I continue to be impressed with each new grade level of the Catholic Heritage Curricula lesson plans. I could not imagine a more family-friendly format and the details are so impressive. On each two-page spread (which covers one week) there is a little "ideas" section which includes suggestions for celebrating feast days, an art masterpiece to display each month, and other things which help tie things together nicely. I love the beautiful quotes, simple games and other tidbits scattered throughout the lesson plans. The appendix includes an extensive religion supplement and resource especially designed for First Holy Communion preparation. Basic topics covered in this appendix are: Holy Manners, the Saints, Prayer, Reconciliation, Holy Mass and Preparing Our Hearts to Receive Jesus. A second, smaller appendix entitled "Tour the Continents: Learning About Other Lands and Peoples" offers a Catholic social studies course in conjunction with an encyclopedia set and a few other supplements.

The basic texts used are: Devotional Stories for Little Folks by Nancy Nicholson, American Cardinal Reader 2, My Catholic Speller A, Language of God for Little Folks A, MCP Math B, Faith and Life 2, Catholic Stories from Science 2, Map Skills A, Art with a Purpose, Writing Can Help 2, Fun Physical Fitness for the Home plus supplemental texts and educational materials included right in the lesson plans.

I have just finished planning the school year for my 5th and 8th graders using the new CHC Lesson Plan Guide for the Middle School Years, and I have never had such a productive and enjoyable time of it! Normally, I like to plan, but there never seemed to be enough time or information in one place to do it effectively or efficiently. I prefer a customized curriculum for each of my students, emphasizing their particular interests while shoring up their weaker subjects. With six students alongside little ones, planning the school year's curriculum is a very time-consuming process. CHC has made all the difference for me this year.

The Lesson Plan Guide is just that–-a complete guide to designing your student's studies for each of the middle school (grades 5-8) years. There is structure within flexibility, and many options to appeal to a diversity of students with different gifts and talents. This is not a "school-in-a-box" that you can open and immediately put to work. You will need to spend a few hours for each grade level, looking over the courses that are detailed for you, and considering your student. But, this investment of a few hours will provide you, as the teacher, with a firm overview of the path you will take to meet the goals at the other end of the school year. Having that "big picture" helps tremendously when motivation lags. Using the CHC Lesson Planner (reviewed elsewhere) will simplify this customization further as they were designed to be used together.

Each of the four years is laid out with a plan for core subjects, non-core and elective subjects, enrichment materials, and parent resources. Sample schedules for each grade level are provided as an example of a balanced workload for a typical student. Unique to CHC are the Independent Study Charts that show the student which material he should be able to work on without direct teaching. Six detailed hands-on student courses are provided for up-to-date, beautiful Catholic textbooks in the areas of history, virtues, and Church history. As if that weren't enough value for the money, the Guide also offers wonderful teacher resources that provide the "what-you-need-to-know-to-teach" writing, science, and world history at these grade levels. Several authors contributed these resources, and the different approaches to these subjects are refreshing in their variety.

CHC has managed to produce a wonderful plan for middle-grade students that features the best characteristics that we have come to expect from them:

• do-able projects that the children both anticipate and cheerfully complete;
• a unique hands-on approach to most subjects that truly engage the student on several levels;
• an underlying structure that the teaching parent becomes familiar with as the year goes on;
• a progression in critical thinking, the ability to work independently for longer periods, and solid academics at a comfortable pace as the years pass.

All in all, this book is one of the best investments available for a Catholic homeschooling family who prefers to individualize their student's curriculum, within limits, while providing a thoroughly Catholic education utilizing multiple methods of learning

This book contains:

Planning Guides:

• Fifth Grade: (18 pages)
• Sixth Grade: (18 pages)
• Seventh Grade: (18 pages)
• Eighth Grade: (20 pages)

Hands-On Student Courses:

• 5th Grade From Sea to Shining Sea Hands-On Study Guide (9 pages)
• 6th Grade All Ye Lands Hands-On Study Guide (9 pages)
• 7th Grade "The Virtue Tree" Student Course (44 pages)
• 7th Grade "Timeline of the Republic" Guide (19 pages)
• 8th Grade: 2000 Years of Christian History Study Guide (12 pages)
• 8th Grade: "Timeline of the Ages" (19 pages)

Teacher Resources:

• "Jump Start Your Writing" (26 pages)
• "Science in a Nutshell" (24 pages)
• "World History Timeline" (46 pages)

Originally published in 1928, the current edition published by TAN Books is a complete reproduction of the 1934 edition. The 1990 editor added some footnotes to bring the series more "up-to-date." This is a highly recommended series — it is the recommended high school religion text for Kolbe Academy, Mother of Divine Grace and Seton Home Study. I have not worked my way through an entire book from this series yet, but I found it to be an excellent reference resource, especially before the Catechism of the Catholic Church was released. It makes an excellent reference because it is laid out in a very practical manner. It is possible to study a single chapter in the middle of the book in order to more fully understand a particular topic, such as the Catholic Church's teaching on Evolution (ch. VI, Bk. 1 The Origin of the Human Race) which did not change with Vatican II or Our Holy Father's recent (and highly misunderstood and misquoted) statement on Evolution. Because of this practical format, parents may find this series very useful in learning about a particular concept more fully in order to teach it to their younger children. The series is extensively illustrated.

The full series of Fr. Laux's "A Course in Religion" includes the following titles:

• Chief Truths of the Faith (Book I, 179 pages, ISBN 9780895553911)
• Mass and the Sacraments (Book II,  199 pages, ISBN 9780895553928)
• Catholic Morality (Book III, 164 pages, ISBN 9780895553935)
• Catholic Apologetics (Book IV, 134 pages, ISBN 9780895553942)

For those interested in using this as a high school religion series, Laura Berquist has syllabi for this series, which include quizzes and answer keys and are available from Emmanuel Books. Seton Home Study offers, even for those not signed up with their entire program, a course using this text. This service includes telephone consultation, test correcting, grading, etc.