5th Grade Required Reading List for 2016-2017

Here is Cian's list for 5th grade. He will be doing the Michael Clay Thompson Language Art's trilogy of classics which will take around a month each for reading, discussion, assessment, and written work. The other 2/3rds of the school year he will be assigned these 8 books.

Cian's 5th Grade Required Reading List:

My Side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George

Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilsonm Rawls

Trumpet of the Swans - E. B. White

Sounder - William H. Armstrong

Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - E. L. Konigsburg

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - Robert C. O'Brien

Island of the Blue Dolphin - Scott O'Dell

 ------also-----

Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts Search Trilogy:

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Call of the Wild - Jack London

The Invisible Man - H. G. Wells

 

7th Grade Required Reading List for 2016-2017

Grace really gave me grief last year over how easy some of her book were on her 6th grade reading list- see it here. It was the first year I had given her a list of the books I wanted read instead of just letting her read what she likes or choose simply by different genre from Drawn Into The Heart of Reading. I think I probably will edit the list a bit before Cian has it in 6th grade, but some of them will probably stay. We'll see.

I took her request in mind when creating her 7th grade list. It is a mix of books that are classics, award winners or just have themes that I want to have her read. We will be using the Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts program which has 3 classic novels which are part of the supplementary curriculum. Mind you, he recommends kids be assigned a book each month and then still be reading on their own. I feel the same. I'm not even putting the "on your own books" in their lesson plans as they all (thankfully) love to read already. I am, however, assigning books in addition to the 3 MCT classics. Each of the MCT books will have its own assessments and written assignments so I am allotting a third of the school year just to these three classic books. That means, I expect Grace to get 8 books read and a report of some type done in the first 120 days of school. This will give her 3 weeks on each book, which will be plenty of time. (Last year I expected 20, this year the unspoken expectation would be 8 or 9 on her own across the year, my assigned 8 and MCT's 3 for a total of around 20 also for this school year.)

Grace's 7th Grade Required Reading List:

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

The Incredible Journey - Sheila Burnford

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank (Grace has already read this)

Replaced with: The Giver - Lois Lowry

Esperanza Rising - Pam Munoz Ryan (this one will go to the 6th grade list after Grace reads it)

Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery

 The Yearling - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Elizabeth George Speare

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle

 ------also-----

Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts Search Trilogy:

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Call of the Wild - Jack London

The Invisible Man - H. G. Wells

Summer Goals 2016

It's that time again - SUMMER GOALS!

Here's a link to last year's and how we did!

 This summer:

 

We started our end-of-school year with a never-before real FAMILY VACATION! When I was a child, my mom always wished she could have taken us to Walt Disney World. I guess from my desire to have been able to go, I always wished I could take my own kids. Given that we have a large family, I never really imagined it would happen... HOWEVER, my dad and his girlfriend are moving to Florida and offered to let us stay in their house a week before they move there permanently! Given free lodging, we decided we had to make it happen and it was now or never. Since we have according to Disney 3 adults and 3 kids, (at least Fionn was still free!), we decided upon seeing the ticket price it would only be ONE day at Disney and other days at less expensive options for family fun! We had the most wonderful time. Magic Kingdom was magical, we got BOGO FREE tickets for SeaWorld and that was incredible too...for a third of the price of Disney!! We went to the beach a few days, saw Winter the dolphin from the Dolphin Tale movie and just had a blast as a family. The driving part was not as awesome....lol.....but we made it there and back!

Needless to say, our summer fun goals as a family I'd say are done for the decade, lol! Well, at least for this summer! The only other family fun goal we might try to do this summer (although they may end up being in the fall) are to visit a zoo and an art museum.

We will still be doing our one-on-one time summer goals! If you clicked the blog from last summer, you probably saw we ask the kids to make one of their two goals to be a free item or nearly free item. You don't have to spend money to enjoy one-on-one time. For example, the kidsbowlfree.com program. All we have to do is rent shoes for them to bowl, and for some of them I even have shoes already!

2016 Summer Family Goals

1. Vacation of a Lifetime Completed in May

2. Go to Walt Disney World for the 1st time ever!! Completed in May

3. Go to an art museum or the zoo

One-on-one Goals

Grace and Mom: Go see Ghostbusters
Completed in August

Grace and Dad: Go bowling - Grace switched this to going to see a play in the park with Dad Completed in July

Cian and Mom: We used his free movie card he won to see The Jungle Book Completed in June*

*Cian & I decided that movie was suppose to be a mother and son event for when the girls all went to daddy daughter dance so we went to another movie in August: Pete's Dragon
Completed in August

Cian and Dad: Go bowling Completed in July

Zoe and Mom: went to see her favorite dance teacher in a live professional theatre show Completed in June

Zoe and Dad: Go get shaved ice (before the little hut closes!!) Completed in August

Ellie and Mom: Get ice cream (she changed her mind and got shaved ice instead) Completed in July

Ellie and Dad:  Go to the park- Completed in August

Fionn and Mom: Go to "Pee-puh" which is how she says pizza Completed in July

Fionn and Dad:  Go play at the library Completed in July

Mom and Dad: date night - dinner out

Mom and Dad: date night - go to a movie