melissel Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Once again, I'll preface my question with my disclaimer: I really need to be led by the nose through most lessons, LOL! I'm not particularly creative on my own, so the more explicit the curriculum, the better. I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for, so I'm hoping someone can help me pin it down. I keep thinking that what I'm looking for is something that will take us through reading comprehension work, but I think what I really want is something that includes critical thinking. For example, examining the motivations of characters, considering what else one might have done, why a outcome happened as it did...am I making any sense? Is there anything like this for first graders, or am I getting ahead of myself here? I think Junior Great Books is similar to what I have in mind, but I'm not loving the reading selections there, and I don't know what else exists. We don't need a phonics component (according to a few online assessments we did, she's reading between 2nd and 5th grade levels) or handwriting (we're loving HWT). But critical thinking is one of the things that I feel my own education was missing, and I feel the lack of it intensely. I'm hoping to make it a building block of our HSing. TIA for any ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in VA Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 but I just want my dc enjoying stories and books at that age. I'm not sure critical thinking is so important at those ages. I want them to read and enjoy good literature. I'm not saying the stories can't be discussed, but I wouldn't want to over-analyze them. Questions such as: What do you think may happen next? How would you feel if you were ____? Do you think you would have done what ____ did? What did you like/dislike about that book? would be the only types of questions I'd ask. I hope this post makes sense.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melora in NC Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I just bought Suppose the Wolf Were an Octopus, based on a recommendation I saw on this board. This is a series of books -- I bought one for Grades 3 to 4 and one for Grades 5 to 6, but I think they start at Kindergarten -- which gives a list of books to read and then a series of questions for each to encourage discussion. The books that I bought have six "levels" of questions for each book. Level 1 is "Knowledge," which simply asks factual questions about the story. Level 2, "Comprehension," asks questions to see whether the student understood the basics of what was going on, based on the facts provided. Level 3, "Application," asks the student to compare things/people/events in the story to things in their own lives. Level 4, "Analysis," has the student thinking about the characters/situations and discuss the "whys" of the story. Level 5, "Synthesis," has the student think about how things in the story might have been different than they were, and what might have resulted (hence the title, "Suppose the Wolf Were an Octopus"). Level 6, "Evaluation," has the student judging characters' actions, etc. and explaining why choices might have been right or wrong, etc. Out of the list of 50 books in the Grade 3 to 4 volume, there are several that I have never heard of before. I don't think the books recommended are the Best for the age groups, but they are mostly okay. Some of the books recommended, I really like (Charlotte's Web, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Mr. Popper's Penguins), and some we will skip (Otherwise Known as Shelia the Great). I suppose they were going for a mix where there would books to appeal to a wide range of children -- there is a list of titles on the web site. My ds, age 9, saw me looking at Suppose the Wolf on the internet and immediately asked me to buy it. He is excited about the books we are going to read & discuss, and that counts for a lot! (And these will be for supplementary reading, during his "free reading time." We will be using TOG next year, and will also be reading their literature recommendations.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for, so I'm hoping someone can help me pin it down. I keep thinking that what I'm looking for is something that will take us through reading comprehension work, but I think what I really want is something that includes critical thinking. For example, examining the motivations of characters, considering what else one might have done, why a outcome happened as it did...am I making any sense? Is there anything like this for first graders, or am I getting ahead of myself here? To a certain extent, DITHOR provides questions like these. I'd also recommend the Philosophy for Children website's helps. Neither of my suggestions are dead on, but they'll do for the same function in a pinch. Also, Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking is helpful for coming up with brilliant questions to pose to your kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted March 6, 2008 Author Share Posted March 6, 2008 but I just want my dc enjoying stories and books at that age. I'm not sure critical thinking is so important at those ages. I want them to read and enjoy good literature. Thank you, you're probably right. Part of the reason I'm interested is because my DD loves to discuss the heck out of books we've read, and I'd like to be able to go at it with more than just my usual, "Yup! You're right. Uh-huh. Yeeessss." I'm so terribly uncreative :rolleyes: I just bought Suppose the Wolf Were an Octopus, based on a recommendation I saw on this board. My Dear Best Friend, who afterschools and is a member of this board, saw my post right after I posted it and told me about this very same book while we were on the phone a little while ago. I'm going to do a little research on it tonight. Thank you! To a certain extent, DITHOR provides questions like these. I'd also recommend the Philosophy for Children website's helps. Neither of my suggestions are dead on, but they'll do for the same function in a pinch. Also, Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking is helpful for coming up with brilliant questions to pose to your kids. Excellent, just what I was looking for! And she's in a very philosophical phase, too. I'm not sure I like the format of DITHOR (I'd never looked at it before), but I love the Web site. What a great resource in general! I bookmarked it :D Thank you all, I knew there was more out there for us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Join the CLE yahoo group to see the detailed scope & sequence charts and samples. I highly recommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Yes, I think you are agetting ahead of yourself. Even the Jr. Great Books for this age is mostly simple comprehension questions. I think narration and simply learning to recall te facts of the event (which will lay a foundation for what you want to do in the later years) would be sufficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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