Homeschool Curriculum Supplement Standard Deviants Accelerate

I’d often seen some perky-looking videos on different middle and high school topics at our local library. Judging by how worn out they looked, they had to have been quite popular. It turns out, we’ve received one year’s complete access to these videos, their online version, that is, in exchange for my complete and thorough review.

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What We Received

We received an annual subscription to all Standard Deviants Accelerate Homeschool Courses from Standard Deviants Accelerate.  These courses are for children ages 8 and up.

 

Standard Deviants Accelerate Review
 

What to Expect of Standard Deviants Accelerate

Standard Deviants Accelerate is a high-paced video program that blends actors with lots of cartoons, audio and video effects. The actors seem to be young high schoolers or college students. A series of fast-moving scenes depict the entire concept or idea. This with the intention to keep children engaged and entertained. Here’s a video trailer that will hopefully give you an idea of SDA’s style.

 

There are plenty of courses in the Standard Deviants Accelerate’s Homeschool program:

Arithmetic – grades 3+
Fundamental Math – grades 4+
Earth Science – grades 6+
Nutrition – grades 6+
Algebra – grades 7+
Biology – grades 7+
Chemistry – grades 9+
English Composition – grades 9+
U.S. History – grades 9+
AP Biology – grades 11+
AP Chemistry – grades 11+
AP US Government and Politics – grades 11+
AP U.S. History – grades 9+
AP English Composition – grades 11+

Homeschoolers can buy regular courses for $99 for a year for one student, or $24.95 per month.  AP courses are also available for one student for $14.95 per month. Here’s the Homeschool pricing chart, if you’d like to learn more.

 

 

Look Inside

I thought these couple of videos would make an excellent tour of what your child, and you as a parent would experience, if you decide to give Standard Deviants Accelerate a try.  Here’s a walk through the child’s account:

 

And this corresponds to the parent’s account:

 

How We Used Standard Deviants Accelerate

Super Hero had been wanting to learn more about Nutrition for a while. We were glad to spot the Nutrition course on Standard Deviants Accelerate and jumped in as soon as we got setup. Though intended for children in grades 6 and up, a little above his current grade level, Super Hero had no trouble following along.

We also used Earth Science, Arithmetic and Fundamental Math. The videos are short: 5 to 12 minutes each. After the video, there’s plenty of additional didactic material to reinforce the learning. These are:

  • Video lessons with optional transcripts
  • Assignments
  • Quizzes and tests
  • Built-in note taking feature
  • Printable versions
  • The ability to message a parent for help if needed
  • Vocabulary
  • Critical thinking questions

 

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Super Hero enjoyed the videos quite well. He also tried a few of the additional didactic materials mentioned earlier.  I appreciated the fact the SDA offers all those features to enrich the learning.  I would have been wonderful to use more of them, but aside from a few times, Super Hero didn’t feel like he needed to continue using them.  Since we treated SDA as a supplement to our learning, he was not required to do quizzes or anything he didn’t want to do.

 

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Our Opinion About Standard Deviants Accelerate

Super Hero liked Standard Deviants Accelerate. We had great laughs with many clips in various movies. Some of the actors were real funny, and we found ourselves watching some scenes over and over again. Still, Super Hero gave SDA 4 stars for fun. He said the videos were funny but he knocked 1 star down, because “there needed to be more cartoons talking.”  Curious how perceptions can differ so much!  I thought there were plenty of cartoons and effects. In fact, for my personal learning style, there were way too many.  Then again, I’m not a child in SDA’s intended audience.  I believe, though, that children ages 11 and up would be a more accurate target audience, rather than 8 and up. In fact, some Standard Deviants Accelerate info claims its courses are suitable for middle and high schoolers.  I agree with the latter statement.

 

So, What's the Scoop?
  • Open and Go!
  • Easy Prep
  • Kid Approved
  • Fun
  • Quality
  • Pedagogy
4.3

The Nitty Gritty

Though the program is aimed for children ages 8 and up, I’d say children ages 11 and up is a better fit. If your children like fast-moving videos with lots of goofy actors, sound and video effects, then Standard Deviants Accelerate fits the bill. I believe children in this age group, will appreciate the humor and the nature of the videos better than the 8 to 10 year-old crowd. This is the reason for a 4-star in the Kid Approved field –as judged by 9 year-old Super Hero.

In short, this program offers extensive educational material and enriching features. It’s a sound supplemental curriculum for middle school and high school homeschoolers.

 

What to Learn More?

If you’d like, you can sign up for their free 6-month trial, read more reviews from my fellow Crew members, or visit Standard Deviants Accelerate’s website or social media accounts:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDAccelerate
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SDAccelerate
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/SDAccelerate/
Google+: google.com/+Sdaccelerate

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