Thursday, August 4, 2016
Teaching Parents to Teach Their Children with Charlotte Mason Writing
The class I wrote for parents wanting to learn about Charlotte Mason writing to, so they can now teach their children, is published!!
https://schoolhouseteachers.com/2016/07/learning-to-write-with-the-charlotte-mason-method/
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
I am so excited to see one of my articles in an actual magazine!! Please, take time to read it, and enjoy this beautiful magazine!!
http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine-digital.com/thehomeschoolmagazine/2016x3/MobilePagedReplica.action?pg=50#pg50
I have one of my articles on page 47 - 48!!
http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine-digital.com/thehomeschoolmagazine/2016x3/MobilePagedReplica.action?pg=50#pg50
I have one of my articles on page 47 - 48!!
Monday, March 14, 2016
Have You Met Charlotte Mason?
Have You Met Charlotte Mason?
Have you met Charlotte Mason? She was a remarkable British woman who was far ahead of our time when it comes to educating our children. She was born in 1842 in England, but was orphaned at the age of 16 when both of her parents passed away. It was at this time that she came to truly love children while living with different families to help them out in their homes so as to have a place to live. So at 18, she decided to join a teacher’s training college. After a year of training, due to financial need, and her wonderful connection with children, she was offered an official teaching position there.
Miss Mason was given a God-given gift when teaching her pupils. Her belief was this…“Children are born persons.” She treated ALL persons, no matter what age, race or class they were, with kindness, politeness and respect. Charlotte frequently said, “Always remember that people matter more than things. Don’t say anything that will leave a sting.”
Her greatest desire was to teach the “whole child,” and not to just pour information in to them as though they were robots who were to spew back out what had been poured in to them. Her quote has become one that is well known amongst many homeschooling families now-a-days, and that is, “Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, and a Life”
By “Atmosphere,” she meant the surroundings in which the child grows up. Is your home an organized, peaceful place for your children to enjoy and be content in? Where they have freedom to go outside and enjoy the fresh air? Or is your home cluttered, chaotic, and lacking peace so that your children are less than thrilled to come home? If this is the case, what can you do to change it?
As to “Discipline,” Charlotte meant the discipline of good habits, and especially habits of character. Good habits are not acquired simply by making good resolves, though the thought must precede the action. She believed that parents should make this a high priority while their children are young, one habit at a time, and to continue to work on as they grow older.
Lastly, “Life,” is the third area she speaks of, applies to academics with living thoughts and ideas, not just dry facts.
As a final thought…“We hold that all education is divine, that every good gift of knowledge and insight comes from above, that the Lord the Holy Spirit is the supreme of mankind, and the culmination of all education…is that personal knowledge of, and intimacy with God in which our being finds its fullest perfection.” (Charlotte Mason)
Kelly Benedict is a 24 year homeschooling veteran and mother of 9. She and her husband are awaiting the birth of their 14th grand-baby, all under the age of 10. She and her family, only 4 of whom are still in the nest, live in a tiny country town in Iowa. She writes lesson plans for TOS, and specializes in Charlotte Mason’s theories and philosophies after a year of college through True North, and using CM’s methods over the years.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Science with Living Books
Science with Living Books
How do you teach a fact-heavy subject like science with great literature? First, science is not fact-heavy, or, at least it ought not to be. British educator, Charlotte Mason called science the study of "the great scheme of the unity of life".
Abstract concepts become easy to picture and understand when they are experienced in context. A picture-packed, glitzy book filled with facts cannot teach "the great scheme of unity of life" but literature and hands-on experimentation can.
Charlotte Mason felt that the only sound method of teaching science is to combine field work and great literature. Ms. Mason saw that the teaching of science in our schools has lost much of its educative value through a fatal and quite unnecessary divorce between science and the 'humanities.
Why use literature in a study of science?
Charlotte Mason wrote of the unnecessary divorce of the sciences and the humanities: "It is through great literature that one gets at great thoughts, not through dry, 'dumbed down' textbooks." (A Philosophy of Education, p. 223).Ms. Mason was not opposed to textbooks, only to their exclusive use and that they are too often "dry and dumbed down".
What if I don't have a strong background in science?
Learning along with your child is one of the delights of homeschooling. However, if the concern is that you will miss something of what a child should know in a science curriculum, consider this. If your child can name every scientific term, define it, and still not have a sense of wonder or a curious mind, you will have failed. If you want to be sure you haven't missed anything, borrow a science textbook and study the topics as a guide.
Where can I find good science books?
Look for living books in both non-fiction, fiction and biographies. Study the book choices of high-quality curriculum companies that use literature extensively. Go to your library and ask to see the science section. If the book has too many high graphics, and is not of a strong literary quality, leave it there.
Here are five titles that you can find through inter-library loan or a Amazon, the online bookstore:
1. Robert Boyle: Trail Blazer of Science,
2. John Hudson Tiner The Story Book of Science,
3. Jean Fabre Archimedes and the Door of Science,
4. Jeanne Bendick Galen and the Gateway to Medicine, John Hudson Tiner Louis Pasteur: Founder of modern medicine.
5. John Hudson Tiner
Monday, June 22, 2015
The Duty of Devout Meditation
"This duty of devout meditation seems to me the most important part of the preparation of the mother or other teacher who would instruct children in the things of the Divine life."
