Questions and Answers
Send your questions to CatherineLevison@yahoo.com
Book Lists and Scheduling
Choosing Books
How to Teach the Unattractive Subjects
Asking Questions During Narration
Boring Books
Group Narration and Unit Studies
Teaching Teens
Starting Charlotte Mason with High
Schoolers
Educational Games
Dictation
Getting Children to Read
Chronological History Study and
Schedules
Transitioning from Textbooks
Kindergarten and Young Children
Book Lists and Scheduling
Dear Catherine,
I have a question. I have read all three of your books and I think
they are great! Your books are the reason I was introduced to CM and decided
to stick with CM. The [3rd book] A Literary Education is a great list of
books and info about them but I was wondering if you have ever compiled
a schedule and booklist of what books you used for certain subjects and
what age or grade you used them? My children are young, what books should
I use for science and history?
Thanks again for the website and all the books!
Yes I have lists of what books I used for what subjects and at specific
ages. But that is all written in my planners that I've kept over the years.
One reason I didn't write out an "age list" is because I had five children
so we grouped together and covered the same topic. Meaning the six year
old was learning and reading the same book as the eight year old, the thirteen
year old, etc.
If you think of skills and topics as separate it helps you to make things
practical. Skills are learning to how to read, write and progress in math,
to name a few. Different children at different ages will naturally be at
different levels. Spelling is another good example because it is an area
where you need to direct the assignment according to the skill level of
the child.
With knowledge based topics we would all cover the same thing from the
same book regardless of my children's varying ages. If my family is going
to cover volcanoes then we will obtain some interesting books on that topic
and cover it as a subject all together.
With skills we would have to cover the subject according to age level.
Like math for example. My eight year old would have a math book for an
eight year old. There is little doubt that he would need a book geared
for his age group and unless he is gifted he would not be covering the
same kind of math his sixteen year old sister is learning how to do.
I tried to help parents with age appropriate books by including the
IRL, independent reading level in A Literary Education while knowing that
read alouds would occur with younger children. In other words, little children
are able to learn about George Washington from a book written to an older
child or even an adult if it is read out loud to them. Sure, they might
not catch everything in the book but they will understand the majority
of the content and their vocabulary will be improved too. I also tried
to help parents know what topics to cover at what age level with the national
scope and sequence in the back of that book.
Charlotte Mason destroyed her curriculum yearly and if I wrote the kind
of thing you are asking about I would be writing a curriculum rather than
a book list. Mason didn't think her methods revolved around a curriculum
and she did not want teachers or parents becoming bored by the sameness.
I'm not saying that writing a curriculum is bad, not at all. I write mine
for my personal use, but like Charlotte I ignore it the next year and start
fresh.
With children as young as yours, the sky is the limit. There are so
many "living" books in the area of history and science designed for the
young child you almost cannot go wrong. Just keep a couple of things in
mind:
Is the book interesting? Will it promote the "love for learning?"
Should you happen to get a book that is too advanced for your children
you can always hang onto it until they get a little older. Even if your
family is not covering volcanoes, for example, you will still need plenty
of reading material for them to practice their reading skills as they mature
so it would not go to waste. I believe that armed with the book lists you
have and being connected with other Charlotte Mason mothers online you
will have more than enough resources to use with your children.
Thanks for the questions,
Catherine
Reply:
Catherine...I love the way you described that....topics and skills...I'm
going to have to reread that one and make it stick! THANKS for that perspective!
Choosing Books
Dear Catherine,
Your [work is] very helpful, Catherine. I have been hard at work
planning our new school year and I think I'm making it more complicated
than it needs to be, trying to find the "perfect" books that "can't
miss".
I was worried that we would get bored reading the same books over
and over. My kids are very close together (Four children in a five year
spread), and even a good book gets old if you read it over four times in
a row! I'd like to stay away from a set curriculum, which is more like
Charlotte Mason anyway, as you say.
I'd just like to ask a question for clarification. Does this mean
that you have studied history all together from the same books, and so
then the younger ones may begin in the middle of the "cycle?" I had been
considering trying something like that, but I wondered if the little ones
would get left behind.
Finding the "right" book can be a huge burden, that's for certain. Interesting
books come in all shapes and sizes and have been printed in all different
decades.
Mainly, the idea is to take the book and sample pages from it. Regardless
of the topic it is covering its content ought to make you say, "hey, this
is great, I can't wait to read this book!"
As far as younger children joining in mid-stream, so to speak, that
is just the way it is when homeschooling multi-age levels. That's the big
difference between home education where everybody is a different age compared
with the "classroom" where the students are all the same age and they are
going to cycle through to the next level and that new teacher expects them
to be prepared.
As I write this post my eyes fell upon the books on the desk here. I
will share the titles.
The French Revolution by Thomas Carlyle
Child's History of England by Char. Dickens
History of Julius Caesar by Abblot
Madam How and Lady Why by Kingsley
Squirrels and other Furbearers by John Burroughs
These books are held up by two bookends and nobody is using them right
now, they are just sitting there kind of decorating the desk top. However,
my point is this. The titles. Three different histories from three different
times and three different countries. Plus two science books. If the books
are interesting then why not pick them up and read them to the children?
