Kfamily Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 I have to decide between these two books for the schedule for Year One. I'm currently working on the last section of Term 2 and I need to choose one over the other. I had set the schedule up to allow for the user to choose which book they prefer, but now that I'm writing notes for this section I need to choose one. I really just can't write notes for both books. I'm very overloaded as it is. :) I've even asked my girls and they liked both. I can't decide...Charlotte's Web can be a bit sad for young children and The Trumpet of the Swan is often overlooked, so I'm leaning towards the latter book. But, Charlotte's Web is a classic choice...Please help me to decide! :) Even though one book will end up in the schedule with narration suggestions, the book not chosen can still be read for fun. P. S. This is my first poll. :) And I did not include the required other because I only want to choose between these two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Oh please do not make me choose. Please, do not. It hurts us! (Alright, do Charlotte's Web for whatever Year one, Term 2 means, and read aloud Trumpet of the Swan. But you are not allowed to skip Trumpet of the Swan. So precious and haunting.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted July 6, 2014 Author Share Posted July 6, 2014 Oh please do not make me choose. Please, do not. It hurts us! (Alright, do Charlotte's Web for whatever Year one, Term 2 means, and read aloud Trumpet of the Swan. But you are not allowed to skip Trumpet of the Swan. So precious and haunting.) Year One is the first year for the curriculum I'm writing. I've divided it into 3 terms or 2 semesters, the users choice. It hurts me to choose too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 We really loved both of those here, but Charlotte's Web provides such rich discussion for me and my kids. I have an animal lover for my oldest and she still loved CW so I don't believe it's too sad for sensitive types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Mostly it is me who cries at the end of Charlotte's Web. My kids are fine. <sniff> Three times I've read it aloud, and all three times I broke down crying and had to stop reading at the end...it takes me awhile to finish, and the kids comfort me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teeniebeenie6 Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Year One is the first year for the curriculum I'm writing. I've divided it into 3 terms or 2 semesters, the users choice. It hurts me to choose too. :) Does Year One correspond with Grade One? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted July 6, 2014 Author Share Posted July 6, 2014 Does Year One correspond with Grade One? Yes, for the most part, but it is not a required one-to-one match. I think a seven year-old would be just fine with it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted July 6, 2014 Author Share Posted July 6, 2014 So far, it seems that the lean is toward Charlotte's Web, but I've just had an idea. I don't know why I haven't thought about this before. It's so weird how these things just occur to you all of the sudden and then you wonder about yourself when it does. I'm thinking that I could choose Charlotte's Web for Year One and then replace Homer Price in Year Three with The Trumpet of the Swan. I try to keep a balance between books with boy characters as the lead and books with girl characters with the lead. Switching The Trumpet of the Swan for Homer Price would keep this balance and I like the latter book better anyway. In addition, it is still a very readable book for a Year Three student, so this would fit perfectly. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 My vote is for Trumpet of the Swan because I think a child is more likely to pick up Charlotte's Web on her own. But, I see you came up with a different solution and I like that one better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaya Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I just love Trumpet of the Swan. It might be one of my favorite books of all time. I like Charlottes Web too, but not as much. I think Swan is a more beautiful story and more powerfully written. I like the way Texasmama said it, precious and haunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 My 2nd grade girl absolutely adored Trumpet. Loved it. So much that she read it on her own after I did it as a read aloud. OTOH, she won't touch Charlotte's Web. I think she feels like she already knows the story - we listened to the audio book when she was small, and her sister has been in the musical version, and they've seen the movie . . . it's a much more familiar story, whereas Trumpet was an amazing discovery for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I just love Trumpet of the Swan. It might be one of my favorite books of all time. I like Charlottes Web too, but not as much. I think Swan is a more beautiful story and more powerfully written. I like the way Texasmama said it, precious and haunting. I cried while reading aloud the chapter when his dad injured himself trying to help his son with a disability. It moved me so deeply as a mother of a child with a birth defect. I think it is a chapter all parents would be moved by. It is unlike any other story I've ever read. I grew up with Charlotte's Web, but I never read Trumpet until last summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Also, I think that Trumpet speaks on one level to parents while speaking simultaneously on another level to kids, both through the main swan character and the human boy character. (Okay, I will stop my book club discussion now. :D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 My kids didn't like Charlotte's Web enough to finish. They liked the bit from trumpet in WWE1 but I have never seen the book and never heard of it until I came on these boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 IMO Charlotte's Web is more simply written and understood in Year One. We listened to Trumpet of the Swan in Second, but even then I think the beauty and meaning was somewhat lost on my ds (then 7). I love Trumpet of the Swan, especially as read by Mr. E. B. White himself, so I'm going to save it for third as well. My dd6 (she'll be 7 soon) loves animals as well, and she enjoyed Charlotte's Web. We watched the movie afterwards as well (the one with Dakota Fanning). Dd6 cried at the end, but she learned a valuable lesson. Death is reality, but special people's spirits live on in our hearts. She also learned how far friendship and kindness can go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dentdiva5 Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 My kids (5 and 7 at the time) absolutely adored Trumpet of the Swan!! I would pick it in a heartbeat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 At first I was thinking why not read both...they take no time at all. If you're writing a curriculum for 1st graders though, I would likely pick up Charlotte to read before picking up Trumpet. Although we've read both of them numerous times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen. Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 So far, it seems that the lean is toward Charlotte's Web, but I've just had an idea. I don't know why I haven't thought about this before. It's so weird how these things just occur to you all of the sudden and then you wonder about yourself when it does. I'm thinking that I could choose Charlotte's Web for Year One and then replace Homer Price in Year Three with The Trumpet of the Swan. I try to keep a balance between books with boy characters as the lead and books with girl characters with the lead. Switching The Trumpet of the Swan for Homer Price would keep this balance and I like the latter book better anyway. In addition, it is still a very readable book for a Year Three student, so this would fit perfectly. :) Good choice. Thanks for your great blogs. I've been reading them for years and borrowing a lot. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 We love Trumpet of the Swan and choose it over Charlotte any day. We have had many deep discussions about disabilities, parental love and sacrifice, special gifts and talents, finding each person's special place in the world, and many others stemming from Trumpet. My children always got hung up on Templeton's attitude to enjoy Charlotte very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Is this a read-aloud? I would say Trumpet of the Swan for a read-aloud. If it is for the student to read themselves then I would pick Charlotte's Web, which I think is a special book for a child to read himself when he is ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 For a read-aloud, I'd choose Charlotte's Web. As an audio book, we love to listen to Trumpet of the Swan in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Charlotte's Web should be mandatory reading for every K or 1st grader, no question. Trumpet of the Swan is excellent, too, but I'd choose Charlotte if I had to choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I think your solution is absolutely perfect. (I say that as a Homer Price lover too. :tongue_smilie: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PagesandFields Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I voted Trumpet... but mostly because of content... My kids and I are vegetarians so Charlotte is the book that brings up... conversation... more than any other about the topic. That said, the audiobooks read by EB White are so deliciously delightful we've listened to both... I just think there's something patient and understated about Trumpet that for me makes it a better first read... It was my son's very first nighttime chapter read aloud... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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