Novel Study & KINDLE School: The Game Plan

Reading and the love of Literature is an essential key to unlocking your child's mind to experience a richly rewarding home education.  Reading is the building block upon which all other learning hinges.  We thrive on books in this home (well, without a television it is also a necessary form of entertainment).  The greatest leaders throughout history were inspired readers.  Good leaders read and take that knowledge, researching it and comparing it to God's Word.  They learn from it and apply the principle to their own lives.  That is the kind of learner I hope for my children to be.  This explains why I encourage a literature rich curriculum year after year.

{You will find the Squeaker in this position, more and more.  She uses a Nook and it has helped spark her interest in reading.  As a dyslexic child, it has typically not been on the top of her list.}

I am, typically speaking anyway, a traditionalist when it comes to reading.  (Chill out!  I said I was a traditionalist with reading only!)  I love books.  I love the library.  I love the touch, feel and smell of books.  That said, I am making a BIG leap of faith this year.  We are trying out our eReaders and devices in our homeschooling curriculum.  The Squeaker and Scout both received Nooks for gifts last year, and the Bug is saving for a Kindle, so we should have everything ready for the beginning our academic year to go "whole-hog" with eReading.

NOVEL SELECTION: In choosing the novels for study on the Nook or Kindle, I chose each book carefully.  Each novel MUST meet the following criteria to be deemed worthy enough for our curriculum:

• A "living book" by definition. 
• MUST be available for Free Download.  If it is not a readily available FREE eBook or PDF . . . 
• Then the book must then be available at our local library.  

There are a select few exceptions to these criteria, but aren't there always?  There are books that we will actually "spring" for, but in those cases I will typically scourer the resale shops and Half-Priced Books to find them before we purchase brand new.  Trusting in God's Providence in our homeschool has brought us many blessings and far less stress with curriculum!


Here is the novel study plan for 2012 - 2013:
All Books Are Linked to a Free eBook or PDF version! 
Books denoted with * should be available at your local library or Half-Priced Books.

Grade Three:

• Heidi
• Aesop's Fables 
• The Adventures of Pinocchio by: Carlo Collodi
• The Bobbsey Twins
• Peter and Wendy by: Sir J.M. Barry
• Dr. Doolittle by: Hugh Lofting
• The Jungle Book by: Rayard Kipling
• Alice in Wonderland by: Lewis Carrol 
• Hans Brinker by: Mary Mapes Dodge

Grade Seven:

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by: Mark Twain
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by: Jules Vern
• Around the World in 80 Days by: Jules Vern
• Journey to the Center of the Earth by: Jules Vern
• The Story of My Life by: Helen Keller
• Tarzan of the Apes by:  Edgar Rice Burroughs
• The Life of King Alfred by: Asser the Bishop of Sherborne
• The Age of Chivalry  * 
• A Taste of Chacer by: Anne Malcomson * 

Family Read-A-Loud List - (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday)

• Pilgrim's Progress by: John Bunuan
• The Sign of the Beaver *
• Storytime with the Millers  * 
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by: C.S. Lewis *
• Mr. Midshipman Hornblower  * 
• Trial and Triumph  * 

Shakespeare
Term 1 & Term 2:  Henry V
Term 3: Merchant of Venice
Term 4: King Lear * Linking to the audio recording by LibriVox


So, there it is for the year . . . not including our "free reading" list and the library books the children check out during our frequent visits.  Hoping this is more than enough to keep them loving their literature and loving the process of learning.


What does your literature list look like this year?

Happy Homeschooling!

The Joyful Socks Mom     

Where We Are At? This week we are linking up at Homeschooling on the Cheap!