2014-winter-journal-print

issue 116 winter 2014
A PUBLICATION OF
Oak Meadow
Living Education
Curriculum & School
Learning
Through Literature
“I used to fear books, and I would judge them based on
their size. Now when I look at a book I wonder what
that book can teach me. I see possibilities for growth as
a person inside each book. I don’t just see pages anymore,
but rather a journey full of ups and downs, and all the
emotions it can take you through.”—Ava, British Literature student
IN THIS ISSUE…
A Child’s Journey with Dickens, 1868 e Can Classics Compete?
Earth Cycles: Seasonal Activities e Ribbon Bookmarks
CONTENT
Guest contribution
3 The Art and Science of Story
Terrariums
PAGE
Articles from Oak Meadow faculty
and staff
4 A Child’s Journey with Dickens, 1868
8 Breathing Life into Reading
Experiences
12 Can Classics Compete?
Oak Meadow families and
community
STUDENT WORK
14 Ara Vito “Queen of Binding”
21 Maren’s Doughty’s “Delicious”
Curriculum spotlight
19 English 9
Activities
18 Earth Cycles
Crafts
22 Oak Meadow: Ribbon Bookmarks
News and resources
20 Faculty Faves!
15 Resources
Living Education
A publication of Oak Meadow
To contact Oak Meadow
802-251-7250
[email protected]
Fax: 802-251-7258
oakmeadow.com
LIVING EDUCATION is the educational journal of Oak Meadow
and welcomes submissions from our readers. Send all inquiries
and submissions to [email protected]. We look
forward to sharing your story!
2
The intersections of science and
literature are perhaps endless—stories
can help to teach kids about everything
from weather to atomic structure in
an interesting, creative, and thoughtprovoking way. However, it is not often
that a combination of literature and
science results in a hands-on gardening
experience that serves as a beautiful
and unique home decoration and
reminder of a favorite story.
The Art &
Science
of Story
Terrariums
reprinted by permission from
Hilltown Families
Literrariums—a combination of the words
“literature” and “terrarium”—do exactly this!
Also called story terrariums, literrariums depict
scenes or represent themes from stories in
miniature. A literrarium might be a threedimensional representation of a favorite
children’s book illustration, a woodland scene
including important items or characters from a
book, or a landscape showing a story’s setting.
Whatever they represent, literrariums include lush
greenery, as well as natural objects and other small-scale
details that complete the scene—meaning that a literrarium
project offers lots of space for creatively conveying the main ideas
of a story while simultaneously learning how to effectively engineer the plants, mosses, and soil that
may live inside.
Such a project has many uses. Families could create their own literrariums together, inspired by their
favorite bedtime stories; educators could use a literrarium project as a way to challenge students to
convey ideas creatively; caring crafters of all ages can create personalized literrariums for the booklovers in their lives as gifts. It’s easy enough to decide your theme—just choose a book that you (or
a friend or family member) love, select your favorite scene or illustration, and you’re off!
Before embarking on a literrarium project, be sure to read up on proper terrarium creation and
maintenance. While terrarium plants are available at most gardening shops, there are many different
kinds and they don’t always enjoy living together! Be sure to learn about what makes a terrarium
different from most indoor plants—it’s important to keep in mind that unlike the orchid, jade, or a
spider plant that might inhabit your kitchen, a terrarium exists within a closed environment. Aside
from thinking about temperature and sunlight in your home, it’s important to consider the amount of
moisture that the plants that you include will need—if you combine plants that love to be damp with
some that don’t, your literrarium is bound to either dry up or mold!
This portion of the project allows for some great science learning to take place. Students will get
firsthand experience with the importance of thinking about habitat and the needs of various species,
and they’ll grow to understand the environment that they’ve created very well if they care for their
literrarium properly! For assistance with the moss and plants portion of the project, check out these
titles:
Tiny World Terrariums: A Step-by-Step Guide
Kids’ Container Gardening: Year-Round Projects for Inside and Out
Terrarium Craft: Create 50 Magical, Miniature Worlds
Gardening in Miniature: Create Your Own Tiny Living World
Written by Hilltown Families intern, Robin Huntley, MEd, a recent graduate of Antioch University early education program.
Hilltown Families is an online grassroots network dedicated to creating resilient and sustainable communities through communitybased education and engagement. Founded by Sienna Wildfield, Hilltown Families is based in western Massachusetts.
3
A Child’s Journey with Dickens, 1868
by Kate Douglas Wiggin, 1856–1923, author of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
transcribed, abridged, and introduced by Marnie Rogers, Oak Meadow high school English teacher
(Kate Douglas Wiggin was her great-grandmother’s cousin)
“
4
This account was written by Kate Douglas Wiggin in 1912
and published by Houghton Mifflin as “A Child’s Journey
with Dickens.” The journey itself took place in 1868, when
Kate was 11 years old. Charles Dickens, who was 56, was
near the end of his life (some say it was the grueling round
of readings he undertook for this American tour that led to
his death). Ten years later, when Kate was 21, she became
a kindergarten teacher. In the slums San Francisco, she
founded the first public kindergarten west of the Mississippi, called The Silver Street Free Kindergarten. According
to The New International Encyclopedia from 1905, “the
children were ‘street Arabs of the wildest type’, but Kate
had a loving personality and dramatic flair and by 1880,
she had formed a teacher-training school in conjunction
with the Silver Street Kindergarten.” To raise money for
her school, she began writing children’s books. Rebecca of
Sunnybrook Farm was written in 1903.
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
W
W
When I was a little girl, I lived, between the ages of
six and sixteen, in a small village in Maine. My sister
and I had few playmates, but things were never dull.
We were fortunate, too, in that our house was on
the brink of one of the loveliest rivers in the world.
No child could be lonely who lived on the brink of
such a river; and then we had, beside our studies and
country sports, our books, which were the dearest of
all our friends.
It is a long time ago, but I can see very clearly a certain set of black walnut book shelves, hanging on
the wall of the family sitting room, and I read and
re-read the particular volumes in this one from year
to year. On the top shelf were Typee, Undine, poems
by Longfellow and Byron, The Arabian Nights, The
Lamplighter, Scottish Chiefs, Ivanhoe, and The Life of
P.T. Barnum. This last volume had been given me
on my birthday by a grateful neighbor for saving the
life of a valuable Jersey calf tethered on the too steep
slopes of our river bank. This was the last book on
the top shelf, and on the one next below were most
of the novels of Charles Dickens, more eagerly devoured than all the rest.