Charlotte M. Mason
CM firmly believed that education is divive. Education is a matter of the Spirit. In her view there is no difference between Christian and secular education for true education is the same for all, giving a person the opportunity to learn and enjoy the best in all things for the glory of God, who is the ultimate and goal of all knowledge.
Charlotte M. Mason
CM firmly believed that education is divive. Education is a matter of the Spirit. In her view there is no difference between Christian and secular education for true education is the same for all, giving a person the opportunity to learn and enjoy the best in all things for the glory of God, who is the ultimate and goal of all knowledge.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Oral Narration Cont.
Is narration to be oral after a single reading? Or is any reproduction of info--a picture, a skit, a book cover, etc.--valid in place of narration? Do alternate activities use the same capacities and give the same training that the plain narration gives?
I have a copy somewhere of the actual school schedules for one of CM's schools, and one of the scheduled activities for the older students is to sketch a scene each week from the reading of that child's choice.
I first read about skits being used as narrations in Charlotte's schools in an article from one of the old parent's reviews. The teacher writing the article explained that she'd tell the class that the next day one student would get to put on a short skit of that day's reading in a particular subject. They all needed to think about how they would do the skit, as she might call on any of them. That night they would all go home and plan. The next day she would call on one child and let him direct the others in acting out his idea of the skit. Not only did they all have to think through the reading, considering events and their sequence, and give thought to how best to portray them--but they also would often discuss the reading all the way home as they debated how one scene might better have been staged. :=)
As homeschoolers, we may not get this aspect of the skit plan--but doing a skit was an acceptable form of narration in Charlotte's schools.
Staging the reading with blocks is simply using some props to aid in narration - it distracts a reluctant narrater from his fears or frustrations and he ends up narrating more fluidly. When he has done this a few times you can surprise him by telling him he's been narrating all along.
I hope we do all understand that these are supplements to narrations as we generally understand them--a retelling after a single reading--not complete replacements. Oral narrations should continue through all of the school years, even on into high school. But other methods may help to prime the pump of a reluctant narrator or vary the day of a homeschooled student. Not all of Charlotte's students narrated after reading, but every reading was narrated. We can't narrate from every reading unless our homeschooled student does all the narrating. Varying the style is a way of avoiding tediousness.
So while these alternate forms of narration are not to completely replace oral narrations, they are very compatible with Charlotte's principles, often actually used by her.
(Q & A by Wendi)
Well Charlotte used both sketching and skits in her schools. I remember reading about sketching a scene from the reading in one of CM's books (can't recall the volume offhand). Charlotte does explain that many of the same processes so important in the oral narration occur in choosing which scene to sketch ( it is important to let the child do the choosing for this reason) and in determinating how best to illustrate that scene. Furthermore, when my children sketch a narration, they still have to tell me something about it--or at the very least write down a caption of their choice. So yes, many of these activities use the same capacities and give similar training, much the same way two different exercises might help strengthen the same area of the body, but in different ways.
I have a copy somewhere of the actual school schedules for one of CM's schools, and one of the scheduled activities for the older students is to sketch a scene each week from the reading of that child's choice.
I first read about skits being used as narrations in Charlotte's schools in an article from one of the old parent's reviews. The teacher writing the article explained that she'd tell the class that the next day one student would get to put on a short skit of that day's reading in a particular subject. They all needed to think about how they would do the skit, as she might call on any of them. That night they would all go home and plan. The next day she would call on one child and let him direct the others in acting out his idea of the skit. Not only did they all have to think through the reading, considering events and their sequence, and give thought to how best to portray them--but they also would often discuss the reading all the way home as they debated how one scene might better have been staged. :=)
As homeschoolers, we may not get this aspect of the skit plan--but doing a skit was an acceptable form of narration in Charlotte's schools.
Staging the reading with blocks is simply using some props to aid in narration - it distracts a reluctant narrater from his fears or frustrations and he ends up narrating more fluidly. When he has done this a few times you can surprise him by telling him he's been narrating all along.
I hope we do all understand that these are supplements to narrations as we generally understand them--a retelling after a single reading--not complete replacements. Oral narrations should continue through all of the school years, even on into high school. But other methods may help to prime the pump of a reluctant narrator or vary the day of a homeschooled student. Not all of Charlotte's students narrated after reading, but every reading was narrated. We can't narrate from every reading unless our homeschooled student does all the narrating. Varying the style is a way of avoiding tediousness.
So while these alternate forms of narration are not to completely replace oral narrations, they are very compatible with Charlotte's principles, often actually used by her.
(Q & A by Wendi)
Friday, March 27, 2015
7 Ways to Orally Narrate
When you begin narration, orally narrating is the best way to begin. It is the way CM began with her pupils before written narration.
There is not just one way to orally narrate though. In fact, here are 7, but you may even have more ideas than just these. And if you do, please share! If you try one of these, please feel free to share how it worked for your family!!!
1. Orally - speaking or telling the story, or what they remember, out loud.
2. Have your child record it, and then share it with someone.
3. Act out the story.
4. Mental math - Take a large piece of paper, and make a map of the story from the
picture.
