All About Homophones – Our Thoughts

A reader asked what we think of All About Homophones, so I thought I would offer my thoughts so far.  Homophones are words that sound the same while being spelled differently and having different meanings.  For example be and bee, see and sea, to, two, and too. 

 

I will preface this by two things:

• We have only used this for a few weeks. 
• I bought this product with my own money, it was not given to me to review.

In All About Homophones there are a variety of resources to use:

Graphic Organizers – The six graphic organizers resemble scrapbook pages with a place to draw a picture for each homophone, and spaces to write some or all of the following for each word: the word, definition, synonyms, a sentence using the word.  Makayla does one of these for each new homophone set she learns, and ultimately they will be bound into her very own homophone dictionary.  There is a page of ideas for using the Graphic Organizers for homophones as well as other purposes.

Homophone Worksheets – 101 fill-in-the-blank sheets give the student practice with different sets of homophones.  Each page is dedicated to one homophone set.  There are two pages of ideas to take this further in creative writing, art/drama, speaking, and more.  The homophones are divided into sets for grades 1 – 8, though a child can easily cross over grade levels.

Crossword Puzzles – These correspond to grade level homophone lists.  There are 14 puzzles, so after learning the words listed a student gets another way to practice their new homophones.

Card Games – Instructions are included for six card games, and printable game cards are provided for 26 homophone pairs, with instructions to create your own cards for other homophones.

All About Homophones offers even more resources, from books to read, to tongue twisters, riddles, and puns using homophones.  The appendix offers answer keys, handy indexes, and a mega-list of homophones that you can extend your family’s learning with.  There is a 32 page sample you can look through HERE that is a great look at All About Homophones.

How are we using All About Homophones?   Two or three days a week Makayla looks up definitions for a pair of homophones, creates her graphic organizer page, and does the accompanying worksheet.  It’s that easy.  When she finishes all the word pairs to do one of the crossword puzzles I will slip the puzzle into her workbox as a surprise.  Every few weeks we will make cards and play some of the homophone games, though we are waiting to begin this until she has finished at least 10 word pairs so the games are not too easy (she is 9 after all). 

What do we think?  Makayla enjoys making her own “reference books”, be it a homophone dictionary or an atlas, so this is right up her alley.  She also enjoys words and grammar.  I bought the e-book version for $27.95.  I like being able to print directly from my computer.  This book is something I will be able to reuse for all of my children when they are ready, which makes it a wonderful investment.  It covers words for grades 1-8 and then includes an even bigger master list in the appendix, which means not only can I use it, but I can expand it if I have a child who particularly loves this study.