Fill-In Math Word Problems

I just wanted to give a big "HUZZAH!" to Scholastic's Fill-In Math Word Problems. While they are ultimately math problems, they also reinforce grammar and build reading comprehension skills. I use these as a fun supplement to do with my child, one on one, for extra practice. These are especially great if you have a child who struggles with story problems.

AFRICA: A Long Walk to Water

Our back-to-school studies this autumn have centered on literature and writing combined with world geography. Our first book to read, discuss, and write about is Linda Sue Park's A Long Walk to Water. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend to everyone.

Due to everyone coming and going at different times, I'm not currently reading anything aloud to the family. Everyone had to read this on his or her own. This book is best read that way anyway, however, as the point of view switches back and forth between two main characters.

As I said, everyone read this book. My youngest had only to fill out a book report on it. The older ones had a packet of study questions to fill out. After they answered the questions in writing, we all discussed it together. Then they were each supposed to choose one of the topics of discussion and expound on it in an essay.

Here is what I prepared for the study packet:

A Long Walk to Water

By Linda Sue Park

*Complete sections 1 and 2 of this reading journal before beginning to read the book.

*Begin reading; when you reach the post-it note on page 6, answer the question in section 3.

*Read the remainder of the book. When you are finished reading, IMMEDIATELY complete section 20.

*Complete sections 4-19.

*Read the provided National Geographic articles.

1.  Do your best to copy the map that is next to the title page of the book here.

2.  Vocabulary - 

What is a village?

gourd

cassava 

sorghum

acacia

3.  "Into the bush. Do you hear me? Not home. Don't run home. They will be going into the villages.  Stay away from the villages--run into the bush."  (pg 6) 

Imagine you are Salva. Write what you would be thinking at this point. Would you run into the bush?  Why or why not? 

4.  You have often heard of America's War for Independence. You know that Freedom of Religion played a large part in the founding of our nation. Were you aware that this is a struggle all over the world and it has been for the entire history of the world? Why do you think this is? (pgs 6-7)

5.  Salva is able to identify fellow Dinka tribesmen by the scar patterns on their faces. (pgs 15,19) Scarification is normal and popular throughout Africa:

Scarification, as a cultural activity, is widely performed across Africa. In essence, it is the practice of incising the skin with a sharp instrument, (such as a knife, glass, stone, or coconut shell) in such a way as to control the shape of the scar tissue on various parts of the body. Cicatrisation is a special form of scarification, whereby a gash is made in the skin with a sharp instrument, and irritation of the skin caused by applying caustic plant juices forms permanent blisters. Dark pigments such as ground charcoal or gunpowder are sometimes rubbed into the wound to provide emphasis. These cuts, when healed, form raised scars, known as keloids. The most complicated cicatrisation was probably found in the Congo Basin and neighbouring regions, and among the Akan speakers of West Africa.

Scarification is a long and painful process, and a permanent modification of the body, transmitting complex messages about identity and social status. Permanent body markings emphasise fixed social, political and religious roles. Facial scarification in West Africa is used for identification of ethnic groups, families, individuals, but also to express personal beauty. It is also performed on girls to mark stages of the life process, such as puberty, marriage etc. They can assist in making them more attractive to men, as the scars are regarded as appealing to touch as well as to look at, but also as testimony that women will be able to withstand the pain of childbirth. 

 ( http://www.randafricanart.com/Scarification_and_Cicatrisation_among_African_cultures.html)

Many people would call this practice "barbaric" and call these people "savages." What do these words mean? 

Do you agree that scarification is barbaric and/or savage? Why or why not? 

Keeping in mind the purpose of scarification, make a list of other cultures (modern or historical) and the methods they use to communicate the same types of things.

6.  "To the pond and back--to the pond and back--nearly a full day of walking altogether. This was Nya's daily routine seven months of the year. Daily. Every single day." (pg 20)  

Take a moment to seriously think about Nya's life. Her mother isn't being mean. This is a matter of survival. This is the reality for some people in other places. Now think about your life in comparison. What do you take for granted? What do you think is hard or miserable that, honestly, really isn't?

7.  Salva, a child, is abandoned numerous times by adults (pgs 13,18,21,66). What do you think of this?

How does this compare with what you know of other mass migrations such as pioneer wagon trains heading west in the United States? 

Why do you think different peoples/cultures would behave differently regarding children in these situations?

8.  Salva's story begins in 1985, Nya's in 2008. Twenty-three years later the Nuer and Dinka tribes are still fighting over land. (pg 26) Why do you think this is? 

9.  "Salva heard that sigh all the way to his heart." (pg 29) 

What does this mean? 

10.  "A cold fist seemed to grip Salva's heart." (pg 38) 

What is Salva feeling? Why does the author describe it this way? 

11. What type of channel is mentioned? (pg 49) What do you think of both the problem and the solution surrounding the channels? 

