Using Living Books in High School

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When we started our homeschooling high school journey in 2003, I was determined not to leave the learning power of Living Books behind in the elementary and middle school years. 

YOU can use Living Books in high school.

Our high school learners were greatly impacted by the Living Books they chose. In fact, several titles greatly influenced their career choices and life goals.

When we began our high school journey, the first content area in which we incorporated Living Books was history. This seemed a natural choice since we had been using Living Books--biographies, autobiographies, and historical fiction--to accent our history studies in the elementary and middle school years. 

History

Aristotle. Complete Works of Aristotle, Vol. 1. Princeton University Press, 1984.

De Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America and Two Essays on America. Penguin Classics, 2003.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. 1790.

McCullough, David. John Adams. Simon &Schuster, 2002.

McCullough, David. The Wright Brothers. Simon &Schuster, 2015.

Metaxas, Eric. Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery. Harper One, 2007.

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. On the Social Contract. Dover Publications, 2003.

The next content area in which we chose to incorporate Living Books was science. It was also a natural fit, especially for learners who had interest in specialty areas or who wanted to dig deeper to learn more about scientists and inventors. As our young adults advanced through the high school years, we included adult and college level materials. 

Science

Burton, Mary June. Louis Pasteur: Founder of Microbiology. Franklin Watts, 1963.

Carson, Ben, and Cecil Murphey. Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. Zondervan, 1996.

Douty, Esther. America’s First Woman Chemist: Ellen Richards. Julian Messner, 1961.

Einstein, Albert. The Meaning of Relativity: Four Lectures Delivered at Princeton University, May 1921 (Classic Reprint). Forgotten Books, 2017.

Keller, Helen. The Story of My Life. 1903. Signet, 2010.

Williams, Beryl, and Samuel Epstein. Medicine from Microbes: The Story of Antibiotics. Julian Messner, 1965.

Reaching our creatives with written materials was challenging at times, unless the reading was related their artistic gifting or interest. Perhaps you find yourself in that quandary. The effort you put forth to help your high schoolers find books, matters. Make suggestions. Go to the bookstore together. Visit the library and browse the shelf. Find out who influences or has influenced the field. The effort speaks to your interest in what matters to your teen.

I did discover I had to let go of my rigid definition of what a Living Book was in order to be open to the plethora of possibilities I would  have otherwise discounted.

The Arts

Astaire, Fred. Steps in Time: An Autobiography. Cooper Square Press, 2000.

Kistler, Mark. You Can Draw in 30 Days: The Fun, Easy Way to Learn to Draw in One Month or Less. Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2011.

Tada, Joni Eareckson, Joni. Bantum Books. 1978.

Trapp, Maria. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers: The Story Which Inspired The Sound of Music. William Morrow Paperbacks, 2001.

What about an athlete who loves to read? How can Living Books be interwoven in a personal fitness or weight training course? And, what about an athlete who would rather play ball than read?

Sports

Dorman, H. A., and Karl Kuehl. The Mental Game of Baseball. Diamond Communications, 2002.

Hershiser, Orel, and Jerry B. Jenkins. Out of the Blue. Wolgemuth & Hyatt Publishers, 1989.

Kilmeade, Brian. The Games Do Count: America’s Best and Brightest on the Power of Sports. HarperCollins, 2004.

Living Books have the power to pull in even the most reluctant reader!

Living Books can give life to any subject, if we allow them the opportunity to do so. Recently, one daughter began to lean toward personal growth and leadership materials. I worked on ways to incorporate what she was reading into an elective: Personal Development and Career Exploration. I could have also titled the course Interpersonal Communication, based on the resources she chose. When I wrote More Than Credits, I included the books and activities into an elective framework. It is one of five electives featured in the book.

Breathing Life Into High School American Literature

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I've had great literature teachers. I've had not so great literature teachers. 

How about you? 

What do you remember about the really great literature teachers who taught you? 

I am a people person.

Perhaps you are? And, maybe your high schooler is, too?

We've had people-person high schoolers learning in our home. These young adults needed to meet people--the real people who changed their field, maybe even changed the world--in order to remember. In the case of literature, some of our learners needed to meet the authors.

Imagine our delight when we found this vintage treasure? 

