Learning To Read or Reading To Learn

Today my son took his 3rd grade standardized test and I am sitting here feeling a little anxiety about it.  I will not find out until October how he did and I will have to sit here and wonder just how well did he do given the circumstances.  Which is, I did not teach to a test, I taught a child.

Learning to read and reading to learn are 2 slightly different methods of teaching.  In my OPINION I feel that the public school system "teaches to read"  What is teaching to read?  To me it is when you teach the child based on levels.  First they start at first level, by halfway through the first grade teachers are happy if the children are reading at 1.5 level and by the end of year they would like to see their pupils reading at level 2. And so on and so forth, until they graduate.  These Standardized test like to measure the pupils to ensure that they are progressing according to schedule and that is all they are meant to test for "Are the pupils on schedule?"

Reading to learn is different, this methodology is more concerned with "what " your child is learning, not "at what level"  I will use my family for instances.  When my son reads we do not concern ourselves with levels.  Right now we are reading in social studies/science about Ancient Greece.  Today he might read a level 2 book, tomorrow a level 7 book and the next day a level 5 book.  We really do not concern ourselves with levels, we are more interested in how engaged the child is to the concepts they are learning.  Early level books are useful because they reinforce known concepts, it is  moving information from short term memory to long term memory.  Medium books are used to build on previously known facts and difficult books help to introduce new concepts that will later be built upon.  This can also be known as "Spiral Learning".  But this method of learning is not nice and neat and easy to test, it really can not be standardized easily.

Picture-We were studying prehistoric man and my son was making structures, tools and art work based on what he learned during his creative play.

I really honestly do not know at what level my child is reading at.  I know that I see Ancient Greece in his dramatic play, I see his pictures and stories he writes, I have had many deep conversations and have heard lots of vocabulary and I know that he LOVES to tell perfect strangers in the store all about Greek Mythology.   What IS the best way to measure learning!!!  Pass a test about levels or being able to use and understand information that they learn?  What is learning?  In my gut, I KNOW that he is learning amazing things, I see proof of this every day.

Picture- My son was inspired by learning about cave art that he made lots of pictures of his "cave art"

Patriot Kids! Teaching kids about the Revolutionary War

Once upon a time I heard that kids in America could identify and tell you all about Justin Beiber and Miley Cyrus, and tell you all about the dumb things that people do on “Duck Dynasty”, but they could not identify important historical figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, nor could they explain why and when we fought the American Revolutionary War.  Honestly, I could believe it, because not so long ago, I would have to admit that I was one of them.  And I did not like that about myself one bit!!!  So of course, I dedicated myself to begin learning about this very important time in history and like the Renaissance Mama  I am, vowed that my son was going to learn it forward and backwards and upside down! He WILL be an expert, LIKE IT OR NOT!  So, that is why I am so very grateful that I found this great  product!  One thing about me, and my goal with my blog, is that I LOVE products that make learning easy and fun!  And this wonderful DVD series is easy enough!

“Liberty Kids” is a wonderful, yet very inexpensive ($5.00 on Amazon ratings over 400 reviews and almost 5 stars) 40 episode historical fiction DVD on the American Revolutionary War.  I will  admit, since I am not a historian, I am not 100% sure that it is completely correct, but none of the reviews I have read suggest that anything is wrong.  It starts in the beginning with the dumping of the tea in the harbor and seems to chronicalize the war.  There are 2 youths that are journalist and they write about the events of the war.  I like the girl Sara, who is English and visiting America, because she gives you the  perspective of the Tory and the English people.  What I love is that it builds up a familiarity with George Washington, General Howe,  Layfayette and how he had to sneak out of France, Benedict Arnold and his growing frustration with being passed over for a promotion, Benjamin Franklin and his role in France, the use of the Hessians, and the role of the Continental Congress. And on top of that! My son loves it and wants to watch it over and over and over again!  He acts it out, he even takes notes during the episodes, and he will even take out his civil war kit and pretend to use it for the Revolutionary War!  All this interesting history he is learning and I just get to sit back and watch!  We do follow up with books on the great leaders, do not want to sound like all I do is sit around!  But, I will have a Historian in no time!

Liberty Kids  You can go directly to Amazon and get this great set!

Hmmm…  Someday soon we are going to be tackling Roman History!  I really hope to see him as engrossed with the Centurions!!!  Note to self, need to start looking for some Roman Soldier costumes and action figures!  And maybe a trident!  It is going to get real fun in the Fox household!