12.  "Salva Mawien Dut Ariik!" (pgs 53-54) Why does Uncle use Salva's full name? Why is it important to remember who you are, especially in difficult circumstances? 

What does your full name mean to you and/or remind you of? 

Is there another name you wear on your heart which you should remember? What name is this and what does that mean to you?

13.  "If you give them your water, you will not have enough for yourself! It is useless--they will die, and you will die with them!" (pg 55-56, 58)  

Is there wisdom in what the man said? What would you do? What should you do? Are there ever circumstances where what you should do changes? 

14.  Salva gets through his arduous journey one point at a time. Introduced to this approach by Uncle, he fixes on something he can see and reaches it. (pgs 53-54, 72-73, 82) Is there wisdom in this?  What does this teach you about goal setting in everyday life and in crisis management when you're overwhelmed and maybe in danger or afraid? 

Write of a time when you have used or you may need to use this approach. 

15.  "When the smaller boys grew too tired to walk, the older boys took turns carrying them on their backs." (pg 81) 

Why do you think the boys cared for each other and those younger than them when the adults they'd encountered previously would not? 

16. As Salva led the long trek to Kenya he thought of his family, remembering the good things they taught him (pg 81). How much influence does a family have on an individual member and how important is that? 

What influence has your family had on you so far in your life?  How does or how will that help you?

17.  It took a year and a half, but 1200 boys arrived safely to Kenya (pg 82). What are your thoughts on that?

18.  Have you ever given much thought to where your old clothes go when they are donated? How does knowing that people like Salva may receive them make you feel? (pg 91-92) 

19. In Africa there are tribes, chiefs, villages. What other times and peoples have lived with these? Any nowadays besides Africans? Why or why not? 

20.  How do you feel after reading this book? What are your immediate thoughts and impressions? 

What I WAS Reading, Round 3

Note:  I started this page MONTHS ago.  These were books I read last year and I never actually finished the post because life got crazy with one missionary coming home, another leaving, and returned missionary getting engaged and married, plus holidays... and life in general. Of course, this isn't a comprehensive list of the rest of the books I read last year; in fact, these are just the few I documented last summer. I intended to add to it later, but now I just want to put out what I've got and move on.

I wasn't even aware of Thornton Burgess until I read a friend's blog post about his bird book. As I researched that book (thinking of our ecology unit) I found he'd written ever so many more books about forest critters. I checked out the few that our library had to see if they were worth purchasing. My daughter quickly read them and enjoyed them. I read the one about Paddy the Beaver. 

Young children should enjoy this book, and the many, many others in the series. What I liked is that it gives good naturalist-type descriptions of what an animal really does, but also, through personification of these animals, imparts some great treasures of wisdom about character and how to treat and interact with others. 

I have some plans brewing for Burgess's books that I will post about in the future.

Riding the Pony Express is the second book I've read by Clyde Robert Bulla. He does a terrific job creating fast-paced, adventurous historical fiction for young readers, with characters who demonstrate admirable traits and qualities.

P.G. Wodehouse was one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century, but I had never heard of him until I came across a screaming deal on Introducing Jeeves at a Dover clearance sale. There was a sneak peak preview online and after reading a little of it I just had to get this.  Here is why: giggles, guffaws, chuckles and chortles. I laughed out loud about every other sentence. The short stories of the dim-witted Edwardian gentleman Wooster and his ever so capable genius valet Jeeves are nothing short of brilliant. I love the British jargon and humor. I had to read this book cover to cover as soon as it arrived because it just tickled and was a great escape. As always, the waste of life that is English aristocracy is vividly portrayed, but that's not the meat of this book. Wodehouse's stories of Wooster and Jeeves are simply delicious, delightful dessert.

Bull Run expertly demonstrates a grand scope of perspective. It is superb in showing just how vast yet personal the Civil War was, through just a single battle. Each chapter is told through the eyes of a different character and readers are able to see all the different people in their different circumstances and walks of life, understand the different reasons for their choices, as well as see how one event has a different cause and effect for each individual. This is truly a must read for any Civil War study. It is also excellent from a literary standpoint of learning about characterization, voice, and point of view. (After reading this I handed my kids a map of the Unites States and had them mark each character's origin and journey, all converging at Bull Run.)

While I didn't love The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, I'm not sorry I read it. Homer Figg is an interesting character and his adventures give rise to both humorous situations and serious points of discussion of different people's experiences, views, and choices during the Civil War.

A visit to Fredricksburg, Virginia had a profound impact on me a few years ago. Standing on the Sunken Road listening to an interpretive Ranger, looking across the area where men charged to certain death and contemplating the massive loss of life and the magnitude of misery that took place, my eyes rested on a bicycle next to a very modern apartment building and I had a conflict of emotions. Here was hallowed ground; here was soil and trees and air thick with some of the most horrific stories of humanity. Here, too, was life gone on in the sunlight of a new day and the hope of a better future. It was, and still is, bittersweet. These are the thoughts that led me to read Civil War Battlefields Then and Now.