It does not matter to me how old each child is, we simply choose a topic
and proceed. We like that approach and it is relaxed but it is also based
on good books which is the primary Charlotte Mason goal.
I hope that may be of help to both relieve your worries and encourage
you to go forward regardless of what the younger children have not yet
been exposed to. I don't think we leave them behind, rather I think we
bring them along to new levels each time we read. Interesting reading material
combined with a slight challenge of their minds---it's a good balance.
The best to you!!
Catherine
Reply:
Thank you for the encouragement! I think I was getting overwhelmed
by the big picture, but I need to take one step at a time.
How to Teach the Unattractive Subjects
Dear Catherine,
I liked what you [have written] about analyzing and stretching their
minds. The children having to reach for more ideas is nice also and I agree.
I am wondering about something though. In another Q & A you wrote
about having children loving to learn and finding resources that are exciting.
I want my children to love to learn but no one seems to want to memorize
math facts or stretch their minds with challenging reading. Isn't there
a fine line between making it fun and learning that some thing must be
done? I mean I don't want to clean my bathroom floor but it must be done.
I am trying to understand where that fine line is and not to be argumentative.
You are right, there a lot of things that you and I do each day that
we don't want to do. In school work Charlotte Mason called these things
the unattractive subjects and we do not ignore them.
Charlotte Mason wrote that the parents have a job, a task, and that
is to find the most interesting way to teach any given subject. We need
the child to use their whole brain and we cannot do that for them, that
is their job, and ours is to find the best materials we can find.
C M thought that grammar was the least attractive subject and she did
not like it at all, a lot of people agree with her. Instead of deciding
that her students were going to skip grammar because fun was more important
she did something about the problem, she wrote her own grammar book and
made every effort possible to make the subject more interesting to learn.
You bring up a good example with the math facts, memorizing those is
boring but if you or I can think of any possible way to make that task
more enjoyable then we do. If we can't then the child still has to memorize
them, however we can stack an enjoyable subject on either side of Math
Fact Memory Work Time and show the child that other "real life" fact of
getting something unpleasant done and out of the way. I don't like preparing
my taxes at all but my mind is more at ease once I get that unpleasant
job done. Children need to learn that too.
Now to stretching their minds. I have found that providing the challenging
material keeps the children engaged and awake and they look forward to
school. That would work on me if I were the student. Who doesn't remember
being bored by some school teacher and it being made much worse if the
material was way too easy and already known. Bright children suffer in
public school all the time because they are above and beyond the material
being presented. We don't have to do that in our homes, we can stretch
and stretching brings education. This works with adults too--we also learn
more when we reach beyond what we are used to doing or reading.
To sum up, you are correct about the bathroom work but just because
you and I don't like to clean doesn't mean that we keep skipping it. Children
need to learn to face some school work that they may find unpleasant but
that's all the more reason to apply yourself as the mother to finding as
many ways as you can to brighten up all of the school day in both the fun
subjects and the not so fun subjects.
Catherine
Do We Ask Questions During Narration?
Dear Catherine,
Even after [my children] narrate I still to ask what they thought
of the story or whatever. I have a young son who is 6 and he doesn't narrate
well but I know it is in there because he will later comment or months
later comment on it. At the immediate time he will mostly just tell me
the last two sentences of what I just read. It is interfering if I question
him a little to bring out more?
Questioning the narrator is not good. As one Charlotte Mason associate
said many years ago, it is the person forming the question who is doing
the most thinking.
Instead we want to allow their mind to "work." We want to allow for
different thoughts to different people. Your mind caught some information
and your son's brain caught some information but rarely will that be identical.
A better way to solve a problem with narration is to do a narration
yourself. Act as though the idea just came to you and say something like,
"Hmmm, I think I'll tell the narration today." Then give a good, short,
concise narration and make it look easy. Do not show off in any way. The
six year old boy will hopefully come to think, "Wow, is that what she wants?
I can do that."
Catherine
Boring Books
Dear Catherine,
What do we do about the books that the children find boring? Some
of the books we are reading come from a Charlotte Mason on-line list.
As to boring books, please give yourself permission to stop reading
from it.
I've said a million times... there will be a boring book on any given
topic and there will be an interesting book on the same topic. Charlotte
Mason said life is too short to spend time with books that bore us.
She would know. She has lived her life and is now dead. And even if
Charlotte Mason herself loved any particular book it does not mean
that you have to love it. She would not want you and your children disliking
a book and being bored by it.
Educare, the Latin word, is CM's main focus and her heartbeat for education.
We nourish the child and the child's love for learning---we don't kill
the love for learning no matter who recommended a book. Every book list
is a matter of opinion and I gave a stern caution about lists in my second
book. Books lists are good when you are aligned with the lister but sometimes
even a good list will bring up a book that other parents will not care
for.
