Quoted Text

To the Albuquerque Homeschool Co-op

From Asgaard Viking Editions
      Interactive E-Books on CD

We would like you to be aware of materials on interactive CDs that we believe are suitable for home schooling in the areas of Reading and Geography.  

READ-TO-ME OR EARLY READING, WITH A  FEW TUNES

TUNEFUL TALES:   These are stories in verse, fully narrated so that the child can independently listen or read along.   Each story has simple tunes as part of the story, and a songbook is included on the CD.  Eight titles are currently available:  

PRINCESS PETUNIA'S PINK PEARL    Mistakes are for learning what not to do, not for making them again
THE ISLAND OF THE TRONS Why the purple and the green Trons could not get along.
THE YES-YES PRINCE There’s a time to say yes and a time to say no
THE PUSHBUTTON PRINCE Pushing a button just isn’t the same
as playing the game.
THE GIANT'S APPLE ORCHARD    Sugary words and big  smiles are not always friendly
PRINCESS CALANDRA'S CAMEL   Why a princess who could buy anything had such an odd-looking camel
ZAPPER ZANE THE DREADFUL DANE Zapper Zane is a big problem for the
village, but who should solve it?
MOLLY AND THE LEPRECHAUN Having wishes come true isn’t always the answer

ALL-BY-MYSELF ABC'S , providing reading practice, are fully narrated so that early readers can follow on their own and, at the appropriate times, read on their own.   Immediate positive re-enforcement, pre-reading familiarity with the words, and illustrations to assist in understanding are part of this very beginning level practice.  To this is added the crucial component of thinking about what has just been read, not reciting but reflecting, a skill that cannot begin too early.  A  brief Parents' Corner pamphlet is included.    Level I is practice for beginning readers.   Level II of this series, Andy's Accidental ABC's, is in development.
.
For readers who have made some progress in reading, we have a story in our
I-read-you-read format, COME TO THE FAIR, about a young boy, a Duroc pig, the state  fair, and the importance of accomplishing something on your own.   This story also has a few simple tunes and a songbook included on the CD.

The above are written by Isabel Moen, Ph.D., who has for many years been involved in educational improvement at the state and district level through staff development workshops, state and national conferences, legislative initiatives, basic skills testing and workshops, gifted and talented programs, remedial programs, thinking skills education, and curriculum development.  Most of the original illustrations are by Walt Lardner, a nationally known cartoonist.


Also by Isabel Moen, MARY THE MARVELOUS, a humorous fantasy novel for young readers in which Mary not only helps King Dindy find allies against a wicked queen but also finds she is much more marvelous when everyone expects her to be.  This novel has a very simple animation on almost every page that the reader can activate by clicking the mouse.

WANDER THE WORLD:  GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

Our materials offer a different approach to geography in a travel format designed to interest the young traveler (and the young at heart).  Through extensive photos the reader can sample a wide variety of what there is to see, do and learn about by "traveling."    All countries offer the choice of three different formats, depending on the reader's level of interest.  
1. The most information is provided in the "Fun with Friends" format where the reader "travels" with six sensible young friends and their running commentary.  
2. The reader can "travel" alone on the "Lone Pine" tour reading descriptions of the photographs presented.
3. The reader can take the "Express Train" format which involves simply looking at photographs with very brief captions.  

The underlying learning principle is concept creation as advocated by Jerome Bruner, in this case the presentation of many examples to feed into the formation of an overall concept of the country, not just its name.   In addition to the photographs, there are ancillary features such as "Where in the World Are You" and a little pre-travel preparation, very brief, about phrases, money, and cultural awareness.   Sixteen different countries are offered, in groups of three, either across continents or in a general region.

The Wandering Tours:  
TOUR A:  GHANA, AUSTRALIA, HOLLAND
TOUR B:  NORWAY, LEBANON, THAILAND
TOUR C-1 EGYPT, WALES, BANGLADESH
TOUR C-2  TURKEY,  (ALBERTA) CANADA, VENEZUELA
TOUR D   FRANCE, URUGUAY, SOUTH AFRICA
Coming soon: Tour B-2:  Ireland, Barbados, India

The Regional Tours:
ACROSS AFRICA:  EGYPT, SOUTH AFRICA, GHANA
EXPLORING EUROPE:  NORWAY, WALES, FRANCE
AMID THE MIDEAST:  LEBANON, TURKEY, EGYPT
ENGLISH SPOKEN:  BARBADOS, AUSTRALIA, (ALBERTA) CANADA

YOUNG ADULT  NOVELS
The young adult historical novel,  THE FIRST FORT, might also be of interest to home schoolers.  It tells the true story, based on both the original French and Spanish chronicles, of William Ruffin who arrived on South Carolina shores with the Huguenot Ribault, remained in the makeshift fort, and must deal with Indians, a deteriorating morale within the fort that explodes into violence, and the formidable Spanish admiral seeking to rid the New World of Protestants and building a new fort in Florida, St. Augustine, for that purpose.  

WANDER THE WORLD as well as THE FIRST FORT, are written by Beverly Enwall who holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and has taught not only at the K-12 level but also college courses and graduate seminars in the history as well as the culture of  Hispanic countries.   Her interest in history as well as the culture of other countries created the WANDER THE WORLD series, and an  interest in the history of South Carolina led her to explore the primary documents surrounding William Ruffin.

We hope you will visit our website, http://www.asgaardviking.com and look over these materials and the sample pages.   We believe they could be useful to those who are home-schooling their children.    
Best regards, The Editors