Not a lot to say about this one. In the depraved days of our time, it's good to anchor (and re-anchor) oneself in pure waters. I'd recommend Between Husband & Wife--Gospel Perspectives on Marital Intimacy for soon-to-be-marrieds, newlyweds, and long-married people alike.

BIO: Ecology - Current Events

Newspapers are another great resource for unit studies.  In just the course of a couple of months there was an abundance of current events directly related to our unit and I shared them with my kids, following that up with a discussion when the topic led to one.

New Tiny Frog Species Found in India

New "Ant-Like" Bee Species Only in Western U.S.

"Feral Hog Apocalypse" in Texas

Wisconsin Hunter of Feral Cats a Target

Hundreds of North American Bees Face Extinction

Rusty Patched Bumblebee First to Be Endangered

Want Ad for Python Killers in Florida

Federal Cyanide Trap in Idaho Injures Boy, Kills Dog

Family Speaks Out After Cyanide Bomb

Cyanide Bombs Common in Utah and West

Group Asks for Idaho Ban on Cyanide Bombs

Utah Prairie Dogs Have Their Day in Court

China's Massive Pollution Problem

China Exports Pollution to Western US

(These last two aren't as current as far as publication goes. I looked them up, having remembered reading about it before.)

Perspective--Creative Writing the Night Before Christmas

I love Clement Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas," also known as, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." As you know, there are many, many, many versions out there. The original classic has been illustrated by so many different people there is really no way to count how many times it's been published. But there are also variations; creatively re-written versions such as the popular Cajun Night Before Christmas, A Pirate's Night Before Christmas, Pennsylvania Dutch Night Before Christmas, Mr. Darcy's Night Before Christmas, and on and on. In fact, the the original story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer began, "'Twas the night before Christmas..." and followed the format. So it should be no surprise that in today's mass market society we also have Olaf's Night Before Christmas. The beauty of all of these different versions is the wide world of differences they share and perspectives. 

I appreciate the creativity and twist that many of the different versions share. This year, I am really, really in love with the Olaf version. Olaf is the Frozen character my kids really liked and this book is written perfectly in character and from his perspective.  It begs you to look at something traditional and familiar with new eyes. Again, I love that it demonstrates point of view. And so, with that in mind, I read this to my kids (who are all over the age of 12 now, mind you, and they loved it) and then tasked them with choosing any well-known character from some other "story" and write "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" from that character's point of view, in that character's natural setting.

It might sound like an obvious, cliche, knock-off sort of assignment, but I'm here to tell you it takes thought and creativity, especially to stay true to both your character and the original poem. I love the results!  We ended up with "R2-D2's Night Before Christmas" (Star Wars), "Moana's Night Before Christmas" (new Disney movie, Moana), and "Mr. Weasley's Night Before Christmas" (Harry Potter). They were so charming and clever!

Interestingly, a couple of weeks after this, my missionary son sent home a homemade Christmas card wherein he'd independently written his own version relating to his mission that was also smart, entertaining, and informative. Additionally, he mentioned that he wanted to start a new tradition reading Cajun Night Before Christmas because it was his mission companion's favorite and someone had invited them over to read it on Christmas Eve and he loves it. I love it when things coincide like that! (We're going to have to get our hands on that book!)

This is a creative writing activity that you can do year after year with new characters, settings, etc. to keep it fresh.

CCCW - Roget and The Right Word

As an unapologetic logophile and someone who owns and frequently uses 10 different thesauruses, I was delighted to find the awesome biographical picture book The Right Word - Roget and His Thesaurus. Not only does this book give an astounding amount of information about a remarkable person, Peter Roget, it is also a visual delight in its illustrations (hence the Caldecott honor). 

I used this book both for Biography Club and creative writing. Inspired by the story and illustrations, and my newfound knowledge that thesaurus is Greek for "treasure house," I created this to show at Biography Club as I shared the story of Roget.

The next day I talked more about the book with my own children and asked them to each re-read it on their own, slowly drinking in the pictures. I then tasked them with making their own synonymous, listed creation as an artistic approach to playing with words.  Here are a couple of their creations.

All Quiet on the Western Front - War

The following excerpt, from Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, is full of timeless and universal insight. It should be read and pondered and remembered by all.

For me, it's all the more remarkable, provoking, and poignant that it is a discussion among the common soldiers of "the enemy." AQWF is, after all, written from the perspective of a young German soldier. (Remarque was a German veteran of WWI.)

At last the moment arrives. We stand up stiff and the Kaiser appears. We are curious to see what he looks like. He stalks along the line, and I am really rather disappointed; judging from his pictures I imagined him to be bigger and more powerfully built, and above all to have a thundering voice.