5. Use index cards. Pick one of the major events, then the next major event, etc. Next shuffle the cards and have them put them in the correct order.
6. Make a 3 dimensional diorama of the story. (For those not certain what a diorama
is, it is a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in
miniature or as a large scale museum exhibit.) How to make a diorama, go to;
How to Make a Diorama: 13 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
7. Story Streamer - take a long thin sheet of crepe paper, fold the streamer into 6
equal sections. Number them 1 - 6. Fold accordion style. See a "Codex."
Monday, March 16, 2015
Transitioning to Written Narration
Transitioning to Written Narration
So when is the best time to transition from oral narration to written narration? Does CM have a suggested method of when would be the best time to do this?
Actually, she does. It is best that the "written" narration not begin until at least the age of 9. Even then, this may be hard at first, so you will need to take it at a slow pace, begin with short, 1 - 2 paragraphs, of well written narrations. Add biographies, well-written non-fiction, and fiction at a reading level appropriate to the child's development.
"In every case the reading should be consecutive from a well-chosen book." Remember...A lesson should be no longer than 15 - 20 minutes
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
You Can Take the Charlotte Mason Writing Course Too!!
I'm really excited!! I have been taking a week long Charlotte Mason intensive Writing Course to teach you how to teach your children to write, and write well!! I have been learning so much and am really excited about everything that I have been learning!!!
Would you like to know…
 | A plan for writing from beginning to end. |
| How to avoid frustration. |
| How to evaluate your child’s writing. |
| Exactly what to have them write about. |
| How to teach spelling and proper grammar without tears? |
| How to include writing in math, science, and history? |
| How to teaching your children that writing is enjoyable. |
| How do I keep my family’s focus and still use secular material? |
| How do I find the best resources to use for your child’s writing? |
| How to get your children to actually like writing? |
| How to teach writing even if you can’t? |
| What the older student needs to write well — even if they don’t now. |
| How to create a writing program that works for your family? |
Of course there’s more, but you get the idea… (Sheila Carroll)
Seriously, this is a wonderful course, whether or not you have children to teach, it would be a great benefit for anyone who wants to learn more about writing, period!!!
http://www.mcssl.com/app/?af=1613929 Please go here to order your writing course! :+)
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Teaching Writing the CM Way
Writing the Charlotte Mason Way
What is the definition of writing? Think about it a minute...it might be as simple as making marks on a piece of paper, to writing our initial alphabet, or forming words that make since, or a more technical definition from the Merriam -Webster Dictionary which says this..."the act or process of one who writes; the activity or skill of marking coherent words on paper and composing texts."
The majority of the work of composition is done in your head. The actual "writing" is simply a way of recording what you are thinking.
Tips from Charlotte Mason on Composition *Taken from Simply Charlotte Mason (SCM)
Grade Suggestions:
What is the definition of writing? Think about it a minute...it might be as simple as making marks on a piece of paper, to writing our initial alphabet, or forming words that make since, or a more technical definition from the Merriam -Webster Dictionary which says this..."the act or process of one who writes; the activity or skill of marking coherent words on paper and composing texts."
The majority of the work of composition is done in your head. The actual "writing" is simply a way of recording what you are thinking.
Tips from Charlotte Mason on Composition *Taken from Simply Charlotte Mason (SCM)
Grade Suggestions:
Grades 1–3
Do mostly oral narration. You can include occasional written narrations, but the majority of the composition work should be oral to give your child plenty of practice in organizing his thoughts. If he does attempt to write all or part of a narration, do not worry too much about mechanics like punctuation and capitalization at this age. And don’t worry about direct teaching of composition yet. Encourage his efforts and concentrate on the mental part of composition at this level.
Grades 4–6
Now you can require more written narrations than you did in the lower grades. We all know how much faster the brain can work than the fingers can. At this level, give your child plenty of practice in getting his thoughts recorded on paper, but still don’t worry about any direct teaching of composition. As your child shows interest, you can work on some aspects of mechanics or word choice, but approach those aspects one or two points at a time. For example, you might focus on how to do punctuation within dialogue (She said, “Don’t forget the comma before the quotation marks.”). Once your child has mastered that particular point, work on another one.
Grades 7–9
By this level your child should be writing most of his narrations. You can continue working on improving his mechanics and word choices one or two points at a time, and at this age you can start asking for some of his narrations to be written in poetry form. But still there need be no direct teaching of composition.
Grades 10–12
By these grades your child should have developed his own style of writing, influenced by the many great authors he has read over the years in his CM education. So you can now give him some definite teaching in the art of composition, but not too much, still using the one-or-two-points-at-a-time method. This teaching will be more of an attempt at shaping his individual style, rather than trying to force it into a particular formula. “Having been brought up so far upon stylists the pupils are almost certain to have formed a good style; because they have been thrown into the society of many great minds, they will not make a servile copy of any one but will shape an individual style out of the wealth of material they possess; and because they have matter in abundance and of the best they will not write mere verbiage” (Vol. 6, p. 194).