Catherine
Reply:
I had just picked up your second book to read and there was your
comment. Page 14, "Remember this method does not revolve around only using
books from the late 19th and early 20th centuries."
Thank you for your encouragement.
Group Narrations & Unit Studies
Dear Catherine
I'm really interested in learning more about the CM method, I've
read both of your books and [another book] and I'm still a bit confused
as to How I would incorporate CM's methods using curriculum that I already
have? We are using TOG this year and I really like it and would prefer
to continue using it. Does this mean it would be better for me not to try
to use CM's methods? I know she wasn't too keen on unit studies. How would
I go about doing narrations with four kids? How short should the lessons
be for a 9th, 8th and 5th grader? I was thinking 20min. for the 5th grader
and 30min. for the 8th and 9th grader. Would they use these time limits
for lit./history reading also? I have some more questions, but I thought
I'd post these first.
To answer one of your questions this is how you do group narrations
with four or more children when working all together. Read the material,
or go on the field trip or anything in between, in other words cover the
subject matter. The key is to not tell any of them which child you will
call on. When the time for narration comes choose a child randomly, or
make it appear as though it were random, and have only one narrate the
information. All the other children will hear the narration, of course,
and powerful thought processes will occur even to those children who are
only listening to the narration. Within their own mind they may disagree
or find that the key points being shared are not the key points they would
have spoken. Much of the benefits of narration will still happen for them,
they will remember the material better even when they are more passive
during the narration. I know this happens when I listen to narrations.
My mind protests to some degree as I listen and think of how I would have
narrated the passage. As long as the brain is active and is concentrating
on the material to be learned then everything is good. Not to mention,
if the children do not know who will be called upon then all 4 have to
listen and pay attention as if they will be called upon. Make sense?
As to short lessons with varying ages I think your own answer is correct.
20 mins. for the 5th grader and 30 or so for the 8th & 9th. And yes,
the time limits, aka short lessons are for the history and lit reading
as well.
I cannot answer any questions about TOG because I am not familiar with
it. I can say that you are correct that CM is not "keen" on unit studies
in every aspect. I think unit studies are beneficial when a topic is tackled
and covered thoroughly, that is a good thing. The difference with CM topical
studies and the standard unit study is that CM believes that life is connected
and that children will very easily form connections (with very little effort).
What that means is that Mom does not have to bend over backward "connecting"
details in the unit study. Instead select a topic. such a bird species
or historical period and study it hard and look at it from many angles.
Connections will happen and coinciding events and documentaries and the
like will be all around you. It's just like learning a new word and then
hearing and reading it all the time right after you found it.
Catherine
Teaching Teens
Dear Catherine,
Hi I have twin 14 year old daughters who I am now home schooling
after having removed them from Public School. I am very attracted to using
the Charlotte Mason method, but don’t find much info on teaching teens.
I will say they are excellent readers, and we read excellent literature
as a matter of course in our family, I have never appreciated twaddle.
I would like them to narrate verbally and in writing however they have
no experience of this and I am not sure how to start. I loathe the idea
of using study guides and things for literature as I think it can lead
to a total dislike of reading, so narration seems to fit the bill. My other
big concern is science – how do I make sure they have a good science education
– we looked at [something] but it was too text book for them and they did
not find it appealing – however we are doing an Equine Science text book
as my daughters have a great interest in horses and one of them wants to
be a competitive rider and instructor when she is older. I want them to
be well rounded and I feel somewhat pressured that as I am starting late,
I cannot afford too many mistakes. I have to say that in all the years
the girls were in public school they seldom had science or history, so
those subjects are pretty new to them - also I have found math is sadly
behind, so we will work on fixing that with a few good math books. I also
wonder how you document this learning and then prepare it for a transcript
– it is all a little baffling to me. I would really appreciate any advice
you can give me. Thanks in advance, L L
Wow, that is a lot of questions. Laugh. First of all I don't intend
to sound as if I'm a salesman for my book but....in my second book "More
Charlotte Mason Education" I wrote everything I could ever think of about
high school CM education in the high school chapter. That chapter will
help you, I can tell by your questions. This book is in the library system,
ask for a inter-library loan and read that high school chapter.
In the meanwhile I understand what you mean when you speak of not wanting
to make mistakes. I understand completely because these next few years
are going to fly by for you, and the teenage years will soon be over. You
are off to a good start because you already avoid twaddle.
Narration and the older child is no different than with younger children.
If they are inexperienced with "how" to do it then they have to learn through
practice. Start with smaller quantities of reading material and make sure
it is straight forward material and ask them to tell you what it said.
If the twins are not excelling at that then try "catching" them at narration.
In other words if they run into the kitchen and start telling you all about
some documentary or phone call or event congratulate them on a great narration
when they are done. Also, narrate for them on occasion. Read something
and then just tell them it seems like your turn. Then narrate the material
briefly, skim across the high points and make it look easy!! That will
show them that it is not that difficult of a task.
