By Sun and Candlelight

Earlybird's Summer Reading!

(We begin this week.)

Recently, I sorted out our summer reading selections (see photo above and list below), and today I organized the reading journal itself. I forgot to get a picture of that, but basically we are using a standard three-ring binder filled with several tabbed dividers and a bunch of loose-leaf paper. This is where we'll keep any narrations, impressions, pictures, mementos, etc. (I'm having him make a colorful cover for it on Monday as a first-day activity.) And inside a thin reporter's notebook (purchased at Staples) EB will keep a list of all the new words he learns. 

 I hope to cover one title a week, except in the case of the final book, to which we will devote two weeks or perhaps more. In all cases, we will read the books aloud together, but EB will also be encouraged to read on his own.

Below I've listed the books I chose for EB, along with my initial notes for "support" activities.

*☀*

Earlybird's Summer Reading List:

Madeline

(Paris, Tour de France, geography/landmarks, routines, baked madelines, seashells)

The Little Island

(geography/geology, ferry ride, islands off the coast of New England)

The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge

(lighthouse history, Reading Rainbow episode, visit a local lighthouse, bridge construction/drive over a really big bridge)

One Morning in Maine

(a surprise drive to ME one morning, harbor town, map of New England, blueberries and ice cream, clam chowder, sea gulls)

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush and The Legend of the Bluebonnet

(Native American folklore and crafts, plant dye painting, sunset paintings, late summer weeds and wildflowers, sacrifice, Reading Rainbow episode)

Corgiville Fair

(a New England village, the county fair, agricultural resources, goats, homemade preserve/pickle)

Charlotte's Web

(audiobook, chapter book, movie, farm life, the fair, sacrifice, friendship, spiders/webs)

*☀*

So there's a basic outline of our Summer Reading plan for Earlybird! EB is 10, but as most of you know, as an autistic child, he is developmentally delayed. He does read on his own, but he needs help with prolonged reading - patience, pronunciation, comprehension, etc. I think by including "summery," support activities and building on story themes, he will take more of an interest in - and therefore better absorb - the books themselves.

This is my hope, anyways!

But you know I'll be "reporting in" as we go along. :) Crackerjack is also keeping a Reading Journal like this. He has already designed his binder cover and filled out his tabs. His first book is Hero by Mike Lupica. Next up: Journey to the Center of the Earth ...

 *☀*

Well, my friends, I hope your weekend's going well. It's been a surprisingly dark day here in New England - quite humid, with sprinkles now and then - no thunder, though. Tomorrow looks to be better - less of the muggies and more sun!

Have a great night, everyone ... see you again soon!

Tea & a Good Book

True confession, my friends: I've never read the Betsy-Tacy books! But as you can see above, I plan to remedy that issue this summer ...

Well, we just got in from a stop at the library, and the June air is just cool enough and the turbulent sky is just dark enough, that I made myself a cup of warm, comforting tea. And then I sat down in my corner, with said tea, and the aforementioned book (as well as my laptop, of course) and decided to pop in to say hi.

:)

So, hello! I hope your week's going well! What are you reading this summer?

I'll see you here again very soon ...

❤