mommysanders
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Posts posted by mommysanders
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I have searched the forums and haven't been able to find a good list of read-aloud books by age, although I see many other people would like to find one as well. So I'm hoping to get help making a list for my DS for next year (age 4-5), and I would like to start focusing on chapter books. Since we live abroad, I will be buying all these books and I want to make sure it's a good list! So far he has listened to the complete set of Winnie the Pooh and much of Uncle Wiggily's Story Book. Can anyone help me with my list?
So far my list comes from "The Read-Aloud Handbook" and also some recommended by friends. However, I'm not sure if all of them are age appropriate. So if I need to remove one that would be helpful to know too. (Don't mind the numbering/layout, I just listed them as I found them on Amazon)
1. Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan box set
2. My Father's Dragon Trilogy
3. The Chocolate Touch
4. The Magic Treehouse series box sets 1-125. The Magic Treehouse series box sets 5-86. The Magic Treehouse series box sets 9-12
7. Stories from Oz
8. The Boxcar Children set 1-12
9. Toys Come Home books 1-3
10. Owls in the Family
11. Little House in the Big Woods
12. Shiloh
13. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
14. Peter Pan15. Frog and Toad Storybook Treasury16. Pippi Longstocking17. You Are Not Small~~~the following come from "The Read-Aloud Handbook" and are listed as good novels for Kindergarten~~~18. Two Times the Fun19. The Chalk Box Kid20. Chocolate Fever21. The Reluctant Dragon22. The Stories Julian Tells23. The Water Horse24. Wolf Story25. James and the Giant Peach -
I grew up in CO. While I wasn't homeschooled, I know there is a great community there. I recommend either surrounding Denver area or Colorado Springs. Lots of outdoors, beautiful scenery, plus a lot of family activities.
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1. We didn't do a reading program for my daughter, who picked up reading so naturally. We used Bob Books, then switched to library books. The Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems is great for young readers, the books are really enjoyable and they are written at a Kindy and 1st grade level.
2. When my daughter started asking how everything was spelled at age 3, I asked her if she wanted spelling lessons or for me to keep spelling things for her. She wanted the lessons so we did the first two levels of All About Spelling. Then she got bored, so we've dropped it for the time being.
3. Handwriting. How I hate handwriting. It is the one area that my advanced kid is not at all advanced in. The problem is that it holds her back in other things she wants to do. While I wouldn't necessarily require handwriting from a 4yo, if he is open to the practice, do it! You could use a handwriting worksheet generator to have him trace the Awana verse rather than having him free write it.
Jackie, Where do I find the handwriting worksheet generator you're talking about?
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I would continue through OPG compacting/teaching similar lessons at once and just do lots of actual reading. At 4yo he doesn't need anything else and the rest of elementary school is soooo much easier when kids are strong readers and have good vocabularies. Just read and read and read some more, mostly.
Since he likes spelling, I would coordinate little spelling activities based on the OPG lessons--have him spell 1 and 2 syllable words with short vowels--that type of thing. Ask him to spell orally or with pen words from the last 3-5 lessons in OPG. Continue to informally spell any word for him that he asks about.
For writing, I would just work to make sure his pencil grip was good and his letter formation was automatic. I really like the way that formation of letters and numerals are taught in WRTR--get it from the library or look up clock letters/Spalding/WRTR on the internet.
Thanks mom2bee. He has never had a problem with pencil grip ever since I showed him how to hold it. I think it's habit now. I was teaching him to write letters based the method used by Zaner-Bloser. I don't have experience with anything else. Do you know if it's the same as WRTR?
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Hello all,
I'm new to this (forums and homeschool), and my oldest is just 4YO (turned 4 in Feb). I am having a hard time determining what to do with him for reading, writing and spelling, since he's so young. I don't want to push him, but at the same time I want to encourage him to continue learning since he seems to enjoy it. I would love some advice!
We are more than half way through OPGTTR, and I'm finding he understands concepts before I even teach them. So this brings me to my first question.
