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Lorraine Curry's
Easy Homeschooling Eletter
Issue #74 June 2006

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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 
"Wrong choices lead to literal dead ends."
Review by Lorraine Curry

Frankenstein parallels Shelley's life. As wrong choices lead her life to literal dead ends, such is so with the monster's creator. Frankenstein rose form the seed bed of "Human reason rules!" and in it Shelley examines the potential disaster of this thinking. Intellectuals of the day were optimistic that man could fix things, and yet, there was also an underlying pessimism based on reality (historical evidence that man hadn't fixed anything in the past). Romantic writers of this time often drew the reader outside of reality, out of the cynicism, urging them to a simpler, more wholesome time. The specific genre of Frankenstein is "Gothic" or that which is characterized by suspense, mystery, inner emotional struggles as well as struggles between good and evil. Along with Shelley, other authors who wrote in this style are Ann Radcliffe and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Man made the monster, the monster became man and this work reveals the awful end for the man who decides to "be God" in his pursuits.

The monster had a "heart" and many other human qualities and desires. Foremost was his desire to be loved, and yet all turned away in horror and disgust from his appearance. He learned humanity, speaking and reading through observation of a loving family. He gleaned from classic books. He speaks:

"Fortunately the books were written in the language of the elements of which I had acquired at the cottage; they consisted of Paradise Lost, a volume of Plutarch's Lives, and the Sorrows of Werter. The possession of these treasures gave me extreme delight; I now continually studied and exercised my mind upon these histories, whilst my friends were employed in their ordinary occupations.

I can hardly describe to you the effect of these books. They produced in me an infinity of new images and feelings, that sometimes raised me to ecstasy, but more frequently sunk me into the lowest dejection. In the Sorrows of Werter, besides the interest of its simple and affecting story, so many opinions are canvassed, and so many lights thrown upon what had hitherto been to me obscure subjects, that I found in it a never ending source of speculation and astonishment. The gentle and domestic manners it described, combined with lofty sentiment and feelings, which had for their object something out of self, accorded well with my experience among my protectors, and with the wants which were for ever alive in my own bosom. But I thought Werter himself a more divine being than I had every beheld or imagined; his character contained no pretension, but it sunk deep. The disquisitions upon death and suicide were calculated to fill me with wonder. I did not pretend to enter into the merits of the case, yet i inclined towards the opinions of the hero, whose extinction I wept, without precisely understanding it. . . .

Plutarch taught me high thoughts, he elevated me above the wretched sphere of my own reflections, to admire and love the heroes of past ages. . . .

But Paradise Lost excited different and far deeper emotions. . . .

However human the monster became, a bigger sin nature controlled him, especially after experiencing rejection and hurt. The monster's creator, unlike ours, refused to love or have compassion on his creation. He only had excruciating regret and sorrow about what he had done, not only to himself, but to his loved ones (some of them became the murderous monster's victims).

Frankenstein leads the reader to prethink or rethink some of his or her life choices. Frankenstein is a serious work, very appropriate for adults and older children. It makes one consider potential consequences before taking the wrong path.

L000295 FRANKENSTEIN. Mary Shelley. Classic tale of results and consequences when man plays God. VG. $10.00 ADD TO CART

More Classic Books

 

 

See more about using literature in Easy Homeschooling Companion 1st edition

 

 

 

 



Preparing Your Child to Read
By Deanna Mascle


The ultimate goal of reading instruction is to enable children to understand what they read, so reading instruction has to be about more than simply matching letters and sounds -- it also has to be about connecting words and meaning.

It is clear from research on emerging literacy that learning to read is a relatively lengthy process that begins very early in development and clearly before children enter formal schooling.

Children who receive stimulating literacy experiences from birth onward appear to have an edge when it comes to vocabulary development, understanding the goals of reading, and developing an awareness of print and literacy concepts.

Children who are read to frequently at very young ages become exposed in interesting and exciting ways to the sounds of our language, to the concept of rhyming, and to other word and language play activities that serve to provide the foundation for the development of phoneme awareness.

As children are exposed to literacy activities at young ages, they begin to recognize and discriminate letters. Without a doubt, children who have learned to recognize and print most letters as preschoolers will have less to learn upon school entry. The learning of letter names is also important because the names of many letters contain the sounds they most often represent, thus orienting youngsters early to the alphabetic principle or how letters and sounds connect.