Do mostly oral narration. You can include occasional written narrations, but the majority of the composition work should be oral to give your child plenty of practice in organizing his thoughts. If he does attempt to write all or part of a narration, do not worry too much about mechanics like punctuation and capitalization at this age. And don’t worry about direct teaching of composition yet. Encourage his efforts and concentrate on the mental part of composition at this level.
Grades 4–6
Now you can require more written narrations than you did in the lower grades. We all know how much faster the brain can work than the fingers can. At this level, give your child plenty of practice in getting his thoughts recorded on paper, but still don’t worry about any direct teaching of composition. As your child shows interest, you can work on some aspects of mechanics or word choice, but approach those aspects one or two points at a time. For example, you might focus on how to do punctuation within dialogue (She said, “Don’t forget the comma before the quotation marks.”). Once your child has mastered that particular point, work on another one.
Grades 7–9
By this level your child should be writing most of his narrations. You can continue working on improving his mechanics and word choices one or two points at a time, and at this age you can start asking for some of his narrations to be written in poetry form. But still there need be no direct teaching of composition.
Grades 10–12
By these grades your child should have developed his own style of writing, influenced by the many great authors he has read over the years in his CM education. So you can now give him some definite teaching in the art of composition, but not too much, still using the one-or-two-points-at-a-time method. This teaching will be more of an attempt at shaping his individual style, rather than trying to force it into a particular formula. “Having been brought up so far upon stylists the pupils are almost certain to have formed a good style; because they have been thrown into the society of many great minds, they will not make a servile copy of any one but will shape an individual style out of the wealth of material they possess; and because they have matter in abundance and of the best they will not write mere verbiage” (Vol. 6, p. 194).
Lessons of Wisdom
"The Fence"
No Greater Joy Ministries
"The Fence"
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a... nail into the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said “you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.” You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.
- Author Unknown
"The Fence"
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a... nail into the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said “you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.” You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.
- Author Unknown
Using Story Telling in Yur Homeschool
Using Storytelling in Your Homeschool
by Sheila Carroll
From Richard Chase “No, it’ll not do just to read the old tales out of a book. You’ve got to tell ‘em to make ‘em go right.” Jack Tales
Would you like more zest and joy in your homeschool? Try storytelling. “But I not good at telling stories,” you say? After years of teaching people of all ages and from all walks of life to tell stories, I have come to the steadfast conclusion that absolutely anyone can tell a story—if they want.
Storytelling is for everyone. An advanced academic degree is not a prerequisite. Storytelling is a life skill, like reading or cooking or working cooperatively with others. Being a storyteller in everyday life means you can share a lively anecdote to help your child understand a difficult concept or win a look of love from your child by telling a funny story to lighten the mood. By using storytelling in your homeschool you are bringing a great deal more than the enjoyment of stories. You are giving your children a foundation in orality. Just as literacy is the ability to read and write, orality is the ability to speak and listen. All four modes—reading, writing, speaking, and listening—make up human communication. Orality supports literacy. Storytelling is the highest form of orality. The oral language experiences like storytelling are crucial to literacy because literacy is more than reading a series of words on paper. It is a set of relationships and structures, a dynamic system that one internalizes and maps back onto experience. A person's success in orality determines whether he or she will 'take' to literacy. Put another way---the broader the range and depth of the oral experiences a child has in early childhood, the greater the range and depth of understanding they bring to the act of reading. How can your bring a greater orality to your homeschool?
Here a few simple, easy to do activities that require little or no preparation:
Read aloud to your children everyday. Pick stories and books that have a strong plot and rich use of language. Avoid adaptations of well-known stories or books. Do simple nursery rhymes and finger plays with your children. If you have older children, teach them so they can tell to the younger ones. The Living Books Foundation Year also includes a complete collection of finger plays, or your local librarian would help you find a collection. A few well-know rhymes are: “Jack and Jill”, “Hey, Diddle Diddle, the Cat and Fiddle”, “Little Miss Muffet”, and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” Make storytelling a special time during the day or week. Tell stories about your own life. All children love to hear about when their parents were little. Tell simple well-known stories such as “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, “Ten Little Monkeys” (say-along story). See if your children can tell parts of the story themselves.
These are just of few of the many ways to use storytelling. For a more thorough discussion about the importance of orality in learning, see the in the Living Books Curriculum. To learn more about how to tell stories, try the following books or check your library. Teaching Guide , Sheila Dailey This is a book I wrote for those who would like to learn simple, easy to tell stories in less than ten minutes Putting the World in a Nutshell: the art of the formula tale,
Margaret Read MacDonald This is an easy-to-understand handbook that gets you started telling. The Storyteller's Start-Up Book: Finding, Learning, Performing, and Using Folktales: Including Twelve Tellable Tales , Ruth Sawyer This is a classic of storytelling literature and one of my favorites that I go to for inspiration. The Way of the Storyteller For websites, the two best are: (www.storynet.org)Story.Net (www.storytellingcenter.com) Story Telling Center
© Sheila Dailey Carroll, Living Books Curriculum All rights reserved. To request permission to reprint the above article email info@livingbookscurriculum.com
by Sheila Carroll
From Richard Chase “No, it’ll not do just to read the old tales out of a book. You’ve got to tell ‘em to make ‘em go right.” Jack Tales
Would you like more zest and joy in your homeschool? Try storytelling. “But I not good at telling stories,” you say? After years of teaching people of all ages and from all walks of life to tell stories, I have come to the steadfast conclusion that absolutely anyone can tell a story—if they want.
