Name: Teach Them Diligently (Branson)
Start: 2025-05-15T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-17T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Branson, MO

Tagged: Choosing, literature, selections, tracking

This topic has 10 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 2 months ago by TammyTE.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

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January 16, 2013 at 6:41 pm
TammyTE
Member
How do you keep track of which books your children have read? Right now my 10yo dd has read several books that her younger siblings have not. My next two in line are 8yo and 6yo and are both at about the same reading level as the other. As I was going through the Literature Modules to see what to read this year I noticed my oldest has read a lot of the books in the first few modules. Now it was at her leisure and I have no idea what kind of comprehension she had. 😉 I can see that in the future it will be harder and harder for me to know who has read what.
I guess I have a few questions then. 🙂
Do you keep a running list for each child? Do you only put it on their list if they have read it for school and done some narration so you know they got it?
How do you keep this list?
If a child has read a book on their own do you go ahead and use it for literature in your schooling or choose a different book?
FWIW, my oldest is 10yo and technically a 5th grader. She reads well but I have noticed she mispronounces words when she has read a book on her own and not been corrected. (It’s cute when she uses a new word in a conversation but completely mispronounces it. Thankfully she doesn’t mind me correcting her pronunciation.) So I know she would benefit from reading aloud to her and not just sent off on her own.
Hmmmm Now that I think about it, I wonder if it would work for me to assign her a book on her own but I could read aloud the first few chapters for her. Then maybe read a chapter to her here and there in the book. Would that be a good comprimise?

January 16, 2013 at 7:05 pm
TammyTE
Member
Another thought – Should I have 1oyo be the one to read aloud to the others on books she has already read to herself? Not always but some of the time.
January 16, 2013 at 7:47 pm
Rachel White
Participant
I have the Literature list from the Organizer. Those are the books for which I require narration or use a study guide.
Also, on the CMOrg. I have 10-15 books that I want them to just read on the side and those I put under ‘Leisure Reading’. I usually ask about it; what they liked, what they thought, what happened, etc., but don’t require any other accountability. Now, my children talk about the books they’ve read ad nauseum and I see them reading them, so I know it’s happening.
Lastly, I have a self-designed ‘audio books’ list that I maintain.
When they read anything additional, I put it in the notes section in the Org.
I have a Homeschool Notebook where I keep all my paper records.
If you want her to read aloud that’s fine; or you could just wait and have them for the youngers.
As for the mispronouncing, mine have done it, too. You can’t really get rid of it completely, but I think listening to lit. helps with that as does the increase in grammar as she gets older; also, you could have her come to you anytime there’s a word she is unsure of and also have her read aloud to you (or the other children as you mentioned earlier) occasionally.
Personally, I don’t have time nor the inclination to read aloud the first couple of chapters for any of their readings.

January 16, 2013 at 7:51 pm
TammyTE
Member
How do I find the literature list? Are these the books listed in the literature modules only organized in list form?
What would you do if your child had already read a book in the lit. mod? Would you have them re-read it or find another book?
January 16, 2013 at 7:58 pm
Rachel White
Participant
When my child has already read the ones on the list (which my two have already read almost all of them up till gr. 9) I find another book; I don’t require a re-read.
If you go to the SCM ‘free curriculum guide’ from the home page, you can click the link for Literature: http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/scmguide/literature/
I mainly use the Ambleside Online booklists and book selections from All Through the Ages.
January 16, 2013 at 8:03 pm
TammyTE
Member
Time? LOL That’s why I don’t want to read aloud to each of the children. That’s all I would be doing!

That’s the list I had found. Do you just put the books in the organizer and mark them completed once they have read them? If I would input all the literature books from scm in the organizer under each child separately then I could mark as completed. Would I be able to run a report of just the literature resources and see at a glance what is completed then?

I think I am catching on. 🙂
January 16, 2013 at 8:37 pm
jmac17
Participant
I don’t use the organizer, so my list is just on paper. I have 5 columns. First is the title, then the location of the book (ie. on our bookshelf, on our ereader, or from the library.) The last 3 columns are for each of my 3 children. Once each child has read (or been read) the book, I enter the date, plus a code (N-narrated, F – free read). That way I know what we did. Then I can decide when to read/assign the book for the next child. I might also leave a note about the book, such as if it was too hard/easy for the child at that time, so I’ll know to either use it earlier or later for the next child.
Joanne
January 16, 2013 at 8:39 pm
TammyTE
Member
That’s a good idea about the code and making notes. I also love keeping the list of where it is. I often have to ask my dd if we have a book or not. She is right 99% of the time. 😉
January 16, 2013 at 8:46 pm
Tristan
Participant
Ack, the computer ate my answer! In essence I said:
No, I don’t keep track of what individual children read or have read to them for years on end. We’ve read aloud daily since my oldest (11yo) was born. With baby 8 on the way I have too many to track and stay sane. We also have a homeschool book club we started a few years ago that we have read many books with. Some one of my children may have already read/heard. I’ve also read aloud ones to the family that my oldest had read before on her own (or that I read to her when she was younger). She still enjoyed the book again.
I find that there are books children and adults will enjoy more than once, so I just don’t worry about it. My oldest will even finish reading something and tell me she thinks we should read it to the rest of the kids.
I don’t do chapter book read alouds to just one child, with different books for each child!!! Family read alouds are the name of the game. Right now we’re reading The House at Pooh Corner and Swiss Family Robinson aloud (outside of school reading).
About oldest reading aloud to the family sometimes – go for it! Mine does, but it is not the whole book, just a chapter here and there when I need to be doing physical therapy or other things for child#7 with all the medical needs.
Make it work for you. If you want a list keep one. Keep it simple so you can stick with it.
January 16, 2013 at 9:25 pm
Rachel White
Participant
After I choose the 2-3 Lit. books and the leisure books at the beginning of my year, I plug them into the Org. The leisure ones I prefer not to have to deal with chpaters, but the Lit. ones I want chapters.
I mark either ‘worked on’ then ‘finish resource’ if it has no chapters or mark chapters finished.
Yes, you can run a report of just Literature.
Oh, and I’m only talking about the children’s lit., not family lit.
Also, my children have reread books that they read when younger as they get older.
January 16, 2013 at 9:29 pm
TammyTE
Member
Thank you all! “keep it simple” very true.