It seems to me that no child nowadays has time to
love an author as the children and young people of
that generation loved Dickens. From our yellow dog,
Pip, to the cat, the canary, the lamb, the cow, down to
all the chickens, almost every living thing was named,
sooner or later, after one of Dickens’s characters. My
favorite sled, painted in brown, with the title in brilliant red letters, was The Artful Dodger.
For periodical literature we had in our house Harper’s Magazine and Littell’s Living Age, but my sister
and I never read newspapers, so that there was a moment of excitement when my mother, looking up
from The Portland Press, told us that Mr. Dickens
was coming to America. In due time we heard that
he had arrived in New York and had begun the series
of readings from his books; then he came to Boston,
which was still nearer, and then—day of unspeakable
excitement—we learned he would give one reading
in Portland, which was only sixteen miles away from
our village.
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
It chanced that my mother was taking me to Charlestown, Massachusetts, to pay a visit to an uncle on
the very day after the one appointed for the great
event in Portland. She, therefore, planned to take
me into the town the night before, and to invite the
cousin, at whose house we were to sleep, to attend
the reading with her. I cannot throw a more brilliant
light on the discipline of that period than to say that
the subject of my attending the reading was never
once mentioned. The price of tickets was supposed
to be almost prohibitory. I neither wailed nor wept,
nor made any attempt to set aside the parental decrees, but if any martyr ever suffered more poignant
anguish than I, I am heartily sorry for him.
The days, charged with suppressed excitement, flew
by. I bade goodbye to my little sister, Nora, and my
mother and I embarked for Portland on the daily
train that dashed hither and thither at the rate of
about 12 miles an hour.
When the appointed night arrived, my mother and
her cousin set out for the Place, and the moment
they were out of sight I slipped out of the door and
followed them, traversing quickly the three or four
blocks that separated me from the old City Hall
and Preble House, where Dickens was stopping. I
gazed at all the windows and all the entrances of
both buildings without beholding any trace of my
hero. I watched the throng of happy, excited people crowding their way into the hall, and went home
in a chastened mood to bed—a bed which, as soon
as I got into it, was crowded with Little Nell, Florence Dombey, Bella Wilfer, Susan Nipper and Little
Em’ly. There were other dreams, too. For not only
had my idol provided me with human friends, to
love and laugh and weep over, he had wrought his
genius into things; so that, waking or sleeping, every bunch of holly or mistletoe, every plum pudding
was alive; every crutch breathed of Tiny Tim; every
cricket and every singing, steaming kettle had a soul.
The next morning we started on our railroad journey.
When the train stopped for two or three minutes at
North Berwick, the people on the side of the car next
to the station suddenly arose and looked eagerly out,
5
and my small nose was quickly flattened against one
of the panes. There on the platform stood the Adored
One! His hands were plunged deep in his pockets,
but presently one was removed to wave away laughingly a piece of famous Berwick sponge cake, offered
him by Mr. Osgood, of Boston, his traveling companion and friend.
I
I knew him at once!—the smiling, genial, mobile
face, rather highly colored, the brilliant eyes, the
watch chain, the red carnation in the button hole,
and the expressive hands, much given to gesture. It
was only a momentary view, for the train started,
and Dickens vanished, to resume his place in the car
next to ours, where he had been, had I known it, ever
since we left Portland.
When my mother was again occupied with her
book, I slipped away and entered the next car. I took
a humble, unoccupied seat near the end, close by
the tank of drinking water, and the train-boy’s basket of popcorn balls and molasses candy, and gazed
steadily at the famous man, who was chatting busily
with Mr. Osgood. I remembered gratefully that my
mother had taken the old ribbons off my gray velvet
hat and tied me down with blue under the chin, and
I thought, if Dickens should happen to rest his eye
upon me, that he could hardly fail to be pleased with
the effect of the blue ribbon that went under my collar and held a very small squirrel muff in place. Unfortunately, however, his eye never did meet mine.
“Well, upon my word!” he said; “you do not mean
to say that you have read them!”
“Of course I have,” I replied; “every one of them
but the two that we are going to buy in Boston, and
some of them six times.”
“Bless my soul! Those long thick books, and you
such a slip of a thing,”
H
Half an hour passed, and one gentleman after another
came from here or there to exchange a word of greeting
with the famous novelist, so that he was never for a
moment alone, thereby inciting in my breast my first,
and about my last, experience of the passion of jealousy. Suddenly, however, Mr. Osgood arose, and with an
apology went into the smoking car. I never knew how
it happened, but invisible ropes pulled me out of me
seat, and, speeding up the aisle, I planted myself timorously down, an unbidden guest, in the seat of honor. I
had a moment to recover my equanimity, for Dickens
was looking out of the window, but he turned in a moment, and said with justifiable surprise: —“God bless
my soul, where did you come from?”
6
“I came from Hollis, Maine,” I stammered, “and I’m
going to Charlestown to visit my uncle. My mother
and her cousin went to your reading last night, but,
of course, three couldn’t go from the same family, so
I stayed at home. Nora, that’s my little sister, stayed
at home too. She’s too small to go on a journey, but
she wanted to go to the reading dreadfully. There was
a lady there last night who had never heard of Betsy
Trotwood and had only read two of your books!”
“Of course,” I explained conscientiously, “I do skip
some of the very dull parts once in a while; not the
short dull parts, but the long ones.”
He laughed heartily. “Now, that is something that I
hear very little about,” he said. “I distinctly want to
learn more about those very dull parts.” And whether
to amuse himself, or to amuse me, I do not know,
he took out a notebook and pencil from his pocket
and proceeded to give me an exhaustive examination on this subject; the books in which the dull
parts predominated; and the characters and subjects
which principally produced them. He chuckled so
constantly during this operation that I could hardly
help believing myself extraordinarily agreeable, so I
continued dealing these infants blows, under the delusion that I was flinging him bouquets.
I remember feeling that I had never known anybody
so well and so intimately, and that I talked with him
as one talks under cover of darkness or before the
flickering light of a fire. It seems to me, as I look
back now, and remember how the little soul of me
came out and sat in the sunshine of his presence, that
I must have had some premonition that the child,
who would come to be a writer herself, was then
talking with one of the greatest; —talking, too, of
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
the author’s profession and high calling. All the little details of the meeting
stand out as clearly as though it had
happened yesterday. I can see every article of his clothing and my own; the
other passengers in the car; the landscape through the window, and above
all the face of Dickens, deeply lined,
with sparkling eyes and an amused,
waggish smile that curled the corners
of his mouth under his grizzled moustache.
