Memorization: favorite passages

[lindsrae]

What are some of your favorite literary passages that you have your children begin memorizing? My dd7 and dd4 both have decent memorization skills, but I'd like to begin expanding them. We memorize Scripture and facts or Classical Conversations, but I'd also like to include some beautiful poetry or passage from great literature. Any suggestions?

[Amy Jo]

Easy poetry: IEW's Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization -- you can buy an audio cd so this can be independent even for a younger child. A range of poems from classics to humorous. Everything is laid out.

 

"Best" poetry: selections tailored to your kids from a resource like "The Harp & Laurel Wreath". Or let your child choose the selection. (CM let the child choose X number of lines from whatever poet they were studying that term.)

 

What we are doing: Individual memory using LDTPM, each child works at their own pace. 1-2 selections per term from our current poet to memorize as a family. I mainly choose this because I believe it will get done. And I can't justify doing all memory as a family, as the older 2 boys memorize faster than my 6yo.

 

Oh, we are currently doing Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar" as a family. I'm hoping to do the "Charge of the Light Brigade", but we will see.

[SFM]

If by Rudyard Kipling for my son (love love love this one)

Try, Try, Again by Anonymous

Who Has Seen the Wind by Christina Rosetti

Trees by Joyce Kilmer (We love trees here)

 

Those are a few that come to mind right off the top. We do have IEW Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization, we just don't use it all the time. My favorite for my son to learn would be If. :)

 

Post Script: We also use a lot of CM resources, Spelling Wisdom is something we used put out by Simply Charlotte Mason and we LOVE it, it works for studied dictation as well as memorizing really great passages, quotes, sayings, proverbs, etc. I highly recommend those. I am crazy and bought all of them! :)

Edited October 16, 2012 by SFM

[lindsrae]

Thanks for those recs. had never heard of either of those resources. Gives me a great place to start.

[Susie in MS]

Besides scripture we memorize poems found in Primary Language Lessons. My dd's latest imaginative play has to do with fairies. I found these poems in the Wheeler's Elementary Speller (public domain):

 

I know a place where the Fairies dwell;

Down in a dark green, shady dell,

Where the daisies bloom and the soft winds swell;

There is where the Fairies dwell.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Pray, where are the little bluebells gone,

That lately bloomed in the wood?

Why, the little fairies have each taken one,

And put it on for a hood.

 

They have taken the fireflies to light their halls,

And the crickets to sing them a song,

And the great red roses to paper their walls;

And they're feasting the whole night long.

 

But when spring comes back with its soft, mild ray,

And ripple the gentle rain,

The fairies bring back what they've taken away,

And make us all happy again.

[stm4him]

I agree with IEW's Poetry Memorization book. We love it here! Last year they moved through it one stanza at a time as they were able to memorize it which kept my older two in similar places and my third not far behind. This year my 4 year old is starting at the beginning even though she knew some of them form last year. My 5 year old picked up at Whole Duty of Children (which is basically where we left off last year) and I started my older two in higher poems thinking they will probably memorize these others by hearing their younger siblings recite them. My oldest is doing Charge of the Light Brigade and my second child is doing The Height of the Ridiculous. They all memorize one stanza a week. My non-readers recite it to me each day three times and once a week in front of the whole family. I let my older ones work on their own and i work with them once a week as they recite it to all of us.

 

Harp and the Laurel Wreath is great too but I haven't used it really. I may use it for the "personal selections".