I’ve got something so amazing to share with you today that I almost cannot contain myself! It’s something that has been in the works or a long, long time; something that could revolutionize the way you do Charlotte Mason Homeschooling. It’s what we have named “The Lesson Book.”
I can’t stand it when people are discouraged from discovering something wonderful which could set them free, can you? This is so true when it comes to homeschooling, and particularly when it comes to Charlotte Mason homeschooling. There is such a simplicity to this method most moms never experience due to misinformation.
You see, I am a mom of 15 children and I have been homeschooling for the past three decades. I have cycled through almost every new idea that has come down the pike, from all-out boxed curriculum to unschooling. Along the way I have been able to glean the best out of all and create an environment of creative freedom coupled with structured academics. I believe this to be the balance that ensures children have both the tools and the freedom to take on learning and make it personal, productive, and life-giving.
It took me years upon years of research and observation before I was able to strike the balance my children and I enjoy today. While the journey was exciting and necessary, it is my hope I can shorten the trip quite a bit for you, my dear readers, so you can begin enjoying more of the fruits early-on with your children.
The Lesson Book is part of this effort.
One of the reasons I created this series of books is because I understand the needs of moms like me. We want so much for our children that we would give them slices of the moon on silver platters if we could. However, given the heavy responsibilities of rearing children, running a household, and often doing side jobs to help fatten the paycheck, our time and energy limits what we are actually able to accomplish.
Because of this we suffer from inner turmoil. In order to give our children the education of our dreams, what will we let go?–the house, the bills, our health, our own dear husbands?
For me, none of the above are negotiable. There is only one way to make sure every area is covered: Simplification. This is why I am constantly creating ways to streamline my life, to make “simples” out of messes.
The Lesson Book is one of those simples.
Here I have taken the best of workbooks:
- A definite place for distracted children to write responses and record information
- A compilation of work that is bound together into a book so that it cannot be easily lost and forgotten
- A way to turn things on “autopilot” for those days when the repairman is called or Mom has the flu
- An easy way to keep track of, record, and correct a child’s work
And combined them with the excellence and freedom of Charlotte Mason:
- Each lesson section is not specific, but open-ended.
- There are places designated for the different parts of her method, such as copywork, narration, and dictation.
- The lessons are easily adaptable to almost any type of literature, from the McGuffey readers, to any story or novel, to the Bible, and beyond.
- There is plenteous room for drawing and doodling (or cutting and pasting).
I’ve actually offered a free download of the types of pages in this book which you can definitely enjoy as well. However, these lesson books are even better because:
- You don’t have to print the pages out
- You don’t have to compile them and find a way to
losesave them - You don’t have to search between the couch cushions to find them
There are even FIVE levels–one for each stage in your child’s learning journey.
Level One:
This level is for those children who are beginning to understand the basics of word composition and are sounding out simple sentences. I love to use this one with the McGuffey’s Pictorial Eclectic Primer and McGuffey’s First Eclectic Reader (original version from Mott Media), but you could also use it with a simple book such as Dr. Seuss’ Hop on Pop
Level Two:
This is for those children who are doing well at reading whole sentences and paragraphs and have a good understanding as to the construction of words and sentences. I love to use this one with the McGuffey’s Second Eclectic Reader (original version from Mott Media), but you could also use it with a simple book such as Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad Together.
Level Three:
This is for those children who are becoming more comfortable with reading and writing so they no longer need guidelines as in primary lessons. I love to use this one with the second half of the McGuffey Second Eclectic Reader (original version from Mott Media), but you could also use it with a simple book such as Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.
Level Four:
This is for those children who are fluent readers but are building on their vocabulary and writing skills. I love to use this one with the McGuffey’s Fourth Eclectic Reader (revised version), McGuffey’s Fifth Eclectic Reader (also revised), or McGuffey’s Third Eclectic Reader (original version from Mott Media), but you could also use it with a novel such as The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.
Level Five:
This level is for those children who are confident readers and writers but need to be challenged in fluidity, complexity, and higher vocabulary. I love to use this one with the McGuffey’s Sixth Eclectic Reader (revised version), but you could also use it with a challenging book such as Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. (Don’t be afraid to mix things up and use this book for both at the same time.)
I know you have oodles and oodles of questions, such as what the inside pages look like, example pages, and more exact information on the different levels.
Can high schoolers get a grammar and comp credit by doing the language arts pages?
As the parents of your child, you decide what qualifies as a grammar and comp credit.
Do you go straight from the 2nd original reader into the 4th revised and skip the 3rd revised and/or original?
