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Do I read, or does my child.
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This is my first year homeschooling and it is almost to an end. Next year I am hoping to try CM style teaching. I have a 2nd grader, going into 3rd next year. I have been using a little of CM style with a little of curriculum.
Our reading program comes from McGuffey Readers, our math is a mixture of everything and language arts started out with Lifepac, but as the year is ending I have quit using Lifepac and tried dictations, and copy work from the Bible and our McGuffey. My question is this; My daughter loves to read. When teaching the CM way, do I read the books I pick from the living book list or does my daughter. How many do I pick. And is that all we do? I need to teach History, Language arts, Science, Art, Writing and reading… I am having a hard time understanding CM style. It almost seems toooo easy 🙂 Just read, is my understanding.
Also would you consider the history stories by Rush Limbaugh ,living history books? I have also picked a Emma Serl book for Language Arts. Apparently its a CM style of teaching. I feel like I am heading in a million directions and I don’t know where to start. I hope this forum is for moms like me. Thanks in advance.
It is such an interesting switch to make! Let me see if I can help clear up a little bit of the ‘too easy’ impression.
In CM methods a child reads or is read to (up to you, we do a mix, me doing most reading for younger kids and them taking over when they’re around 4th/5th grade. The perk to you reading aloud is you can read books above their reading level that the can understand just fine when they don’t have to read/decode the words.). After each reading your child is invited to narrate. This is, in simplest terms, telling you about the reading. At first they just share what they remember or liked or thought was funny/strange/interesting. They are practicing composition skills (thinking of what to say, organizing those thoughts, and sharing them in an order that makes sense). Ex: Robin Hood stole from the rich. He gave the money to people who needed money to pay their taxes and feed their families. The sheriff got mad and tried to capture him.
As they grow they begin to offer their thoughts on what was read, their opinions, the things the reading brought to mind or comparing/contrasting what was read with something read previously. Using the same example, an older child may also share thoughts like this about Robin Hood: “You know, stealing is wrong mom. I know it’s breaking the law. But I can see why Robin Hood felt like he needed to steal. I think sometimes the laws, like the one making it so only the king could hunt in the forest, hurt others and aren’t good laws. Then it might be okay to break the law. It reminds me of the American colonists when the King of England made unfair laws and they chose to not obey those laws, and to create their own country with fair laws.”
See how the progression happens? That could be the same child in 2nd grade and 7th grade. Their critical thinking develops and they begin to take what they read and apply it to real life issues, or deeper cause and effect, morality, etc.
Another quick note on narration: it begins with oral narration and progresses to written narration as well.
Have you discovered the Simply Charlotte Mason blog archives? They’ve done many wonderful series over the years and have them all sorted for you to browse. You may be interested in two in particular to begin with, Making the Transition to CM and Charlotte Mason: A Gentle Approach?
You can find the series archives here: http://www.simplycharlottemason.com/blog/series/
I hope that helps a bit!
There’s so much more to a CM education than just reading. 🙂 In traditional learning, reading is a part of history, science and literature as well. With CM methods, one is reading living books instead of textbooks whenever possible. We then have our children narrate instead of filling in blanks or circling multiple choices or answering predetermined questions designed to test what the child doesn’t know or remember. Narration shows what the child does know. Instead of testing them to make sure they remember what the textbook says they should remember, we are asking them to share with us what they do remember. Narration requires a much higher level of thinking than regular review exercises. Narration is oral composition. Try it yourself and see how much effort is required and how effective it is. My daughter can narrate on a book in September and still be able to give me a narration on the same reading in June. Could you have done that with one of your school textbooks? I know I couldn’t have! The retention with narration is wonderful!
Instead of typical language arts, Charlotte Mason recommends copy work, dictation, and oral and written narrations. They are doing these things instead of going over the same grammar every year, working through meaningless spelling lists and going through writing programs.
Charlotte Mason methods are so much more than just reading. A true CM education replaces each traditional method with what Charlotte believed (and I agree with her!) to be better and more effective methods.
In the younger years learning is certainly more gentle than other methods but since you are “spreading the feast” of picture study, composer study, nature study, poetry, hymn study, scripture memory, etc. a child being educated with CM methods should have plenty to do, and think about, and love.
I highly recommend reading through a good Charlotte Mason book. Her own writings are best but there have been many others written that some find more accessible. I would read through the blog here at SCM and if you can swing the SCM dvds, they will walk you through the process step by step and are simply amazing!
Blessings as you start the CM journey with your children! I’ve been on it for 13 years and am so thankful to the Lord for having directed me down this path of education with my children.
Oh! And to answer the original question, both! You are doing most of the readings at first and you gradually transfer the readings to your child. Most families like to continue with a daily read aloud even when the children are older.
Thank you for your direction! I bought a CM quick guide book a few weeks ago. I have read it twice. I know there is so much more to CM then what I am getting. I have just decided to put all the books we are reading in a bin on the table. Every time I read, I have her tell me what she remembers. Right now I am just reading 1 book at a time, until it is finished. Once I finish, we start another. I have her read a lesson from McGuffey daily and then, she reads on her own at night, or when ever she feels like it. I’m just worried I don’t have enough reading. By the time we finish our Devotional (Keys for Kids), Math, McGuffey, Copy work or dictation it’s been 2 hrs.
Do I need to add anything to my teaching?
A 2nd grader shouldn’t be spending too much time on formal school. 2 hours sounds good for basic schooling. Then it’s time to add in nature study and composer study and picture study and handicrafts, etc.
I think it’s better to read from a variety of books each day instead of simply reading from one book at a time. Reading from a history book, a literature book, and a science book each day breaks things up and helps our children to form relationships with the books by spending a longer amount of time with the book. It also helps to set a variety of readings and types of books and information before our children each day. Charlotte Mason called this spreading the feast.
You could keep doing things as you are now and take the extra time you have to read more about Charlotte Mason’s principles so that you can better understand and apply them in your homeschool. I do think school with a 2nd grader should be short, sweet and simple. The other things I mentioned are fun for children and become part of life and family culture rather than just school subjects.
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