“What book of mine do you like best?”
Dickens asked, I remember; and I answered, “Oh, I like David Copperfield
much the best. That is the one I have
read six times.”
“Six times, —good, good!” he relied; “I am glad you
like Davy, so do I;—I like it best, too!” clapping his
hands, which attracted the attention of the other
passengers, who looked in our direction now and
then, smiling at the interview, but preserving its privacy with the utmost friendliness.
O
“Did you want to go to my reading very much?” was
another question. Here was a subject that had never
once been touched upon in all the past days, —a
topic that stirred the very depths of my disappointment and sorrow, fairly choking me, and making my
lips tremble with its unexpectedness, as I faltered.
“Yes, more than tongue can tell.”
I looked up a second later, when I was sure that the
tears in my eyes were not going to fall, and to my astonishment saw that Dickens’s eyes were in precisely
the same state of moisture.
D
“Do you cry when you read out loud?” I asked curiously. “We all do in our family. And we never read
about Tiny Tim, or about Steerforth when his body
is washed up on the beach, on Saturdays nights, or
our eyes are too swollen to go to Sunday School.”
“Yes, I cry when I read about Steerforth,” he answered quietly, and I felt no astonishment.
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
“We cry the worst when it says, ‘All the men who
carried him had known him and gone sailing with
him, and seen him merry and bold.’” I confided.
We were now fast approaching our destination, the
station in Boston, and the passengers began to collect their wraps and bundles. “You are not traveling
alone?” he asked, as he arose to put on his overcoat.
“Oh, no,” I answered, coming down to earth for the
first time since I had taken my seat beside him—
“No, I had a mother, but I forgot all about her.”
Dickens took me back to the forgotten mother, and
introduced himself, and I, still clinging to his hand,
left the car and walked with him down the platform
until he disappeared in the carriage with Mr. Osgood,
leaving me with the feeling that I must continue my
existence somehow in a dull and dreary world.
That was my last glimpse of him, but pictures made
in childhood are painted in bright hues, and this one
has never faded.
He had his literary weaknesses, Charles Dickens, but
they were all dear, big, attractive ones, virtues grown
a bit wild. Somehow when you put him—with his
elemental humor, his inexhaustible vitality, his humanity, sympathy, and pity—beside the Impeccables, he always looms large! Just for a moment, when
the heart overpowers reason, he even makes the flawless ones look a little faded and colorless!
7
Breathing Life into
Reading Experiences
by Apple Gifford
Whether you’re a teacher or a parent, sharing
literature with children is one of life’s greatest joys. In my years as a sixth grade teacher,
Literary Study Group was my favorite period
of the day. Each new book we read as a class was a journey we took together, and I loved
watching the class slowly transform as we became immersed in the story. Some books, such
as Tuck Everlasting, provided opportunities for hearty, good natured debates, while others,
such as Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, were more sobering and required students to contemplate uncomfortable historical realities. Every piece of literature we approached, whether
it was a short story, a sci-fi novel, or a gritty work of historical fiction, allowed students to
deepen their understanding of the human experience. Literature provided an important
counterpoint to the often confusing world of emerging adolescence. Within the framework
of literature, we could do things together that were not possible during the ordinary moments of the day; we could ask hard questions, express our deepest beliefs, and share bits of
ourselves within the larger, safer context of the book.
Studying literature also served a more practical pur- are required to summarize, analyze, and critique
pose: it provided a fun and meaningful way to teach what they read.
critical reading skills. Good literature engages the
imagination completely and requires readers to bring Teaching critical reading skills can be fun when done
themselves fully to the experience. Most 12-year-olds within the larger context of studying literature. In
can decode words and make meaning from them, fact, great literature does most of the teaching for
you, if you can stay flexible and open to the
but they have not yet developed the skills
process. It can be tempting to try to direquired to engage with a text on their
rect the lessons that your child draws
own terms. Strong readers don’t just
Strong readers
from a book, but most of the magread a text, they converse with
don’t just read a text,
ic happens when you let the charit. They predict, infer, evaluate,
acters and their stories speak for
they converse with it. They
reflect, critique, and question
as they go, and this leads to a predict, infer, evaluate, reflect, themselves.
richer, more fully developed excritique, and question as they SELECTING A BOOK
perience. It is important to beWhen selecting a work of literagin helping your child develop go, and this leads to a richer, ture to share with your child, first
these skills in early adolescence,
more fully developed
determine whether you will read the
as they will become increasingbook out loud, or whether your child
experience.
ly more important during the high
will read the book independently—
school and college years when students
or both. If your child is going to read the
8
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
book independently, it’s important that the book is
written at her reading level and that the emotional
content is relevant for her age group. Many precocious readers are able to read and understand books
written for older children; however, much of the subtle, emotional content goes over their heads. When
selecting a book, choose one in which the main character is about the same age as your child (or one to
two years older), and where the issues they face are familiar. For example, an 8-year-old might understand
the plot of a book written about 12-year-olds, but she
might also miss a lot of the unspoken content that
is exchanged in euphemisms, sarcasm, or body language. Additionally, some children do not like to read
a book more than once. If they read a classic work of
literature when they are too young, they might not go
back and reread it when they are older.
When we choose books to read out loud to our children, we have a bit more flexibility. This is because we
can help children with their comprehension as we read.
We can see the expressions on their faces and observe
whether they are engaged or not. Additionally, children are more likely to ask a clarifying question when
they are being read to than when they are reading independently. It’s still important to choose books that
are accessible, but reading aloud affords more options.
There are a lot of great books written for young people, but if you’re interested in great literature, it’s important to vet a book before you share it with your
child. There are many different ways to define literature, but at its core, literature should engage you in a
very personal way. Your own relationship with a book
or a story will inform how you teach it. Children like
to see their parents and teachers express passionate
opinions. If you were moved by a book, chances are
you will have an easier time engaging your child in the
experience.
Also, before settling on a book, it’s important to think
ahead about the kinds of assignments and experiences you might create for your child while reading the
book. With some books it’s quite easy to come up with
compelling activities, and with others it can be a lot
of work. Books with ethical issues provide excellent
opportunities for written and spoken assignments.
Historical fiction lends itself to research about a parLiving Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
ticular time period, as well as recreations of historical
artifacts. Fantasy books provide a great spring board
for open-ended creative assignments. And almost any
book narrated by a young person allows for opportunities to explore different points of view.
