Where I Fail....Where Leveling Books Fails

I sure don't remember feeling this overwhelmed.....not since I worked a part-time job and mothered a baby and toddler at the same time. Planning the school year has suddenly become a full-time job. I may as well write curriculum for money, as hard as this is.

I appealed to the Lord, complaining, "How will I get it all done and still love on my family...and find time to sleep at night?"

Quality of writing matters to me and I hate to put a book in front of a child with choppy sentences, weak wit, lack of imagination and detail. Poor or mediocre literature tells you the scene, while quality literature shows you the scene, with imagery, detail, and beautiful, flowing language.

Today I read a chapter from A Llama in the Family, by Johanna Hurwitz--a book I bought on Sonlight's recommendation. The quality of writing is so poor it's appalling. Notice the abundance of passive verbs in the excerpt below (weren't, is, wouldn't let, was, weren't, was, went, were, been).

Why publish this as is, instead of sending it back to the writer, asking for stronger verbs? Is it all about money?

I pedaled on down the road and stopped at the Grand Union. April and Ethan Allen weren't in the parking lot, and since there is a notice outside that says No Dogs Allowed, I knew for sure that they wouldn't let a llama inside either. Then I pedaled over to the post office. There was no sign of April or Ethan Allen there. They weren't at the barbershop or the gas station.
A police car with a flashing light and blaring siren passed me as I cycled down the road. It was headed north, toward my house. A shudder went through me. Maybe April and Ethan Allen were in big trouble. Maybe the'd been hit by a car.

The book is a 740L, putting it at fourth grade, but nothing can be gained from reading it. I'm giving it to Goodwill, in fact.

As hard as it is to compile a book list from scratch, it's worth my time investment. It will take much prayer and I'll probably end up preparing only a month ahead of my fourth grader, but I've learned that I can't choose a book from a curriculum publisher, or from a Lexile level, or from an online synopsis.

I have to pick up a book and read it to decide if it's worthy of our time. There are no short cuts.

I definitely need to take the weight of this semester off my shoulders and put it at the Lord's feet. There are fabulous books out there, waiting to fill my sons' hearts and minds with wonder. I've made a mess of this, wasting at least some of my money in the process.

Time to let Him take over.

Why do we need to learn this same lesson over and over, time after time? 


We are nothing without Him.


When life overwhelms, it's our own fault. Always. The Lord doesn't over-burden or confuse.


What do you need to put at His feet today?


Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.


Jeremiah 31:25
I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."

Homeschooling With College In Mind

Do you know it's possible to provide a high-quality homeschool program with just a library and computer at your disposal? Ask me how I know this.

This year I have less to spend on curriculum than ever before, so I'm relying heavily on prayer, instinct, research and the library. I have a basic curriculum philosophy that makes this task less daunting than it seems

Here's my two cents on what upper-elementary children need. 

Able students ages nine and over should read for an hour a day, write for a half-hour, edit their writing for fifteen minutes (learning grammar, spelling, and mechanics in the process, with adult help), do math for forty-five minutes, and be asked to speak about their reading and learning for at least fifteen minutes, in the form of narration. 

Hands-on learning should take up another eight hours a week (student-directed most of the time), and a couple hours a week should be spent learning about classical art and music. And of course, keep them moving for physical fitness, clear thinking, and stress reduction.

Follow these generic guidelines and your student will read, write, speak and think well enough to make a difference in this life.

While not everyone is college material, I do plan to educate my children with college as a distant goal, unless the Lord makes it clear we're to pursue another path.

How important is college? 

I think young adults who've learned a trade or business from their parents can easily skip it. But those with no trade experience or entrepreneurial talent will need to consider some type of college.....and be academically ready for it.

17.1% of Americans have a bachelor's degree and 9.9% have a doctorate or professional degree. 53.9% of Americans have attended college to some degree. My husband and I both have bachelor's degrees and a good amount of post-graduate units. It would be unusual if our children weren't able to attain at least what we have, in terms of education.

And so as I research what we'll learn and read this year, I keep college-readiness in mind...second only to their heart learning.

One of my most time-consuming tasks is to compile a book list for my fourth grader. As I've researched for this, I've been surprised to find that most grade-level reading material is not challenging enough to prepare students for college. For example, typical texts offered to fourth graders across the country have a 640L to 789L Lexile measure. The Lexile method of leveling books uses two important indicators of text difficulty......word frequency and sentence length. College and career readiness by the end of grade 12 requires grade 4 students to be reading texts in the 770L to 910L range. See tables below.