Famous American Authors by Sarah K. Bolton

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Biographies of the lives of authors brought our literature studies to life. 

Reading the biographies of authors helped my high schooler understand how life events influenced their writing. Truly fascinating!

There was life in our high school learning. 

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With this resource, our current high schooler was able to read about Louisa May Alcott and then read the classic, Little Women. The people connection had brought literature to life while earning our high schoolers credit. 

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Famous American Authors was a welcome addition to our high school American Literature course. It may be to yours as well. 

 

 

 

Most Popular Posts of 2016

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2016 is marked as significant.

Why? Because every moment of our days mattered--the triumphs and the trials. We lived and learned together being intentional about using what was real and relational--from cradle to shingle--toddler to adult. Thank you for walking that journey alongside us! We are grateful for you, our readers! 

As a recap of our year together, I compiled our top 15 posts of 2016. ENJOY! 

 

The Many Possibilities of High School Success

Just as there are many potential pathways to successfully completing high school--the end result of helping a young adult develop his or her divinely-created strengths and giftings--there are also many different avenues to the young adult's future; the years beyond the turning of the tassel.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also be encouraged by Real-Life for High School Credit: Care and Concerns for the Elderly.

Preschooling, Naturally

Preschool is foundational for life and learning. In fact, it is during the preschool years that little learners master foundational skills which serve as a base for later learning. More importantly, attitudes and temperaments toward learning are set during the preschool and early elementary years.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also be encouraged by "Let Me Do It!" Helping Little Learners Become Independent

5 Comments I Don't Regret

Words are remembered, taken with us through our days. This is true for us and it is true for our children and young adults.

If you found this post helpful, you might also enjoy Legacy: Learning Alongside

The Possibilities of Elective Credits - Part II

When I wrote the first edition (who remembers that first spiral-bound resource?) Celebrate High School I included a sample list of potential course titles--both core and elective. When I published my extensive revision in 2015, I expanded my list based on our experience and the experience of those with whom we work.

If the information in this post was helpful, you might want to continue on and read Part III.

32 Ways to Learn from Real and Relational 

Some of my children love making lapbooks, others prefer unit studies. Still others learn best when we incorporate field trips into our days. And, our middle and high school young adults? They have learned at co-ops, through online courses, and with personal independent study. 

If you are being intentional about keeping learning real and relational, you might also be encouraged by the practical life lessons (and history!) in this post-- Living History: 30 Questions that Bring History to Life

8 Skills Children Practice in Puddles

There was much to learn in the puddles. Each learner carried a small fish net, sand bucket or shovel. They were off on an adventure.

Rainy days are natural wonders which intrique little learners. If rain is falling at your house and you are waiting for a safe pause in weather, try this indoor art activity--Torn Paper Rainbows

Grades...In High School

"How do I give grades in high school?"

If designing a transcript is your next step, this post may be helpful--Transcript Matters

Using 4-H for High School Course Content

"Our high school learner is very active in 4-H. Can we use any of what the student is doing toward high school credit?" 

If you have middle school learners and are wondering how you can help them manage time, organize belongings, and pursue interests, this post--Magnificent, Make-A-Difference Middle School--might be helpful. 

Preschooling, Intentionally

Learning is the natural outcome of everyday living, especially for little learners. With a few intentional questions here and a purposeful explanation there, preschoolers can learn naturally from walking alongside older siblings and significant adults. Through everyday experiences, preschoolers gain a jump start to mastering foundational cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual life skills.  By the time the young learner blows out six candles on the birthday cake, significant progress toward mastery of foundational skills has likely been made.

If you are seeking ways to help your little learners do what they can, 3 Things They Can DO on Their Own, might be helpful. 

Living Books and Independent Studies

An interest evolved into an independent study, a year-long learning adventure. 

Science--especially animal science--is particularly interesting to little learners. If you have little learners with a zest for all things living, check out the book list in Vintage Science Readers for the WIN! 

Nature Adventures Made EASY- A Glimpse into Part of Our Day

Ten minutes later, peering out the bedroom window to check on the adventure, my heart smiled--three little learners discovering, wondering together. Co-laboring in learning. 

Looking for a way to learn math outdoors, in nature, where children crave? Check out Math Adventures!