READING TOGETHER
It’s important to note at the outset that not every
reading experience should be used as a teaching opportunity. While it’s important to help your child
develop critical reading skills, it’s just as important
to set aside time for uninterrupted reading. Children
love to be immersed in a story, and often need a day
or two to live with a story before they are ready to
analyze it objectively. When we interrupt our child’s
reading experience with the kinds of questions and
activities described below, it requires the child to step
away from the story, even for a moment.This can disrupt a child’s experience of the story.
When doing the exercises described below, set aside
dedicated time for active reading. Revisit a passage
that you read previously, or focus on a short passage
at the beginning or the end of a reading session.
The rest of your time can be spent reading quietly
together.
Checking for comprehension: If you suspect your
child is having a difficult time understanding the book
you’ve chosen, set aside some time to read a section
together. You can check for comprehension by asking
questions at the end of the section or in the middle of
a confusing scene. Comprehension questions can be
as basic as, “Why do you think he did that?” You can
also ask your child to summarize what he has just read.
“Can you tell me what just happened?” Avoid general
yes/no questions such as, “Did that make sense?” Or,
“Do you understand what’s going on?” Ask your child
to explain his thinking, as speaking his ideas out loud
will help reinforce his comprehension.
Making predictions: Another way to check comprehension is to ask your child to predict what will
happen next. This shows that she has understood the
events leading up to this point and can follow them
to a conclusion. You can make predictions at the start
of a session, or when you are engaged in another activity after the child has had some time to digest what
9
you read previously. Some children do not like making predictions because they do not want to make
an incorrect prediction. It’s important to model this
skill yourself by making predictions and explaining
your thinking. Your child will learn a lot from hearing how you make connections. Making predictions
is an important part of being an active and engaged
reader, and it’s a good skill to develop early on.
many students have a difficult time creating their own
visualizations after they have seen the movie version
of a book. In order to help students cultivate their
visualization abilities, we generally recommend that
students read the book first before seeing the movie.
(Read more about visualization and verbalization here
http://www.lindamoodbell.com/programs/visualizing-verbalizing.html.)
Inferential reading: Being able to infer meaning
from what is implied is an important skill to develop in the middle school years. In literature written
for adolescents, much of what is exchanged between
characters in dialogue is not written out plainly, but
implied through euphemism and sarcasm. Sensitive
issues might be alluded to, but not spelled out. Emotions are often conveyed through gestures such as eye
rolling or a shoulder shrug. It’s important for students to get in the habit of paying attention to these
small cues. One way to help your child with this is
to choose a passage that requires inference and to ask
questions that require him to provide the missing information. “Why did she smile when he walked in?”
“How do we know this character is upset?” “Why
did he raise his eyebrow when she said that?” If your
child can’t answer the question, then revisit the scene
and point out where the information was conveyed
and explain how you were able to understand it.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Literature provides a great platform for learning because it allows for such a wide range of activities.
Depending on your child’s mood, or on what skills
you want to help your child develop, you can adapt
your activities as needed. For example, if you feel
that the day calls for quiet work, you can spend your
time together drawing a favorite scene, or writing
a reflection on what you read the previous day. If
the day calls for more expansive activities, you can
take your literature activities outside, or hold a debate about one of the book’s central themes. Over
the course of reading a book, you can experiment
with different types of activities, and over time you
will develop a repertoire that you can apply to any
number of books. Here is a list of some activities to
get you started.
Visualization: For many students, the ability to comprehend a story comes from visualizing the events of a
story as they unfold. If you suspect your child is overlooking important details in the plot, or if she is having trouble with inferential reading, consider helping
her develop her visualization skills. Select a particularly vivid scene and ask your child to paint a picture of
the scene in her head as you read it out loud. When
you are through, ask your child to describe the scene
in her head. Help her flesh out her scene by asking
specific questions about the size, color, and shapes of
things. “What color is the car?” Ask about the background, the light, the perspective, and the time of day.
“What’s behind the car? Is it sunny or cloudy?” Help
her expand her scene by moving outward from the
central focus. “What’s in the background? What do
you see out the window?” Doing this regularly will
help your child develop her ability to visualize scenes,
as well as to verbalize what she sees. As a side note,
to provide students with a space to reflect on their
reading. Responding to literature through writing
helps students give shape to their thoughts and impressions. It also allows students to carry out a line
of thinking without interruption, which can lead
to unique connections and associations that might
not have been obvious at first. You can pose specific
prompts or you can encourage a more open-ended
response. A mixture of the two is fine, as often your
child will know what she wants to write about once
she gets in the habit of writing regularly. One way to
encourage deeper thinking is to carry on a written
conversation with your child by sharing the journal
and writing back and forth to each other. Allow the
reading journal to be a place where your child does
not have to follow formal spelling and punctuation
rules. Many students write more openly and expansively when they are freed from the normal conventions of writing.
10
journal: Reading journals can take
•manyReading
different forms, but their primary purpose is
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
narratives: The first-person narra•tiveFirst-person
is a wonderful tool for assessing comprehension,
and also for helping students see the world from a different point of view. Middle-school-aged students, in
particular, benefit from inhabiting the life of another
person and trying to understand their circumstances.
Encourage your child to use many details, as they will
provide insight into how well your child understands
the context and setting of the story. Also encourage
your child to write out conversations between characters. This requires your child to see situations from
two points of view simultaneously, and also provides
an opportunity to practice punctuating dialogue.
First-person narratives can take any form, but some of
the more common ones are journal entries, letters to
loved ones, autobiographies, and dialogues. Students
often enjoy adding creative touches to these projects:
a journal entry can be written on tea-stained paper
made to look old. A letter can be sealed in its own
envelope with an address and post mark.
Opinion continuum: An opinion continuum is
•a simple
tool that can be used just about anywhere.
When faced with a controversial moment in a book
(an ethical decision, a surprising plot twist, etc.), take
a few minutes to explore your child’s opinions on the
matter. You can do this by writing out two different
sides of an issue on pieces of paper and placing them
on opposite sides of the room. You and your child can
then position yourself on the continuum, and discuss
your reasons for choosing your particular location. For
example, if a character in the book is facing a difficult
decision, you can ask your child whether you think
the character should do it or not. Your pieces of paper can read “strongly agree” and “strongly disagree,”
or you can write out something more specific. When
you begin your discussion, find evidence in the text
to support your thinking, and have your child do the
same. This is a great way to prepare students for writing analytical essays. Often students will have strong
opinions, but they need practice finding textual evidence to support their ideas.