With this range in mind I endeavored to find a book list I could trust, so that every year I'm not forced to compile my own....requiring hours and hours of work. Surprisingly, even Sonlight, a highly-respected literature-based homeschooling company, recommends books for fourth graders (Core E for history-based books/biographies, or Grade 4/5 readers for lighter fare) with Lexiles too low to push students toward college readiness. I found only six books within the desired range, from both lists. There may be a few more, but some of the books aren't yet Lexile leveled.

All my efforts thus far leave me with a book list containing a whopping twelve books...which won't get us very far into the year. About six are history-based and the other six are more enjoyable, story-driven picks.

Freedom Train

Shades of Gray

Turn Homeward, Hannalee

Old Yeller

Thimble Summer

Sing Down The Moon  

Frindle

Socks

Ralph S. Mouse

Emily's Runaway Imagination

Mustang Wild Spirit of the West

The Toothpaste Millionaire

I've decided my next project, as Peter reads through this list of twelve books, is to level the entire list of Newberry Medal and Honor books. Once that's done, I'll have that prepared list to draw from this year, and in the coming years. Fortunately, both my boys' interests are piqued when they see the familiar Newberry Medal or Honor symbol on the cover of books. Their respect for this symbol works in my favor!

To look up the Lexile level for a book, use this link and go to the "quick book search" box at the top right of the page. If Lexile hasn't leveled it yet, try doing it yourself with this link.

I will require Peter to read in the college-readiness range for 30 minutes a day, and for another 30 minutes he can read whatever he desires. Last year, his third-grade year, he read fiction books that were too low (Boxcar Children and other mysteries). Fortunately though, he also read a lot of adult-level birding and gardening books that brought his overall reading ability much higher. 

The information below is excerpted from the Lexile website (link for the information here), and is included in this post for your information. Whether your child is home taught or goes to a traditional school, you'll find this information interesting and useful. It shouldn't be regarded as gospel, by any means, but since many books are labeled with a Lexile level, this at least introduces you to the Lexile system. At this link you'll find a general overview, which you may want to read before looking at what I've provided below

_____________________________________________________

Lexile®-to-Grade correspondence 

There is no direct correspondence between a specific Lexile measure and a specific grade level. Within any classroom or grade, there will be a range of readers and a range of reading materials. For example, in a fifth-grade classroom there will be some readers who are ahead of the typical reader (about 250L above) and some readers who are behind the typical reader (about 250L below). To say that some books are "just right" for fifth graders assumes that all fifth graders are reading at the same level. The Lexile^® Framework for Reading is intended to match readers with texts at whatever level the reader is reading.

MetaMetrics^® has studied the ranges of Lexile reader measures and Lexile text measures at specific grades in an effort to describe the typical Lexile measures of texts and the typical Lexile measures of students of a given grade level. This information is for descriptive purposes only and should not be interpreted as a prescribed guide about what an appropriate reader measure or text measure should be for a given grade.

The tables below show the middle 50% of reader measures and text measures for each grade. The middle 50% is called the interquartile range (IQR). The lower number in each range marks the 25th percentile of readers or texts and the higher number in each range marks the 75th percentile of readers or texts. It is important to note that 25% of students and texts in the studies had measures below the lower number and 25% had measures above the higher number. Data for the reader measures came from a national sample of students.

Typical Reader Measures, by Grade

Grade	Reader Measures, Mid-Year 25th percentile to 75th percentile (IQR)
1	Up to 300L
2	140L to 500L
3	330L to 700L
4	445L to 810L
5	565L to 910L
6	665L to 1000L
7	735L to 1065L
8	805L to 1100L
9	855L to 1165L
10	905L to 1195L
11 and 12	940L to 1210L

Data for the first column of text measures came from a research study designed to examine collections of textbooks designated for specific grades (MetaMetrics, 2009). The "stretch" text measures (defined in 2010 through studies related to the development of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts) in the second column represent the demand of text that students should be reading to be college and career ready by the end of Grade 12.

Typical Text Measures, by Grade

Grade	Text Demand Study 2009 25th percentile to 75th percentile (IQR)	"Stretch" Text Measures 25th percentile to 75th percentile (IQR)
1	230L to 420L	220L to 500L
2	450L to 570L	450L to 620L
3	600L to 730L	550L to 790L
4	640L to780L	770L to 910L
5	730L to 850L	860L to 980L
6	860L to 920L	950L to 1040L
7	880L to 960L	1000L to 1090L
8	900L to 1010L	1040L to 1160L
9	960L to 1110L	1080L to 1230L
10	920L to 1120L	1110L to 1310L
11 and 12	1070L to 1220L	1210L to 1360L

Notice that there is considerable overlap between the grades. This is typical of student reading levels and texts published for each grade. In addition, the level of support provided during reading and reader motivation have an impact on the reading experience. Students who are interested in reading about a specific topic (and are therefore motivated) often are able to read text at a higher level than would be forecasted by the reader's Lexile measure.

