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time4tea
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| Posted: April 24 2007 at 9:35am | IP Logged
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Hi All!
Could those of you who actually own/seen these leson plans tell me what they are like and whether or not they are doable for a family with a newborn (I am due with #5 in August)? Also, what kind of reading instruction suggestions are included? I remember reading a post some time ago now where many people noted that the Devotional Stories for Little Folks (which I believe is CHC's suggested "spine" for 2nd Grade Reading) is not really the greatest book for most/many 2nd graders. My dd is not the strongest reader, so I am figuring it may not be a good option for her, but am wonering what else they suggest in the plans for 2nd graders.
Thanks in advance and God bless!
Tea
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trish
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| Posted: April 24 2007 at 11:14am | IP Logged
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I have the lesson plans open on my lap as I type. I haven't used these plans yet. I basically bought them for the First Holy Communion preparation.
You are right that it does use Devotional Stories for Little Folks as it's main reader. It does suggest if you think your child isn't ready for this particular book then perhaps to not do this program and start with Little Stories for Little Folks.
In the lesson plan it looks like you use the Devotional on Mondays and the other days of the week are for independent reading. And they do give a recommended reading list of books for that.
As for the ease of it, if you are comfortable following the basic plans I think it's doable. Is this for your oldest?
I hope this helps you.
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time4tea
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| Posted: April 24 2007 at 11:24am | IP Logged
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Trish,
No, this is not for my oldest, but dc #3. She is currently working through Little Stories for Little Folks, and is just about to Level 3. She will be finished with LSLF before we begin 2nd Grade. That said, I recall some posts from moms whose dc were reading on 2nd-grade level, but still found Devotional Stories to be too advanced. Since I have never seen either Devtional Stories or the 2nd Grade Plans (we just have the K, 1st and Middle Grades), I am a bit nervous about making any purchases that I cannot later return. While I know I can probably post them and sell them as used if they don't work out, I'd rather not have to do that, as I've got so much going on here already.
God bless,
Tea
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~Tea
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trish
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| Posted: April 24 2007 at 11:45am | IP Logged
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I agree that Devotional stories is pretty advanced. I've used it as a read aloud and the children loved the stories.
The truth be told I wouldn't use this reading program with my 7 yo ds because he isn't ready for it either. But like I said I bought the lesson plans for the Holy Communion prep.
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Paula in MN
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| Posted: April 24 2007 at 12:05pm | IP Logged
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We are just finishing with CHC 2nd grade lesson plans. I have found them to be very easy. As far as the Devotional stories book goes, I wouldn't say that it is too advanced. Rather, the type they used is smaller and a little difficult to see spaces between words.
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 Paula
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Dawnie
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| Posted: April 24 2007 at 11:29pm | IP Logged
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Tea,
I'm using CHC's 2nd grade lesson plans...sort of. Oh, and I have the old edition of the 2nd grade lesson plans...I don't think the new plans include the use of the American Cardinal Reader.
If you follow CHC's plans, the child reads Devotional Stories for Little Folks (DSFLF) once a week, a story from the American Cardinal Reader Book Two once a week, and has independent reading with children's literature (they include a list of age-appropriate picture books available at many libraries) the other two days.
As the year has gone on, my dd has become better at reading DSFLF. At the beginning of the year, I had her read it out loud to me and I was stopping her a lot, reminding her to slow down and go back and read words she had skipped. She had an easier time with the American Cardinal Reader, although the print isn't much bigger and the lines are about the same distance apart as DSFLF. She reads a alot on her own anyway, so I didn't bother with "requiring" independent reading.
For awhile, I read the stories out loud to my daughter, then we gradually moved back into her reading them. We took turns reading pages for a little while. Now, I have her read the DSFLF story to herself after we go over the vocabulary words, then she narrates the story to me and we go over the discussion questions.
As for whether or not the plans are doable for a family w/ a newborn...I had a baby in November, so I think I can speak to that.  I did find it overwhelming to try to get books from the library for the Tour the Continents project and the science curriculum and to do the hands-on religion things in the religion supplement. The other stuff is fairly straightforward and is done mostly in workbooks. CHC's materials are lovely and well-designed, but I have been really frustrated with being in one week for some subjects and in another week for other subjects. Right now, I type up a weekly assignment sheet for my daughter and refer to the lesson plans only during my planning time.
We started school in early August, took a few breaks in the fall, took a big long break when Clara was born in Novemember, then another long break when my 3 oldest dc had the flu in February, and have been moving fairly steadily since then. We will finish 2nd grade in mid-July. We won't "finish" the science or the Tour the Continents by then, but we will have finished math, language arts, religion, and map skills.
Hope that helps...if you have any other specific questions about the lesson plans, feel free to ask.
Dawn
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Mackfam
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| Posted: April 25 2007 at 2:29pm | IP Logged
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Tea,
I used the CHC 2nd grade plans with my dd (who is now 10.) I was very drawn to their beauty and gentle formative nature. She was my first, so I had time to fully devote to the plans.
I did find the Devotional Stories for Little Folks too difficult for her to read. She was a good reader, but it was challenging enough that she was lost in the mechanics of reading, and missed the point of most of those great stories.
The First Sacraments prep was extraordinary!
Now that my ds is going in to 2nd grade next year, and I have a 2 year old as well - I am still planning to use the CHC lesson plans - but with SERIOUS modifications. Here's what I'm changing:
1. My son is reading very well right now, and enjoying independent reading! I don't want to harm that in any way. So I plan on using DSFLF as a read aloud, and discuss the stories afterward. The stories are very beautifully written, and they support so much of what we're trying to do at home - I don't want him to miss out on that. I'm thinking of having my dd (who will then be a 6th grader) read the stories to him - that way she might hear some things she missed before??? Just a thought. Anyway, bottom line, in order not to pressure budding readers, I advise DSFLF to be a read-aloud (unless you have one WAY ahead of grade level reading ability.)
2. I'm not going to stress about a "formal" reading program. As long as he's reading good books and narrating back to me so that I know he's understanding what he's reading I'm happy. No need for formal q and a reading comprehension style. I do like the American Cardinal readers, and we do use them, but (and I find this especially for boys) if there's too much "reading assigned" then it becomes work. And I'm really trying to allow this reader to love reading.
3. CHC lesson plans are frustrating in that you somehow (in spite of your best efforts) always end up being way ahead in one subject and way behind in another. In fact, all the subjects seem to move at their own pace. In itself, this isn't a problem, it's just reality as different children require different paces, but with the lesson plans written as they are, it is frustrating to have to flip to Week 13 for Language, Week 21 for Reading, Week 28 for Math and so on. I'm going to avoid this by using these downloadable lesson plans. I have found them to answer a number of needs - and love that they're a Charlotte Mason/Real Learning style. I plan on just journaling in his work as we move along. The plans allow for notations on narrations, etc. And it's great that they are only about $5 to download with copyright permission granted for use with the whole family. A real bargain in my book.
A final thought - if you haven't used the CHC lesson plans before, and you're really looking for some great hands-on real learning-esque faith formation for your 2nd grader - the purchase of the plans is a worthwhile one. It was for me since I wasn't raised in the Catholic faith and felt altogether lacking in my knowledge of, and ability to transmit all of those beautiful traditions that I so longed to pass on to my children.
I hope this helps in some way - it's really just our experiences - and I'm so sorry it's so long.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Topic: ? Re: CHC 2nd Grade Lesson Plans