Dramatizing literature is one of the best
•waysDrama:
to fully immerse your child in the reading experience. There are an infinite number of ways to bring
literature to life through drama, and the projects you
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
choose will depend on how many students you have
and what their interests are. Some options for individuals include delivering a persuasive speech or a
monologue, dressing up as a wax figure in a museum
and making a presentation, or putting on a one-actor
play. For larger groups you can hold a debate, put on a
larger play, or conduct a town meeting where various
characters have to come up with a solution to a problem. One of the best ways to engage students in the
process is to have them write their own scripts. It can
be a challenge to translate the events of an entire story
into dialogue. Also encourage students to create their
own costumes, sets, and props.
Dioramas: Dioramas allow your child the rare
•opportunity
to engage with literature non-verbally.
They also present an opportunity to focus on a specific aspect of the story. Dioramas can depict a particular scene or setting, or they can represent something
more abstract, such as a character’s future after the story ends, or a character’s dream sequence. Dioramas are
also a great way to showcase your child’s research into
a particular time period. Rather than writing a report,
students can present their research in a simulated
museum display or historical diorama. Dioramas are
traditionally made in shoe boxes, but other options
include a hollow tree, small cubby, kitchen cabinet,
fish bowl, or tucked between books on a bookshelf.
Encourage your child to come up with creative solu11
continued from page 11
Breathing Life into
Reading Experiences
tions for how to make small items
by having a variety of craft materials on hand.
Expository writing: Expository
•writing
is generally not at the top
of any student’s list when it comes
to creative and engaging projects.
However, it’s an important skill,
and most students benefit from
the exercise of expressing their
ideas clearly and directly. One way
to make expository writing more
fun is by introducing controversial
topics or by asking your child to
take an absolute stand on an issue. For example, you can frame a
character’s actions within a larger
debate such as nature vs. nurture,
and then ask your child to choose a
side and argue it persuasively using
evidence from the text. Children
at this age are adept at making
bold, persuasive statements, and
they enjoy contributing to ageold debates with their own unique
perspective.
Using literature to learn critical
reading skills can be a joy when
both you and your child are deeply
engaged in a particular story. Hopefully these tips and techniques for
studying literature with your child
will help breathe life into your language arts curriculum.
Apple Gifford is Oak
Meadow’s Curriculum
Director. She reads with her
children, and for pleasure,
every chance she can get.
12
Can Classics Compete?
Encouraging a strong relationship to literature at any age
by DeeDee Hughes
“A mind needs books
like a sword needs a whetstone.”
—George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones
My sons used to devour books. Literally. When they were little,
looking at a book, touching a book, and eating a book all had
the same value. All were good ways to enjoy a book. Books were
good, period.
I have loved reading my whole life, so you can imagine my
delight when four-year-old Riley raced up the stairs of the library,
gleefully calling out, “I’m hungry for books!” Three years later,
his brother Liam (also four at the time) begged for a trip to the
library by insisting, “My mouth is watering for books. My eyes
need pictures.” We would come home with stacks of fantastic
books, books with amazing artwork, amazing stories. Books that
I remember my mother reading to me when I was little: Mike
Mulligan and the Steam Shovel, Blueberries for Sal, The Little
House, and The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge.
We also found new treasures: Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock,
The Quilt Maker’s Gift, and Woody, Hazel and Little Pip. Their
eyes devoured the illustrations while their imaginations dove
into each new world. They picked up a rich vocabulary without
realizing it, and developed a sense of the rhythm and drama of
the spoken word. Literature taught them everything they needed
to know about the world that was beyond their immediate reach.
As they grew, our book selections branched out. I let them
choose books they liked—Riley devoured the Redwall books
and Liam dove into Dinotopia—and I added my childhood
classics: James and the Giant Peach, Stuart Little, The Enormous
Egg, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. They
found their own treasures and we continued nightly read-alouds:
Treasure Island, Wind in the Willows, Pippi Longstocking—I was
determined not to miss a single one. Revisiting literary classics
was giving me an even greater appreciation for them, and I
was sure that my children would have a lifelong love of reading
because of being exposed to such treasures young and often.
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
HOW TO HELP CLASSICS
COMPETE
1. Read classics aloud
together. This never gets old.
2. Read great books
Preadolescence arrived and literary choices changed again, and not
in away I was happy about. Novels gave way to the comic relief
of Calvin and Hobbes, Zits, and Foxtrot. Print books gave way to
audio books (we did spend a great deal of time in the car, so there
was some sense in that), and these soon fell by the wayside with the
introduction of the first iPod. Screen time slowly usurped reading
time, and suddenly all their stories were being watched instead of
read. It baffled me. Why didn’t they love to read as much as I did?
Would they ever really enjoy reading again?
Now that my boys are teens, I can’t say that they will choose a
book over a movie, but I can start to see ways in which their
early love of books and the rich literary heritage they enjoyed
has influenced them. Our bookshelves are still crammed with
classics both new and old and we still enjoy reading aloud
together at night (the current selection is The Hobbit, again).
Acting is a natural extension of being able to hold a strong,
nuanced character or storyline in your head, and Liam loves
to act. Riley has an incredible memory for characters and
complicated storylines from film and books. They’ll talk about
plots and characters from favorite book series like Redwall,
Skullduggery Pleasant, Artemis Fowl, Leven Thumps, Lord of the
Rings, and Harry Potter in relation to movies and other books,
and more importantly, in relation to real life. Life is made more
understandable when you can view it through the lens of another
teen facing challenges. When we see a movie together, we discuss
it in terms of plot, character, pacing, and tone, as well as lighting,
set design, historical setting, cinematography, and sound track.
We always come back to the story, the basic building block of
any movie, and my children’s love of a good story goes way back.
Classic literature might have stiff competition from screen-based
media, but it will never be usurped. Classics form the foundation
of our perspective. Great literature is our human heritage.
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
yourself and talk about
them. Even if your kids aren’t
reading them, discussing
great books is a way to share
our literary heritage.
3. Watch movies based on
classics (you’d be surprised
how many modern stories
follow a Shakespearean
plotline) and discuss them.
Relate the storyline to
shared experiences.
4. Go to plays based on
classic stories. Or go to
any play—the careful use
of language in theater can
bring a new awareness to the
art of storytelling.
5. Keep great books in your
home and share your love of
them.
DeeDee Hughes
reads, rereads,
and talks about,
books every day.
In addition to
being Content
Manager at Oak
Meadow, she also writes and
edits children’s literature.