     He distributes Iron Crosses and speaks to this man and to that. Then we march off.

     Afterwards we discuss it. Tjaden says with astonishment:

     So that is the All-Highest! And everyone, bar nobody, has to stand up stiff in front of him!"...

     ..."And would a king have to stand up to an emperor?"

     None of us is quite sure about it, but we don't suppose so. They are both so exalted that standing strictly to attention is probably not insisted on.

     "What rot you do hatch out," says Kat. "The main point is that you have to stand stiff yourself."

     But Tjaden is quite fascinated. His otherwise prosy fancy is blowing bubbles. "But look," he announces, "I simply can't believe than an emperor has to go to the latrine the same as I have."

     "You can bet your boots on it."

     ...

     Tjaden disappears.

     "But what I would like to know," says Albert, "is whether there would not have been a war if the Kaiser had said No."

     "I'm sure of this much," I interject, "he was against it from the first."

     "Well, if not him alone, then perhaps if twenty or thirty people in the world had said No."

     "That's probable," I agree, "but they damned well said Yes."

     "It's queer, when one thinks about it," goes on Kropp, "we are here to protect our fatherland. And the French are over there to protect their fatherland. Now, who's in the right?"

     "Perhaps both," say I, without believing it.

     "Yes, well now," pursues Albert, and I see that he means to drive me into a corner, "but our professors and parsons and newspapers say that we are the only ones that are right, and let's hope so; --but the French professors and parsons and newspapers say that the right is on their side, what about that?"

     "That I don't know," I say, "but whichever way it is there's war all the same and every month more countries coming in."

     Tjaden reappears. He is still quite excited and again joins the conversation, wondering just how a war gets started.

     "Mostly by one country badly offending another," answers Albert with a slight air of superiority.

     "Then Tjaden pretends to be obtuse. "A country? I don't follow. A mountain in Germany cannot offend a mountain in France. Or a river, or a wood, or a field of wheat."

     "Are you really as stupid as that, or are you just pulling my leg?" growls Kropp. "I don't mean that at all. One people offends the other--"

     "Then I haven't any business here at all," replies Tjaden, "I don't feel myself offended."

     "Well, let me tell you," says Albert sourly, "it doesn't apply to tramps like you."

     "Then I can be going home right away," retorts Tjaden, and we all laugh.

     "Ach, man! he means the people as a whole, the State--" exclaims Muller.

     "State, State"--Tjaden snaps his fingers contemptuously. "Gendarmes, police, taxes, that's your State;--if that's what you are talking about, no thank you."

     "That's right," says Kat, "you've said something for once, Tjaden. State and home-country, there's a big difference.

     "But they go together," insists Kropp, "without the State there wouldn't be any home-country."

     "True, but just you consider, almost all of us are simple folk. And in France, too, the majority of men are labourers, workmen, or poor clerks. Now just why would a French blacksmith or a French shoemaker want to attack us? No, it is merely the rulers. I had never seen a Frenchman before I came here, and it will be just the same with the majority of the Frenchmen as regards us. They weren't asked about it any more than we were.

     "Then what exactly is the war for?" asks Tjaden.

     "Kat shrugs his shoulders. "There must be some people to whom the war is useful."

     "Well, I'm not one of them," grins Tjaden.

     "Not you, nor anybody else here."

     "Who are they then?" persists Tjaden. "It isn't any use to the Kaiser either. He has everything he can want already."

     "I'm not so sure about that," contradicts Kat, "he has not had a war up till now. And every full-grown emperor requires at least one war, otherwise he wouldn't become famous. You look in your school books."

     ...

     "But there are more lies told by the other side than by us," say I; "just think of those pamphlets the prisoners have on them, where it says that we eat Belgian children. The fellows who write that ought to go and hang themselves. They are the real culprits."

     Muller gets up. "Anyway, it is better that the war is here instead of in Germany. Just you take a look at the shell-holes.

     "True," assents Tjaden, "but no war at all would be better still."

All Quiet on the Western Front - Chance

   

 "The front is a cage in which we must await fearfully whatever may happen. We lie under the network of arching shells and live in a suspense of uncertainty. Over us Chance hovers. If a shot comes, we can duck, that is all; we neither know nor can determine where it will fall.     It is this Chance that makes us indifferent. A few months ago I was sitting in a dug-out playing skat; after a while I stood up and went to visit some friends in another dug-out. On my return nothing more was to be seen of the first one, it had been blown to pieces by a direct hit. I went back to the second and arrived just in time to lend a hand digging it out. In the interval it had been buried.     It is just as much a matter of chance that I am still alive as that I might have been hit. In a bomb-proof dug-out I may be smashed to atoms and in the open may survive ten hours' bombardment unscathed. No soldier outlives a thousand chances. But every soldier believes in Chance and trusts his luck."

