Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Summer Reading List

Sheila left me a comment on my last post about public school. Don't worry, Sheila, I didn't take it personally, but I thought I'd use that as an opportunity to blog about my son's school and why we made the decision to send him there.

He goes to a private school. I'm pretty sure they are further ahead than the public school kindergarten classes here. Second, the kindergarten is only two days a week. First and second grades meet three days a week and third through twelfth meets four days a week. They have three 11 week trimesters. Independent work is emphasized. In fact, the school started as a homeschool Latin class in the founder's basement and grew from there. What I love about it is that if I were going to homeschool 100%, this would be the kind of curriculum I would use. But as you do in every "class" situation, your child does not always get to move at their pace. Which is why I "afterschool" so I can help him where they are moving faster than his pace and keep him challenged where they are moving slower than his pace.

There are a couple of reasons we decided that homeschooling was not the best solution for us, but if we didn't have this school as an option, we probably would be homeschooling. The first reason is work schedules and the second reason is that Samuel is an only child with limited opportunities for interactions with other children of any age. I have gone to some of the local homeschool group activities and while the activities were good, I have not been successful in building any friendships, either for myself or my son.

And since the comment came in regards to the reading level of his class, I thought I would share his summer reading list with you. So if they are reading these books by summer time, I think they will pick up the pace in the last trimester (beginning in March).

Rising 1st Graders

I Can Read Books
• Morris Goes to School (Level 1)
• Frog and Toad (5 book series, Level 2)
• Mouse Tales (Level 2)
• Wind in the Willows
I Spy, Each Peach Pear and Plum, 32 p.
Drummer Hoff, 32 p.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, 20 p.
Doctor DeSoto, 32 p.
Corduroy, 28 p.
Circus Caps for Sale
Curious George, 36 p.
Harry the Dirty Dog, 32 p.
Bread and Jam for Frances, 32 p. (5 book series)
The Little Engine that Could, 37 p.
Floss, 32 p.
Ox-cart Man, 40 p.
Blueberries for Sal, 32 p.
The Magic Fish, 32 p.
Gregory’s Shadow, 32 p.
Maybelle The Cable Car, 42 p.
Madeline, 46 p. (6 book series)
Seaman’s Journal: On the Trail with Lewis and Clark, 32 p.
Poems to Read to the Very Young, by Josette Frank

3 comments:

  1. I think your son's school sounds like a great option! I haven't heard of anything like that here in MN, but I think many families would benefit from something similar to what you're doing - with "afterschooling" etc. in that type of school. I hope it's going well for your son.

    I also enjoyed reading your book list. Lots of great books, and some I hadn't heard of. I'm going to look into some of those for my five-year-old.

    And, thanks for your comments about my little animal activists. I'm going to check into the MN Zoo some more to find out their position in conservation. We have one very poor (but free) zoo near us, but I'm hoping maybe the big MN Zoo is a bit more animal-friendly. I'd hate for the boys to miss out on some great opportunities at the zoo without having all the information. Thanks for pointing that out.

    Take care ~ Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  2. My daughter goes to a private christian school in Greenville, sc
    and we love it. So much is going on in public school that I cannot agree or send my daughter. I give anything if I could homeschool her
    but right now I have to work.
    Great blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. My daughter goes to a private christian school in Greenville, sc
    and we love it. So much is going on in public school that I cannot agree or send my daughter. I give anything if I could homeschool her
    but right now I have to work.
    Great blog!!

    ReplyDelete