Tagged: Reading

Carnival of Homeschooling- The NaNoWriMo Edition

Preface Welcome to this hundred-and-umpteenth Carnival of Homeschooling! Because November is National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo or nano), and I’m over 10,000 words into the writing process (and can’t think of anything but writing, writing, and more...

Great Books Week- October 4-10, 2009

Join Excellence in Literature as we celebrate the beauty of great books with a blog tour! If you’d like to participate, write a post on your own blog on the appropriate topic each day, then visit the appropriate post on...

Motivation: What Gets People Moving?

Before you start school this year, you may want to consider motivation. What is the most effective way to encourage your children to study and learn? Some of us (ahem–me, anyway) respond well to doing things I find intrinsically interesting,...

Why Christians Should Read Fiction

I recently met someone who had been raised without fiction. No Little Golden Books, no Dr. Seuss, no Little House on the Prairie, no Chronicles of Narnia…nothing. I can’t begin to imagine, but the thought makes me feel a bit...

Create A Place of Quietness in your Day

Do you ever feel overwhelmed when there is noise and hubbub all day long? It can be hard to avoid when you have children home all the time. One of the things I did with my boys was to create...

Great Literature is Great Because It’s Sticky

Classic literature sticks in my mind because the questions it raises are about some of the most important issues we face.

Charlotte Mason on Teaching With Literature

Stories bring knowledge alive and engage emotional memory in a way that makes abstract principles and arcane facts easy to understand and remember. When learning can be joyous and simple, why make it boring and difficult (and pointless because they are unlikely to remember anything) by using tedious worksheets and canned curriculum? It’s never too late to start teaching well. Resolve now to make literature and stories a major part of your educational adventure!

Free Reading Speed and Comprehension Test

Do your students do well on the reading comprehension section of standardized tests? Practicing for these kind of exams and getting accustomed to the format and the type of questions asked can help boost scores. Here’s a website that offers...

Newbery Awards- My favorite, Your Favorite, Nobody’s Favorite

The 2009 book award winners were revealed yesterday by the American Library Association. You may read about them at the NAIWE NewsWire blog. As a counterpoint, I’d like to share a thoughtful piece from the School Library Journal, “Has the...

Reading for Fun Can Help You Learn

Age appropriate reading is foundational Several years ago I came across a book review of the Truth Seekers Mystery Series by Christine and Felice Gerwitz that clearly articulated the natural progression of learning. The review was much more than a simple review — it...

Teaching from the Known to the Unknown

I was working with the Chaucer unit in Excellence in Literature: British Literature this morning, and thinking about the ways in which The Canterbury Tales can be made accessible to students. These stories are funny, startling, and sometimes appalling, and...

The Discipline of Writing & NaNoWriMo

I was sitting at a sidewalk table last week, enjoying a cup of coffee, when I overheard a group of twenty-somethings at the next table talking about the writers’ conference that was starting over the weekend. The conversation turned to...

How King James Can Boost Reading Skills

As your students move toward high school and college, reading skills become increasingly important. A student who grows up hearing and reading a wide variety of literature, both old and new, tends to be well prepared to be a strong...

How Many Classics Should Students Read in a Year?

I got the following question about reading classics and high school literature from a reader, and after answering it, asked her if I could share it. I think this is something that many people wonder, so this seems a good time...

Summer Reading Lists: What’s On Yours?

We’re back from the last convention of the season, and life is slowing down. It’s a good thing, because I came home with a pinched nerve, and am not supposed to be on the computer for more than 10 minutes...

Everyone “Knows” Shakespeare- Or Do They?

“O, like a book of sport thou’lt read me o’er; But there’s more in me than thou understand’st.” ~ William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida The balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth’s fateful meeting with the three witches on the...

A learning lifestyle is far more effective than an overstuffed schedule. Plus, it's more fun!

Overstuffed School Schedules vs. The Learning Lifestyle

There’s a new school year coming up, and as you plan it can be tempting to create a school schedule that would stagger a grad student. I know — I’ve been there. I’ve started school years with so many classes...

The core curriculum teaches connections.

The Core Curriculum Teaches Connections

  Whenever the weather permits, I eat lunch outside on the patio in the edge of the woodland. At this time of year, there are spiderwebs everywhere. It doesn’t matter that I come out every day and sit in the...

Socialization for Homeschoolers . . . Again

Although homeschooling has become far more mainstream than it was when we first began in the 1980’s, the question of socialization occasionally still pops up. A recent article, “Get Out Much?” by Rachel Barlow, on the Nashoba Publishing website details...

Reading “Laddie” (and a Happy Birthday Dinner)

Once things settle down after the June convention and workshops, I always take extra time off for reading and projects. June is birthday month for four of us, so we all feel a bit celebratory. This year, my very sweet...

In the Garden- An 1899 Excerpt

This time of year I am besotted by the garden, and have great difficulty staying indoors for any length of time at all. In fact, anything on my horizon that doesn’t need to be fed or planted seems dim and...

Why read classic literature? Why the great books are important.

Why Read Classic Literature?

“Literature in its most comprehensive sense is the autobiography of humanity.” Bernard Berenson “This is old stuff — how can it be relevant to my life?” I’ve heard this objection from both students and adults, as I’ve spoken through the years on...

TV Turn-Off Week- Why Not Just Toss It?

Turning off the television is always a fabulous idea. I don’t have one to turn off, but if I did, I’d certainly be happy to celebrate TV Turnoff Week. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to sit and stare...

Thoughts on Choosing Literature from a 1903 Reader

I love old books. Although I strongly advocate reading whole works for high school literature, I find that old readers can be very useful in introducing an author and creating a taste for his or her work. I was browsing...

30 books you won't forget.

Thirty Books You Won’t Forget

I love to read, and on the back of my first business card I share some unforgettable books. Of course, this aren’t all my favorites — remember, the qualification is “unforgettable” —  but I was constrained by the size of...