Reading and Writing

This week I had a revelation about CC's reading.  This summer I have been reading through the Little House set with her at night.  She enjoys reading ahead after I have read a chapter, she has read two books so far.  I took a break from them to try out a little bit of E. Nesbit's Five Children and It since she is recommended highly by Edward Eager, CC's favorite author.  I had wrongly assumed that this would be far above her reading level even though she completed Half Magic on her own.  Well, after the first night, she read the second chapter by herself.  The next day I explained a few things to her like pinafores and gypsies but she had read and enjoyed it.  

What I have learned is that she reads more when she reads for her own enjoyment.  She will even read challenging material if she is interested in it.  I would have never assigned her a book as hard as an Eager or a Nesbit.  So now I am going to go back through my plans for the coming year and eliminate the required reading.  I think that any second grader that can handle Five Children and It on her own doesn't need to be assigned reading.  Now when she is in third grade......  Perhaps I will have to learn this lesson more than once.

While I am typing, I might as well confess about my writing decision.  I am going to use Writing With Ease for CC this year.  I am probably even going to use the workbook.  I read the main book for it today, and I like it.  It guides you through increasingly complex copywork, dictation and narration exercises.    It is simple, uses a technique that I believe in and has a straightforward progression of skills that will teach the child the mechanics of writing.

This might not be a controversial decision for many, but while I am planning to use WWE this year, I am also setting up a teachers training co-op for IEW Teaching Writing With Structure and Style.  See.  I am good at making decisions.  My problem is that I make too many of them.

Now I am off to look at geography.