The above is a quote from All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. It's one of many passages in the book that really affected me.  To try to imagine being there with the constant shelling, feeling the personal vulnerability of the Front, and experiencing the ever present rot, disease, death, pain and misery... and then to get to the point that you're indifferent to it because you believe it's just a matter of luck whether you live or die... 

I don't believe in Chance, I believe in God. I believe in agency and the ability to hear and feel the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We all will suffer in this life, and we all will die. But what a horridly hopeless feeling to go through life believing your existence is based on mere chance.

The Search for Delicious and Other Appropriate Words

As I mentioned before, I am tying Creative Writing into our BIO year. Here is how I kicked that off.

We began our day singing "Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words" and discussed whether words have power in them, such as power to build or give life, or power to destroy. I shared the Mormonads on the worksheet below and we read the scriptures that go with each. 

A most appropriate scriptures was James 3:8-10:

"But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made of the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be."

The metaphor of a tongue being full of deadly poison fits right in. (See also verses 11-13.)  We talked about each of the pictures and their implications and then I gave them this Life-giving or Biohazardous Words Worksheet.  

Examples of some of the additional scriptures the kids found that coincide with the idea of the words we say either giving life or destroying it are:

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity:  so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature..." (James 3:6)

"The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life:  but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked." (Proverbs 10:11)

Amazingly, the Piano Guys released the following video the very day I wanted to talk about this, so I tied it into our discussion as well.

After talking about the affect spoken words have, I moved the discussion on to written words. I love the following quote from an old Church manual and shared it (along with using it for handwriting practice that day).

"Reading the scriptures and other good books nourishes our minds, just as good food nourishes our bodies. Books are like companions. They can lift us up or tear us down. We should read only books that will help us become better people." 

Then we talked about how we're going to do a lot with creative writing throughout the year, giving life to words and trying to write words that nourish, or give life, to our minds.

I assigned everyone to read The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt. I love to use this book in language studies. I think it's very clever. Suffice it to say, the creation of a dictionary helps set off an impending civil war, the dictionary entry for delicious being key to both the creation of the crisis and its resolution.

After reading and discussing the book, I had my kids close their eyes while I said a word out loud. When I said the word, I wanted them to tell me what they immediately associated that word with. For example, I said, "Christmas." One child replied, "Presents," while another said, "Cookies!" I asked if either of those answers were the definition of Christmas and, of course they weren't. We then talked about the difference between definition and connotation. In The Search for Delicious, the dictionary entries weren't so much definitions as connotations, and words used contextually in a sentence. The assignment was to create a "dictionary" written in the style of the one in The Search for Delicious, with the requirement that every sentence had to be in reference to food.

(Incidentally, if you're looking to build your children's vocabulary and need some help for your tired brain, sites like this help. It came in handy a few times for me when I created the worksheet.)

Download the entire Search for Delicious Word Worksheet.

Just like the book, none of my kids agreed on what delicious is. We had pepperoni pizza, endless crepes, a bowl of mixed fruit, and creamy mac and cheese for contenders. Here are some of my favorite sentences written by my kids:

"Aromatic is a batch of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven."

"Aromatic is a hot bowl of Jambalaya."

"Aromatic is a freshly baked pizza."

"Unnecessary is orange juice in a smoothie." (From a kids who hates OJ and hates it when I try to sneak it into smoothies!)

"Juicy is a ripe pear."

"Tart is my dad's lemon bars."  

"Lucky is when I get to have Reese's Puffs cereal," and "Unnecessary is Raisin Bran cereal," from the same child.

"Lucky is getting a doughnut for free."

"Proud is baking molten lava cake for the first time."

Another day, I read aloud one of my favorite picture books, Cookies, Bite-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. (There are actually several sequels to this, too!) This is another book that explains meanings of words in a very creative way, through the medium of baking cookies.

Then, using the exact words "defined" in Cookies, I created a writing assignment in which these words had to be explained referencing baseball/softball.

Download the Bat-and-Ball-Sized Lessons Worksheet here.

When it comes to understanding the meaning of patience, every one of my kids referenced waiting for a good pitch. :) Here are some of my favorite sentences my kids wrote:

"Open-minded means, 'I've never bunted before but I will try it.'"

"Content means you and me cheering together for our teammates."

"Respect means to not talk back to your coach."

"Unfair means (an umpire) calling strike three at the kid's eyes."

"Cooperate means to turn a double play."

"Open-minded means to listen to your coaches."

"Trustworthy means to let your pitcher know he has defense behind him."

"Wise means to pull your pitcher out before the other team scores too many runs."

"Loyal means to always be friends with someone even if he struck out to end the championship game that you just lost."

"Respect means to not hate someone just because he's on the other team."


We also began using the Complete the Story story starters.


Here's to the power of words!