Okay, the science question. I am asked this all the time for the older
grades. First of all if either of them is going to be a scientist you would
probably know that by now. They would be the kind of daughter that got
A's in chemistry and loved every science book she ever saw. You would know
that she is going on to university and majoring in one of the sciences.
What I am saying here is proved by what you write about the interest in
horses. Helping her to pursue that interest is just that, helping
her. She has already proven, or at least shown, her interest, your job
is to aid her in that.
If any child is simply not interested in science or only nominally interested
then proceeding with ordinary CM science should suffice. Read about astronomy
from a whole book, or botany or get a really written biography about a
scientist. That's only the beginning though. Get outside all the time and
do that nature sketching, that is good science not just some Victorian
pipe dream. The nature sketching teaches deep observation and how things
really look. Charlotte Mason's college students had to keep a garden according
to botanical properties and they were made to continue the sketching. Don't
force the twins to sketch but make every opportunity for them to sketch.
Right now my family is studying evolution from Ken Ham's prospective
as our primary goal. However, we are involved with an on-going study in
undersea life, other animals and the nature work and all of my children
are teenager or above at this point.
Another thing about history and science not having been emphasized in
their past education may well be due to the fact that those two areas are
not highly valued on state assessment tests. All those IOWA basic skills
tests and the like. Not always, but frequently those areas are neglected
in testing and if teachers know that in advance then they do not worry
about them as much. Not to mention those two areas are difficult to test
for. What kind of questions do you craft to find out if the nation's children
are learning history? History is so huge that narrowing down a few "fill
in the bubble" test questions is really difficult.
I like what you said about being well rounded, that is the goal!! Read
Shakespeare and poetry and visit museums and take an art class. Read the
sciences widely and go hiking and raised them to be well rounded, that
is great that you want that for them.
Transcript keeping is fairly easy. My approach was to obtain a high
school transcript and copy it. I had one of those in hand as I started
high school with my oldest, plus I had their scope and sequence so I covered
exactly the same topics they did, only I did it my way. Then end result
was a good education and a professional looking transcript. Although only
one person has ever asked to see it to date, it was worth compiling. I
believe I wrote more about this in the second book as well. I also wrote
a third book that is an annotated book list but in addition to that I wrote
a national scope and sequence for all grade levels for the appendix. It's
titled "A Literary Education."
I think that your questions are probably universal, although you seem
to have a head start with your understanding, and that means that other
mothers may have your exact questions and would benefit from them.
Thank you for writing,
Catherine Levison
LL's response:
I am so grateful that you have written me such a wonderful reply,
I feel much better now. I actually have your book "A Literary Education"
and have a lot of the books in it. While I was still living in England
I was able to get a lot of HE Marshall’s books and I got the "Fairyland
of Science" and various others all through your recommendations (it is
a blessing that they are now being reprinted for people to enjoy) – so
we do have a big library of wonderful books – however, I guess I always
felt it may not be enough especially with science – your words have helped
me feel differently and I am encouraged as I know neither daughter wants
to be a scientist. I studied History and Geography in college, I did it
the boring way, but I love it none the less and I will enjoy digging into
whole books with the girls on that, so that should work well. I will take
all your suggestions on board and I hope to read the chapter in your second
book soon. Many, many thanks for offering all the sound advice – I do very
much appreciate it and I am sure my daughters will as well. Sincerely,
L L
Starting Charlotte Mason with High Schoolers
Dear Catherine,
Hi, I am new to CM method but have been interested since starting
homeschool 3 years ago (just didn't have the nerve to try it). My dd who
will be in 10th grade has always used textbooks and reading literature.
Are there any suggestions to getting started with her or is it just as
simple as it sounds? I plan on doing history and science together with
both of my dds. Is there a suggested schedule for high school? I read the
books but feel a little nervous about high school.
Thanks for any advice.
High school can have a different feel to it and to be a little nervous
is very normal.
It sounds like you already read "More Charlotte Mason Education." That
book has schedules and a big chapter about teaching the high school aged
student. One of my main intentions in that chapter was to alleviate the
fear of teaching high school.
So if you already read that then you know most everything I have to
say on high school...but I can add this. I remember going into high school
with my oldest daughter who had been attached to textbooks. She really
did well with them and I knew that to deny her the use of them would be
stupid on my part. She liked them and she really was learning from them.
So I approached the many CM techniques and ideas with caution with her.
We added one new CM thing at a time. She was such a great reader that the
literature was not a problem at all for her. That made the Shakespeare
go well for her too. The nature notebook is an example of something that
she did not adjust to or use at all. But that's okay because they are always
voluntary for the CM children.
The written narrations went very well because she was gifted in writing.
I could go on detailing her high school years but my point is that she
was (and is) an individual and I treated and accepted her bents and desires
with a lot of respect. Looking back I'm glad that I let her hang on to
her textbooks as she sampled the CM concepts.