1. Should I continue with OPGTTR or move on to something else? If so, what do I move on to? Just lots of easy readers?
I was also just reading in WTM about the next step in "Spelling, Grammar, Reading and Writing". The book mentions that it's good to get at least half-way through OPGTTR before beginning spelling. So...
2. Does that mean I could/should start spelling with my 4YO now? He loves to write, and is constantly asking "how do I spell ...?" Is that a sign that it's time to teach spelling, even at a young age?
As for writing, I really don't know if I should have him practice his penmanship or not. He writes all his letters and numbers. I tried to do Zaner-Bloser with him per WTM recommendation, but I think he is bored with it, because he already knows how to write. So we stopped doing it. However, his letters are not pretty. They aren't in a straight line and the size changes as he writes each letter. But that's fine for this age, right? That might be a silly question, but I really don't know what to expect with his writing skills, or what is "average".
3. We just started doing Awana bible memory verses, and he has fun copying the memory verse down. We do that once a week. Should I do something more and/or something formal to encourage his penmanship?
Thanks for listening and helping!
Sarah
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We visited in November and I grabbed my son this Usborne book on Gladiators. I know it's more specific than Rome in general, but it's very interesting!
Gladiators (Young Reading (Series 3)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0746068301/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_NsZcvb19NKZWM
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0746068301/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_NsZcvb19NKZWM
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I cover the word up with my finger and reveal one letter at a time. I will sound it out myself then ask him to.
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I cover the word up with my finger and reveal one letter at a time. I will sound it out myself then ask him to.
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Just thought of this. The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) gives scholarships. You should have a local level and then there's national level. There will also be chapters at he different universities. Definitely worth checking.
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Totally agree that she doesn't need to go to MIT, although it is a good school. As for finding where the University graduates get hired, I wonder if the admission office would be able to help you with that. I'm sure they track it somehow.
I also think it's a good idea to shoot for a scholarship, because having less debt after graduation is always helpful. Morning practices are ideal, so she may be just fine. I'm sure there will be times when her meets or practices overlap with something, but my experience says professors are willing to have makeup times for athletes. However, that's a good question to ask the Universities you're looking at.
Visiting a few places may help make a decision as well.
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I am from the "you are only young once" school of thought. Your DD may consider pursuing her sports dream at a school that has strong math and science programs and transfer later on. Especially if she gets an athletic scholarship.
Some liberal arts schools have defined 3/2 programs in Engineering.
I think some folks here may be a little too obsessed with attending only elite colleges.
I just want to clarify that the school I went to was a Div 2 school, but it's top of the charts for Engineering. It's not Ivy league, but you bet a company looking for engineering has heard of my school. That's why I say to look at how the school ranks for engineering.
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Hi, welcome.
Some initial thoughts:
Think about where you want to be at the end of a certain phase and work backwards from there to figure out what you want from an elementary math education. How comfortable at modifying a program/ignoring the manual and just teaching a program your way are you? Knowing a subject and teaching the subject are vastly different so think about what/when what you know may not be enough to teach.
Also, for research I HIGHLY suggest that you start here. Do NOT do your initial research on this board--you will go insane with Acrynyms and varying opinions. Read through the Cathy Duffy reviews first--they are pretty unbiased, I think. Or at least they don't carry a WTM or Hive bias. It will fulfill your need to read up on and research curriculum initially, but then pare down to the curriculums you think you can use and that might work, then read through the archives about those particular programs here to glean others experiences and feed back.
Then when you have more questions, begin asking specific questions about those programs and how they will serve you and your particular student with X particular strenght and Y as a weakness.
Thanks, that is really great advise! I did go to Cathy Duffy's reviews, and there are so many different programs listed, that I was overwhelmed. So I am instead just using her reviews for the programs I have heard about.