I have a student with dyslexia and she is a fluent reader but I feel I need to micromanage bc she “thinks” she reading the word properly but she isn’t. The other day she read the word “estate” as “castle” or when she reads an unfamiliar word like “aisle” she will read it as “ā-sle”. So I do not feel confident in letting her just do the lessons by herself. I feel like I need to hear her read them to me outloud so that I can correct any mistakes and clarify vocabulary. She also thinks she knows the meaning of some of the words she comes across and when I catch it, she’s very wrong about the definition.
I don’t know how you combine doing the McGuffeys and also doing other novels at the same time. My daughter is also a terrible speller so I have her in the 2nd reader right now bc of the word lists. They are on her level of spelling instruction. But then I read somewhere that the mcguffeys really aren’t for spelling and more for reading. She can read the words lists fine and the stories fine but struggles with retaining new vocabulary. We’ve been working on the word “vain” for like 3 weeks now. By working on, I mean when it comes up in the story I’ll be like “remember what that word means?” And then I’ll have her write a sentence using the word. I’m very new to this and have fallen down the rabbit hole of all the YouTube moms and their boxed curriculum and thinking I need all of that. Then I bought all of it and it’s just too much. There has to be a simpler way; then I found you. I just don’t know how to implement it bc it’s so different from what I’m used to, being public schooled myself. I was honors and did very well.
These are all very good questions and show just what a caring, interested mommy you are. As for your daughter, I have one just “graduated” that fits that description. For her, it was a matter of racing fast so she would misread because she didn’t want to take the time to break down a word she didn’t know; she’d rather guess it. I made her slow down when she read, and this seemed to help a lot, even though at the time she would chafe a bit. Of course, drilling heavily on phonics really helped a lot, as it does with all those with these difficulties. (I really drilled, drilled, drilled–the method I used is for free on my website).
From what you have described, I see you are doing all the right things. I know it seems like you are watching paint dry sometimes, but it learning to read well is more like that than running a race. This was hard for me to fathom because I was practically born reading, but for those who struggle it is so gradual we hardly notice until we look back six months and realize the progress. Thankfully, the McGuffey’s allow for that slow, incremental progress. This same little girl has grown up to be reading Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables” for fun in the few moments she is not doing her college coursework.
As for the different versions of the McG’s:
Just sit your daughter down and see where she fits. You don’t have to be at the beginning of any of the books–they aren’t meant to be used for only one year each. Just have her read a passage from one of them and take note of her difficulty level. The idea is to keep them at a level of challenge without causing them to be frustrated. I think you know what I mean.
Also, for more interest, you could add in some of the Reading-Literature series by Treadwell and Free–you can find these here: https://www.yesterdaysclassics.com/products/reading-literature-second-reader-by-harriette-taylor-treadwell
Also, for Bible reading I have found the NLT to be on an easier-to-read level, although I’m not totally convinced it is the best translation, at least it can be an encouragement to early readers.
I hope this blesses you!
Thank you for responding! We have her at a local place for dyslexia reading therapy. That’s all I know to do. She could read the 4th reader fine I think, but towards the end of the 2nd reader, I looked at some of the lessons and I think there would be a lot of words she either wouldn’t know how to read or wouldn’t know the meaning of. (I haven’t had her try though so I could be wrong) But she’s read a few random stories throughout the 4th reader without an issue. Her struggle is longer words and vocabulary, specifically retaining vocabulary. So I’m not sure what to do. I don’t want to hold her back and hinder her if she’s able to do the 4th reader and maybe we just get a workbook for extra vocab practice.
I don’t think a workbook is necessary. I personally like using copywork, narration, and dictation with the McG’s. These practices will far exceed any workbook. The dictation may be just the ticket, but in a different way than we are used to. You pick a passage and go over it, including the large words to make sure your child is able to say and spell them correctly. You also explain any punctuation and grammar used. Then, and only after the child is well familiar with the passage, you dictate the portion to your child and she writes it down as she hears it (it’s OK to help if she gets stuck). This would help slow down her mind so she could see the importance of syllabication, etc. It’s really so simple but so genius. After you have helped her do this a number of times, she will have a habit forming in her own mind that will almost become automatic. I think this might be a solution to the problem you described.
Would you go ahead and put her in the 4th book then? How long should it take going over the dictation passage before she should have it down? Sometimes we’ve done it for 3 days and there’s still mistakes so I’m not sure what to do there. The main reason I was keeping her in the 2nd book is for spelling and not necessarily bc she can’t read it.
You never did say if you go from the 2nd reader straight to the 4th or if you do the 3rd bc I’ve seen both in your videos and am confused.
I’m sorry for your confusion. I think this is where you need to pray and ask for insight. Both may be just as valid. You have to consider what your particular child might need. Just try some things out and see what develops, then pivot as necessary. Learning is less of a science and more of an art. I know you can do this!