And I agree with you that approaching the science and history with both
daughters is a good use of valuable time. They can cover the same exact
topic at the same time but they may react differently. The high school
daughter will probably write brilliant narrations and work independently
for example.
Here's to your success and well being!!!
Catherine
Educational Games
Dear Catherine,
I wonder if CM would have approved of learning games? Our youngest
dd is very interested in horses, especially more so since we've moved into
a more countrylike area. Next year I was planning to use Beautiful Feet
Books History of the Horse. But for Christmas we got the game Herd Your
Horses and it's quite a fun and educational game. There are 4 different
games you play with the game board, one of them for one player and several
card games you can play with the horse cards.
I never really thought about it in those terms. Would CM approved of
learning games?
I have used learning games to large degree. My family loves them. I
have approval of them because they are fun and the promote learning. We
do know that Charlotte Mason wanted children to have a love for learning
so I think she would have approved.
That game sounds fun, if I ever see it I may buy it.
Thanks,
Catherine
Dictation
Dear Catherine,
I met you briefly in the summer at the conference in Victoria.
I have been very much enjoying your second book, "More Charlotte
Mason Education", which you recommended since I have been homeschooling
a few years.
I asked you a question about dictation, regarding one-time learning
and selected dictation passages. You said that dictation should be assigned
at the beginning of the week and then tested at the end, therefore putting
the onus on the child to know what is coming and thereby avoid repeating
sentence. However, I noticed in the appendix of the book that your schedules
show dictation being done 4 or 5 times per week. Does this mean you assign
more than one passage per week for testing, or that some dictation periods
involve unseen material, while others involve previously studied passages?
I have been using your suggested method with my girls since the beginning
of the school year, giving an assigned passage on Monday and testing it
on Friday. However, my kids are finding it tedious and boring. We have
been using bible passages, which may explain some of their frustration,
because there is allot of punctuation in this writing. Should I choose
prose from a favourite book, or should I let them choose their own passage?
I had just surmised that if we did bible for dictation that I could kill
two birds with one stone, so to speak. What would you recommend? My girls
are in grades 5 and 7. Also, I have a daughter in grade 3 but decided that
she was too young yet for dictation. At what age do you recommend starting
kids with dictation? Thank you in advance for your time
I will answer these by pulling out each question individually.
#1 Why is dictation scheduled every day of the school week if the assignment
is given on Monday & the testing is done on Friday?
Answer: To allow the child time, each day, to work on it. The 10 to
20 mins. allowed on the schedule not only gives them time to work on the
memorization of the passage but also serves as a reminder that they are
responsible to have this thing done (and done right) by Friday. I encourage
each child to at least read the passage daily but I also suggest that they
write it out at least one time during the week. What I am looking for on
Friday is this: The ability to take the dictation from me verbally while
getting every word, every comma, every semi colon, capitalization (in other
words everything) correctly written. When I used the word memorization
above I don't mean that as we usually think of the word. Normally that
brings recitation to mind. There is no recitation, but a successfully done
dictation assignment has brought about a type of memorization. And let's
not forget the main point. Language Arts; yes, they are all being learned,
well many of them are, with each successive passage. One passage may teach
the capitalization of cities or names and another may teach one proper
use of the semi colon.
#2 Does this mean you assign more than one passage per week for testing,
or that some dictation periods involve unseen material, while others involve
previously studied passages?
Answer: No to all three questions here. I only assign one passage per
child per week. There is no unseen material and no, there is nothing in
the way of studied passages.
#3 However, my kids are finding it tedious and boring. We have been
using bible passages, which may explain some of their frustration, because
there is a lot of punctuation in this writing. Should I choose prose from
a favourite book, or should I let them choose their own passage? I had
just surmised that if we did bible for dictation that I could kill two
birds with one stone, so to speak. What would you recommend?
Answer: We do not want the children to find this exercise to be boring.
In fact the love for learning does not allow much room for boredom. Boredom
is the enemy at all costs. But the Language Arts HAVE to be taught. My
children have uttered a complaint here and there about dictation over the
years. I always do the same thing. I pick a textbook from the storage area
and the very next week we work out of the "English" textbook. Normally,
that would be either Abeka or Rod and Staff, only because that's what I
have handy. The same thing always happens, the child does NOT LIKE it at
all. I then offer to return to dictation on the following Monday, this
works around here and quickly takes care of complaints. It would be similar
to me with a certain water faucet I have. It takes an unusually long time
to "warm up" and I wind up standing there fairly unhappy each time I use
it. Let's say that for one week I had to go "out back" and fetch some water
from the pump, aka well, in the dead of winter. And let's say that I had
to warm the water over the wood burning stove and wait for it to warm up
before I could wash my hands. Wouldn't I be a happy, happy girl the next
week when I was able to return to indoor heated plumbing?