Reading Challenge

A couple of years ago I picked up a paper at the library titled "Adult Winter Reading Challenge." It said the goal was to read 25 books in 5 months, and then it listed 50 different ways to choose those books. I was excited about the challenge, and very intrigued by the list, but since then have not found any time to actually take the challenge. (Not because I don't have time to read but because I have so much else I need to read.)

Here is the list:

-A book with more than 500 pages

-A classic romance

-A book that became a movie

-A book published this year

-A book with a number in the title

-A book written by someone under 30

-A book with nonhuman characters

-A funny book

-A book by a female author

-A mystery or thriller

-A book with a one-word title

-A book of short stories

-A book set in a different country

-A nonfiction book

-A popular author's first book

-A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet

-A book a friend recommended

-A Pulitzer Prize-winning book

-A book based on a true story

-A book at the bottom of your to-read list

-A book your mom loves

-A book that scares you

-A book more than 100 years old

-A book based entirely on its cover

-A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't

-A memoir

-A book you can finish in a day

-A book with antonyms in the title

-A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit

-A book that came out the year you were born

-A book with bad reviews

-A trilogy

-A book from your childhood

-A book with a love triangle

-A book set in the future

-A book set in high school

-A book with a color in the title

-A book to make you cry

-A book with magic

-A graphic novel

-A book by an author you've never read before

-A book you own but have never read

-A book that takes place in your hometown (or nearby)

-A book that was originally written in a different language

-A book set during Christmas

-A book written by an author with your same initials

-A play

-A banned book

-A book based on or turned into a TV show

-A book you started but never finished

As you can see, there is a lot of variety here. I am looking ahead and trying to find a time to do a challenge like this with my kids, whether it's just for one month, for the summer, or for next school year. (They tend to be one-genre kind of kids and I'm always trying to broaden their horizons.) I may or may not tweak the list a bit, but I think this is a fun start.

"Liberty! --Electric Word!"

One of the highlights of my Independence Day this month was pure serendipity. I was reading Uncle Tom's Cabin in the car as we made our way to our 4th of July celebrations and got to the point where George and Eliza are preparing for the last leg of their journey to Canada and freedom. This passage was appropriate and electrifying:

"Their night was now far spent, and the morning star of liberty rose fair before them. Liberty!--electric word! What is it? Is there anything more in it than a name,--a rhetorical flourish? Why, men and women of America, does your heart's blood thrill at that word, for which your fathers bled, and your braver mothers were willing that their noblest and best should die?

"Is there anything in it glorious and dear for a nation, that is not also glorious and dear for a man? What is freedom to a nation, but freedom to the individuals in it? What is freedom to that young man who sits there, with his arms folded over his broad chest, the tint of African blood in his cheek, its dark fires in his eye,--what is freedom to George Harris? To your fathers, freedom was the right of a nation to be a nation. To him, it is the right of a man to be a man, and not a brute; the right to call the wife of his bosom his wife, and to protect her from lawless violence; the right to protect and educate his child; the right to have a home of his own, a religion of his own, a character of his own, unsubject to the will of another...."

 

What I've Been Reading, Round 2

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg--This was my second go at this book. The first time I read it I was really disappointed. Almost disgusted. I could not for the life of me see what all the fuss was about. (This is a Newberry Award book that makes every reading list and is touted as being wonderful.) As a mother I was appalled at a 9-year-old and a 12-year-old running away...especially into New York City! (I am now very aware that any time I begin a book or movie with high expectations I will be let down. Very little seems to live up to my expectations. When I back off and wait and read or view again, after being disappointed, I often find the book or movie to be better than I initially thought. Is the lesson to have no expectations? To begin with an open mind? Not sure.) I recently revisited this book by reading it aloud to my kids, after reading Deconstructing Penguins, for the purpose of teaching them about deciphering literature, and looked at it with a fresh (and informed) eye. I still can't say that I like this book, but at least this time I could find a way to appreciate it. And my kids did see and get the theme as well and we were able to have a good discussion, though none of them loved the book, either. But in the course of it we did take a little aside to learn something of the Renaissance, Michelangelo, and the Sistine Chapel, so there was value in whole thing.

Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet is a quick historical fiction read for youth set during the War of 1812 when the British marched on Washington and burned down the White House. It has a lot to do with slavery. I consider this a less-than-flattering glimpse at Dolley Madison, but real history cannot flatter anyone all of the time. Full of courage and action, this book has betrayal and loyalty and does give you a little something to think about.

Stout-Hearted Seven:  The True Adventure of the Sager Children Orphaned on the Oregon Trail in 1844 is not an especially cheery book. These kids had one twisty-turned trial after another. Still, it's a good book in that it accurately portrays the reality of the time period, emigration on the Oregon Trail, and settling in Western territories. (I asked my kids to write a little bit about how they would feel if they were one of the Sager children.) It's also a testament to the influence of parents, even after they are gone, and made me think a lot about the blessings of siblings. 

