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which reading books?
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What books count as good CM books? I’ve looked through the lists on here and most of it my DD will not read. Is it ok to choose books according to her interests?
Jess,
Short answer – yes, interests direct some of our choices.
Long answer –
Take a look at this chart that lists Charlotte’s methods for each subject. There really is more to a CM education than choosing the right books, but re. book choice I quote from the above linked page:
Living Books
Probably the most well known of Charlotte’s methods is her use of living books instead of dry, factual textbooks. Living books are usually written by one person who has a passion for the subject and writes in conversational or narrative style. The books pull you into the subject and involve your emotions, so it’s easy to remember the events and facts. Living books make the subject “come alive.”
My dd9, for example, LOVES horses. She lives and breathes and dreams about horses. We are incorporating this passion by using Beautiful Feet’s History of the Horse study with the accompanying books. The books in this study are really good living books, not twaddly or dry factual texts. While this is her passion and I’m happy to allow her to learn more about it, she has no choice as to what other subjects she studies. We are currently studying SCM Module 4 for Bible, History, Geography – she is reading the 4th-6th grade selections on her own. Also, she reads a literature book, devotional book and science book (from selections I’ve pre-chosen for the year). Sometimes, she likes certain books better than others, but there is never an issue of her refusing to read what’s been assigned. If we determine that something is too difficult for her, we may lay it aside for a while, but I would see refusal to do the work assigned (by my kids) as disobedience and an issue of habit training that should be addressed. However, you may be dealing with other issues & I’m misinterpreting here. So much is lost in typed communication!
I hope that somehow helps a bit. Blessings on your homeschool journey!
Christie
Whatever sparks your dc’s interest, by all means go for it! As long as its in our own family’s personal boundaries of book choices, we let our dc choose a portion of their readings. Blessings to you ~ Heather
I guess i should have written cannot read and/or won’t read. My DD is having a really hard time with learning to read and if it doesn’t interest her it’s almost impossible for her to read it. We’ve done all the tutors, remedial programs, etc that the schools went through with her and one of it worked. Only us doing Explode the Code and reading books that interest her have brought about ANY progress in her reading abilities. So it’s not a disobedience issues or need for training. It’s simply her brain doesn’t work if it doesn’t interest her. And she’s behind for her grade level.
We picked out some books together earlier from many different genres. We ordered James Herriot, Seabiscuit, Frog and Toad books, Magic Treehouse books, and some others. Plus we picked up some biographies, nature books, and some others locally.
I was just hoping i was headed in the right direction and it sounds like i am. Reading is the only area she’s getting to choose what she reads. In science, history, etc i say what she does and she doesn’t give me any grief about it (not that it would fly if she did).
Jess, I see I did misinterpret your first post a bit. Sorry about that.
Yes, IMO, it sounds like you’re on the right track with good book choices! You certainly want reading to be enjoyable for her. One thing my dd really liked as she was learning and starting to take off with reading was series books like Pathway Readers, Boxcar Children (by orig. author), Happy Hollisters, etc. Also, we would buddy read a lot in the beginning.
A wonderful resource that I have found very useful is Who Shall We Then Read? by Jan Bloom. It is a great book list book w/ mini author biographies.
Oh, I almost forgot. I’ve just purchased a computer program called Instant Words in a Flash for ds6 to use mostly for fun and reinforcement, but so far, he really likes it. You might want to check it out to see if it could help with fluency. Just a thought.
Many blessings to you,
Christie
I don’t remember what age you said your dd is.
I did offer my son, who had challenges in the reading department, to read to him instead the books that he would rather not read to himself. That has made a huge difference in his interest and skills. Also, I do have one rule when it comes to reading new books or a new series of books, and that is, he has to read at least the first chapter of a book before giving an opinion and deciding it’s not for him. I always have alot to choose from and make it a point to say that he has choices within my choices:) I do know his interests, but I also know that he has read many books recently that he has enjoyed that he wouldn’t have otherwise read if I hadn’t had them to offer and encourage (insist) on giving it an honest try. The old saying is true: You can’t judge a book by its cover or author:)
He understands that concept now:) hth
my3boys-great idea about reading the first chapter before deciding if she likes it or not.
missceegee-we do budy read quite a bit. She fatigues quickly with reading and nobody knows why, so we tend to take turns a lot so she doesnt get too worn out and then can’t read at all. I’m glad i’m doing things right.
I saw a wonderful presentation on a reading program called Rocket Phonics that is supposed to be excellent to teach or for remediation. I actually almost bought it…finally it just came down to price for me. it is pricey, about 160$ or so, but it’s really cool and has great reviews. it is also non-consumable. just thought i’d share that.
as for reading, i’d follow the above suggestions, but perhaps choose just one great book at a time that might be above her reading level and read it to her – for literature or fun perhaps. even hearing the flow, measure, cadence, and syntax of our language will help in the long run.
blessings,
amy
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