Poetry & Reading Aloud
From Shannon Whiteside: I have spent many hours reading aloud to my children. I have so many wonderful memories of us sitting on the couch reading picture book after picture book and then progressing on to chapter books. Now that they are older, they get to read aloud to me! In the high school lessons, the students have a reading aloud time for 30 minutes once a week. It is also helpful because they can read to their younger sibling.
Poetry is a great thing to read aloud. In fact, it is meant to be read aloud. In Home Education, Charlotte Mason stated,
He should have practice, too, in reading aloud, for the most part, in the books he is using for his term's work. These should include a good deal of poetry, to accustom him to the delicate rendering of shades of meaning, and especially to make him aware that words are beautiful in themselves, that they are a source of pleasure, and are worthy of our honour; and that a beautiful word deserves to be beautifully said, with a certain roundness of tone and precision of utterance. (p. 227).
Poetry helps us appreciate the beauty of words and sounds. I know sometimes poetry can be a little intimidating for some students, but I believe it is an effort that is worthwhile. I have poetry books that I like to use for different seasons and holidays along with what we are reading for our lessons. How have you strived to incorporate poetry into your students’ lives or what poetry books would you recommend? Head on over to the Hive and leave your comments.
Notes
1. The Buzz: Did you know The Buzz is searchable by keywords? For example, if you can’t remember the coupon code for RightStart Math, click on the magnifying glass at the top right hand corner of the dashboard page and enter your topic in the search bar. We were able to find the Buzz issue with information on the hard-to-find book for high school Geography–Five Months on the Missouri–simply by searching for “Missouri.”
2. Office Hours: Here are the videos from last week’s session on Science with Danielle Merritt-Sunseri.
- Narration and Discussion Questions for Scientists in the Field Books
- Importance of Labs and Tips for Implementation
- Science Recommendations for Students Who Struggle with Algebra 2
- Labs for The Story of Science: Einstein
- Building a Relationship with Scientific Things
Our next session will be Wednesday, August 24 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Erin Day will be with us to answer your questions regarding art instruction, art appreciation (picture study), and handicrafts. Please submit your questions on these topics at least 24 hours in advance by commenting on the event in The Hive.
Queries
1. Science (Grades 5-6): I need some guidance with Adventures with a Hand Lens. Am I supposed to pre-read each section and make a list of vocabulary since it uses scientific terminology? When am I supposed to schedule the field studies?
These are excellent questions. First, please do not worry about any terminology, as this is not the point of these lessons. They are meant to be introduced "by the way" when pointing to a diagram in the book or looking at the critter in question. The kids don't need to remember them, as it is just a first introduction.
Second, the primary purpose of these lessons is to use a hand lens to notice something new. You are absolutely correct that you are looking for that sweet spot between knowing and not knowing, so if the book is overwhelming the students on the side of the not knowing, then you have a few options. 1. You can cut it back to just an interesting bit - even just a paragraph or two. 2. You can read it less often to give you more time to do the field study - maybe even just monthly. 3. You could drop the book altogether and just use the hand lens. Keep in mind that these "Adventures" in the book are largely independent of each other, so you can change the order to fit where you are in the seasons or based on opportunity you have.
Third, the field studies really are essential. The Thing is the Thing, not the book. It is so hard to find that balance when life feels so busy and overscheduled, so the challenge is figuring out where this fits in that long list of priorities. A few ideas that may help: Set a reminder on your Google calendar to remind you what you are looking for when out on our walk. If you can’t fit in a walk during the week, try a monthly walk as a family on the weekend. Sign up to do walks with a professional naturalist instead. You are just one person and you do not need to do everything. If you need to cut back to find the balance in this season, that is okay. You will be fine and your kids will be fine and the next season is just around the bend.
2. Intermediate Spanish Literature: The lesson plans ask the students to use a dictionary to look up the meanings of Spanish nouns. What dictionary do you recommend?
We suggest that you use an online dictionary if possible. With the Spanish-speaking world being so diverse, an online dictionary would be the most up-to-date and accurate. We recommend WordReference.com because it is a complete view of the uses and contexts of words across the Spanish-speaking world.
