When we first started homeschooling Katie, I wasn't too particular about the books she read. She was a good reader, and that made homeschooling easy--a tremendous advantage. You could just set something in front of her, and she would do it.
As time went on with her, I realized the benefit of maximizing her reading time. I realized that her favorite books had an element of adventure in them. We started reading some biographies, and I soon realized how much more she was learning this way, how many subjects are covered to one extent or another through these books, and how adventurous and interesting their lives are--fact is stranger than fiction, and real characters are far deeper and more interesting than fake ones. I found that a missions biography covers faith, history, reading, and geography, and sometimes other subjects such as science. Not that you wouldn't have to cover these subjects in another format, but it's a great expansion on it. And perhaps using enough of them, you won't need to use so many of the textbooks that bored you so much during your school years. In addition, Christian biographies show the wondrous works of God; sometimes they show how His work through a believer affects the lives of a whole population.
This last year, since Tim in second grade needs maximum interest to keep him inclined to stay with a story to the end, I chose to cover first the scientific discoveries that determined that the earth was not at the center of the universe, and also how the earth was first measured. Then we read about explorers. I used short stories, mostly from old books, and they were fascinating for me as well as for him. He loved it! Many of the explorers were motivated in some way by faith. They sought to find a way around the world or through a continent, to conquer new lands for their country, and sometimes to spread the gospel in other areas of the world.
When Katie was in about 5th grade, she and I ran a missions reading program at our previous church to encourage others to read these same types of books. We found that there were many great biographies that were only available through missions organizations, so we ordered them and found that they were some of our favorite finds.
In the process, I created a couple of response forms that the participants had to complete after they read a book. The forms asked them some of the same questions they would have to answer in a book report. I asked the readers what they would like to imitate in the life of the subject of the book; also what they would not like to imitate; what they most admired...various questions that made clear whether they truly read the book. I think I only received one form that made me convinced that the girl had not in fact read the book.
One day it struck me that I could use these forms in homeschooling. I made many response forms for the various kinds of books that she'd encounter (along with various others for research projects of various kinds). The response forms were a good way of doing a quick book report or study without having to wrestle with all the report-writing that I remember taking so much time and energy in my school career...she could spend more time reading, researching, learning. She read biographies about great scientists, explorers, presidents, composers and inventors.
If I wanted her to read about a less-savory character in history, I gave her a shorter article rather than a whole book. That way she wouldn't delve into that character and wouldn't read the works of a writer that wrote it sympathizing with an ungodly point of view.
All throughout her twelve years, the most colorful and engaging portion of Katie's schooling had to do with learning about individuals throughout history. Now, I believe that overall, she has a far more comprehensive and vivid awareness of great movers in history than if we'd stuck to textbooks only. I intend to use this method again in teaching my son. The forms I made, however, are more useful for over fifth grade; still, until then, I still intend to teach him using lots and lots of biographies.
Take a look at your library's biographies for children, and then compare with similar-level fictional writings side by side. I think you'll see a huge difference and find the biographies far preferable.
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