When I discovered, after reading Narcissa Whitman's journal, that she was upset that her family had published it, I felt kind of guilty for reading it. Too late. 

My Journal is the daily record Narcissa Whitman kept to send to her family as she traveled what would become the Oregon Trail. As a brand new bride, Narcissa Whitman was the first white woman to travel from the East across the continent. She and her husband went to build a mission to minister to the Cayuse Indians in the Walla Walla, Washington area (but they traveled all the way to Vancouver for supplies, etc. first). 

After reading the Stout-Hearted Seven I wanted to know more about Narcissa. It is detailed journals like hers that allow us to know so much about history. This isn't a particularly exciting read, but I came away admiring this good, faithful woman. 

Love, love, love By the Great Horn Spoon! The story of a boy and his butler heading to California during the Gold Rush in an effort to save the boy's aunt's family home, this is one clever story. It's a great read for historical fiction, but it's also a good story to illustrate how resourcefulness, creative thinking, problem-solving, optimism, good manners, and work win the day. I read this aloud to the family during our unit study and everyone enjoyed it. Now if I can just get one of my boys to turn out as brilliant as Praiseworthy...

Jacob Hamblin was an early convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (baptized 1842) who went West with the Saints to the Salt Lake Valley. He was a frontiersman who settled the Santa Clara area of Southern Utah and explored much of Utah and Arizona.  (We toured his home in Santa Clara a few years ago.) He faithfully served President Brigham Young as a missionary to the Indians and was the peacekeeping force between numerous Native American groups and the Mormons, as well as other immigrants and government officials.

While some parts of this book are written rather dryly, it is full of fascinating accounts of the many singularly unique experiences Jacob had in his life with the Spirit, with prophecy, with priesthood blessings, with faith and answered prayers. It inspired me to want to be ever more faithful and closer to the Spirit. It is also an honest look into the hearts, minds, and cultures of the Native Americans with whom Hamblin dealt--both the bad and the good. I believe every member of the Church should read this, as well as those interested in Utah and/or Native American history.

This book was handed to me by a friend when my son broke his arm. She wanted me to read the chapter about how to heal broken bones with herbs, suggesting an alternative to surgery. I had about 36 hours from the time my friend handed me the book to when my son's surgery was scheduled, and I felt really pressed for time and stressed out. Still, I read the chapter and was intrigued enough that I read it to my husband, then read it to my son. After some additional research on my son's injury and the proposed surgery, prayer, and discussion with my husband and son, we opted to go the surgery route. But I was interested enough in what the author had to say at that point that I read the entire book as I sat in the hospital during the surgery. It has certainly given me a lot to think about.

Dr. Mom:  Success Stories of an Herbalist Student could really use a professional edit, but there's no doubting the sincerity of the author. This is an inspiring collection of experiences from one year in the life of a mom as she became an herbalist student and worked to heal her family and friends from their surprisingly many and awful accidents and illnesses.

EVERYONE should read Uncle Tom's Cabin! This was a book on my bucket list and I am so, so, so glad that I read it. I didn't get very far into it before deciding that my children all needed to read this book as well, in their high school years. 

Often referred to as the book that started the (American) Civil War, this is an important book for both history and literature studies. It's also an important book for Christians to read, even today, to take a good, hard look at themselves. While Uncle Tom's Cabin exposes the many facets of slavery in 19th Century United States, it is also a commentary on women's rights, the many of the flaws of human nature, and regional traditions. More than that, it addresses liberty and what it really means to be a Christian. 

It does get a little preachy at times, but the bulk of this book is so good, so important, that I will be reading it again.

This nonfiction book is a wonderful companion to Uncle Tom's Cabin. It gives the historical background and setting for how and why UTC came to be written. After addressing the cause, it explains the effect of the book throughout the United States as well as abroad. (Uncle Tom's Cabin was the secondmost-read book on the planet in its time, second only to the Bible!) It tells much about the author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and her family, as well as other abolitionists and movements of the day. It also contains a brief synopsis of UTC.

I'm in the middle of several additional books and anxious to find time to read a long list of others I hope to share about. I love books!

The Fledgling, Expectations, and All About Robins

Intermittent thundershowers, hail, and rain cancelled our normal Saturday baseball schedule, but in between the precipitation was sunshine, so I herded the family outdoors to do some much needed weeding in the soft soil during the drier intervals. At the end of the day I went to hose the mud off of myself and encountered this fellow at the faucet.

Because he didn't immediately startle and fly away and, in fact, just sat there stone still, I first assumed he was injured. A thorough visual inspection turned up nothing wrong, however, and eventually I realized that this was a fledgling robin who was still building muscle and learning to fly. He couldn't swoop away into the trees or skies of safety, not because of injury but because of inability, or in other words, immaturity. 