13
Oak Meadow
STUDENT
Ari Vito
Queen of Binding
by Ara Vito
She hears the door creak open, now and then, each time greeting the
entrance with a sparkle over the rims of her metal frames. Her neat
lavender cardigan is crisply buttoned. Wispy silver hair falls softly around
her face, with only a few well-meaning strands out of place. A tarnished
silver brooch set with tiny gems and pearls is pinned on her sweater; below
it lies an artfully positioned nametag, and a chain around her neck holds a
single key. Though her slender, sweet face is gently wrinkled and her small
shoulders stoop, her eyes are impish. A little smile is always there dancing
on the corners of her thin pink lips.
She approaches a worn bookshelf, pulling behind her with little
effort a cart piled high with books. She stops at the shelf filled with faded
cloth bindings that had once been bright blues, reds, and pinks. Pausing
briefly, her eyes graze the titles. With bony, business-like hands she selects a
book from the cart. The golden band on her left hand shines and winks.
She folds back the fraying cover as gingerly as if it were a robin’s spring egg.
Spotted pages flutter; she turns to a favorite place in the book, a glossed and colorful
picture of a pig, cow, chicken, and cat playing together in a barnyard. A youthful light
shines deep in her eyes; a memory passes through and softens her face. Then she closes
the book and slides it on to the shelf with ease. After this she selects another and murmurs
to herself the number printed on its spine. She eyes a place on a higher shelf, and with selfassured agility, she stands on the tips of her toes and reaches high above her head to put the
book in its proper place. She repeats this sequence many times, taking as much care with each
book as she had with the last one. Her movements never falter, and she never misplaces a title.
When her work is through, she proceeds to the big oak counter, stopping on her
way to straighten the pillow on a threadbare armchair. Noticing a puzzle that has been left
on the floor, she slowly and carefully bends over to put the pieces into a flimsy cardboard
box. She surveys the rest of the room and then sits in an old swivel chair behind her
desk. She smoothes and pats her hair, straightens the buttons on her cardigan, and
adjusts her glasses. Then, looking satisfied, she settles back to wait.
It is not long before the door creaks open once again. This time she must
lean over the desk to see who has just walked in. Then she emerges from
behind the big oak counter with her arms outstretched, ready to enfold
a beaming child. She smiles and nods at the child’s excited chatter.
She understands the news, as if it had happened to her only
yesterday.
14
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
• Oak Meadow News and Resources
Oak Meadow Announces New
School Liaison and Director of Admissions
We are delighted to welcome Steve
Lorenz, former head of The Grammar
School in Putney, Vermont, and OM
Advisory Board member, in the School
Liaison position. Steve will be working
to establish new relationships with
public, independent, and charter schools that will
inform students and teachers of our unique programs
and options for dual enrollment, allowing them to take
advantage of everything Oak Meadow has to offer.
We are also excited to welcome Ben
Mitchell, former Director of Admissions
at Landmark College, who will assume
leadership of our admissions team. As
our school continues to grow, having a
dedicated Director of Admissions will
help us guide families through the admissions process
more effectively, ensuring a smoother transition
for incoming students and improving our rates of
retention, graduation, and overall student success.
Grade 7—social studies
(clothing styles of Elizabethan England)
Oak Meadow Students Get Discounts
on Great Marlboro College
Summer Programs for Teens
Marlboro College offers an amazing line up of teen
summer programs that offer young adults (ages 15-19)
the opportunity to study with college faculty members,
and to build relationships with a group of other students
who are passionate about learning, in the classroom and
out. Each program offers an introduction to college-level
academic work, combined with hands-on exploration.
Evenings provide time for fun group activities ranging
from collective ‘zine design to swimming in nearby
South Pond. Applications should be submitted by
April 30 to ensure space, and will remain open until
May 31 on a space available basis. Space is limited to 12
participants per program, creating vibrant communities
with room for every voice.
Sundre Winslow
Grade 7—social studies lesson
continued
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
15
• Oak Meadow News and Resources continued
All Oak Meadow students are eligible for an
automatic 10% discount for any Marlboro College
Summer Program for Teens. You do not need to complete
the financial aid form to receive the 10% discount.
In addition, students enrolled in Oak Meadow High
School are eligible to receive Life Experience Elective
Credit for their participation in Marlboro’s programs.
To earn credit, students may write a personal essay or
an article about their experience and submit it with
their LEEC form.
Oak Meadow School Launches New Blogs
for Enrolled Families
Choose from these great Marlboro College Pre-College
Summer Programs:
• Philosophy in the Wilderness
• Ways of Knowing
• Messages from the Past
• DNA: Barcode of Life
• Risky Representations
• Finding the Key
• Building Social Movements
• Green Mountain Ecology
• Poetry on the Peaks
For details, visit marlboro.edu/summer. Ariel Brooks,
Marlboro College director of non-degree programs, is
happy to answer questions and can be reached at: 802451-7118, or [email protected].
SAVE THE DATE
Oak Meadow Graduation 2014:
Saturday, June 14th
Plan to join us in honoring Oak Meadow’s Class
of 2014 at our annual commencement ceremony
on Saturday, June 14th. Enjoy a fun weekend
in the Green Mountain State while helping us
celebrate the hard work and bright futures of our
high school graduates. We’ll also honor our 8th
grade graduates and welcome them to high school.
Make your reservations now and stay tuned for
more details!
16
As part of our continuing effort to bring together our
global community of homeschoolers, we are pleased
to announce that we have launched two new blogs
designed especially for our enrolled families: In the
Heart of the Meadow, aimed at parents with children
in grades K-4, and In the Middle of the Meadow, for
our students in grades 5-8 and their families. Longtime
Oak Meadow teachers Leslie Daniels and Lesley Arnold
have created these blogs, which encourage students
and parents to engage in discussions and share photos,
work, ideas, and insights.
The blogs will offer a few select posts that will be visible
to the public, but for the most part, posts will be shared
exclusively with our enrolled families. Within this
secure forum, teachers will share their incredible wealth
of knowledge, resources, and experience, and students
and parents can enjoy participating in a supportive,
lively community of learners who hail from 39 different
states and 36 different countries.
Enrolled families will receive an email with information
and a sign-up form. If you are enrolled and have not yet
received a blog invitation, please contact your teacher.
If you are interested in enrolling to take advantage of
all the resources and support Oak Meadow has to offer,
please fill out our New Student Enrollment Form and
an educational counselor will contact you, or you can
call 802-251-7250 for more information.