Although a student may be an excellent reader, it is incorrect to assume that he or she will comprehend text typically found at (and intended for) a higher grade level. A high Lexile measure for a student in one grade indicates that the student can read grade-level-appropriate materials at a very high comprehension rate. The student may not have the background knowledge or maturity to understand material written for an older audience. It is always necessary to preview materials prior to selecting them for a student.

It is important to note that the Lexile measure of a book refers to its text difficulty only. A Lexile measure does not address the content or quality of the book. Lexile measures are based on two well-established predictors of how difficult a text is to comprehend: word frequency and sentence length. Many other factors affect the relationship between a reader and a book, including its content, the age and interests of the reader, and the design of the actual book. The Lexile measure is a good starting point in your book-selection process, but you should always consider these other factors when making a decision about which book to choose.

The real power of The Lexile Framework is in matching readers to text-no matter where the reader is in the development of his or her reading skills-and in examining reader growth. When teachers know Lexile reader measures and Lexile text measures, they can match their students with the texts that will maximize learning and growth.

Support Shaun Groves' Album on iTunes

Shaun's music is slippin' a bit on Christian iTunes. Care to spread the word through your blog, or through your Twitter or Facebook page?  He would be blessed if you did!

Here is the link for buying on iTunes:  Third World Symphony

This excerpt below is from Compassion International's Press Release regarding Shaun's Aug. 30 Third World Symphony blog tour kick-off: http://thirdworldsymphony.com/tour/

In support of Third World Symphony, Groves has released a series of videos with more information about the album. The latest clip originated from a poignant experience during a trip with ministers in Ethiopia that lead to his decision to create new music. To view or embed the video, visit http://vimeo.com/27932751.


http://soundcloud.com/shaungroves/sets/third-world-symphony

Homework

Well friends, I have dishes to do, laundry to shuffle, and fifteen bags of groceries to put away, so not much time to sit here tonight.

The new Bible Study homework is to read and journal Mark 1 through Mark 10, due next Wednesday, September 8.

Here are details about a giveaway associated with the Bible Study homework.


This post explains why we decided to read all the gospels consecutively.

knees and blessings

Miss Beth's sprained knee is still swollen, though she seems to have full use of it most days. Pediatricians commonly tell worried parents that toddlers will stay off their injuries when necessary, unlike adults who try to push themselves. Well, she re-injured it on Monday, so I'd say that's not necessarily true. Though less swollen than the first forty-eight hours, there's still visible swelling and I'm concerned that the longer the fluid stays around, the more chance for infection in the joint. They'll eventually decide to insert a needle and drain the fluid if it stays around too long.

Yesterday morning she started with a limp again, and I considered taking her back to the ER, but after the stiffening subsided and the limp stopped, I changed my mind.

In an attempt to keep her off of it, we are trying to run extra errands and keep her in a stroller or carseat. Since I sold a little more curriculum, we went to a thrift store yesterday to gather fall/winter things for Miss Mary, who only had two pairs of pants to start the season. I hate getting myself into a one-to-wash-one-to-wear laundry situation. That never works around here.

In other news, my Peter--regular readers might recall--prays every summer for a praying mantis. Around this time they are full grown and more visible. Once again, the Lord provided, as you'll see below. 

Running into the house, Peter yells, "I caught a praying mantis!  Jesus told me to look in this one bush and at first I said to myself there was nothing there. Then I decided to look and I found a female mantis! Maybe we'll get an egg sac!" 

All these clothes are like new, though I'm not sure the pictures show that.

A Talbots jumper for church

pink Gap chenille pullover

Children's Place layering sweater in red

Old Navy fushia stripped hoodie

red Esprit sweatshirt

Simple shirt dress from Walmart, new

Cherokee jeans, look brand new though the picture makes them look old

new Arizona jeans with diamond jewels on pockets

A pair of new jeans for Peter and new navy cords for Paul (not pictured)

Always love finding book treasures at the thrift store! I'm sure there were more classics, but with four kids along, I could only look briefly.

Can you tell she wasn't thrilled about a picture just then? I'm mourning the loss of my sweet girl! While she still cuddles lovingly, there is much more attitude and whining over minor things. A stage I hope? She will be five in December.