The book King Alfred's English - A History of the Language We Speak and Why We Should Be Glad We Do by Laurie J. White is 171 pages of the most interesting non-fiction reading I've done in a while.
This book opens with a map of Europe and a timeline (Ancient Times thru Modern Times) and a chart that has an overview of our language as it transitioned from Old English to Middle English and finally to Modern English. Having the maps and charts in the front of the book makes for easy reference while reading. I found this to be a nice feature that I used frequently.
King Alfred's English has six parts ~ Pre-English Britain, Old English, Middle English, A Time of Transition, The Making of the English Bible, & Shakespeare and Modern English. Contained in these six parts are 15 well-written chapters. Right from the start this book grabbed my attention. Yes, it's actually a book about the English language...and yes, it's actually very interesting. But it's not just a book about the language we converse, write and relate with. It's so much more!
An overly detailed breakdown of this book's content would be as tactless as a short "blurb" would be, so don't be surprised if I don't tell you too much (otherwise you wouldn't need to read it for yourself!). The author is talented and engaging, and weaves a terrific tale. She drew me in and I was soon fascinated with the history of the Brits. And so we used King Alfred's English as a history book in our family's homeschool. When I found her writing to be a natural and painless way to teach geography, I became even more excited! And so we used King Alfred's English as a geography resource. Shakespeare is of course mentioned in this book, and so we used King Alfred's English to springboard a study of Shakespeare. This is truly so much more than a book about the English language.
Have you ever wondered where the word bodacious came from? Read this book to find out! Curious as to why you can find well-preserved Roman ruins in Bath, England? This book contains the answer!
Each chapter ends with key dates and catch-phrases describing the era described - these helped a lot in retaining what was studied. These key dates also make it easy to add information to a timeline.
My only problem with this book was that I wished I had it in a bound form (I received an ebook edition for this review). In fact, this "problem" bothered me so much that I did something I have never done before. I purchased a physical copy of King Alfred's English. Yea, I'm pretty impressed with this book.
And I would also like to make mention that this resource is written from a strong Christian perspective. That is enormously important to me as a Christian homeschooling mother.
If you were to use King Alfred's English in high school, it is recommended that you count it as 1/2 credit for high school History (used over one semester) OR count it as 1/4 credit high school history and 1/4 credit high school English (used over one semester).
Interested? Then you can find out more at the author's website ~ www.TheShorterWord.com. Here you can read the first chapter, read articles, find group discounts, check out a timeline, and of course order a copy for yourself! The book is available for $16.95 from Amazon, or $5.95 for Kindle. It can also be purchased from Rainbow Resource. And as a special offer made available from the author, the first four people to leave a comment about this post will be emailed a discount code for 50% off the price (a link to the author's CreateSpace page will be sent along with the discount code). So leave a comment and your email address!
To read what other Schoolhouse Review Crew members shared on their blogs, click HERE.
Disclaimer ~ I received this product free of charge for review purposes. All opinions contained here are solely my own.
Lord bless you and your family today!
Day 211 done :)
Jan L. Burt
www.AllThingsHomeschool.weebly.com
This book opens with a map of Europe and a timeline (Ancient Times thru Modern Times) and a chart that has an overview of our language as it transitioned from Old English to Middle English and finally to Modern English. Having the maps and charts in the front of the book makes for easy reference while reading. I found this to be a nice feature that I used frequently.
King Alfred's English has six parts ~ Pre-English Britain, Old English, Middle English, A Time of Transition, The Making of the English Bible, & Shakespeare and Modern English. Contained in these six parts are 15 well-written chapters. Right from the start this book grabbed my attention. Yes, it's actually a book about the English language...and yes, it's actually very interesting. But it's not just a book about the language we converse, write and relate with. It's so much more!
An overly detailed breakdown of this book's content would be as tactless as a short "blurb" would be, so don't be surprised if I don't tell you too much (otherwise you wouldn't need to read it for yourself!). The author is talented and engaging, and weaves a terrific tale. She drew me in and I was soon fascinated with the history of the Brits. And so we used King Alfred's English as a history book in our family's homeschool. When I found her writing to be a natural and painless way to teach geography, I became even more excited! And so we used King Alfred's English as a geography resource. Shakespeare is of course mentioned in this book, and so we used King Alfred's English to springboard a study of Shakespeare. This is truly so much more than a book about the English language.
Have you ever wondered where the word bodacious came from? Read this book to find out! Curious as to why you can find well-preserved Roman ruins in Bath, England? This book contains the answer!
Each chapter ends with key dates and catch-phrases describing the era described - these helped a lot in retaining what was studied. These key dates also make it easy to add information to a timeline.
My only problem with this book was that I wished I had it in a bound form (I received an ebook edition for this review). In fact, this "problem" bothered me so much that I did something I have never done before. I purchased a physical copy of King Alfred's English. Yea, I'm pretty impressed with this book.
And I would also like to make mention that this resource is written from a strong Christian perspective. That is enormously important to me as a Christian homeschooling mother.
If you were to use King Alfred's English in high school, it is recommended that you count it as 1/2 credit for high school History (used over one semester) OR count it as 1/4 credit high school history and 1/4 credit high school English (used over one semester).
Interested? Then you can find out more at the author's website ~ www.TheShorterWord.com. Here you can read the first chapter, read articles, find group discounts, check out a timeline, and of course order a copy for yourself! The book is available for $16.95 from Amazon, or $5.95 for Kindle. It can also be purchased from Rainbow Resource. And as a special offer made available from the author, the first four people to leave a comment about this post will be emailed a discount code for 50% off the price (a link to the author's CreateSpace page will be sent along with the discount code). So leave a comment and your email address!
To read what other Schoolhouse Review Crew members shared on their blogs, click HERE.
Disclaimer ~ I received this product free of charge for review purposes. All opinions contained here are solely my own.
Lord bless you and your family today!
Day 211 done :)
Jan L. Burt
www.AllThingsHomeschool.weebly.com
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