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| Date: From: Subject: | 5/3/2007 10:03:21 AM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School Newsletter -- May 2007 |
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#=====--------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Thru High School Newsletter--May 2007 The Pursuit and Pleasure of Reading -------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Friends, Can you believe it's May? With the end of your school year fast approaching, why not plan a fun surprise activity with your teen this month? Maybe something as simple as surprising him or her with a day off from school! While your teen is enjoying the day off, print out this email, take it with you to the local coffee shop, and sip a latte or double chai, letting out a long sigh, and saying a prayer asking the Lord to help you finish out the year with grace and strength. Since summer is just around the corner, this may be a good time to plan and promote a "summer reading program" for your teens. You might even offer an incentive to your children to read a variety of good books throughout the summer. So, this month we'd like to focus on reading suggestions for your teens and give you some ideas for increasing your teens' desire to read. REQUIRED READING Every high school academic program should include four years of English, and a component of that English course should include reading good literature. For help in teaching your teen to analyze literature and dig a bit deeper into literary techniques such as foreshadowing, mood, character development, and so forth, consider using prepared study guides such as those offered by Progeny Press http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4050 or Total Language Plus http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4051 . Both of these publishers offer a good variety of novels and study guides for the high school student. Do keep records of the books your children read for these academic courses. They may come in handy should you be asked to detail what those English courses covered. RECREATIONAL READING Mark Twain once said, "The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." So, in addition to the books your teen reads for his academic English course, encourage him to read for pleasure. Pleasure reading should be just what the name implies--reading for joy, delight, and personal satisfaction--no assignment, no deadline, no questions to complete for discussion. Your goal is to persuade your child to see books as friends. It's not that pleasure reading can't be educational, but removing the pressure of "having to learn" from a book will allow your teen to simply enjoy the time spent reading. Plan to incorporate into your school day a 30-minute or so reading time where you and all the children retreat to quiet individual places to enjoy reading while munching a light snack before hitting the school books again. Or consider choosing an exciting book on tape to play only while the family is eating lunch or dinner together--beware, though, they may begin to eat VERY slowly! READING LISTS Why not start a list of book suggestions for your teen and have him check off the books he reads during the high school years? Some colleges, including Patrick Henry College, require that students applying for admission submit their high school reading list. Here are some resources that will give you many suggestions for books to place on your list. Divide up the list into categories (missionary biographies, historical novels, personal interest books, etc.) and ask your teen to vary his reading selections by choosing books from as many different categories as he can. We preface these reading lists by remembering Paxton Hood's excellent advice: "Be as careful of the books you read, as the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as by the latter." Read for Your Life by Gladys Hunt http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4052 Great Books of the Christian Tradition by Terry Glaspey http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4053 Invitation to the Classics by Louise Cowan and Os Guinness http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4054 Reading Between the Lines: A Christian Guide to Literature by Gene Edward Veith http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4055 Books Children Love: A Guide to the Best Children's Literature by Elizabeth Laraway Wilson and Susan Schaeffer McCauley http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4056 College Board's 101 Great Books Recommended for College Bound Readers http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4057 Center for Applied Research in Education http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4058 These two reference books also contain suggested reading lists for teens: The High School Handbook by Mary Schoefield http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4059 Homeschooling High School: Planning Ahead for College Admission http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4060 RELUNCTANT READERS Some of you may have one child who is a voracious reader--she may wear out her library card before too long!--and another child who not only does not like to read, but actually sees reading as a form of punishment! Same parents, same genetic heredity, same trips to the library each week, same "I read aloud to both of them," and yet they have very different reading appetites. God has certainly made each one of us unique, hasn't He? Here are some ideas to help you motivate your reluctant reader: * Biographies are a good place to start--reading about the lives of individuals with both their struggles and accomplishments is something we can easily relate to. * Find an area of interest and take a minute to research books on the topic. Categories might include: particular authors, science fiction/fantasy, adventure stories, mysteries, the classics, settings in specific geographical areas, sports, historical fiction and many, many more. * Books on tape are a great way to introduce a new author and perhaps entice an unmotivated reader. Public libraries usually have a wide assortment of books on tape. * Take it in small chunks--perhaps ask your teen to read for 10 or 15 minutes as you prepare his breakfast or lunch each day; or while you are cooking, ironing, folding laundry, have her read out loud to you so you both can enjoy the story. * Reading aloud to your children (yes, even your teens) will not only bring you all together for a time, but also train their listening skills. Be sure to keep their attention by reading with expression. Don't be discouraged if your child is not a reader--he or she may just need time. Neither of our husbands frequented books as youngsters, but now as adults, they both name reading as their favorite pastime and enjoy their children surprising them with gift certificates from a bookstore. Also, we both have sons who choked on books in high school, but one of us is happy to report that a book actually made last Christmas' wish list! Miracles do happen! We hope your teen catches the excitement of expanding his or her reading interests and exploring new people, places, and ideas through books. Next month, we'll share with you information on contests, competitions, and sources of scholarships that may not only be fun for your teen to enter, but may also provide much needed financial help to cover future educational costs. Until then, grab a good book, and enjoy a few peaceful moments reading before you end your day. With joy and grace to you, Becky Cooke and Diane Kummer HSLDA High School Coordinators We began writing the high school email newsletters beginning in September, 2005. If you've just recently subscribed to these newsletters, you may want to read the back issues you've missed by accessing the newsletter archive at: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4061 As you are ordering your curriculum for the next school year, please consider ordering them through HSLDA's Clicks for Homeschooling program. When you order through the Clicks for Homeschooling program a percentage of each order is donated by the merchant to the Home School Foundation which helps needy homeschooling families. For more information see http://www.hslda.org/clicks4hs/ . Check the high school section of HSLDA's website regularly because we are always adding new items: http://www.hslda.org/highschool/ . If your teen will graduate this year, you may order your graduation supplies (announcements, diplomas, caps and gowns, etc.) from the HSLDA bookstore: http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=4062 Our conference schedule for the summer is as follows: June 8-9, 2007 Annual Christian Homeschoolers of Idaho State Convention, Boise, ID http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3656 (Becky and Diane) July 12-14, 2007 24th Annual Christian Home Educators Convention, Long Beach, CA http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3657 (Diane) July 13-14, 2007 Annual Northern Virginia Home Education Conference, Chantilly, VA http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3837 (Becky) September 21, 2007 Indiana Foundation for Home Schooling MapYour Future 07, Indianapolis, IN http://www.hslda.org/about/calendar/ (Becky and Diane) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Who's knocking on your door? When a social service worker arrives at your door, tension can run high. 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