Homeschool Literature - Understanding The English Language with King Alfred's English

Homeschool literature wouldn’t be complete without knowing how we came to use this language we call English. King Alfred’s English by Laurie J. White, sold at The Shorter Word for $16.95, is the book that tells you just that.

There are different options to purchasing the book. You can buy it in bulk directly from Laurie’s Shorter Word website or buy it from Amazon. There are many other places listed on the same page the book is offered on the site where you can buy the book online. ChristianBook.com (CBD) is listed as having the lowest retail price at $14.89.

I don’t know about you, but this truth in advertising is saying VOLUMES about the integrity of this company. Who do you know who discloses information on competitor prices like that!? I really appreciate Laurie for trying to make her book available to everyone no matter what financial state you’re in. She also mentions this book is available in Kindle version too!

The King Alfred’s English book is a 170 page softcover book on the history of the English language. The book divides the history of the English language into six different parts with time references for each:

1. Pre-English Britain (55 BC - 500 AD)
2. Old English (500 AD - 1066 AD)
3. Middle English (1066 AD - 1500 AD)
4. Middle to Modern English (1400 AD - ~1600 AD)
5. The English Bible (1526 AD - 1611 AD)
6. Shakespeare and Modern English (1500 AD - Present)

Each part has multiple chapters. The part I like about the divisions of this book is that in the table of contents there are page listings for subsections of each chapter! If you want to learn about a certain individual in English history or a certain occurrence, you can easily find it. That makes this resource such a user-friendly one. History can be a bit daunting to take on, so I appreciate this organization.In our homeschool, we have a variety of learners from preschoolers up to older elementary level. I was a bit cautious introducing this resource to them. In truth, this resource is for ages 12-adult, but I have some children who are mature enough to be able to enjoy this resource, so I tried it out on them.

They loved all the little tidbits we were digging up about our language. Their long time questions were answered. It was a wonderful experience reading the book to them and using the aids at the Shorter Word site.

Speaking of the Shorter Word, that site is AMAZING! Laurie has done some deep research to find all the sites she gives you. There is so much knowledge contained in those links. Laurie also does another wonderful job of organizing everything so you can find what you want easily. Her site is one of those places you’ll want to visit again and again.

For my young students, most of what was on the student page on the Shorter Word was a bit much for them. I mostly had to break it down and feed it to them in bite sized pieces. Although, there were some wonderful ideas to help them understand what was being taught like watching movies and short videos together and listening to audio books.

For the teachers, the Shorter Word is nothing short of awesome! There are worksheets with answers, tests with answers and when your students finish, they can enjoy a ½ credit in History or split the credit in two between History and English. There’s even a link for help on writing a movie or video review but I’d suggest using this for help in writing the five paragraph essay.

The Timeline of Western Civilisation is another wonderful part of the learning tools available at the Shorter Word. When printed out and glued to posterboard, it can easily help your students remember what happened and when. The

As a side note, I read Unwrapping the Pharaohs which challenges the timeline most hold to be true and have the Annals of History. It would be very interesting to match the three timelines up and discover where there are discrepancies and what actually lines up together.

I love the quote Laurie put on the timeline download from Voltaire:

“History is a pack of tricks the living play on the dead”

She goes on to explain that what happened is the past, but history is what historians, with their biased perspectives, claim to have happened. She lets you know some of history is straight out wrong and some we never will know. That might frustrate some who like things to be black or white, but Laurie embraces it and simply has fun with it. We are all the better for her view on history and timeless resource!

I had a wonderful time going through this book and its learning aids. We learned so much and had many “Aha” moments! I strongly suggest you pick up your copy and experience your “Aha” moments.

For those interested in Christian historical fiction, read my latest review of A Cry From Egypt.

DISCLAIMER: I received King Alfred's English from the TOS Review Crew for free in exchange for my honest opinion.