I thought it was a bad idea before...
Just a quick one before I get to take three small children on a few errands.
Madeleine is five--kindergarten age. We just started the Catholic National Reader Book One, so I estimate she's got a first-grade reading level or so. I'm reading Wilder's On the Banks of Plum Creek to her.
Yesterday, just for fun, I asked her to read me a paragraph from the chapter we're in. She could choose it. So she read:
"Jack was waiting to meet them at the ford that night, and at supper they told Pa and Ma all about school. When they said they were using Teacher's slate, Pa shook his head. They must not be beholden for the loan of a slate."
The only word that gave her pause was "beholden."
My quick thoughts: Why are we dumbing these down again? Do we have zero expectations for our kids?
And: the longer we homeschool, the better decision I think it has been.
Labels: books, commentary, homeschooling, kids
4 Comments:
i just started re-reading On the Banks of Plum Creek yesterday. I haven't read the little house books since I was a pre-teen and am enjoying them immensely. I can't wait until I can share them with Isabella.
I'm confused...what triggered you on the 'dumbing down' bit? Was it the homeschooling curriculum that's dumbing things down, or is On the Banks of Plum Creek considered to be a much higher reading level than first grade? I never found Wilder's books to be an especially difficult read...
Kasia--
The "dumbing down" is the other Little House series about Martha, Charlotte, and Caroline. The originals have gone out of print while they turn them into easy readers.
I'll put in a link that will explain it. Sorry for the confusion.
Ohhh. I only read one of the books out of the other series...it didn't grab me the way Wilder's books did. (Of course, I also read it in my mid-20s...)
Thanks for the clarification!
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