The earlier you begin working on language with your child -- simply speaking to your child, reading to your child, and then listening and responding to your child's communications -- the better off your child will be when the time comes to learn.

Studies show a strong connection between early language development and reading. Language and reading require the same types of sound analysis. The better babies are at distinguishing the building blocks of speech at six months, the better they will be at more complex language skills at two and three years old, and the easier it will be for them at four and five years old to grasp the idea of how sounds link to letters.

However, preparing your child to become a reader needs to go beyond this to cognitive readiness.

Cognitive readiness is essentially making sure your child has the essential foundations for reading. This includes the development and understanding of language, such as vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar; but also includes background knowledge and experience.

For example, a child can easily make the transition from seeing the neighbor's cat to the parent connecting the word "cat" with the animal. Then later when the child is learning the alphabet and connecting sounds with various letters the cat is again brought into play. Finally, when it is time to begin reading text the child is already well on her way to understanding the written word "cat" through her experience of seeing and hearing it.

However children need help learning these concepts. A child will not learn the names, sounds, and shapes of letters simply by being around adults who like to read and who engage in reading. Children learn these concepts when adults take the time and effort to share experiences with oral and written language.

Preparing your child to read must take a step beyond this as well. Children's cognitive skills and knowledge are frequently thought of as core ingredients in the recipe for success in school. Children's language/literacy refers to both their oral communication (language) and understanding of the written word (literacy). The concept of general knowledge refers to children's conceptions and understandings of the world around them.

As children enter kindergarten for the first time, they differ in their cognitive skills and knowledge. Studies of first-time kindergartners indicate that children's reading, mathematics, and general knowledge are related to their age as they enter kindergarten, the level of their mother's education, their family type, the primary language spoken in the home, and their race/ethnicity.

The undisputed purpose of learning to read is to comprehend. Even before children can read for themselves, it can help them to build vital background knowledge by having adults read to them interactively and frequently. This means not only is the book or story shared with the child -- but then the reader and the child discuss the book and the world, characters, and events it introduces. It is important for parents who want to build their child's cognitive readiness to actually choose a variety of texts that will expand what their children know about the world around them. Further, comprehension is enhanced through discussion of the text which in turn might lead to seeking out further text on this or related subjects. Effective instruction will help the reader actively relate his or her own knowledge or experience to the ideas written in the text, and then remember the ideas that he or she has come to understand.

Helping your child become cognitively ready for reading will also include giving your child diverse experiences in the world and with events and people so they can make connections between the real world and their reading. This does not have to mean extensive travel or expensive outings. Many times simply taking children to various events and places within your community can provide experience with people of different ages and ethnic backgrounds, for example.

Ultimately, children's ability to understand what they are reading is inextricably linked to their background knowledge. Very young children who are provided opportunities to learn, think, and talk about new areas of knowledge will gain much from the reading process. With understanding comes the clear desire to read more and to read frequently, ensuring that reading practice takes place.

Some things you can do to help cognitively prepare your child for reading:

--Read new stories and reread old stories every day.
--Help extend their experience with the words, language, and ideas in books by interactively reading to them every day.
--Relate information in books to other events of interest to children, such as holidays, pets, siblings, and games. Engage children in discussion of the topics.
--In both stories and informational texts, encourage wondering. For example, "What will happen next?" or "Have you ever seen someone do that?"
--Point out titles and headings as well as text when you are reading.

About the Author: Deanna Mascle is the publisher of http://PreschoolersLearnMore.info . Visit for more tips and resources for teaching your preschooler including http://learningtoreadthroughrhyme.info

Source: www.isnare.com

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Review by Lorraine Curry.

A publication could not be more professional or attractive! Wonderful glossy pages, rarely seen even in secular magazines reveal great cutting-edge as well as practical content. Reviews and ads give the reader many, many options. Co-publisher, Gena Suarez, is a true and gracious Christian. They have been a wonderful partner to many homeschooling businesses, giving opportunities to advertisers and non-advertisers alike, unlike one now understandably defunct publication. "Give and it shall be given unto you." Because they continually give small businesses opportunity to grow, they are blessed increasingly from bigger businesses as well as the smaller ones as they grow. The are now offering this special:

19 Free Gifts for Homeschoolers - Limited Time Offer!

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Subscribe to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Whether you are new to our magazine or a long-time subscriber, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has an incredible offer that you won't want to pass up! In the past, renewing subscribers were NOT allowed to receive the 19 free gifts - it was only for new customers. But for a limited time only, RENEWING
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"What if I'm a brand new subscriber.what do I get?"