Sarah,
I'm an engineer married to an engineer too. Last year when I was ready to start something formal with my daughter (we'd been doing math worksheets from Abeka and it didn't work) I went to our local homeschool convention. I'm fortunate to have a big one pretty close to me! I was able to get my hands on Saxon, Miquon, Math-u-See, Singapore, a couple oddballs, and RightStart. I hadn't really known about RightStart before the convention. My husband zeroed in on their booth because of the "math balance" they had on display - he thought it was awesome. I liked how it had fewer manipulatives than Math-u-See but more than some other programs. I came home, did a little more research, read samples from RightStart and a few others, and ended up going with RS B. We flew through that and are in C now.
I'm not saying all that to promote RightStart actually though I love the program, but to urge you to get to a convention if it's at all possible. There's nothing like being able to look at everything! But you could get overwhelmed, so make a list ahead of time of what programs to look at and a list of questions for yourself to consider: how many manipulatives are there, what's the theory behind it, how much written work, what sort of practice does it offer.
Hi, fellow engineer! Although now I have changed from Electrical Engineer to Domestic Engineer :)
I so wish I could go to a convention! We are living abroad right now and it's just not an option. But I do feel like I'm missing a great opportunity to view lots of different math programs.
I think it is also important to sit down and decide what you are really looking for.
Do you want a program for elementary arithmetic or should it continue all the way through high school? I really don't know on this one!
Do you want a bunch of manipulatives or will that frustrate you and your child? I love manipulatives! Not sure why that would frustrate me or my child... but then again we are new.
Do you want a colorful program or a cleaner black and white look? I only care about color if it will help visually learn the math concept. So for the most part, I don't really think color matters.
Is this a subject you want to spend the most on or are you confident in your teaching of math so you can spend less? The cost of the program is the least of my worries, and likely won't play a role in my decision.
Do you want a spiral or mastery program? Mastery
The more you know what you are looking for, the easier time you will have narrowing down the options.
Best wishes!
Thanks. I do think I have a feel for some of these questions already. Now I need a poll where I can answer these questions and it will spit out which Math programs I should look at!
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Hello! I can share based on my own experience...
I have an Electrical Engineering degree and was hired to work for a major oil and gas company. After working for said company for a time, I was also on their recruiting team. So I can share a bit about how that company recruits.
First off, they only recruited from choice colleges. They decided which college was worth recruiting from by their reputation and their dedication to a good quality degree.
At the colleges that meet those standards, the company would only interview students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and they preferred closer to the 4.0. They also liked applicants that were involved in extracurricular activities. Sports, student government, school newspaper, etc. Perks to the applicant who was also in a leadership role.
So from my perspective I think it definitely matters what college you go to. A college with low standards and not a great reputation is probably not going to provide your child with a quality degree, and companies know that. That being said, it doesn't mean that every student who graduates front that college isn't worth hiring. But if you're comparing an applicant from a great college and a not-as-good college, the one from the not-as-good college better have a lot of good stuff on their resume in order to compete. And you bet your socks they better have top notch grades.
I'm not sure what to say about the percentage of students that graduate in 4 years. My college was a very tough college, and for this reason some students took a slower pace.
I recommend looking at some of the stats the school has for their graduates. Things like percent of graduates who have a job lined up, starting salary, etc. You can also look at rankings of colleges. Since you have decided in engineering, look at rankings for engineering degrees.
My advice is to keep in mind the end goal. You want your child to get a good job. Sports take second seat to that. If she does play a sport, she better be on top of her classes/grades because they often suffer.
Did that help at all? You can ask me more if you want.
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Hello everyone! I'm a research-aholic. I tend to research different home school curriculum until I'm blue in the face. It's addicting for me.
That being said, I'm starting to look into different math programs. My oldest is just 4, so I'm starting at the beginning. We started on Math U See, but I feel like it's not for us. He gets bored by the repetition (build, color, write, build, color, write...). I thought I wanted Singapore, but now I'm realizing many on this forum use other programs that I haven't looked into. Things like Right Start and Making Math Meaningful.
