Daily reading and book reports?

[Danielle1746]

We'll be starting our first year of homeschooling next year, and I have some ideas about how we could handle daily reading, but I wanted to run them by you all to get your thoughts. Please feel free to share your opinions on whether you think this is not enough or just won't work in practice.

 

I would like to have my kids read on their own for at least 30 minutes a day.

 

In addition to their individual reading time, I would have read aloud time for any child who wants it.

 

Once a month (should this be more often?), I want to assign some sort of book report on a book they can choose from a suggested reading list. Once they finish that book, they can read pretty much read whatever they want for the rest of the month. (I'm a little afraid that this would end up being too easy, but I also don't want us to be overwhelmed, especially with this being our first year.)

 

The level of expectations for the "report" would vary depending on the child, but I'm thinking of alternating between having them:

 

1) draw a picture of their favorite character or scene, including the title and author of the book

 

2) write a "report" answering who, what, when, where, and why? type questions. For the youngest, she could narrate her answers to me and I would right them down; for the middle, he could write his answers to each question in complete sentences; and for the oldest, he could write his answers to the questions in more of a cohesive paragraph form.

 

I have a few questions though:

 

1) Do you recommend using the same book the child is reading on his/her own for read aloud time, or should we use a different book?

 

2) Do you recommend keeping a log of all books read? Or are the occasional book reports along with casual discussion of the other books enough?

 

3) Do you have any other suggestions for report formats?

 

4) Is it ok if I don't want to follow TWTM's schedule for book suggestions? We'll be using MOH Vol 1 (the Ancients) this year, but I really think my kids are at the right age to enjoy reading The Indian in the Cupboard, Charlotte's Web, To Kill a Mockingbird, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc. I am sure we'll read SOME books about the Ancients era, but I really don't want all or even most of them to be like that.

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

[Pen]

We'll be starting our first year of homeschooling next year, and I have some ideas about how we could handle daily reading, but I wanted to run them by you all to get your thoughts. Please feel free to share your opinions on whether you think this is not enough or just won't work in practice.

 

I would like to have my kids read on their own for at least 30 minutes a day.

 

In addition to their individual reading time, I would have read aloud time for any child who wants it.

I suggest you have read aloud time, both that the chldren read to you, and that you read to them, for all of them, if not every day, then at least most days. It is important for catching reading errors, building fluency, and for them being able to be exposed to things a little beyond their ability to read themselves.

 

 

Once a month (should this be more often?), I want to assign some sort of book report on a book they can choose from a suggested reading list. Once they finish that book, they can read pretty much read whatever they want for the rest of the month. (I'm a little afraid that this would end up being too easy, but I also don't want us to be overwhelmed, especially with this being our first year.)

 

The level of expectations for the "report" would vary depending on the child, but I'm thinking of alternating between having them:

 

1) draw a picture of their favorite character or scene, including the title and author of the book

 

2) write a "report" answering who, what, when, where, and why? type questions. For the youngest, she could narrate her answers to me and I would right them down; for the middle, he could write his answers to each question in complete sentences; and for the oldest, he could write his answers to the questions in more of a cohesive paragraph form.

We haven't been doing book reports, so I'll leave this for someone else.

 

 

I have a few questions though:

 

1) Do you recommend using the same book the child is reading on his/her own for read aloud time, or should we use a different book?

You can do either. I often start out reading aloud from a book and then let son take over. Sometimes we switch off. Sometimes he has a book that he reads both to himself and aloud, sometime they are separate. Many variations seem helpful depending on mood, difficulty of book, etc.

 

 

2) Do you recommend keeping a log of all books read? Assuming records aren't required of what you are covering, you can or not. It could be fun to have a log to look back at, or could just be an unneeded activity. A journal with responses to the books appeals to me more than either logs or reports. But, that is just me.

 

Or are the occasional book reports along with casual discussion of the other books enough?

 

3) Do you have any other suggestions for report formats?

Look at the idea of doing "narrations".

 

 

4) Is it ok if I don't want to follow TWTM's schedule for book suggestions? We'll be using MOH Vol 1 (the Ancients) this year, but I really think my kids are at the right age to enjoy reading The Indian in the Cupboard, Charlotte's Web, To Kill a Mockingbird, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc. I am sure we'll read SOME books about the Ancients era, but I really don't want all or even most of them to be like that.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

Some people here are following TWTM very closely. Some are not. I am in the latter category, so my answer to that is You Betcha! All the books you mentioned are excellent books!

[Chrysalis Academy]

4) Is it ok if I don't want to follow TWTM's schedule for book suggestions? We'll be using MOH Vol 1 (the Ancients) this year, but I really think my kids are at the right age to enjoy reading The Indian in the Cupboard, Charlotte's Web, To Kill a Mockingbird, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc. I am sure we'll read SOME books about the Ancients era, but I really don't want all or even most of them to be like that.

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

Of course it is! That's the beauty of it, right? You don't have to follow anyone else's system, you get to use their advice, take it or leave it, and figure out what works for your family. There is so much great stuff in TWTM, but it might be helpful to think of it as a menu, rather than a blueprint.

 

One of my epiphanies this year was that I needed to decouple our history and lit studies. We still read a lot of great historical fiction right after studying a particular time period, but we also read other things. There are too many great children't books from the last 100 years - if you tried to do them all in the "modern" time period, you would only read a fraction of them, and you would be straining to find things for other time periods, and end up settling for less well-written books just because they "fit" the time period. Read what you think will appeal to your kids when you think the time is right. For sure!

 

And you can get creative with the time periods too - I assigned The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler right after we had studied Michelangelo and Rennaissance art - and she got more out of the book having that background. It's a thoroughly modern book, though.

[rwjx2khsmj]

I have dc ages 7, 10 and 13. We usually are reading a SOTW recommendation aloud. I assign books based on SOTW to be read by dd13 and ds10. DD7 and I read many of the SOTW recommendation together. Usually, ds10 joins us. When dd13 and ds10 finish an assigned book we talk about it together then, in their notebook, they write a summary of the book and then tell whether they would recommend the book and why or why not.

 

Currently, for example: Our read-aloud is Robinson Crusoe. Dd13 is reading Jump Ship to Freedom. Ds10 is reading The Rifle. Dd7 is reading Ahoyka and the Talking Leaves.

[Ellie]

I never required book reports as I just didn't see the point. :)

 

However, Beverly Schmitt, the owner of Preston Speed has developed book report forms that are marvelous, such that I'd consider using them if I were hsing again. Beverly's dds never knew when they were going to have to do a book report (Beverly's shifty like that, lol).

[Danielle1746]

Thank you very much, everyone. It really helps to see how other people make things work for them. And Ellie, thank you for that link! Her forms are very close to what I was envisioning.

 

Normally I'm right there with the kids and all about summer starting. But this year, I already can't wait for the next school year to start, and this one hasn't even ended yet!