Literature/Read-Aloud: How Many a Week?

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  • Anonymous
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    Hi potpourri,

    My kids are a bit younger than yours- 4.5yo and 3.5 yo. I have at least one “literature” book set aside that I pull out to read a new one each week, and then we do a lot more reading- things they (or I) choose at the library or from our home book shelves.

    Tristan
    Participant

    If you’re working with the read aloud list from Simply Charlotte Mason for the early years you’ll see that age 5 (which is my guess for your K age child) lists only 18 books. Its here: http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/eyguide/eyreadalouds/

    Some are chapter books you would need to read for a while to finish (ex: Little House in the Big Woods).

    Here are my thoughts:

    Read aloud every day! If that means you’re reading a picture book each day or on the other hand you may be working through a chapter book a bit at a time. Do what works for you. It really depends on you and your child what you decide to read or how much you read.

    At my house we’ve got 7 children and we do a lot of reading aloud. It is really important to us and we’ve been reading aloud since my oldest was born. Right now we read one literature book aloud daily, scriptures, a poem, and then something for history or science. For my K child he’s already reading chapter books well on his own (he taught himself,most of my kids aren’t reading at that age, he started reading at 3 on his own). So he reads a lot of books just because he wants to. Then I have stacks of books I read to the younger kids and he can join in those (he has3 younger siblings and 3 older). Then the kids have one book going as an audio book each day (during quiet time and bedtime).

    What we read as ourfamily read aloud varies in level. We’ve done short chapter books and full-length classics. This month we are reading fairy tales. Last month was The Story Girl by LM Montgomery. Next up – I don’t know! I’m narrowing it down right now.

    Do what works for you!

    Tristan
    Participant

    It’s 100% okay if he struggles with listening to chapter books at his age! A few thoughts related to that – if you’re wanting to try a chapter book choose a great one that you think will appeal to him. Then read it for just 5 or 10minutes each day during mealtime. If his mouth is full and his hands are busy he just might listen long enough to get hooked on the story. Once he’s hooked it is easier to read at other times when he’ll need to sit nearby and be relatively quiet while he plays so he can still listen. There is nothing that says you can’t read a chapter book just a few pages at a time!

    Ideas for picture books that are not all short board books – what about checking the past Caldecott Medal winners and honorees? My library has these allon a set of shelves so they are easy to find. Titles we’ve loved from there include:

    Me … Jane, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell

    Abraham Lincoln by Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (and any others by the D’Aulaires)

    Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

    Yonie Wondernose by Marguerite de Angeli

    Castle by David Macaulay

    Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

    Snowflake Bentley, Illustrated by Mary Azarian, text by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

    Hopefully those ideas get your gears turning!

    sheraz
    Participant

    Another suggestion for wonderful pictures books that aren’t board books are the book lists for Five in a Row and a resource I just looked up (and now want, lol) mentioned on that other thread you asked about Catholics.  We do not necessarily use the FIAR curriculum, but their books choices are great.  Here are the FIAR book lists:

    FIAR Reading List

    Before FIAR

     

    __Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?

    __Yellow Ball

    __My Blue Boat

    __The Little Rabbit

    __Ask Mr. Bear

    __Blueberries For Sal

    __Goodnight Moon

    __The Big Green Pocketbook

    __The Runaway Bunny

    __The ABC Bunny

    __If Jesus Came to My House

    __Caps for Sale

    __The Carrot Seed

    __The Snowy Day

    __The Quiet Way Home

    __Play With Me

    __Prayer for a Child

    __I Am an Artist

    __Angus Lost

    __Katy No-Pocket

    __We’re Going On a Bear Hunt

    __The Red Carpet

    __Corduroy

    __Jenny’s Surprise Summer

     

    FIAR #1

     __The Story About Ping*

    __Lentil

    __Madeline*

    __A Pair of Red Clogs

    __The Rag Coat
    __Who Owns the Sun?
    __Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
    __The Glorious Flight
    __How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
    __Grandfather’s Journey
    __Cranberry Thanksgiving
    __Another Celebrated Dancing Bear
    __Papa Piccolo
    __Very Last First Time
    __The Clown of God
    __Storm in the Night
    __Katy and the Big Snow
    __Night of the Moonjellies
    __Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

     

    FIAR #2

    __The Giraffe That Walked to Paris* 

    __Three Names
    __Wee Gillis
    __Owl Moon
    __A New Coat for Anna
    __Mrs. Katz and Tush
    __Mirette on the High Wire
    __They Were Strong and Good
    __Babar, To Duet or Not to Duet
    __The Story of Ferdinand
    __Down, Down the Mountain
    __Make Way for Ducklings
    __The Tale of Peter Rabbit
    __Mr. Gumpy’s Motor Car
    __All Those Secrets of the World
    __Miss Rumphius
    __The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray __Bridge Follow the Drinking Gourd