Now as to what kind of passages to select. It does not need to be an
entertaining bit of writing. I have resisted the urge to kill two birds
with one stone for a long time. I mean, if the book is at all worthy of
being in your house it must have some redeeming information in it, and
the child does spend much time with the passage, they will get to know
it's content. However, I do not choose according to content near as much
as I analyze the passage for its Language Arts characteristics. One week
I want to choose a passage with strange spellings, another I want the m-dash,
or the quotation marks to be emphasized. We read the Bible daily, and it
is my favorite book because it's no ordinary book, it's God's Word but
I NEVER use it for dictation. The structure and the grammar and the punctuation
are not what I'm looking for. Neither would I choose the child's favorite
book. We don't want to kill their esteem for that book by making them "work"
in it. I do use a favorite book for penmanship however.
#4 At what age do you recommend starting kids with dictation?
Answer: They have to be able to read and write, that's for certain.
I have used "readers" as first dictation passages for children about 7
to 8 years old. Their assignment would only consist of the very few words
on the page. You want the child to feel successful so you don't want the
work to be too hard for them. Also, this gives the younger child a chance
to do the same work as the older sisters are doing. During dictation time
the younger child also has an assignment to pull out. As the child is getting
to be 10 to 13 years old the passages become longer and more challenging.
In fact, by grade 8 and grade 9 more than one page can be assigned. So
much is learned and that is a great thing. Only be careful to not assign
things just for the sake of busy work or to have an assignment on hand.
Make sure that there is some Language Arts to be learned (or reviewed)
with each selection made.
I am hoping I may have been of some help. I always appreciate questions
that come in after someone has read a book of mine. It helps me to know
what kind of situations a person comes across as they begin to implement
the Charlotte Mason methods.
Thank you for writing,
Catherine Levison
Getting Children to Read
Dear Catherine,
I love the CM approach, I have a problem with putting it into action.
I hate to say *I can't get my kids to read* but it's pretty much true.
Even if I take the blame, how do I fix it? I have a 12 year old daughter
and a 15 year old son. They do like to watch TV and play video games, but
I don't let them do that too much, probably is too much if the truth be
known. Is that the problem? I let them choose the books they want. DD likes
books about horses and DS like anything medieval. I bought them probably
4 books each, but I have to *make* them read. Once they start reading,
they are okay, but they don't do it on their own. Or I'll tell them they
have to read before they can watch TV or play video games. I also tell
them if they would read, we could cut out some of the *text* books because
they could get everything from reading good books. That doesn't do any
good. It's very hard for me to make them do what's right.
Please be blunt with me, I need a honest opinion. Surely I'm not
the only one with this problem.
I also need some direction in teaching a highschooler.
The truth is that some children are born readers and some are not. It's
a lot like spending or saving money and it's a lot like the way people
are with house keeping.
I have five children. Two of the girls had to share a room for a few
years. One was Felix and one was Oscar, meaning one was neat and tidy and
made her bed with great care and the other was very messy. This is how
they came into the world, they had these tendencies.
I also had children who spent every cent they ever had and I had some
children who saved money very well.
I found the same thing with reading. Even if TV had never been invented
some people really, really like to read and others do not. The other group
might prefer painting or hiking over reading.
However, we all need to know how to read well and do what CM calls "Read
to Know." That is reading with comprehension. The one chance reading coupled
with the narration is the way that good habit is established. It is a great
time saver all of one's life to read something one time and understand
it completely.
So, your children need to practice reading even if they don't like it.
Keep in mind that they don't like it that much and have mercy on them.
But do assign reading to them.
You're on the correct tract, I believe, by bargaining with them to a
certain degree. Present two books and make one interesting and the other
a boring textbook. Tell them they have to spend 15 mins reading either
one they choose but in either case they WILL be narrating the reading to
you.
Children need to know and thrive from knowing what is expected of them.
If you make it a habit to be perfectly clear on what the reading assignment
is and how long it is to last and what accountability will be asked of
them after I think you'll find that they comply much better.
Having said that, if at anytime your children will not do what you tell
them to do then you have entered into a discipline problem and you need
to handle that according to your own standards. Believe me, there's not
a parent among us that does not run into discipline problems with our children.
It as though some children were born to test the limits on every situation
and of course some are compliant and very easy on their parents.
For high school everything I could ever think to say I wrote in my second
book, "More Charlotte Mason Education" and you might consider borrowing
a copy of that to read my chapter there.
I hope I've been of some help here. Thanks,
Catherine Levsion
Reply:
Hi Catherine,
Thanks for getting back to me. I like the idea of giving them a
choice of books, one being a text book! You know, if they ever get started
reading they enjoy it, it's getting them going. DS used to read much more.
He read the two Eragon books back to back and is still upset that Christopher
P. hasn't written the third one! I'll look for your book.
Thanks so much, I didn't think there was much hope with my two.
You given me something to look forward to.
Thanks again.
