20/21 - Language Arts

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If there is one defining aspect of our homeschool environment as a whole, it is reading! The kids spent less time this year doing busy work and filling out workbook pages, and that time was filled with what we value most: reading books. 


Family read-alouds:
The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Peterson
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Wonder by RJ Palacio
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Charlotte's Web by EB White


Chase
Chase was read aloud countless books this year - probably too many to count! We read a book before bed several nights a week, and usually 2-5 picture books in the afternoon. She also listened to every family read-aloud, and was often the one to beg for more. 


Austen
In the past year, Austen went from carefully and slowly sounding out each word, to reading full blown chapter books! She absolutely blossomed and discovered her love for reading. She excitedly started keeping a list of the books she has read entirely on her own.

All of a Kind Family
The Complete Brambleberry Hedge Treasury by Jill Barklem
A Madeline Treasury by Ludwig Bemelmans
The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary, books 1-8
The Legends of Zita the Space Girl, books 1 & 2
Junie B. Jones has a Peep in her Pocket
Junie B. Jones and the Smelly Bus
Junie B. Jones Something Smells Fishy
Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth
The Dogman series, books 1-3
Babysitter's Little Sister, book 1
Hey, Jack! The Toy Sale
The Courage of Sarah Noble
A Frog and Toad Treasury
Meet Addy
Addy Learns a Lesson
The Amulet, books 1 & 2


River
River blew it out of the water with the language arts portion of his standardized test this year. He improved in all areas, but most notably was his comprehension and fluency. He listened to a few more books than this on audio, but doesn't remember them all.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherin Applegate
Pax by Sarah Pennypacker
The complete Ramona series, books 1-8
The complete Henry Huggins series, books 1-5
Squanto by Clyde Robert Bula
The Amulet series, books 1-7
Choose Your Own Adventure, books 1-3
Kid Scientists: True Tales of Childhood by David Stabler
Curious George Complete Treasury by Margaret and H.A. Rey
Ultimate Weird but True from National Geographics
Kid's 2018 Almanac
The following Magic Treehouse books by Mary Pope Osborne:
Moonlight on the Magic Flute
The Knight at Dawn
Hour of the Olympics
Blizzard of the Blue Moon
Pirates Past Noon
Polar Bears and the Arctic
Christmas in Camelot
Lions at Lunchtime
Buffalo Before Breakfast
Vacation Under the Volcano




River and Austen both started writing a book this year, and make sure to spend time working on it every day. Chase is currently working through 100 Easy Lessons with me and knows the letters s, m, t, a, r, and e. She loves working on her Learn to Read Activity Book. We find ways to discuss letters, sounds, and words while we are playing and going about our day.

River and Austen enjoyed playing various word games, such as Upwords, word searches, and hangman.




A family favorite has been poetry tea times. A couple times a month, or as often as a few times a week, we will set the table for tea and a treat, and dust off our much-loved poetry books. Each child chooses a poem for me to read aloud, and a poem that they read aloud themselves. For the latter, they often pick poems they already have memorized: The Lost Doll for Austen, Little Things for Chase, and A Good Play for River. 


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