    __Harold and the Purple Crayon

    __When I Was Young in the Mountains*
    __Gramma’s Walk

     

     FIAR #3

     

    __The Bee Tree

    __Andy and the Circus
    __The Wild Horses of Sweetbriar
    __Paul Revere’s Ride
    __Henry the Castaway
    __The Finest Horse in Town
    __Truman’s Aunt Farm
    __The Duchess Bakes a Cake
    __Andy and the Lion
    __Daniel’s Duck
    __Warm as Wool
    __The Salamander Room
    __Climbing Kansas Mountains
    __Amber on the Mountain
    __Little Nino’s Pizzeria

     * See additional books for this title in the Supplemental List

     

    FIAR #4

    __Roxaboxen 

    __The Raft
    __Mailing May
    __Snowflake Bentley
    __The Gullywasher
    __Arabella
    __Higgins Bend Song and Dance
    __Cowboy Charlie
    __Grass Sandals
    __Albert 
    __The Hickory Chair
    __Hanna’s Cold Winter
    __The Hatmaker’s Sign
    __The Pumpkin Runner
    __Angelo

     

    BEYOND FIAR

     Volume 1:

    __The Boxcar Children

    __Homer Price
    __Thomas Edison, Young Inventor

    __Betsy Ross, Designer of Our Flag

     

    Volume 2:
    __Sarah Plain and Tall
    __Skylark
    __The Story of George Washington

    __Helen Keller

     

    Volume 3:
    __The Cricket In Times Square

    __The Saturdays

    __Neil Armstrong — Young Flyer

    __Marie Curie-And The Discovery of Radium

     

    Above and Beyond FIAR:

     __Hitty: Her First Hundred Years

     

    Additional Enrichment FIAR

    __My Rows and Piles of Coins

    __Bintou’s Braids

    __The Butter Man

    __Silent Music

    __Monsoon

    __The Firekeeper’s Son

    __Mia’s Story

    __Cocoa Ice

    __Jingle Dancer

    __Buffalo Song

    __Calling the Doves

     

    Supplemental List

     

    Madeline

    __Madeline’s Rescue

    __Madeline and the Gypsies

    __Adele and Simon

    __Everybody Bonjours!

    __Belinda in Paris

    __The Inside-Outside Book of Paris

    __The Cat Who Walked Across Paris

    When I Was Young in the Mountains

    __In Coal Country

    __Night in the Country

    __Kindle Me a Riddle: A Pioneer Story

    __That Book Woman

    __Appalachia: The Voice of Sleeping Birds

    __Mary On Horseback: Three Mountain Stories

    __Snakes

    __Slinky, Scaly, Slithery Snakes

    The Giraffe Who Walked to Paris

    __Zarafa: The Giraffe Who Walked to the King

    __America’s First Elephant

    __Big Max and the Case of the Missing Giraffe

    __How Big Is It? A Big Book All About Bigness

    __Chee-Lin: A Giraffe’s Journey

    __The Warm Place

    The Story About Ping

    __Daisy Comes Home

    __The Seven Chinese Sisters

    __Angus and the Ducks

    __Little Pear

    __Ducks Don’t Get Wet

    __Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chines Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes

    I cut and pasted that from my documents so I apologize for any spacing/italics issues. Tongue out  I put the little line in fromt of them so as I get them I can mark it.  Another way to use those lines is to jot down the dates the books were read.  HTH

    jmac17
    Participant

    My kids are 7, 5, and 3.  We do many of our preschool read alouds at bedtime.  Every time we are at the library (about every 2 weeks), DD3 chooses 3 or 4 books, just randomly off the shelf.  The older two are both reading, so they pick their own books, approved by Mom.  Little Sis needs to be like them, so I let her pick some too. Then I pick a whole stack, often ones that I put on hold beforehand.  All the books go into the library basket by the couch, and each night DD3 chooses one book, DS5 chooses one, then I choose one.  The books DD3 picked at the library usually get read once, then taken back to the library.  The quality books get read over and over and usually the kids insist on renewing them.  Then we do a longer book (The E.B. White books have been favourites), or an audio book (We’re listening to Narnia right now.) DD3 usually stays just for a before-bed cuddle, but that means of course that she is hearing the book too.  DD5 sometimes stays to listen to the longer books, and sometimes just goes to read his own books in bed (Narnia isn’t catching his attention right now, but DD7 loves it). 

    We love the picture books of fairy tales, especially reading different culture’s versions of the same stories.  They tend to have more text per page than some of the other picture books, so they are a good transition to listening to longer stories, but still with pictures.  We have also used all the suggestions from SCM and AO for this age level.  There are several that have chapters, but still a few pictures.  They help in developing the listening skills as well.  Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear are the first ones that come to mind.

    When we read during the day, I let the children do something quiet while they listen (colouring, puzzles, stringing beads, etc.)  DD7 actually narrates better when her hands are busy while she listens. 

    Joanne

     

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