Chronological History & Schedules
Dear Catherine,
I am having a little trouble trying to comprehend what to do with
my children and how to schedule them. They are in 1st and 3rd grades. I
would really like to know, do I have to follow History in chronological
order, do you recommend that geography always compliment and go along side
History and does Bible and History have to go together or can I do CM anyway
it fits, and it will all still work out?? And about science and Nature
studies, how to go about it besides reading the Living books. And can I
get most of what I need at the library? I know that I am asking a lot,
but my children love when I read to them and when we talk together and
I thought the CM approach and using Living books was for us. We tried the
"DRY" curriculum with my daughter for the first couple of years and all
she did was cry when we would do school, so we are changing. I was going
to use Five in a Row, and did start, but it still is not the way I would
like to school. And I would like to school both children at the same time
as much as I can.
I would like to know which of your books would help me the most with
these things.
Thanks for your time and God Bless you for helping so many others
like myself!!!
I have schedules in both A Charlotte Mason Education (the 1st
book) and in the 2nd book, More Charlotte Mason Education. My third
book is a book-list book that guides CM moms toward the titles that Charlotte
Mason used in her schools and many more books the we current CM followers
have found. That book gives clear indication as to age appropriate books
and "why" any given book is a good choice for a well read child. Also,
that 3rd book has a scope and sequence in the back that is very clear and
accurate as to "what" children in the USA cover in each grade level. It's
called A Literary Education; An Annotated Book List.
The answers to your questions are in all 3 of my books and I don't want
to sound like I'm giving you the hard sell but with the age of your children
I think you need them all. You can get them at the library if buying 3
books is more than you were wanting to do. Even if your library doesn't
have my books on the shelf they can inter-library-loan them for you. Just
ask them to do that.
I am a real home school mom and I still home school so as I attempt
to answer some of your questions please remember that I'm using my experience
along with Charlotte Mason's written works, a combination, so to speak.
No, I do not study history in chronological order. If you do then you
have to start way, way, way back in time when the children are far too
young, in my opinion, to be exposed to such ancient history. PLUS, the
nice, living books intended for the younger children are mostly about Pioneer
times for America and/or the Explorers, or Colonial America. Now, CM did
mention to study topics in chronological order but I take her to mean that
when you cover a country or a certain war or a life (biography) by all
means do that study in chronological order. I don't think we have to start
at the beginning of time with our little 1st graders. Not everybody agrees
with me on this, but you know, home schooler are individuals not clones
and it is okay to think for oneself.
And no, the daily Bible reading does not have to coincide with anything
else you're covering. Life does overlap and connective topics do come up,
on their own, you don't have to force the connections. Both Charlotte Mason
and I think that.
I won't go into a lengthy answer to your science questions here but
there is a chapter on that in the first book. Do go outside a lot, do try
a voluntary nature notebook, (aka nature diary) and always teach the practical
before the abstract. And yes, use lots of living books.
To teach two children at the same time divide everything into two groups,
skills and knowledge. Skills are aged based and need to be taught at that
child's level. Learning how to read, spell, write, and do math are some
skills. You will probably have to teach that side of education at separate
levels, if you don't then good for you!! You have an advantage that most
of us don't have. All other topics, subjects, classes, etc can be learned
all together. For example, cover elephants and volcanoes, and biology and
history together, with both children, using the same books and field trips.
The younger one will respond and narrate at a different level than the
older one will but that's okay, the two of them do that on everything they
experience in your house. One of them is older than the other one and they
are probably used to that.
Please avoid anything dry and boring. The very second you see that something
is causing tears and boredom drop it like a bad habit. There will always
be a more interesting way to learn something and there will always be a
more boring way to learn something. Keep yourself to the interesting and
the children will love to learn. That is the whole key to CM. The love
of learning.
Thank you and I hope I've been of some help,
Catherine Levison
Reply:
Catherine,
Thank you so much for all your expert advice!!! I will definitely
get all three of your books to read and have as a reference.
God Bless
Transitioning from Textbooks
Hi Catherine,
I've been doing a lot of research on Charlotte Mason and her ways
of educating a family and making it an atmosphere!! How refreshing - this
is our second year of home schooling - we spent last year doing [textbooks]
and it was just like taking the school room into our home. Although I've
learned a lot about CM and her ways - I am having a hard time grasping
it and nailing down a starting point. I have 3 children - 2 of which I
will be home schooling - GR 3 and GR 1 my other child is 2. I know that
I can incorporate most of the subjects with them together - my problem
is understanding what each needs to know for their grade level. Sure, we
love to read, but how do they learn their grammar, writing, spelling and
math. Is this something I must supplement with workbooks? I am having a
hard time with this! I really do hope you can help!!
You're a lot like me when I first started in the 80's. I had one student
my first year, one toddler and one newborn. I did textbooks the first year
and didn't like it at all. It caused me to burn out on home schooling the
very first year. I almost put my oldest back in school but I never got
the "peace" to do that so I muddled on.
How I got going with Charlotte Mason was to read all I could and then
I had an all Charlotte Mason Summer School. I had nothing to lose because
any thing I did was just extra. It was the best summer ever and we all
learned more than we had ever learned before.
