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Literature-based Homeschooling with BookShark
How often do your kids ask to hear “just one more chapter” of their textbook? Probably never.
But when children read or hear a good story, they become emotionally invested in it as they are learning. They want to keep going!
Stories Give Context
We remember stories better than dry facts. Without context, facts have little meaning. When you use a literature-based approach, you are giving meaning to the facts.
While textbooks have multiple writers, literature is written by one person who is passionate about the story they are telling. Charlotte Mason (a British educator) called these living books.
In living books, students aren’t only learning about the information or story in the book, they are also learning how authors craft their writing. They absorb writing skills naturally from those who do it best.
Literature Builds Character
Stories give insight into life in another time while also teaching character. For example, in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, one of BookShark’s Read-Alouds, Johnny struggles with his pride. The price he pays for this character flaw is life changing. While students learn about the American Revolution, they are also learning about the impact of character.
Literature Builds Character
Stories give insight into life in another time while also teaching character. For example, in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, one of BookShark’s Read-Alouds, Johnny struggles with his pride. The price he pays for this character flaw is life changing. While students learn about the American Revolution, they are also learning about the impact of character.
Literature Cultivates Strong Family Relationships
Instead of grades, Bookshark is organized into levels that cover a range of ages, allowing students to join with siblings in the same material for history, literature, and science.
Discussions about literature build family relationships through shared experience. As you listen to each person’s thoughts and ideas, you learn more about one another. And often the things you learn together become a special vocabulary just for your family. For example, you may hear one child say “precision of language, please” to a sibling after reading Lois Lowrey’s The Giver in Level J.
Literature Connected Learning
If you grew up going to a public or private school, you probably learned subjects separately. You would go from language arts class to math class to science class to history class, and there was nothing in common with any of them. Many homeschool programs follow the same model. But in the real world, topics don’t fit in tidy boxes. Learning is connected and entwined. Literature-based homeschool is the same. Students read and write about what they are learning in history, science, or geography.
It’s actually more efficient to learn with a literature-based approach because you cover multiple disciplines with one book, discussion, or activity.
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A literature-based homeschool takes advantage of those things that are hardwired into us since birth—the love of stories, how we acquire communications skills, and how we make connections across the subjects.
It’s a natural, common-sense approach that is both engaging and memorable. And with BookShark as your guide, you won’t have to look for the best books to teach your children. Instead, you can enjoy learning right alongside them.
