Reading for fun

Allegra writes: My sixth-grade English teacher made reading a strict and laborious affair: we were told to read what was “on the list” (even though this list did not necessarily correspond with the state and national requirements). If we were reading something not listed on this seemingly random collection of works, we were urged to either read it on our own time or not at all.

Reading in and out of school, or homeschool, in this case, shouldn’t have to be like this. When selecting books for the teacher/parent and student to read together, try to find books within the requirements that your child is interested in. For example, if your student likes wilderness adventure stories, choose something by Jack London to read together. If he or she is interested in the medieval world of knights and dames, pick up Howard Pyle’s The Story of King Arthur and His Knights.

For individualized reading (the student reading alone outside of “school”), let the student read what he or she likes. However, you should encourage your child to read a few things from the list provided in state curriculum frameworks.

A note to students: All of the dusty old classics listed in the state requirements may not appeal to you. That’s okay. Your parent/teacher will probably be familiar with some of them, so ask your mom or dad about books you might enjoy.

Outside of the classics, there’s plenty to read. Many contemporary, up-to-date retellings of myths, legends and fairy tales are available. Here are some of my favorites:

· Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine-- This is a retelling of “Cinderella” and is also a winner of the Newbury Medal.
· Fairest by Gail Carson Levine-- A complex and absorbing retelling of “Snow White” by the author of Ella Enchanted.
· The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler-- A quick and fun retelling of the fairy tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”
· The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale-- One of my all-time favorites, this is a retelling of the fairy tale by the same name.
· Rapunzel’s Revenge and Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale-- This pair of graphic novels tells the rewritten tale of Rapunzel and Jack of “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
· Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan-- A fast-paced and humorous collection of adventure stories based on Greek and Roman mythology.
· Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman-- This little yarn isn’t strictly a retelling of mythology, but it incorporates many characters and events from Norse legend.
· The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White--This book is an older but entertaining tale of the legendary King Arthur’s life before he was crowned.
· I am Morgan le Fay by Nancy Springer-- This retelling of Arthurian legend gives the villain’s side of the story.

Helpful sites

The two extremes of the homeschooling spectrum--with fundamentalist Christians on the right and the freewheeling Unschooled on the left--seem to be well represented online. But what if you, like Buddha, choose the Middle Way? It’s like the road not taken, to borrow from Frost.

The Home School Legal Defense Association website (http://www.hslda.org/) is loaded with useful information. A nonprofit advocacy organization established to protect the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children, HSLDA provides information about homeschooling laws, posts the latest homeschooling news and offers advice on how to get started. This is a great place to begin.

For those of you seeking homeschooling help for the upper grades (primarily 9 through 12), check out http://www.brightstorm.com/. Founder and CEO Jeff Marshall is a former math, English and Spanish teacher and a graduate of Brown’s MAT program. A classmate of mine, Jeff is a phenomenally bright, caring, innovative and dynamic teacher. After working for several years in public schools and then in business, Jeff launched Brightstorm in 2008. Through free online videos, Brightstorm offers registered users instruction in a variety of subjects, from algebra to US History. Full courses are available for purchase. Some subjects, like pre-algebra and Grammar Time, are appropriate for middle schoolers. It’s an exciting, accessible e-learning platform.

Middle school reading list

The dental hygienist looked doubtful when my daughter, then 12, informed her that she was studying fairy tales in home school: fairy tales at 12? Absolutely! Anyone who has read Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment (1977) understands the importance of fairy tales to children, especially adolescents. They address subconscious anxieties about growing into adulthood. In fact, fairy tales are listed among the recommended reading selections for grades 5 through 8 in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

Your state Department of Education likely provides a list of recommended reading according to grade level. Begin with your child’s interests before consulting the list. Last summer, Allegra expressed an interest in reading Edgar Allan Poe, Greek mythology, Homer’s Odyssey and the legend of King Arthur. These selections formed the basis of our 2010-2011 reading list, which includes many literary works suggested by the state curriculum frameworks:

Poetry:
A survey including the works of Anne Bradstreet, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lewis Carroll, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, Phillis Wheatley, John Greenleaf Whittier

Short stories:
“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” “The Story of the Bad Little Boy” and “A Fable” by Mark Twain
“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe
“Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving

Plays:
“Electra” by Sophocles
Attended productions of “Once upon a Mattress” (comedic retelling of the “Princess and the Pea”) and “A Christmas Carol”

