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sunnyviewmom
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| Posted: June 16 2012 at 2:53pm | IP Logged
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I feel like I am starting from scratch after years of homeschooling. Could the following be a "complete" language arts curriculum for my very reluctant son? If not, what could I add or replace?
Writer's Jungle (Brave Writer)
The Arrow (Brave Writer...with me reading one book a month aloud)
Independent Reading (but no narrations, book reports, etc... just reading plus whatever informal discussion happens naturally)
It has taken a lot of time and patience for me to get my son to the point where he really enjoys literature through me reading to him. This is a blessing! I don't want to mess with it, but he needs to do more...
He does not choose to read "literature" on his own. He likes to read DK LEGO books. He enjoyed reading most of the TIN TIN books, but it didn't turn him into an avid reader like I had hoped.
Please help.
THANK YOU!
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Mama to 2 sons (ages 20 and 14) and 4 little saints in heaven
Jesus, Divine Mercy, We Trust In You
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 19 2012 at 6:52am | IP Logged
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sunnyviewmom wrote:
Could the following be a "complete" language arts curriculum for my very reluctant son? If not, what could I add or replace?
Writer's Jungle (Brave Writer)
The Arrow (Brave Writer...with me reading one book a month aloud)
Independent Reading (but no narrations, book reports, etc... just reading plus whatever informal discussion happens naturally) |
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I think that could be a very complete language arts curriculum with one addition: narrations. In 5th grade, even with a reluctant student, I would be asking for narrations. My goal would be to:
** Choose the most fantastic literary-can't-fail-to-engage-him living books.
** Put 2 of them on his required reading schedule each term.
** Assign him 4 or 5 pages a day to read. It's non-negotiable.
** Ask for simple narrations from the books. Nothing super structured. Nothing intimidating. Just have him help weed in the garden with you and ask him, "So...what's going on with Johnny Tremain today? Yesterday he was..." And let him narrate. You can work in narrations in all sorts of less intimidating ways (while folding laundry, cooking dinner, weeding in the garden, driving down the road on the way to dentist appts).
He doesn't have to read the same book every day....maybe on Mon/Tues he reads from Johnny Tremain and Wed/Thur he reads from The Sign of the Beaver and Friday is something you read aloud to him from another living book. You can ask for narrations of each of these books. (By the way, the books I used as examples are just examples of something a 5th-7th grade boy would be SURE to enjoy, and they fit within the period of early American History.)
Bravewriter and the Arrow will be fantastic for this student, and especially helpful to you will be Julie's assessments which help you identify where your son is in terms of writing so that you can gently stretch from there. The Arrow is a great for working in alongside wonderful pieces of literature and incorporating some language arts in alongside those literary pieces.
From there, I'd probably add in some living science for the next term and ask for narrations from those as well. Just gentle, gentle stretching...but only with the choicest books, the best of the best.
Begin to move his DK Lego books down the literary ladder, one peg at a time. There's nothing wrong with them. He can enjoy them! But for school hours, he reads what you ask him to read. You make it reasonable so that he's not reading a gazillion pages a day and that leaves him plenty of independent time to choose his own pleasure reading from his DK Lego books and the like. And you ensure that the literature you require him to read is the choicest, richest, most delightful literature you can get your hands on. Continue stretching with a steady diet of living books and then I dare you to set The Chronicles of Narnia out on a table somewhere and see how long he leaves it untouched. Or The Lord of the Rings. Or The Little Britches series by Ralph Moody.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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guitarnan
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| Posted: June 19 2012 at 8:03am | IP Logged
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My quasi-reluctant reader LOVED My Side of the Mountain - that would be my first choice for a reluctant reader who happens to be a boy.
(Sadly, Johnny Tremain was not popular at my house.)
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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sunnyviewmom
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| Posted: June 19 2012 at 8:38am | IP Logged
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Thank you, ladies! Jen, your advice is very helplful as it sounds gentle and doable.
Question:
What do you consider a "term"?
Thanks!
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Mama to 2 sons (ages 20 and 14) and 4 little saints in heaven
Jesus, Divine Mercy, We Trust In You
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 19 2012 at 8:49am | IP Logged
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A term is just how I divide up our year. We divide into three terms of 12 weeks each. It helps in the planning to think in smaller chunks of the year. Some folks use four quarters, and I've even done that before myself.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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sunnyviewmom
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| Posted: June 19 2012 at 9:00am | IP Logged
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Thanks!
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Mama to 2 sons (ages 20 and 14) and 4 little saints in heaven
Jesus, Divine Mercy, We Trust In You
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: Reluctant Fifth Gr. Boy
