For the Love of God- Based Reading...

With the Heart of Dakota program, you have to choose a separate Reading program or choose theirs, Drawn into the Heart of Reading. I wanted to get DITHOR, but I couldn't afford it. Lucky for me, I have Ebay. We started using Christian Light's Bridges Beyond, but Laura was having a tough time getting into it. I started looking around for what else I could do.

I had gotten a workbook made by Harcourt Family Learning for Reading Skills. I used it last year, and had picked one up from Barnes and Noble for this year. It helps with teaching things such as facts, sequence, context, main idea, conclusion, and inferences. I was going to use it plus just regular books. Then I looked back on last year and reevaluated what had worked for us and what hadn't.

I had gotten most of the Abeka readers for third grade last year from a store that sells used homeschool supplies. With the exception of one, Laura loved them. She read them up. I checked into their new readers, but could only afford to buy one. I decided to have Laura reread The Secret in the Maple Tree so she could follow it up with Song of the Brook, the second in the series. Then, I got lucky, and found all the readers for fourth grade on ebay for a very good price. I snatched them up quickly. They will last Laura the rest of the year.

Now, we can still read whole books too. In fact, I'm gonna insist on it. And at this point, nothing will stop our read aloud time. It has become very precious to me. I see it as a key to so much more than I ever thought. But now Laura has some interesting stories to read on her own with some comprehension questions added that I don't have to make up myself.

There are two novels in the fourth grade. One of them, Saved at Sea, Laura already read with the ACE program at the beginning of the year. The other, Song of the Brook, I have decided Laura will begin after Christmas Break. She also has four readers filled with short stories and poetry.

I'll still use the Reading Skills book. I also got the Adventures in Other Lands speed and comprehension reader when I bought the Abeka readers. I'll alternate the Reading Skills book with the Adventures book. Adventures in Other Lands was written by Matilda Nordtvedt, the same author of Secret in the Maple Tree and Song of the Brook. So far, I have liked her stories.

I know that the popular thing right now is to stray away from readers and stick with whole books. I normally agree. We love books in this house. However, I will use what works. Laura likes lots of variety, and this gives it to her. I'm not looking at the Abeka readers as a reading text. The books are filled with God-filled stories with strong morals.

Hopefully this will end my searching.