What first threw me off was his size. He was a full-grown bird! A little research* taught me that it takes just two weeks for baby robins to go from being super tiny, featherless things with bulging eyes and translucent skin to being the same size as their parents. They jump out of the nest at that point, unable to fly and still needing their parents to help feed them. It will take a while longer, with the fledglings hopping, running, flapping, and hiding, before they are self-sufficient. I had expected a fledgling to be smaller, so his size influenced my expectations.

I've been thinking about this in terms of people, and more specifically, children. How often do we allow appearances to influence expectations, and how often do we expect something from our children that they are simply incapable of at the point in time of our expectation?

As I reflected on my fledgling encounter and expectations of children, the first thing that came to mind was reading and the academic expectations public schools, legislators, and thus society places on children. It is both a blessing and a curse that early on in my homeschool journey I read Raymond and Dorothy Moore's Better Late Than Early. It changed my educational paradigm and shaped my homeschooling approach in very positive ways, as well as gave me greater insight into many things about children, family, and God. Those were the blessings. The curse is that because of this, it doesn't take much to frustrate me when I hear moms and reading aids and public educators in the halls of church, or grocery stores, or at the library discussing children who struggle to read; these well-intentioned but ill-informed people often have unrealistic expectations of fledglings who do not yet have the maturity to meet those expectations.

In short, the Moore's suggest that there are numerous factors, developments that must take place, before a child is ready to read. Reading isn't simply a matter of more instruction, more attention, or more practice. And though nowadays people push for earlier and earlier formal education, for reading in Kindergarten, for more time for children at desks, etc., this is all moving in a direction in direct opposition to what children need and are ready for.

Allow me to quote just a bit from the book.  "Early education must take into account the development of the child's brain, vision, hearing, perception, emotions sociability, family and school relationships and physical growth. For each of these factors, there appears to be a level of maturity at which most children can, without serious risk, leave normal homes and begin typical school tasks. When we bring these factors together, we have an index to total maturity that we call the child's integrated maturity level (IML)....On the basis of a comprehensive review of many research findings..., we believe that the IML is seldom, if ever, achieved earlier than ages 8-10.

"When we found that neurophysiologists and learning psychologists arrived independently at the same ages--about 8-10--for the beginning of school tasks, we began systematically to review studies of the brain and of perception. Our attention was also directed to related research areas, such as vision and hearing. In fact, we found that a number of areas had been largely ignored by many educational planners...."

As you can see, there is a list of things needing to mature in children, few of which are visible to the eye. Our society tends to mete expectations based on a child's size, or at least his age, instead of a child's maturity or readiness.

Regarding vision alone, let's return to the book.

"One fact well accepted by neurophysiologists and most eye specialists is that the eye in an integral part of the brain."

"Some researchers and scholars insists that there is strong evidence that a child's eyes are not physiologically ready for continual and consistent reading until he is at least 8 or even older."

"As long ago as the turn of the century, famed American philosopher John Dewey quoted eye specialists in noting that children's eyes are made primarily for distant vision or for looking at large objects. To require the child to concentrate on near work or upon small objects for any length of time, he reasoned, would create undue nervous strain. He estimated that children should not be required to make these reined and cramped adjustments until about age 8...."

Regarding attachments, family life, and where young children truly belong:  "Parents who love their children, who understand their developmental needs, will note that neither research nor common sense dictates sending children away from home in their early years. University of Michigan child psychiatrist Humberto Nagera declares that '...no other animal species will subject their infants to experiences they are not endowed to cope with except the human animal.' We would not force a flower to bloom before it is ready unless we were prepared to ask for less fragrance or to watch it wither away before its time....This, of course, does not mean that parents do not teach a child anything....Rather, it means that the young child does not require academic teaching--the typical skills of reading and arithmetic...."

None of this is to say that no 4- or 5-year-old should ever read. It means that each fledgling child is an individual needing to mature and develop rather than all children being subjected to an expectation based on a calendar. As a mother who taught each of her 5 children to read, I can attest that each child's story is very different. None of them learned to read at the same age as their siblings. I watched over them and tested their readiness and we progressed when they were developmentally ready. Incidentally, my latest reader is my most avid reader.

Now, once again, I have a fledgling about to leave the nest. By all appearances, he is a man. Legally, he is an adult. He has matured a great deal and there is much he can do on his own. It's time to jump. This will be a hopping, flapping, running, maybe even hiding kind of summer. And, like a fledgling robin,  he'll still need some assistance with food. :)

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*My curiosity about robins led me to a most fantastic website. Everything you want to know about the American Robin is here, and I especially like the slideshow pages for kids. We'll definitely be using this resource for a project. And it doesn't stop there. Annenberg Learner is chock full of other resources for every subject, and if you want to continue with the great nature pages, Journey North does the same thing for monarchs, hummingbirds, and more that it did for robins.