With your paid two-year subscription to TOS you'll receive:

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Early is OK - we'll just add on the additional two years! Renew your subscription NOW and you'll receive:

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This special offer will expire soon; supplies are limited (only 2500 left at the time of this mailing). Subscribe or renew today so you don't miss out on this opportunity! Subscribe online or call toll free at: 1-888-718-HOME, or mail your order ($39 total) today to:

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Please indicate whether you are a new or returning subscriber. Either way, you get all 19 curriculum gifts - FREE.

Your NINETEEN free gifts include valuable resources from the following companies. (You get ALL of these):

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Thank you for taking the time to look at this special offer from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Bear with us please if you received this offer more than one time; we are campaigning to numerous support leaders. Thanks for your patience.

- Paul and Gena Suarez, Publishers

Organize Home Basics
By Daniel Roshard



Organized people get more out of life, more out of the time they have, actually more of everything. You could think that a lot of time is spent planning or organize, but eventually this time invested in preparation saves a lot of extra time in damage control.

Today more and more people see the advantages of daily routine and general home organizing techniques.

Your home is where you seek comfort and rest, some relief from a stressful and competitive environment. Almost everyone will agree that time spent at home should be used to ensure and promote the happiness of its owners. Will it surprise you to learn that studies have shown that home organization can decrease stress levels, and that a disorganized home increases stress levels and creates situations where people avoid spending time at home.

But the real question here is this, how bad is your home, how disorganized are you, and how much effort you will need to organize home?. It doesn't matter if you have a 2 room apartment and its completely messy or you live in a one bedroom apartment and it needs some work, you need to start thinking of how you can organize your home and try and do this on a regular basis, so it stays organized.

First step is to plan and set goals. How much time do you, realistically, have to put into your home right now? When do you want this project to end? How do you think you can maintain a general organization throughout the home?

Take out a piece of paper, write down the names of the rooms in your home and plan. You will want to work room by room, and give some rooms more time. Do not go into organization projects without having at least a day per room, this way you could probably finish the room and still have some free time. Having a half-organized room when you finished working is a disaster. You will have to live in this room for an extra week till you get back to it, and by than the situation will be worse than when you began. So make a plan and know what you want to achieve (complete order, just organize a closet, move some things out etc.), and how much time you want to spend on this goal (3 weekends, one month etc).

In the next few days or weeks you will need to clear some time for the "organize home" tasks, and make sure that once you have reached your deadline you enjoy the fruit of your hard work. Organizing your home is not an easy task, but its worth it when everything is organized and you can find things easily.

About the Author: Daniel Roshard is an interior designer fascinated by garden architecture, as well as a cleaning and organizing freak.

Source: www.isnare.com

Train yourself! Easy Homeschooling Eclass: Design Your Days - School Planning and Much More. Click Here.

Design Your Days ecourse features:

 

3 Fun Spring Activities
By Angela Billings

It is time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Spring weather. These 3 activities will be loved by you and the children.

Plant Flowers

Kids love planting things and with this project you can plant seeds or go buy flower plants to put in pots or flower gardens. All you need is the seeds, plants, potting soil and pots to put them in. Don't forget to water them.

Bird Nest Supplies

Let the kids stuff small strands of yarn, colorful ribbon, twigs and hay inside a net bag that onions or oranges have been in and then tie to tree branches for the birds to get and use in building their nests. The kids will be so excited when they see a piece of ribbon they supplied for the nest.

Nature Scavenger Hunt


This is so easy and fun to do with the kids on a nice day.I simply made a list of things to look for outside and let the kids go. Of course, for smaller children you will have to read the list to them and help them find the treasures.

Some items to put on your list could be:

The scavenger list possibilities are endless and will be different depending on where you live.

I just put about 10 items on our list and that way we get to have scavenger hunts more often and look for different things. This helps children look closer at nature and appreciate it more if they are outside on a regular basis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Angela Billings is founder of Home and Family Ezine and provides recipes and tips for making your house a home. You can discover more at http://www.homeandfamilyezine.com


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