Discoveries in Reading
by Calvert School
Reviewed by Martha Robinson
Purchase details: Discoveries in Reading, available only from Calvert School. $175 for levels I through V. $59 for levels VIa through VIIIb.
Calvert School's Discoveries in Reading series offers a variety of reading material in an attractive carrying case. The lesson manual provides direction for a literature-based study in many disciplines -- grammar, vocabulary, geography, history, and more. Each set includes a poster to chart progress. The student may color it with the included crayons and place a gold star on it for each book completed.
The lesson manual for each level has two to three pages of information for the teacher and several activity pages for the student. A summary of the book and a list of its themes are followed by specific suggestions for how to apply the book to study various disciplines. For example, ideas for a book in Level II, Solo Girl, include a discussion of dialect, vowel sounds, song lyrics as poetry, and similes (though referred to as "comparisons.") "Questions and Connections" is the next section, and here, questions about history are frequently emphasized. In Level III the comprehension questions are replaced with writing, research, art, and Internet activities. The "field trips" and "enrichment" sections give ideas for further study such as places to visit, crafts, and hands-on work. The activities pages are simple and straightforward and include such things as dot-to-dot, mazes, true/false, coloring, and fill-in-the-blank. Sets for grades one, two, and three were provided for review.
Level I -- Children who are just beginning to read are the audience for level one. Difficulty ranges from a few words to a few sentences per page. Many of the picture books have animal related themes including one non-fiction book about bears and another book about a veterinarian. Six very basic biographies and one poetry book are also in the set. Multiculturalism is evident in the biographies and a number of the titles. Twenty paperbacks are included. The progress poster has a "Discovering the Farm" theme.
Level II -- Second graders go around the world with stories about Japan, Africa, South America, Mexico, and of course, the United States. More detailed biographies are introduced with books on Benjamin Franklin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frederick Douglass, Barbara Jordan, Abraham Lincoln, I.M. Pei, Christa McAuliffe, and Benito Juarez. A multicultural approach is evident with many books featuring black Americans and Africans and one book with a Jewish theme. Harry's Pony features a wheelchair-bound lady as a main character. Twenty books in all are included and range in difficulty from basic picture books to beginning chapter books. The progress poster has a "Discovering the City" theme.
Level III -- Third grade readers find serious learning with non-fiction books about injured birds, the U.S. Constitution, and the history of money, among other themes. African and Hispanic stories continue the multicultural emphasis of the program, and historical fiction from the early U.S. time frame adds interest. The fifteen books at this level range from easy reader up to chapter books of over 150 pages. The progress poster has "Discovering the Zoo" for its theme.
Recommendation: Discoveries in Reading provides an interesting selection of multicultural books for literature based learning. With a wide variety of books and excellent guidelines for lesson extensions, it is sure to be a helpful program to parents of reluctant readers. New homeschooling parents will especially love the easy to follow guide.
HomeschoolChristian.com resources related to this review:
HomeschoolChristian.com's Language Arts Resources Section for tons of ideas, links, and more!
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