When I was researching resources for homeschooling this year, I stressed about how I would teach them math and science and social studies. I wanted to make sure I covered the topics and skills that would be taught in classrooms. But I wasn’t worried about the English-Language Arts part. I have taught plenty of reading classes. In all honesty, I was psyched for the chance to teach my own children this subject that is so near and dear to my heart.
Back before kids when I was a middle school teacher, I remember how difficult it was to find the funding and the time to work one novel into our lesson plans. We had to buy at least a class set for each classroom and, ideally, a book for each student. We had to plan it around benchmarks and assemblies and holidays. We knew the value in reading with our students, so we worked hard to make it happen, but in a public school setting, it is a big challenge.
But we are at home this year! So I bought a LOT of books. My theory is that if I want my kids to recognize how wonderful reading and literature are, I have to expose them to as much literature as I can. So far this school year, each of my 5 children (pre-k to 6th grade) has read and studied at least 5 novels. And we are still going strong (I hope I haven’t just jinxed it!). So far, I have noticed some pretty wonderful things: 1-their comprehension is getting much stronger 2-they are picking up on tiny hints and details in the stories and 3-they are reading other books when our school day is done!
Want to know what we are reading? OK, but please oh please keep in mind that this is what I felt was right for my family. Please, friend, let’s not compare. If you are doing more or less than this, THAT IS OK! Do you, boo! I’m just trying to do what I feel is right for my kids and thought I’d share in case you needed some ideas–no pressure! No guilt! No shame!
Here’s a breakdown by grade level (I’m including affiliate links through Amazon and Indiebound to make your life a little easier, but you can also copy and paste the title and author to search for it at your local library or Barnes & Noble, too. Indiebound helps you find the book at an independently owned book store that is local to you. I love our local bookshops!):
6th Grade:
So far this year we have already read:
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick |Amazon| Indiebound
We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly |Amazon| Indiebound
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne |Amazon| Indiebound
Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick |Amazon| Indiebound
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (we are 900 pages in, so we haven’t quite finished this one, but 900 pages is a BIG deal for 6th graders and I have been so impressed by how well they have been able to follow this story! We are on-track to finish this before Christmas break.). |Amazon| Indiebound
For the remainder of the year, we will read:
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor |Amazon| Indiebound
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park |Amazon| Indiebound
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani |Amazon| Indiebound
Nafanua: Saving the Samoan Rain Forest by Paul Alan Cox |Amazon|
A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat |Amazon| Indiebooks
Plus, the selection of picture books, short stories, and poetry I have selected for Black History Month. I will share more about what we’re doing in February in January–I am so excited!
5th Grade:
So far this year we have read:
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly |Amazon| Indiebound
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty |Amazon| Indiebound
Pax by Sara Pennypacker |Amazon| Indiebound
History Smashers: The Mayflower by Kate Messner |Amazon| Indiebound
Squint by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown |Amazon| Indiebound
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk |Amazon| Indiebooks
For the remainder of the year, we will read:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain |Amazon| Indiebound
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain |Amazon| Indiebound
The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley |Amazon| Indiebound
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes |Amazon| Indiebound
Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder |Amazon| Indiebound
Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker |Amazon| Indiebound
2nd Grade:
So far this year we have already read:
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary |Amazon| Indiebound
I Survived: The Attacks of September 11, 2001 by Lauren Tarshis |Amazon| Indiebound
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White |Amazon| Indiebound
Stuart Little by E.B. White |Amazon| Indiebound
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis |Amazon| Indiebound
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis |Amazon| Indiebound
For the remainder of the year, we will read:
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren |Amazon| Indiebound
The Magnificent Maya Tibbs by Crystal Allen |Amazon| Indiebound
Count Me In by Varsha Bajaj |Amazon| Indiebound
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown |Amazon| Indiebound
Freckle Juice by Judy Blume |Amazon| Indiebound
Restart by Gordon Korman |Amazon| Indiebound
I expect at the rate we’re going, I will add more books to this list as the year progresses, but this was the list I made at the beginning of the year. I am already considering additional titles. I’ll keep you posted!