Storytelling is for everyone. An advanced academic degree is not a prerequisite. Storytelling is a life skill, like reading or cooking or working cooperatively with others. Being a storyteller in everyday life means you can share a lively anecdote to help your child understand a difficult concept or win a look of love from your child by telling a funny story to lighten the mood. By using storytelling in your homeschool you are bringing a great deal more than the enjoyment of stories. You are giving your children a foundation in orality. Just as literacy is the ability to read and write, orality is the ability to speak and listen. All four modes—reading, writing, speaking, and listening—make up human communication. Orality supports literacy. Storytelling is the highest form of orality. The oral language experiences like storytelling are crucial to literacy because literacy is more than reading a series of words on paper. It is a set of relationships and structures, a dynamic system that one internalizes and maps back onto experience. A person's success in orality determines whether he or she will 'take' to literacy. Put another way---the broader the range and depth of the oral experiences a child has in early childhood, the greater the range and depth of understanding they bring to the act of reading. How can your bring a greater orality to your homeschool?
Here a few simple, easy to do activities that require little or no preparation:
Read aloud to your children everyday. Pick stories and books that have a strong plot and rich use of language. Avoid adaptations of well-known stories or books. Do simple nursery rhymes and finger plays with your children. If you have older children, teach them so they can tell to the younger ones. The Living Books Foundation Year also includes a complete collection of finger plays, or your local librarian would help you find a collection. A few well-know rhymes are: “Jack and Jill”, “Hey, Diddle Diddle, the Cat and Fiddle”, “Little Miss Muffet”, and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” Make storytelling a special time during the day or week. Tell stories about your own life. All children love to hear about when their parents were little. Tell simple well-known stories such as “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, “Ten Little Monkeys” (say-along story). See if your children can tell parts of the story themselves.
These are just of few of the many ways to use storytelling. For a more thorough discussion about the importance of orality in learning, see the in the Living Books Curriculum. To learn more about how to tell stories, try the following books or check your library. Teaching Guide , Sheila Dailey This is a book I wrote for those who would like to learn simple, easy to tell stories in less than ten minutes Putting the World in a Nutshell: the art of the formula tale,
Margaret Read MacDonald This is an easy-to-understand handbook that gets you started telling. The Storyteller's Start-Up Book: Finding, Learning, Performing, and Using Folktales: Including Twelve Tellable Tales , Ruth Sawyer This is a classic of storytelling literature and one of my favorites that I go to for inspiration. The Way of the Storyteller For websites, the two best are: (www.storynet.org)Story.Net (www.storytellingcenter.com) Story Telling Center
© Sheila Dailey Carroll, Living Books Curriculum All rights reserved. To request permission to reprint the above article email info@livingbookscurriculum.com
What Are Living Books?
"Knowing that the brain is the physical seat of habit and that conduct and character, alike, are the outcome of the habits we allow; knowing, too, that an inspiring idea initiates a new habit of thought, and hence, a new habit of life; we perceive that the great work of education is to inspire children with vitalizing ideas as to every relation of life, every department of knowledge, every subject of thought; and to give deliberate care to the formation of those habits of the good life which are the outcome of vitalizing ideas."
Charlotte Mason was referring to the use of ‘living books‘ to accomplish this very thing… this beautiful thing.
Read more at http://teachersofgoodthings.com/what-is-a-living-book/#IHWsTZ6GgzCAyjaJ.99
What Qualifies As a Living Book?
Charlotte Mason believed that in order for a book to be living, a child (or reader) must enjoy it. With one of my sons, it is about pirates, another about small engines, another about dirt bikes and farming, and our daughter, anything creative wise. Reading the description is what most people do, but for a Charlotte Mason educator you need to do the ‘one to two page test’. This test is done by opening the book to any page and reading it. If within these one or two pages, you feel pulled into the subject of the book and want to read more, it passes our ‘living book’ test.
Charlotte Mason believed that children must labor over a book because it wasn’t enough to have ideas come to their mind, but to allow the reader to assess the information, debate it, organize it in their mind and to process it enough that only the reader, not the teacher, could determine the influence it has on their life.
If you would like a WONDERFUL list of Living Books, for all ages & parents, you just have to go to this list of books that I found on Pinterest! Dottie put it all together! It's AWESOME!!!
Charlotte Mason believed that children must labor over a book because it wasn’t enough to have ideas come to their mind, but to allow the reader to assess the information, debate it, organize it in their mind and to process it enough that only the reader, not the teacher, could determine the influence it has on their life.
If you would like a WONDERFUL list of Living Books, for all ages & parents, you just have to go to this list of books that I found on Pinterest! Dottie put it all together! It's AWESOME!!!
Go to; "Learning Her Method"Read more at: http://teachersofgoodthings.com/how-to-use-living-books-in-your-homeschool/#Mx9IYyp7HgMv2iPH.99
THREE GOLDEN RULES FOR USING LIVING BOOKS
Because I know you value a learning, especially from high-quality books, I am giving you my three golden rules for using living books.