Using Living Books in High School for Credit

We have used several approaches to formulating classes based on strengths, interests and the future plans of the young adult.

Interested in earning credit for writing college essays? This post--High School Made Simple: College Essays for Credit--might offer some insight. 

SIMPLE Prepositions for Little Learners

Keeping early learning active and fun!

Picture books can encourage learning. Read Aloud to Foster Counting Skills lists some of our favorite math picture books. 

Intentional Cursive Handwriting

Oh yes, there is good reason to teach cursive, teaching correct strokes and rotations. Proper letter formation does make composition easier. However, once initial instruction is complete and letters are formed properly, practice begins. Practice.

Interested in hands-on, real-life, spelling activities? This post--What About Spelling?--has lots of practical ideas. 

Helping Learners Foster Strengths and Interests

A trip to the electronics store. I was hoping to go alone. You know, time to enjoy quiet; time to think without questions. After all, it is ONLY the electronics store. 

If this post made you curious about interest-based learning, The Benefits of Interests: Motivating Learners, may answer a few more questions. 

Want to know more about how your days can be intentional, real, and relational? Click below to sign up for the Celebrate Simple Newsletter. 

Living Books and Independent Studies

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"Mom, do we have any nurse books?"

That question. 

An interest.

I started with what I knew. My knowledge of nursing minimal at best. 

A Florence Nightingale biography; I knew we had one in our biography section. I  eagerly motioned her over to the shelves. 

A week. She read; late into the evenings. I could tell she was engaged. She had accepted the author's invitation to walk hospital ward halls where Florence served, cared. My daughter experienced the Crimean War, through the pages of that biography.

The final evening, sprawled across the recliner, she closed the book and pulled it close to her chest. A sigh. I inquired. 

"I love that book! I know Florence. She persevered. She solved problems to help others. I know Florence."

My daughter had been invited into a life, into a life that mattered.  

"Do we have any other nurse books?"

That question.

An interest evolved into an independent study, a year-long learning adventure. 

I knew it would happen. I just didn't know exactly when or with which book. 

Stories have a way about beckoning us to places, meeting people we would never otherwise meet. While my daughter read the The Story of Florence Nightingale by Margaret Leighton, I heard a whisper, a quiet voice which suggested I build; build resources, other books related to nursing. In answering the call, I searched book lists. Bought used and asked knowledgeable people for ideas. All for a purpose. 

I found books. They were delivered to our door. My daughter read.

About three books into her reading, she started to recognize connections between these often heroic women. At dinner I heard about her ah-ha moments. My daughter commented, sharing stories of how one nurse inspired, trained, or mentored another. 

I was astounded by the understanding she was gaining, truly amazed!

My daughter's independent study began with one Living Book, a book about a real person who recognized a need, saw a problem and then found solutions. That one book led to an independent study, a study I didn't plan. My role was to foster her interest by finding resources--in this case books--and to be willing to listen--to process. There were many discussions, many summaries voluntarily shared because the learning intrigued and mattered. My daughter analyzed, compared, inferred, questioned.

Surprisingly, her independent study began with one book; an invitation into the life of one nurse.

One Living Book. One real story. An independent study.

What were the books?

In addition to The Story of Florence Nightingale by Margaret Leighton (a Signature series biography) the book which started the study, my daughter also enjoyed:

Great Women of Medicine by Ruth Fox Hume, a collective biography

Nurse Around the World: Alice Fitzgerald by Iris Noble, a Messner biography

The Story of Edith Cavell by Iris Vinton. a Signature series biography

First Woman Ambulance Surgeon: Emily Barringer by Iris Noble, borrowed from a friend who knew of my daughter's interest, also a Messner biography

Frontier Nurse: Mary Breckinridge by Katherine E. Wilkie

America's First Trained Nurse: Linda Richards by Rachel Baker, a Messner biography

Remember, some of these books are intended for older learners. My daughter was entering high school when she read these books. What one family deems appropriate may not be considered acceptable for another family. Parents should consider their family's guidelines for reading material, as well as the maturity of their reader, when offering titles for learning. 

 

This blog post is intended to offer an example of personal experience. It is in no way intended to be legal advice and should not be taken as such. Parents own the sole responsibility for the training and education of their children.