore, I'd be learning alongside my child. Eek! Talk about stepping out of my comfort zone.
Then, the materials arrived. We received a Biblical Greek Worktext, a Biblical Greek Worktext Answer Key, and a Pronunciation CD. Because my son is sixteen, we started with Level 3. This was a smart choice as I believe he would have become bored with a younger level. Furthermore, the lessons in Level 3 begin with teaching the Greek Alphabet at a rate of three letters per day and building upon previously learned letters for a period of three weeks. This was a good pace for my son and his amateur momma to learn Biblical Greek together. Due to my son's memory issues related to his diagnoses of Asperger's Syndrome (High-Functioning Autism), ADHD, and Learning Disabilities, I believe a faster pace would have been difficult for him to grasp. The continuous reinforcement of previously learned material also helped him retain the material we were learning.
My son's initial reaction was learning Greek is going to be hard (insert whiney tone here). When he realized that we were learning Biblical Greek, his interest was piqued. Since my son loves learning about God and Jesus, knowing he would be learning the original language of the New Testament appealed to him. Once we started lessons, his confidence began to grow as he realized he could indeed learn Biblical Greek. Not only does he know the Greek alphabet, he can also speak and write not merely Greek words but also short phrases. How exciting is this new skill!
As I mentioned previously, Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! - Level 3 Set comes with a Biblical Greek Worktext for student use. Lesson one starts by teaching students the letters of the Greek Alphabet. It shows students how the letters are written as well as has them practice writing the letters while pronouncing the letters' sounds. Then, the lessons continue to build upon the knowledge previously learned until the student can pronounce, read, and write short phrases or sentences in Biblical Greek. Furthermore, students complete different exercises that reinforce what they have just learned. This repetition helped my son retain and recall the information he learned from one lesson to the next. Exercises include writing activities, matching Greek words and phrases and their meanings, circling the correct answer, filling in the blanks, drawing a picture based upon the Greek word or phrase, and coloring the correct word or phrase. The variety in exercises also helps keep your child engaged in the learning process. I am providing samples of lessons from the Worktext to give you an idea of how the program works. (See below.)
The Level 3 Set also includes a Biblical Worktext Answer Key that makes teaching Greek easy for the teacher. The Answer Key provides a Proposed Schedule for the teacher to follow with their student. As my son can sometimes require extra time to learn new material due to his Learning Disabilities, I found the schedule simple to modify to meet his needs as they arose. In addition to providing all of the correct answers for each exercise, the Answer Key also provides helpful tips for the teacher. For example, the Answer Key suggests that teachers encourage their students to include the accents and breathing marks as they write out the Greek words. These little suggestions and explanation of nouns (such as feminine and masculine) and verbs (mood, tense, and voice as well as singular and plural and person) help the instructor be better informed and more capable of teaching the lessons even without having any prior experience. The pronunciation CD is the third element of the Level 3 Set. It helps both the teacher and student know the proper pronunciation of the words and phrases being taught.
Do you think the product sounds interesting? Wondering how you could use it with younger children? Greek 'n" Stuff also has a Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! - Level 2 Set for those in second grade and higher. You can find reviews for this product at the Homeschool Review Crew.
In addition to their Greek Sets, Greek 'n' Stuff also offers Bible Studies for children. This series includes: I Can Study Jonah & Ruth Alone With God Bible Study (13 week study) KJV and NIV, I Can Study Esther Alone With God Bible Study (13 week study) KJV and NIV, I Can Study I Samuel Alone With God (39 week study) KJV and NIV, and I Can Study Acts Alone With God (52 week study) KJV and NIV. You can read reviews about these products at the Homeschool Review Crew as well.
You can learn more about Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! - Level 3 Set and Greek 'n' Stuff on their Facebook Page, Facebook Group, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Thank you for stopping by my blog today and taking the time to read my review.
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