A living book is one well-written and well-told by one author with a passion for his subject. Simple. Yes? Maybe. How do you know what is well-written and well-told? What about adaptations, or collections of authors?
1. When choosing a book give it the "test". Read a small portion aloud to your children. If they say "keep reading" chances are you have a good one.
2. Don't reinvent the wheel. Use book lists offered by providers with a reputation for high standards. If you merely google "Charlotte Mason booklists" you will get a very mixed bag and risk having information from people who don't really understand CM. Instead, use the booklists on our site. Or, purchase Christine Miller's incredibly helpful book All Through the Ages. The book is a guide for teaching and learning history using narrative histories, compelling non-fiction, and literature rather than textbooks. Or, the booklists offered online by Christian Classical Education Support Loop.
3. Avoid adaptations of books (Pilgrim's Progress for Little Ones, for example). Adaptations take a great book and make it mediocre for the sake of making the book "accessible." The richness and beauty of the language is often dumbed down and the storyline simplified. Younger children can understand most texts if reading is done slowly and they are given time to absorb meaning.
All the best,
Sheila Carroll
www.LivingBooksCurriculum.com
Because I know you value a learning, especially from high-quality books, I am giving you my three golden rules for using living books.
A living book is one well-written and well-told by one author with a passion for his subject. Simple. Yes? Maybe. How do you know what is well-written and well-told? What about adaptations, or collections of authors?
1. When choosing a book give it the "test". Read a small portion aloud to your children. If they say "keep reading" chances are you have a good one.
2. Don't reinvent the wheel. Use book lists offered by providers with a reputation for high standards. If you merely google "Charlotte Mason booklists" you will get a very mixed bag and risk having information from people who don't really understand CM. Instead, use the booklists on our site. Or, purchase Christine Miller's incredibly helpful book All Through the Ages. The book is a guide for teaching and learning history using narrative histories, compelling non-fiction, and literature rather than textbooks. Or, the booklists offered online by Christian Classical Education Support Loop.
3. Avoid adaptations of books (Pilgrim's Progress for Little Ones, for example). Adaptations take a great book and make it mediocre for the sake of making the book "accessible." The richness and beauty of the language is often dumbed down and the storyline simplified. Younger children can understand most texts if reading is done slowly and they are given time to absorb meaning.
All the best,
Sheila Carroll
www.LivingBooksCurriculum.com
The Knowledge of God
"Heaven Is for Real"
This is the picture of Jesus, who the boy in the story saw and spoke to when he was in Heaven for that short time. I personally would recommend that movie as a "Need to Watch" family movie.
"Of the three sorts of knowledge proper to a child, the knowledge of God, of man, and the universe,----the knowledge of God ranks first in importance, is indispensable, and most happy-making." - Charlotte Mason
Philippians 4:4-8
4Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, please yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!
5 Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing (patient, understanding) spirit. The Lord is near [He is coming soon].
6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall secure and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
8 For the rest, brother, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of great respect and is honorable and right, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and pure and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and consider, and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
4Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, please yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!
5 Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing (patient, understanding) spirit. The Lord is near [He is coming soon].
6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall secure and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
8 For the rest, brother, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of great respect and is honorable and right, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and pure and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and consider, and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
Successful Narration
Successful Narration
Successful Narration by Sheila Carroll
—Charlotte Mason, “Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there in every child’s mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the process of disciplinary education.” Home Education
Are you wondering if you’re doing the “narration thing” correctly? Are you frustrated with your attempts at including narration in your homeschool? Do you wonder how to assess your child’s learning if you are using living books and not workbooks? If you are, then I welcome you to the club. Many teaching parents have at least a certain amount of difficulty getting going with narration. I know I did. I would like to share with you what I learned along the way to seeing my child successfully narrate.
Narration is a simple but powerful tool of learning. Charlotte Mason was not the first to use this method, but she was the first to use it as tool of learning. Most children enjoy telling you what they know about a subject. It delights them to tell about an incident, however small it may seem to us. Charlotte Mason believed that this love of telling could be used as a foundation for self-education.
Narration is a natural way to demonstrate and organize information. Charlotte Mason’s idea of narration as a tool for education and assessment was far broader in intent than mere “parroting back” information. It involves really knowing the thing read.
In order for narration to be an effective form of self-education, the children must be read aloud to from the very first and with the best literature available. Contained within great books is nourishment for the child’s mind in the form of ideas. As Charlotte Mason has said: as the child’s body needs nourishment to grow, so too the child’s mind needs nourishment in the form of ideas in order to grow.
Narration, then, provides an effective way for those ideas to be made specifically the child’s own. Narration, if done consistently and correctly, gives the child:
*Beauty of expression
*Recall of material
*Increased mental facility
*A means of evaluating what is understood
The Basics of Narration
When you are ready, sit with the child (this also works with more than one child) and say gently with a smile, “I am going to read (give the title) one time to you. I want you to listen carefully. Then tell me in your own words all you remember of the story.” After you have read the story, pause a moment to let it settle in, then say, “Tell me all you remember about the story.” At this point listen without comment until the child is done. The Basics of Narration
If there is more than one child you can let one start and the other add. Or, alternately, you can have the first child narrate and then ask the second (or third), “Is there anything you would like to add?” Taking turns narrating while others listen builds the habit of attention in children.