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
Great IDEAS and Online RESOUCES
Here is a handful of literary resources and must-reads:
Safire’s Fumblerules of Grammar: a tongue-in-cheek
grammar lesson (it never gets old)
Free Rice: a great vocabulary building tool that donates
10 grains of rice for every right answer (with 60 levels of
difficulty, so everyone in the family can play)
OWL: Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab, which
Oak Meadow students and teachers use regularly
The Storymatic: a parlor game for all ages that
uses writing prompts to encourage dramatic and
wacky improvisation, flights of imagination, and
spontaneous fun
Projects to Engage Middle-School Readers from
Edutopia
Article from the New York Times: Your Brain on
Fiction
Article from the Harvard Business Review: The
Business Case for Reading Novels Fun Pinterest boards from Oak Meadow’s fantastic
collection: Journaling and Writing Ideas and We Love
Books!
READING EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:
The possibilities for exploring stories in more depth are
limitless. Stories that feature great food or crafts, like
the Little House on the Prairie series or the Redwall series,
inspire fun extension activities. You might even see if
your library has books like these:
he Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods
• Tfrom
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Classic Stories by
Barbara M. Walter
y Little House Crafts Book: 18 Projects from
• MLaura
Ingalls Wilder’s Little House Stories by
Carolyn Strom Collins
• The Redwall Cookbook by Brian Jacques
Writing a letter to the author of your favorite books
is a great way to link literature and literacy. Many
authors will send back a personal note, and even the
most popular writers usually send a printed response
on a book-themed notecard or enclose a bookmark
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
or other keepsake. It’s incredibly exciting for children
to make that personal connection with an author.
Reading maps and making maps invites the reader
to enter into the story on another dimension. Many
stories that feature a journey or quest include a
map, including Treasure Island, The Hobbit, The Wizard
of Earthsea, and Kidnapped. Following the hero’s
journey on the map or recreating the map (with
embellishments!) can incorporate many crossdisciplinary skills, including geography, history and
cultural studies, drawing and design elements, etc.
Perhaps more importantly, it helps the reader to more
fully conceptualize the imaginary world of the story.
Want to encourage your reader to branch out? Here’s
a different kind of map that is a fun tool for finding
new authors to explore based on ones you already
like: The Literature Map
Making a felt storyboard is easy and provides
endless dramatic and imaginative play. Cover a piece
of plywood (three foot square is great but any size
works) with light blue felt, pulling the material tightly
and stapling it to the back of the board. You can buy
inexpensive felt at the fabric store for the backing—
light blue gives a great all-purpose sky colored
background. Next pick a favorite story and cut simple
shapes related to the story from colored pieces of
felt—heavier wool felt works especially well. You’ll find
loads of templates online if you need help, but using
the story’s illustration will probably be enough to let
you make recognizable shapes: a small child, a sled,
a house, a tree, a deer. Tell the story as you use the
pieces to act it out; afterwards, your children will use
the pieces to act out the story and probably elaborate
on it. Add new story sets, or just create random pieces
to encourage creative story-making.
17
Seasonal
OutdoorActivities
Adventures
fora All
Ages Kind
of
Literary
e a rt h c y c l e s
Literature often inspires nature activities, and it’s
fun to carry literary themes into the outdoors.
My Side of the Mountain (Jean Craighead George)
tells an amazing story of a boy who decides to
live in the wild, and he finds a hollowed out tree
to make his home. In Pippi Longstocking (Astrid
Lindgren), the inimitable Pippi uses a hollowed
out tree trunk to hide goodies for herself and her
friends to find. Maybe you can find a tree hollow
to hide goodies in, or a hollowed out trunk to
claim as a play space or picnic spot.
Older readers may have been intrigued by Call of
the Wild (Jack London) or Hatchet (Gary Paulsen),
both of which describe in great detail survival skills.
Such literary prompts can lead to grand outdoor
adventures and the development of important
practical skills, including fire building, archery,
woodcraft, camping, orienteering (using map and
compass), tracking, wildlife identification, and
other winter survival techniques.
One great survival skill that’s fun to practice
anytime is building a temporary shelter out
of leaves and sticks, often called a debris hut.
These shelters are easy and quick to build and
surprising snug and warm. Simple instructions
follow. For more detailed instructions and
information, check out these two articles from
Boys Life and Wildwood Survival.
Building a Debris Hut
The most basic debris hut consists of piling leaves and pine
needles into a pile three feet high and longer than your
height. Cover the top with branches. Burrow into the mound
feet first (or head first, and then turn around so your head
faces outward). The forest debris will provide a layer of
insulation that traps your body heat and keeps you warm.
Using a fallen tree or branches for a frame
You can build a more sturdy temporary shelter by using a fallen
tree as a supporting framework. Prop branches onto the tree
trunk in a tent shape, and then cover the branches with pieces
of bark or more branches. Pile leaves on top of the branches, and inside the hut to provide a layer on top of
the ground. Depending on how big your shelter is, you might be able to invite several friends inside for a
snack and a story.
Using a rock as a shelter support
If you have a large rock or bolder nearby, you can use it as the “back wall”
of your shelter, propping long sticks or branches against it in a teepee
formation. Cover this structure with branches and leaves, and pad the
floor with more leaves and pine needles. If you build your shelter against a
rock, it will not only provide a sturdy backbone, but if you build a fire in
front of your shelter, the rock will absorb and reflect back the heat.
Fun fact: Snow shelters are called quinzee.
18
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
At Oak Meadow, we are always in the process of improving our current courses and
adding new courses. For the past two years, a dedicated team of faculty and staff has
been working to create a new English course for high school freshmen. The new course
Oak Meadow
CURRICULUM includes more active ways to interact with the literature, incorporates the use of a main
SPOTLIGHT lesson book as a reader’s journal, and encourages a more personal connection to the
material. The course also has a new format designed to provide more background and
supplemental information for cross-discipline learning, and to organize lessons better to
help students develop more effective time-management and study skills. Enjoy this sneak
peek at Oak Meadow’s new INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION.
Lesson
10
Kidnapped:
Choosing Sides
Have you ever wished really hard for something and then, after getting it,
found out that it wasn’t what you wanted after all? Have you ever worked
hard to attain a goal, only to realize it wasn’t all you thought it would be?
David survives his captivity on The Covenant, barely, only to be flung into
another survival situation. Like Matt in The House of the Scorpion when he
flees from the Alacran Estate to Aztlan, it’s “out of the frying pan, into the
fire.” After facing new challenges, both physical and emotional, David sets
out in search of his new friend.