So, can anyone give me an overview of the different programs? I will still do my own research, but I find reviews from others to be very helpful! As for us... my husband and I both have an engineering degree, and so I don't feel intimidated at the subject of math. I LOVE math! I don't know how this will effect my decision, but I thought I would throw it out there.
Thanks in advance!
Sarah
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We are in the middle of Ordinary Parent's Guide To Teaching Reading, and I definitely recommend it! It's simple, easy and quick. We do a lesson 5 days a week (we break on the weekend), and they're short lessons. Like others have said, I think consistency and short sessions is key. I also like that this program is so simple, unlike some other box sets that have way too many products and it gets complicated.
Also, before we started Ordinary Parent's Guide To Teaching Reading we did The Letter Factory DVD from leap frog. My son picked up letter names and sounds so easily by watching it! I usually played it for him when I needed time to cook dinner etc.
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Also Uncle Wiggily is really funny, not scary and promotes good morals. But there aren't many pictures.
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We have "A First Book of Fairy Tales". It's a collection of short/simple versions of popular fairy tales. My kids love it.
We also have "Classic Fairy Tales", which has longer stories, and more words per page. My son who could sit and read all day long (age 4) loves it, but I will say he is sensitive and a couple stories do scare him a bit. But apparently they're not too scary, because we have read them more than once, and he seems to be ok with it. For example, Hansel and Gretel has a witch who wants to eat them, or even the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood eating the grandma and little girl. This book doesn't skip those parts. So if you think that's too much for your child, then maybe keep this book in mind for later. Because it's still a good book!
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Wow I am loving all these suggestions. I'll look at each one. Thank you so much everyone!
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Thanks for the help everyone! Sounds like I shouldn't bother with Mango at this age.
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Actually we are going to learn Spanish. We aren't going to be in Italy much longer, and Spanish makes more sense for us long term. I do agree that interacting with the language in daily life is the best way to go!
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The regular Mango Language stuff would not be good for Kindergarten unless there is another program that I haven't seen. There was a program called Little Pim that is good for younger kids though it is probably best for preschoolers.
Thanks Jean. The Mango web site says it can be used as early as Kindergarten, but I don't see an example of what that would look like.
We have Little Pim Italian (We are currently living in Italy, and bought it prior to moving here) and I think it's just OK. I don't find it very conversational, and my son gets bored with it.
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Has anyone used Mango Languages for the Kindergarten level? I'm wondering if it's appropriate for that age?
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... Oops I do see that I posted twice. Sorry as I'm new to the forums and just figuring it out!
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I thought I just posted this, but I don't see it. So I'm sorry if I messed up and this is posted twice!
I am currently living abroad and have to collect all my school materials in advance. I need help finding early readers for my son. Any recommendations and/or tips are greatly appreciated! I can't borrow from the library, I just have to buy so I mostly go off recommendations.
My son is currently 4, and we are on lesson ~100 of The Ordinary Parent's Guide To Teaching Reading. He has already done all the BOB books and I pulled out some early readers. I was surprised to see how quickly he went through the early readers, only needing help on a word here and there. I grabbed them from a used curriculum sale, and they are the "Watch Me Read - Invitations To Literacy" series level 1.1. But basically he is doing short and long vowel words and some multi-syllable words. I assume he'll be beyond all my early readers by next school year.
So, what should I look at for him to read next? I'm a bit at a loss on what the next step is. But he loves reading and I don't want to run out of books for him to read!
Thanks in advance!
Best Read-Aloud Chapter Books for Kindergarten (or other read-alouds)
in K-8 Curriculum Board
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I haven't seen those lists yet. Thanks for sharing!
I removed Shiloh per a few recommendations. Thanks! Also, I think I'll save Magic Tree House for him to read on his own. He'll be there soon enough! Thanks!
Thanks for the Pippi book link! It's in my shopping cart now.
OK we will wait on Peter Pan. Thanks again! I have never read it.
Oh wow I want to listen to all these pod casts now! Thank you so much!