One: Start Small
Start with a small, interesting paragraph when beginning narration with your child. The best time to begin is when the child
is about six years old. If your child is younger than six and is narrating spontaneously, listen intently and with interest. Show your approval with smiles and nods, but don’t require it of the child. After age six, or when you begin formal schooling, start with simple stories of a high quality. Aesop’s Fables is the best literature to use. These contain a minimum of characters (usually only two) and a minimum of action (usually only onetwo events).
As the child matures, you should be adding increasingly complex material. The progression should be from short paragraph to brief passage, single page to gradually several pages. Most children in the upper elementary grades should be able to narrate several pages if they have been given regular practice in narration.
Two: Choose Material That Is Appropriate
In the early years, after Aesop’s Fables, I found folk tales the best subject for narration. Children are able to follow the “what happens next” and reconstruct it in their minds. Stories are stories because the images and events are linked together in some logical way. In “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, for example, there are three bowls, three chairs and three beds of graduated size. There are also three distinct parts to the story, like acts in a play. This is a logical progression that the child can understand easily. By allowing children ample opportunity to narrate back these pleasurable stories, their expressive language will grow by leaps and bounds. Suggested age ranges and appropriate material:
6-8 years—folk tales (read no more than three to five minutes) experiences (such as a visit to grandma’s or a field trip), events in nature (such as the flow of the seasons, the cycle of a butterfly from pupa to chrysalis to butterfly)
9-12 years—more complex folk tales, add biographies, well-written non-fiction, fiction (a rule of thumb is 10-15 minutes)
12 and up—continue as in nine to eleven years with increasingly complex literature. Begin work writing summaries (outlining first is an option), creating products as a response to the literature (play, mural, puppet, letter recommending the book)
Three: Listen Without CommentThis step is by far the most difficult for us as our child’s teacher. But, be silent we must. If the child suspects that you will offer “helpful questions,” then he knows he does not have to do all the work himself. Do not interrupt! Doing this is critical to your child’s budding skill. It is also part of respecting the child—expecting that he can and will do his own work. This is assuming that you have given the child material that is appropriate to his age and development.
Four: Be Consistent
Several years ago my daughter, Bridget, was becoming more and more resistant to narration. So, I did what I shouldn’t have—I made her do it. Finally, one day she wailed, “I hate narration!” I was appalled at the state of affairs. So, I did another thing I shouldn’t have—I quit requiring it of her. A whole school year went by with no narration. Really. Then, I had the summer to think things over. I realized that too often I had chosen material inappropriate for her, and I did not use narration consistently, only as it occurred to me. At the start of the next school year, I sat down with her and explained that we would begin again and we would use narration every day. Charlotte Mason has written that when forming a new habit to watch over the formation of it with care and consistency. This I did. Little by little Bridget began to regain confidence and skill. Today she narrates long passages with ease, and making books of her narrations is a special pleasure.
Five: Use Many Forms of Narration
Be creative in your use of different forms of narration. Frequent verbal narration is to be encouraged because it builds expressive language and clear thinking. However, many children enjoy other forms of narration. Here are a few below: Five: Use Many Forms of Narration
• Record narration on cassette tape, then replay it so child can hear
• Transcribe child’s narration word for word. Read it back to the child for any additions (remember, no helping)
• Create a poster with characters and setting, then have child retell
• Make a story streamer (cut a sheet of paper 5”X25”, then fold in equal sections according to number of parts of the story. Have child draw pictures from the story in sequence—older ones can add text—then retell the story from the pictures)
• Act out part or the entire story with your child
• Make a timeline, then retell
• Research geography of story and have child tell about it
• Make a diorama (a miniature movie set used for special effects or animation.)
© Sheila Dailey Carroll, Living Books Curriculum All rights reserved. To request permission to reprint the above article email info@livingbookscurriculum.com
—Charlotte Mason, “Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there in every child’s mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the process of disciplinary education.” Home Education
Are you wondering if you’re doing the “narration thing” correctly? Are you frustrated with your attempts at including narration in your homeschool? Do you wonder how to assess your child’s learning if you are using living books and not workbooks? If you are, then I welcome you to the club. Many teaching parents have at least a certain amount of difficulty getting going with narration. I know I did. I would like to share with you what I learned along the way to seeing my child successfully narrate.
Narration is a simple but powerful tool of learning. Charlotte Mason was not the first to use this method, but she was the first to use it as tool of learning. Most children enjoy telling you what they know about a subject. It delights them to tell about an incident, however small it may seem to us. Charlotte Mason believed that this love of telling could be used as a foundation for self-education.
Narration is a natural way to demonstrate and organize information. Charlotte Mason’s idea of narration as a tool for education and assessment was far broader in intent than mere “parroting back” information. It involves really knowing the thing read.
