Our teen literature group has been busy all summer, reading some great literature and going on several amazing field trips. We've added some younger students to the group, so we are now Real Teens Read/Real Kids Read. These students are a joy to spend time with, and it's been wonderful to watch how they are making connections to the literature as … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: The Book Thief & Number the Stars
Language Arts
3 Easy Steps for Teaching Your Child to Read
Super excited to have my article featured at Crosswalk. Here's an excerpt -- head over there to read the rest! Does the thought of teaching your young learner how to read make your heart race? I’ll admit that my two biggest fears when we started homeschooling were the prospects of teaching my child how to read and of one day having to conquer … [Read more...] about 3 Easy Steps for Teaching Your Child to Read
Real Teens Read: Russia
Our latest books for our Real Teens Read literature group were One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch by Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin. The younger kids only read Breaking Stalin's Nose, but both groups got together for our activity and discussion day. These books pair together very nicely. We learned … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: Russia
Real Teens Read: Code Name Verity
Hands-on Literature Our Real Teens Read literature group read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein and learned more about WWII and aviation by attending two awesome field trips along with our kid's literature group. If Code Name Verity hasn't been on your radar, it is definitely worth considering for your teen readers. It is on my list of all … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: Code Name Verity
Real Kids Read: The House of Sixty Fathers
Our Real Teens Read group as been meeting for a few years now, and we just started a junior group for our elementary-aged kids. We're reading books that fit the same themes as the teen group and attending the same field trips together, but we're meeting separately for the book discussions right now. Our first book is The House of Sixty Fathers … [Read more...] about Real Kids Read: The House of Sixty Fathers
Real Teens Read 2014 Book List
Our Real Teens Read Book Club is getting ready to kick off a new semester. The teens read one or two titles per month along with poems and short stories, then we get together for a literature discussion meeting. The teens learn the historical background and use literary analysis to delve deeper into the readings. We have a hands-on activity … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read 2014 Book List
Real Teens Read: All Quiet on the Western Front
Our Real Teens Read group read All Quiet on the Western Front. To accompany the novel, the teens also revisited the poems we read with Ender's Game: "Fire and Ice" and "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost "The Soldier" by Rupert Brooks "The End of the World" by Archibald MacLeish "Anthem for Doomed Youth" by Wilfred Owen "The Unknown … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: All Quiet on the Western Front
Real Teens Read: Ender’s Game
Our Real Teens Read group read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and the following poems to accompany the novel: "Fire and Ice" and "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost "The Soldier" by Rupert Brooks "The End of the World" by Archibald MacLeish "Anthem for Doomed Youth" by Wilfred Owen "The Unknown Citizen" by W. H. Auden "Warning" by … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: Ender’s Game
Real Teens Read: Hagood Mill Field Trip
To accompany this month's book, Walk Two Moons, our Real Teens Read group packed up and hit the road for a field trip to a historic mill, built in 1845. We were treated to a tour and oral history narrative by Mr. Ed, who is passionate about what he does, and kept us on the edge of our seats as he talked. One of the most significant things he … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: Hagood Mill Field Trip
Real Teens Read: Walk Two Moons
“Never judge a man before you've walked two moons in his moccasins." This month's book selection for our our Real Teens Read literature discussion group is Walk Two Moons, a Newbery Award winner by Sharon Creech. The teens also read two poems that are mentioned in the book: "the little horse is newlY" by e. e. cummings "The Tide Rises, … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: Walk Two Moons
Real Teens Read: Research Papers
Our Real Teens Read literature discussion group has been learning how to write a research paper. Getting Started The teens have been learning the stages of the research process and have recently completed their first papers. They were allowed to choose their own topics for the first go-round, and I ended up with a diverse array of essays to … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: Research Papers
Real Teens Read: The Old Man and the Sea
Our Real Teens Read literature discussion group met this week to discuss Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. A few of the moms weren't too enthusiastic about this book choice. They commented that it is the most boring book they've ever read and that they basically hated it. Uh oh -- I've got my work cut out for me with this one! The … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: The Old Man and the Sea
Real Teens Read: To Kill a Mockingbird
Our teen literature discussion group just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and we met last week to discuss the book and some poetry selections, and to watch the movie version. The teens were totally engrossed in this film and were visibly moved by it. The teens filled out character charts as they read, giving examples from … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: To Kill a Mockingbird
What Real Teens Are Reading
Our Real Teens Read literature discussion group is continuing on through the summer, with some intriguing books and exciting field trips scheduled. See what we're reading for the next several months. Our group has a different theme each month. Last year we focused mainly on American literature, but this year is going to be a bit more varied. … [Read more...] about What Real Teens Are Reading
Real Teens Read: The Diary of a Young Girl
Our Real Teens Read group read Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl this month. Powerful, beautiful, engrossing, heartbreaking -- this memoir should be required reading for everyone. What a delightful, vibrant young woman she was, and what a talented writer! I found this month to be tough, because I couldn't get through much of the history … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: The Diary of a Young Girl
Real Teens Read: Romeo and Juliet
It's Shakespeare month for our Real Teens Read literature group, and we are looking forward to seeing two live performances--Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. Watching the 1968 movie is a way to clarify what they are struggling to read, and it was a great motivator for the teens. They have been busily reading different versions of Romeo and Juliet … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: Romeo and Juliet
Hands-on: The Outsiders
Our Real Teens Read novel for March is a blast from the past: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. Raise your hand if you remember reading this as a teen! What about the movie? Be warned, it will make you feel old to see baby-faced Rob Lowe and Tom Cruise. Oh, how I miss Patrick Swayze . . . I got sidetracked, didn't I? Anyway . . . The teens had … [Read more...] about Hands-on: The Outsiders
The House of Sixty Fathers Activities
The Real Teens Read discussion group got together to discuss The House of Sixty Fathers and several poems that were assigned to accompany it. The House of Sixty Fathers We always discuss background history and biographical information about the authors we read, and this book fit in nicely with our studies of both Chinese culture and World War II, … [Read more...] about The House of Sixty Fathers Activities
Real Teens Read: The House of Sixty Fathers
The Real Teens Read literature group just finished reading The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong, which is based on the author's experiences in China during World War II. We chose this book to round out the other World War II era books we've read and gain a different perspective on events surrounding this war. The House of Sixty Fathers … [Read more...] about Real Teens Read: The House of Sixty Fathers
Teaching Literature: The Scarlet Letter
Ah, high school. Homeschool moms all relax at the thought of teaching subjects like physics, algebra, and literature, don’t we? It's been too long since I've posted about our curriculum, but now that my oldest is in high school, I wanted to share some of the resources we are using. Literature can be a daunting subject to teach as the books get … [Read more...] about Teaching Literature: The Scarlet Letter
