tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post1687939312792498013..comments2024-03-14T11:50:14.761-04:00Comments on DarwinCatholic: Guilt-Free Learning Notes, Sept. 30Darwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08572976822786862149noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-80320517044844205742014-10-06T14:47:12.851-04:002014-10-06T14:47:12.851-04:00+JMJ+
Thanks for the feedback, Melanie and Jenny...+JMJ+ <br /><br />Thanks for the feedback, Melanie and Jenny! But now I'm starting to feel worried that I'm misrepresenting Leonhardt's book, so I should add that I've only mentioned <i>one</i> piece of advice from it. She had other things to say that I didn't bring up because they weren't relevant to this <i>Magic School Bus</i> discussion. =) Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-13331823051156482522014-10-05T16:58:36.589-04:002014-10-05T16:58:36.589-04:00I do agree with Jenny that the taste for good lite...I do agree with Jenny that the taste for good literature must be cultivated deliberately. One can't assume that it's just going to happen by itself. I'm fine with children flexing their muscles on easier stuff (Though even there, I'd stress moderation and think they should alternate the fluffy subliterature with short selections of higher quality prose and even poetry.) But I'm very strongly of the opinion that it's crucial that while children are still learning the mechanics of decoding text and achieving fluency that their imaginations be fed plenty of high quality literature via read alouds. They need to learn to appreciate great literature early. Waiting until they can read it on their own is putting it off until tragically too late for most kids. But if they've had a steady diet of the really great stuff then the Sweet Valley High cotton candy stuff will eventually pall and they will know where to turn to find the meat and drink that will truly satisfy. <br /><br />So no, I don't think the subliterature-- great word!-- should be anathema. In reasonable amounts it can help a child who is mastering proficiency to gain confidence with the written word. But I think it's foolish to assume that it will eventually pave the way to reading literature. That's like hoping a grand garden will grow all on it's own with no cultivation if you just scatter some random seeds in unprepared soil. <br />Melanie Bettinellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557248434888642114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-23845151407300520922014-10-05T09:30:35.383-04:002014-10-05T09:30:35.383-04:00+JMJ+
Melanie -- Hmmmm. I'm starting to unde...+JMJ+ <br /><br /><b>Melanie</b> -- Hmmmm. I'm starting to understand why my mother hated reading aloud to me. LOL! I had practically all the Berenstain Bears books. =P <br /><br /><b>Jenny</b> -- To clarify, Leonhardt wasn't saying that "subliterature" (her word) would lead to great literature in the sense that the former would give children a <i>taste</i> for the latter, but in the sense that the simple prose and storylines of the former help strengthen children's reading muscles for when they finally decide to take on the classics. Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-78222664393938706812014-10-04T12:45:27.136-04:002014-10-04T12:45:27.136-04:00I can't completely get on board with the idea ...I can't completely get on board with the idea that you let a kid read whatever he wants and it doesn't matter as long as he is reading. There is plenty of room for dumb fluff for him to read, that's true, but he must also be exposed to higher quality material. I don't believe a reading diet consisting only of "Sweet Valley" necessarily leads to "Sense and Sensibility" but often leads to the abandonment of reading.<br /><br />The schools today thoroughly approach reading with the idea of "as long as they are reading" and the students are never exposed to higher quality material until it is dropped in their laps in high school and then they usually have a decided dislike because it is not fluff. <br /><br />My biggest complaint about my girls' school is that all of their assigned reading has been junk. The library is filled with junk. The book fairs only have junk available for sale. They are not being formed; they are being pandered to.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472686909226073213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-92044854524775914262014-10-03T23:08:53.552-04:002014-10-03T23:08:53.552-04:00E,
I can't speak for anyone else, but my big...E, <br /><br />I can't speak for anyone else, but my big objection to Magic School Bus is that none of my kids are independent readers yet. So it's really me objecting to having to read the Magic School Bus books *to* them. <br />I agree about the training wheels. I do think letting kids read a certain amount of fluff is fine and even helps them to develop a sense of what is good and bad. As long as they are being exposed to really good stuff too. Since I'm already reading the kids great literature, having them pick up the occasional pieces of cotton candy stuff doesn't worry me. But I refuse to read them over and over and over again. Because then it's in my head too. Ugh. But if my kids wanted to read Magic School Bus for themselves, I'd say have at it. <br /><br />Actually, I was rather pleased the other day when the kids were discussing the Berenstein Bears and Bella said something about how she used to like them but not doesn't much any more. Pleased because I'm not very fond of reading them and she was for a while and I always groaned when I saw them in her pile. She's actually started just asking me to pick out books at the library half the time because she knows she's more likely to enjoy the books I select than those she's grabbed off the shelf because they had a pretty cover. Melanie Bettinellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557248434888642114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-6705414958224885002014-10-03T16:17:20.642-04:002014-10-03T16:17:20.642-04:00+JMJ+
Your reactions to the Magic School Bus boo...+JMJ+ <br /><br />Your reactions to the <i>Magic School Bus</i> books reminds me of a teacher's guide that I read right before I started teaching and which has been very influential to me: <i>Keeping Kids Reading</i> by Mary Leonhardt. Her point, in a nutshell, is that easy books with silly characters and plots are necessary training wheels. Let them devour <i>Sweet Valley</i> now and they'll be ready for <i>Sense and Sensibility</i> sooner rather than later. And that is why I've never really minded my students' or brothers' choice of reading material, unless it was deliberately ugly or malicious. <br /><br />But it occurs to me that I've never asked anyone else involved in education about Leonhardt's advice. How does it strike you, Mrs. Darwin? Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-21722123946811555632014-10-03T09:36:16.135-04:002014-10-03T09:36:16.135-04:00I second the note on the original Thomas stories b...I second the note on the original Thomas stories by Rev. W. Awdry. The Scottish twins are my favorite. Reading them aloud with an accent brings back memories of reciting Robert Burns at Franciscan during a poetry reading. I also like the rhythm of the speech that mimics train rumblings. We've never brought the new ones (books or movies) into the house, but have the entire original 26 book set and Gabriel and Blaise (ages 5 and 3) love hearing them. Maria J.http://donumvitae.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-22941341737267989362014-10-01T21:08:04.928-04:002014-10-01T21:08:04.928-04:00Never seen the Magic Schoolbus books (didn't e...Never seen the Magic Schoolbus books (didn't even know they existed), but the shows were awesome! (Or at least I thought so as a kid). I didn't know there even were people who disliked it :) <br /><br />No argument about Thomas the Train though. Something about the cartoon style is super creepy.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08112924098753896966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-14117095744623242292014-10-01T18:07:15.251-04:002014-10-01T18:07:15.251-04:00Michael, I'd started including the religion cl...Michael, I'd started including the religion class notes in this post, and then they became so long I opened a new tab and put them into a separate post draft, and then the computer ate them wholesale. So I need to type them all up again, sigh. I'll try to write that post tonight.MrsDarwinhttp://darwincatholic.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-51527497706090243452014-10-01T17:12:38.107-04:002014-10-01T17:12:38.107-04:00We like Magic School Bus here - the original, with...We like Magic School Bus here - the original, with the extra characters and extra info on the edges. The magic only makes it possible to get small/large/far away fast, which works for me. Like a microscope or telescope....<br /><br />As for Thomas, get the original stories, not the "Thomas series". They're called "The Railway Series" by Rev Awdry (? I think?) Our library has a bound book of all the old stories, complete with drawings, and I don't find them to be utilitarian/communist like the "Thomas" series books.mandamumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-30792262319844618202014-10-01T16:22:26.012-04:002014-10-01T16:22:26.012-04:00these notes I always find amusing and full of grea...these notes I always find amusing and full of great anecdotes — I'll have to tone down on my apostrophe-possive absolutism!<br /><br />funny my wife and I are also 6th grade catechists (in the SF Bay Area). We're coteaching with another couple to spread the commitment. Your theme is also Old Testament?<br /><br />Where are you posting the reflections you mention?Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15706375351999428103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-40170880421752491572014-10-01T09:31:33.467-04:002014-10-01T09:31:33.467-04:00I like the Magic School Bus (the show more than th...I like the Magic School Bus (the show more than the books) but Thomas is banned everywhere, on screen and print.<br /><br />Great learning notes. You gave a good feel for how things flow at your house.entropynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-60561883806948269822014-10-01T08:57:57.839-04:002014-10-01T08:57:57.839-04:00Oh why can't we edit comments?
*Advertisement...Oh why can't we edit comments?<br /><br />*Advertisements*Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472686909226073213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-40136740540721809922014-10-01T08:56:39.593-04:002014-10-01T08:56:39.593-04:00I can tolerate Thomas more than others, but just t...I can tolerate Thomas more than others, but just the show not the books. Advertisement masquerading as books make me want to tear my hair out. <br /><br />It is funny how Thomas seems to draw so much commentary. I have seen passionate screeds declaring Thomas is a communist plot. I have also seen passionate screeds declaring Thomas is a capitalist plot. <br /><br />I only see a cartoon about a train who thinks like a toddler.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472686909226073213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-86395162423510381232014-10-01T07:34:30.628-04:002014-10-01T07:34:30.628-04:00I learned lots of history through getting really i...I learned lots of history through getting really into costume history, about grade seven through twelve. I'll recommend books if you give me half a chance!lissla lissarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05354424704358588553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-21375706374402958442014-10-01T07:28:30.105-04:002014-10-01T07:28:30.105-04:00There are some hilarious commentaries and analyses...There are some hilarious commentaries and analyses of Thomas the Tank Engine floating around on the internet. The utilitarianism makes me uncomfortable, until I remind myself (and my kids) that utilitarianism is an appropriate standard for judging objects--just not people. So if Thomas and his friends really are just trains, their value can be based on their utility. In which case, being a bunch of steamies, they'd all be out of date. But anyway...<br /><br />Do you know, I loved learning about William the Conqueror, but I think it was because I picked up my father's copy of "1066 and All That" at an impressionable age. It's very funny, and reading it before learning the actual history may have given me some odd and unhistorical impressions of various historical characters, but it made learning the history later on much more fun. Like having instant in-jokes.<br /><br />Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03787892622804373968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-87193533179638031902014-10-01T07:19:23.272-04:002014-10-01T07:19:23.272-04:00You know about this, no?
https://www.youtube.com/w...You know about this, no?<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtGoBZ4D4_E<br /><br />Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06668252458131596362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-14395838381183016432014-10-01T00:15:28.786-04:002014-10-01T00:15:28.786-04:00Also, I can't stand the Magic School Bus books...Also, I can't stand the Magic School Bus books, but the kids do seem to love the few that have made their way into our home. Why?Melanie Bettinellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557248434888642114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13522238.post-70150204182163697782014-10-01T00:11:39.426-04:002014-10-01T00:11:39.426-04:00For the Norman Conquest The Striped Ships is a fun...For the Norman Conquest The Striped Ships is a fun historical novel that follows a Saxon thane's daughter who is orphaned by the invading Normans as she journeys to Canterbury with her brother and then finds work stitching on the Bayeaux Tapestry. It's got some violent bits ( I had to edit a bit with the actual invasion scene) but I liked how it focused on daily life and on the details of the tapestry. Bella liked it, though I skipped chunks to make it work for her.Melanie Bettinellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557248434888642114noreply@blogger.com