In order for narration to be an effective form of self-education, the children must be read aloud to from the very first and with the best literature available. Contained within great books is nourishment for the child’s mind in the form of ideas. As Charlotte Mason has said: as the child’s body needs nourishment to grow, so too the child’s mind needs nourishment in the form of ideas in order to grow.
Narration, then, provides an effective way for those ideas to be made specifically the child’s own. Narration, if done consistently and correctly, gives the child:
*Beauty of expression
*Recall of material
*Increased mental facility
*A means of evaluating what is understood
The Basics of Narration
When you are ready, sit with the child (this also works with more than one child) and say gently with a smile, “I am going to read (give the title) one time to you. I want you to listen carefully. Then tell me in your own words all you remember of the story.” After you have read the story, pause a moment to let it settle in, then say, “Tell me all you remember about the story.” At this point listen without comment until the child is done. The Basics of Narration
If there is more than one child you can let one start and the other add. Or, alternately, you can have the first child narrate and then ask the second (or third), “Is there anything you would like to add?” Taking turns narrating while others listen builds the habit of attention in children.
One: Start Small
Start with a small, interesting paragraph when beginning narration with your child. The best time to begin is when the child
is about six years old. If your child is younger than six and is narrating spontaneously, listen intently and with interest. Show your approval with smiles and nods, but don’t require it of the child. After age six, or when you begin formal schooling, start with simple stories of a high quality. Aesop’s Fables is the best literature to use. These contain a minimum of characters (usually only two) and a minimum of action (usually only onetwo events).
As the child matures, you should be adding increasingly complex material. The progression should be from short paragraph to brief passage, single page to gradually several pages. Most children in the upper elementary grades should be able to narrate several pages if they have been given regular practice in narration.
Two: Choose Material That Is Appropriate
In the early years, after Aesop’s Fables, I found folk tales the best subject for narration. Children are able to follow the “what happens next” and reconstruct it in their minds. Stories are stories because the images and events are linked together in some logical way. In “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, for example, there are three bowls, three chairs and three beds of graduated size. There are also three distinct parts to the story, like acts in a play. This is a logical progression that the child can understand easily. By allowing children ample opportunity to narrate back these pleasurable stories, their expressive language will grow by leaps and bounds. Suggested age ranges and appropriate material:
6-8 years—folk tales (read no more than three to five minutes) experiences (such as a visit to grandma’s or a field trip), events in nature (such as the flow of the seasons, the cycle of a butterfly from pupa to chrysalis to butterfly)
9-12 years—more complex folk tales, add biographies, well-written non-fiction, fiction (a rule of thumb is 10-15 minutes)
12 and up—continue as in nine to eleven years with increasingly complex literature. Begin work writing summaries (outlining first is an option), creating products as a response to the literature (play, mural, puppet, letter recommending the book)
Three: Listen Without CommentThis step is by far the most difficult for us as our child’s teacher. But, be silent we must. If the child suspects that you will offer “helpful questions,” then he knows he does not have to do all the work himself. Do not interrupt! Doing this is critical to your child’s budding skill. It is also part of respecting the child—expecting that he can and will do his own work. This is assuming that you have given the child material that is appropriate to his age and development.
Four: Be Consistent
Several years ago my daughter, Bridget, was becoming more and more resistant to narration. So, I did what I shouldn’t have—I made her do it. Finally, one day she wailed, “I hate narration!” I was appalled at the state of affairs. So, I did another thing I shouldn’t have—I quit requiring it of her. A whole school year went by with no narration. Really. Then, I had the summer to think things over. I realized that too often I had chosen material inappropriate for her, and I did not use narration consistently, only as it occurred to me. At the start of the next school year, I sat down with her and explained that we would begin again and we would use narration every day. Charlotte Mason has written that when forming a new habit to watch over the formation of it with care and consistency. This I did. Little by little Bridget began to regain confidence and skill. Today she narrates long passages with ease, and making books of her narrations is a special pleasure.
Five: Use Many Forms of Narration
Be creative in your use of different forms of narration. Frequent verbal narration is to be encouraged because it builds expressive language and clear thinking. However, many children enjoy other forms of narration. Here are a few below: Five: Use Many Forms of Narration
• Record narration on cassette tape, then replay it so child can hear
• Transcribe child’s narration word for word. Read it back to the child for any additions (remember, no helping)
• Create a poster with characters and setting, then have child retell
• Make a story streamer (cut a sheet of paper 5”X25”, then fold in equal sections according to number of parts of the story. Have child draw pictures from the story in sequence—older ones can add text—then retell the story from the pictures)
• Act out part or the entire story with your child
• Make a timeline, then retell
• Research geography of story and have child tell about it
• Make a diorama (a miniature movie set used for special effects or animation.)
© Sheila Dailey Carroll, Living Books Curriculum All rights reserved. To request permission to reprint the above article email info@livingbookscurriculum.com
This is a narration by our youngest daughter, who recently turned 11. She suffers from a severe case of dyslexia (as do 3 other of our 9 children), so the way she "narrates," is to use my smartphone, records what she remembers from each passage into my phone, and then copies it onto a piece of paper. She doesn't want me to always have to write or spell everything for her. She remembers what she hears, however, and usually can give a good narration back of it pretty accurately. 
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