Lesson Objectives
ASSIGNMENT
SUMMARY
Read chapters
9–16 in Kidnapped.
Craft vocabulary
sentences that fit
the novel’s setting
and time period.
• Explore character development
• Identify and analyze the use of similes
• Research the historical setting
Answer critical
thinking and
comprehension
questions.
Digging Deeper
Research Scottish
history.
Stevenson’s characters use a lot of figures of speech, or idioms. Raining cats
and dogs is an idiomatic expression because the words themselves do not
make sense; the meaning is derived from the imagery (in this case, raindrops so large and heavy they are the size of small animals). Other figures
of speech derive meaning from a cultural context. The expression a shot
in the arm (as in, His confidence in me was a shot in the arm) means a healthy
boost of energy, and originated in the early 1900s when medicinal injections and immunizations were coming into greater use. This expression
would not carry the same meaning in a culture where immunizations or
medicine delivered via injection was not common.
Complete MLB
assignments.
In this lesson, you will be doing a research project on Scottish history.
When Alan first comes aboard the ship, David identifies him as a Jacobite.
Jacobites believed that a Stuart king should rule Scotland; the Stuart kings
were sympathetic to the Scottish clans. The Jacobites fought for this,
against the oppressive British government, in a series of violent uprisings,
1
click here to see more
19
Faculty Faves!
Recommended reading from Oak Meadow’s K-12 faculty—books to reread throughout life!
CLASSICS
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Anne of Green Gables
by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
by Roald Dahl
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Little House on the Prairie series
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel Garcia Márquez
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
by Mildred D. Taylor
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Fledgling by Jane Langton
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Iliad by Homer
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Odyssey by Homer
The Raven and Other Poems by Edgar Allen Poe
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
20
The Stranger
“Let
by Albert Camus
us secure
The Tale of Genji
not such books
by Murasaki
as people want, but
Shikibu
books just above their
The Three
wants, and they will reach
Musketeers
up to take what is put
by Alexandre
out for them.”
Dumas
—Maria Mitchell,
The Wind in the
astronomer
Willows
by Kenneth Grahame
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
CONTEMPORARY
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
by Barbara Kingsolver
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
FOR THE YOUNGER SET
The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Helen Berger
Gwinna by Barbara Helen Berger
Everybody Needs a Rock
by Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnell
The Table Where Rich People Sit
by Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnell
Great resource from Oak Meadow K-8 teacher
Lesley Arnold, who is also a children’s book
librarian: “I highly recommend this list to all
who ask me what every kid should read!
http://www.neh.gov/news/summertimefavorites I love it and all the books it suggests!”
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
In Oak Meadow’s 4th grade language arts curriculum, students read
Oak Meadow
Natalie Babbitt’s enchanting book, The Search for Delicious. One of the
STUDENT
alternate assignments to writing a book report reads as follows:
Maren Doughty
Conduct your own search for “delicious” by polling your friends and family.
Describe the experience in log entries—as though you’re a scientist—or as an
adventure story with you as the main character. Feel free to invent details to make the
stale more exciting.
Enjoy this creative story from one
Oak Meadow student!
What I really want to be is a baker, and
own a cafe of my very own. I have dreamed
about this since my 10th birthday. My greatgrandmother baked my cake that year, using
her secret recipe. Oh, how many people
adored her and savored that cake any time she
baked it...
The memory of my dear greatgrandmother lives on, close to my heart.
She died the day after my 10th birthday,
peacefully at home, just the way she wanted.
She left me with her well worn, wooden
mixing spoon and her giant, red mixing bowl.
I just don’t know what happened to her recipe
box!
I dream of my future cafe, where I
make and serve delicacies like my greatgrandmother’s cake. But for now, I am saving
my hard-earned money I make while I collect
tolls from drivers as they prepare to cross the
Mackinac Bridge. Being a toll collector is not
creative work, but it pays well.
(Inspired by Natalie Babbitt’s book of the same title)
One day I was particularly restless, as the
bridge traffic from the Upper Peninsula to Lower Michigan was unusually slow. I was gazing off out the
window, daydreaming of the cafe I long to run. Suddenly I had a brilliant idea!
I could start the plans for my cafe now! I didn’t need to wait until I had enough money to purchase
a building. All day I could poll every on-coming driver and any passengers.
If the travelers were willing, I could ask their name, age, where they live, and what they consider
delicious. Then I could design a menu that everyone enjoys because it would be based around their favorite
foods! Of course I would need a few of my favorite family recipes. If only I knew my great-grandmother’s
secret cake recipe...could it be the magic “ingredient” to my cafe’s success? read more
Living Education, a publication of Oak Meadow
21
Ribbon Bookmarks
Make a special bookmark to save your spot in
your nightly read-aloud or your favorite book.
Everyone needs bookmarks! Even young children
can help make these, and older children can
design creative additions and variations.
MATERIALS:
•7
– 9 inch lengths of various cloth ribbons (1 inch width or whatever strikes your fancy)
•N
eedle and thread (or you can use a hot glue gun or fabric glue)
• Embroidery thread
•B
eads, buttons, charms, felt, and other materials for decoration
WHAT TO DO:
1. Cut ribbon to the desired length, adding an extra inch to allow for hemming the ends.
2. Fold over the ends and use needle and thread to sew down ends to prevent fraying.
(You can use glue instead, if you prefer.)
3. Using a matching color of embroidery thread, string beads and add a charm or large
bead at the end. Sew this onto the end of the bookmark.
VARIATIONS:
• Y ou can also cut the ribbon long enough to hang over both the top and
bottom of the book, and put charms or beads on both ends.
• The ends can be sewn into a point or on a diagonal, or you can use pinking
shears to keep edges from fraying. If you are using synthetic ribbon, you can
use a match to fuse the cut edge to keep it from fraying (and then you don’t
need to fold it over and sew it).
• Instead of beads, you can use felt shapes or a large button to decorate the end
of your bookmark. Cutting several shapes (like stars or flowers) in different
sizes using different colors of felt and then sewing them one on top of the
other makes a pretty design that is easy for little hands to manage.
At Oak Meadow, we believe all students deserve an education that
nurtures confidence, curiosity, and a love of learning. Since 1975 we’ve
crafted homeschooling curriculum that is infused with imagination
and heart, builds on a solid foundation of educational principles, and
integrates learning and life.
INDEPENDENT LEARNING SINCE 1975
We call it a living education.