Other works:
Selected Grimm’s fairy tales and contemporary fairy-tale retellings:
“Cinderella” and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
“Snow White” and Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
“The Goose Girl” and The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
“Maid Maleen” and Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
“The Princess and the Pea” by Hans Christian Andersen
Aesop’s fables
Greek, Roman and Norse myths; compared Greek myths to contemporary Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
Homer’s Odyssey (Padraic Colum version)
Native American mythology: The Children of the Morning Light by Manitonquat (Wampanoag legends)
Fairy tales from around the world
Selections from Genesis
St. George and the Dragon
Beowulf
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Freebies

In ordering some books for the next academic year, I noticed a “Free Ideas & Activities” tab on the Carson-Dellosa Publishing website (www.carsondellosa.com). By clicking on the tab, I found some fun materials, mostly for children at the elementary level, no subscription necessary. Colorful packets for Earth Day and for National Poetry Month (both April events) caught my attention as being suitable for middle schoolers.

--Laurie

One-room schoolhouse

You might say I have it easy, teaching just one child. And I probably do. However, I think it would be valuable to have other children in the home “classroom” for exchange of ideas. It is entirely possible to teach children of various ages at home by using the one-room schoolhouse approach. Early primary grades (1 through 3) can be grouped, as can later primary (4 through 6) and middle school (7 through 8 or even 9). The last grade in each group can easily be moved up to the next group. Age-related grades are arbitrary, in my view, and not particularly useful. In reality, children learn at different rates. For example, an 8-year-old might be able to read at a fifth-grade level but lag behind his peers in math. On the other hand, just because a student can read at a very early age does not indicate genius. Albert Einstein struggled with language development in his early years. Obviously, his mind was on other things! Developmental levels are far more important and should be respected. You’ll easily find online, at bookstores and at your local library inexpensive educational materials for kindergarten through grade 8. Finding materials for grades 9 through 12 is more challenging.

'She blinded me with science'

The fun of science lies in the experiments. At the middle school level, science should be about doing. Students need to learn the basics of scientific method, including how to write a lab report. The thought of replicating a science laboratory in the home can be daunting, but rest assured, many experiments at this level can be done easily within the home without specialized equipment.

In accordance with curriculum guidelines, we study concepts in physical science, life science, earth and space science, ecology and technology; then we test these concepts in the “laboratory”: the kitchen/dining area. We’re using the Spectrum Science series by Frank Schaffer Publications. It’s interesting to read, with brief articles on contemporary science topics, but it doesn’t excel at explaining science concepts. The series is aligned to national standards, so you know you’ll be covering curriculum requirements, but you’ll likely find yourself searching for supplementary material. Also by Frank Schaffer Publications, Science up to the Standards by Pam Walker and Elaine Wood offers experiments grouped according to branch of science, but some of the experiments call for specialized lab equipment, like a triple-beam scale. Walker and Wood’s 50 Terrific Science Experiments provides even more inexpensive experiments, easy to do at home without special equipment, but the activities are not grouped by branch of science.

Where can you find supplementary material? Reputable resources include your local library or bookstore and PBS, Discovery and National Geographic online.


Allegra's take: I don’t particularly like Spectrum Science. I find the “read the selection and answer the questions” format boring.

Science up to the Standards and 50 Terrific Science Experiments are much more engaging than the main text. They offer many experiments, though some of the instructions seem flawed: even when we followed the directions to the letter, some experiments were unsuccessful.

Other hands-on activities for science include field trips to locations of interest in the area. I especially enjoyed a trip to a state park to look for evidence of glacial activity.

About socialization

For most students, especially in the upper grades, school’s biggest attraction is the opportunity to socialize. Socialization remains a concern of parents who homeschool because homeschooling can be isolating. The saturated social interaction provided by schools doesn’t necessarily equate to positive interaction, however: witness schools’ increased attention to bullying--cyberbullying, in particular. Most parents would probably be willing to trade quantity for quality when it comes to their children’s social interactions.

Town/city recreation departments, the YMCA, 4-H groups and religious/cultural institutions often provide positive educational and social opportunities for children. To ensure that Allegra socializes with others her age, we enroll her in enrichment classes outside the home. On Wednesdays, she swims with her peers at the YMCA (physical education). She dances on Thursdays (physical education and arts). On Fridays, she takes an art class (fine art) at the local Conservatory. Last fall, she also participated in a youth theater class (language arts/performing arts). These classes serve two purposes: 1) they meet curriculum requirements and 2) they provide an opportunity to connect with other age-group peers.

Allegra's take: These enrichment programs cannot compare to the day-to-day socialization provided in a traditional school environment. On the more positive side, however, the enrichment programs are fun, and I thoroughly enjoy them. We also get much more done in them than we ever did in the public school classes.