Pre-K:
I love to read picture books with my little girl (who recently turned FIVE!–what??). But we started the Ivy and Bean series this year and we just started book 7 yesterday. | Amazon | Indiebound | I love that these books keep her engaged and the chapters seem to be just right in length and subject matter. And they are illustrated by the wonderful Sophie Blackall (If you haven’t seen her phenomenal new picture book If You Come to Earth, I can’t recommend it enough. I adore it.). |Amazon| Indiebound
I have kept a copy of Little Women and Anne of Green Gables on the bookshelf in her room since she was a baby and I can’t wait for the time when we can read those together!
In addition to the Ivy and Bean books, we are, of course, studying the canon of preschool stories like The Gingerbread Man and Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Mother Goose.
And, since much of my day is spent teaching her older brothers, I have these WONDERFUL books that come with audio versions so that she can follow along and hear the stories. I am partial to these because my husband and I both were raised on them (and we lived in totally different parts of the country!) and I still remember many of the songs and stories from my childhood! It has been so fun to hear my daughter singing those same songs and stories! If you are looking for a beautiful resource to teach your child about virtues like honesty, cleanliness, service, love, dependability, and courage (to name a few), I can’t recommend these enough. Yes, the music has a definite 80s flair, but they are just the right amount of cheesiness to make any child smile and not didactic and preachy. Their products are only digital nowadays, but I printed out the .pdf files and stapled them like a book so my daughter could listen to the stories while holding the books in her hand. Check out the Standin’ Tall Series from Brite Music! You can also subscribe to their “Music by the Month” program and receive a few new titles each month. My kids received the preschool titles this way as a gift from their grandpa.
Booktalks
After each book we read, the boys have a week to prepare a booktalk to share with us all. I have them prepare in advance so that we show their videos on our TV. So far I have seen some made with animations, some with iMovie, some just simple recordings of them talking. But I love to get them processing the book in a way that is effective, yet not tedious. I want them to be excited and positive about reading.
Here is a very basic example from my 2nd-grader. You’ll notice blurry pics and misspellings: I’m just keeping it real.
Daily Reading
How do we make reading a part of our daily school routine? It’s built into our schedule. I set a timer on my watch for ten minutes. I read aloud while they follow along. I preassign the pages they should read that day at the beginning of each day and then they pick up and read on their own after our ten minutes together are over. For most books, the number of pages they read each day isn’t usually more than 15 or so, but my twins are definitely reading more each day as we are reading The Count of Monte Cristo. For that book, I have provided an audiobook version that they can follow along with (I still make them follow along with the book) because I have a son who is very much an audio learner and because this book is a translation from French and I wanted to them to hear the pronunciations of the names and locations because there is no way I can pull off a good French accent! My non-audio-learner usually prefers to read on his own still which really surprised me.
Spelling and Handwriting
While we’re talking about ELA resources, I have to tell you that I love Spelling City! I use this lovely program to assign spelling words and activities to my children. On Fridays, they go on and take their spelling tests. I love it! I can log in and see if they are struggling with particular words and see their grades. And the activities are varied and engaging and really help my kids learn the words. For my younger boys, I have assigned words in pre-made lists that follow similar rules. But I have created spelling and vocab lists for my twins as we’ve been studying The Count of Monte Cristo so that they can learn these words as we are reading. I love it when we are reading together and one of the boys points out a word that we have been studying. It feels like progress!
Daily Journaling
It is super hard to maintain a daily journaling habit with elementary-aged students! So I created a Reflection Journal that combines journaling, lesson closure, with a focus on gratitude all in one! I will be telling you more about this soon–stay tuned! I love it SO much! I think you will, too.
If you are looking for ideas for your homeschool curriculum or just book recommendations for leisure reading or gift ideas, I hope these lists help.