You ask about the 3 R's. Reading, writing, and arithmetic. Those are
skills and need to be taught individually and geared for the age level
of each child. Exactly what is taught grade by grade is detailed in the
closing portion of my third book, "A Literary Education". There I have
painstakingly gathered scopes and sequences for the USA and boiled them
down to an easy to read, easy to use guide to "what" to teach for each
grade. From your question I gather you're writing from Canada and even
though I did attend school in Canada as a youth I do not know exactly what
is covered grade by grade as well as I do for the States.
Then as to "how" to teach grammar, spelling, and writing those three
topics are covered in my first book, "A Charlotte Mason Education" which
you can read in a few quick minutes.
I have also written before about whether to use workbooks or not in
the 2nd book, "More Charlotte Mason Education." I can see a few reasons
to use them on occasion. One would be if/when you are extremely ill or
caring for someone who is. Another would be when you simply "find" the
perfect workbook for the some subject and it just fits well for the situation.
Lastly, if you had a particular child who thrives in workbooks and children
like that do exist. Even if you have one of those I wouldn't throw a pile
of workbooks in her direction and call it good. I wouldn't rely on workbooks
for anything other than math. But, the occasional workbook can be good
idea at certain times.
Let me say one last thing. Sometimes the best way to get going with
the Charlotte Mason method is to not jump in with both feet. Meaning, try
one or two CM techniques at a time. Try art appreciation or try the nature
notebook or the book of the centuries but keep at textbook/workbook system
running along side in order to keep abreast of "what" all the other 3rd
grade children are covering. As you gain confidence in the Charlotte Mason
style and in exactly "what" subject matter you ought to be teaching then
you can forego the workbooks and textbooks. Referring to them to whatever
degree is a good way to know "what" to cover but don't stay with only the
textbook. Use its information to cause you to check out real books, living
books on the same topic and then incorporate field trips to also augment.
I knew I couldn't answer these questions without at least beginning
to rewrite all that I've written before. Without sounding like a salesman
let me point you toward reading my books because I am sure they will help
you. I base that opinion on your questions.
I hope the very, very best for you. I hope you enjoy homeschooling as
much as I do---and I really do enjoy it. Thanks for writing and let me
know if I can do anything else for you.
Catherine
Kindergarten and Young Children
Dear Catherine,
My name is **** and I wrote before last summer. You told me to teach
my 5 year old to love to learn. We are spending a lot of time outside.
I am not very good at naming trees and plants, but I am trying. I have
tried to do some solar system teaching. I am having difficulty figuring
out where to start. I really appreciated the letter you sent before and
any help you could give now I know would help again.
I am using [a book] for reading and writing, phonics and spelling.
It is working but it seems to be a little above her. The spelling mostly.
I do not really have a math program, I can't figure out what to do. I am
using some preschool material I had left over. I have [work books] but
She does not seem interested in doing much written work. I do not want
to push her, but I do not want her to fall behind either. Thanks again
for the help.
It is difficult to know whether to advance a child or hold back a little.
That is the job of a home schooling mom. Charlotte Mason wants us to challenge
their minds and spend as much time as necessary in finding the materials
that will create that love of learning. Charlotte knew that was difficult
but she held to that. Moms need to look and look and look trying their
best to find the good stuff and the age appropriate stuff. It is a task
but you'll be rewarded when you watch her learning true retainable knowledge.
Let me caution you about her age. I know you do not want her falling
behind but at five years old she is not fully responsible for very much
book work at all. I do not know what I may have said to you last year but
if Charlotte Mason were raising her she would have her outside and you
are doing that. She would have her learning the names of plants and you
are aware of that. She would have her look at the constellations and you
know of that. Early reading skills can be introduced with the view of love
of learning (combined with challenging material) all done in a delicate
and child friendly manner.
When she is six years old you can start to work and challenge her more.
At that age she will learn to read and she'll learn to narrate (tell back)
things that she has learned. You will read out-loud to her a lot and you'll
want to keep taking her outside. I think a well rounded six year old education
looks a lot like a well rounded sixteen year old education. She could enjoy
classical music, trips to the museum, looking at fine art from a book on
the couch too, working with paint and clay and colored pencils. She could
take a class in dance or gymnastics, she might want to learn knitting.
All of these fun, broad, mind opening and healthy occupations combined
with math and alphabet writing.
As to these specific work books you have mentioned I am not familiar
with them enough to comment and I don't really have a favorite math program
to recommend. I counsel you to keep looking, your eyes always alert, because
even the K-Marts & Target stores have math workbooks. If you are always
aware and looking you will find acceptable and enjoyable math materials.
To end, please don't worry about her lack of interest at this precious
young age. She's still very young and don't trouble yourself or doubt yourself
if she doesn't want to do any book work at all. When she turns six then
you can begin, in a gentle and gradual manner to bring the interesting
book work into her life and if she is involved with the outdoors and she
has good habits and a healthy interest in the world around her she will
be a learner and she will develop that love for learning.
Thanks for writing,
Catherine
Send your questions to CatherineLevison@yahoo.com
