Laurie Bluedorn's Blog, page 7

Resource for your new school year — list of historical fiction by time period

Ancient History (4000 B.C. – 400 A.D.)

Luke’s Quest by Caroline Dale Snedeker

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekiah by Joanne Williamson and Daria M. Sockey

The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt by G.A. Henty

Adam and His Kin: The Lost History of Their Lives and Times by Ruth Beechick

Twice Freed by Patricia St. John

The True Story of Noah’s Ark by Tom Dooley

Pharaoh’s Boat by David L. Weitzman

The Trojan Horse by Emily Little

Aesop’s Fables

Martyr of the Catacombs: A Tale of Ancient Rome by James De Mille

The Last Days of Pompeii by Sir Edward G. Buller-Lytton

The Lost Queen of Egypt by Lucile Morrison

Theras and His Town by Caroline Dale Sneaker

Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace

Medieval/Early Renaissance (400 – 1600)

The Black Arrow by Robert Lewis Stevenson

The White Stage by Kate Seredy

Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott

Quentin Durward by Sir Walter Scott

The Talisman by Sir Walter Scott

The King’s Fifth by Scott O’Dell

By Pike and Dyke by G.A. Henry

By Right of Conquest by G.A. Henty

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli

The Apple and the Arrow by Conrad Buff

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray

The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly

Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day by Scott O’Dell

Ink on His Fingers by Louise A. Vernon

The Minstrel in the Tower by Gloria Skurzynski

A Medieval Feast by Aliki

A Year in a Castle by Rachel Coombs

The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allen French

Son of Charlemagne by Barbara Willard

The King’s Shadow by Elizabeth Alder

Master Skylark by John Bennett

Twice Queen of France: Anne of Brittany by Mildred Allen Butler

Black Fox of Lorne by Marguerite de Angeli

Lost Baron: A Story of England in the Year 1200 by Allen French

The Red Keep: A Story of Burgundy in 1165 by Allen French

St. George for England by G.A. Henry

Judith of France by Margaret Leighton

Journey for a Princess by Margaret Leighton

The Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter

Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle

Men of Iron by Howard Pyle

Later Renaissance/Early Modern (1600-1850)

The Little Marquise: Madame Lafayette by Hazel Hutchins Wilson

Waverly by Sir Walter Scott

Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott

Peveril of the Peak by Sir Walter Scott

The Wreck of the Grosvenor by W. Clark Russell

John Holdsworth, Chief Mate by W. Clark Russell

Daughter of the Mountains by Louise Rankin

Within the Capes by Howard Pyle

The Rose of Paradise by Howard Pyle

Tom Brown’s School Days by Thomas Hughes

Calico Bush by Rachel Field

Soft Rain by Cornelia Cornelissen

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper

Five Bushel Farm by Elizabeth Coatsworth

The Far-Off Land by Rebecca Caudill

Drums by James Boyd

Toliver’s Secret by Esther Wood Brady

Madeleine Takes Command by Ethel C. Brill

The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh

Benjamin Franklin by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaires

The Fourth of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh

Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla

The Pilgrims of Plymouth by Marcia Sewall

The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds

A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins

Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates

Peter the Great by Diane Stanley

Mr. Revere and I: Being an Account of certain Episodes in the Career of Paul Revere,Esq. as Revealed by his Horse by Robert Lawson

Brady by Jean Fritz

If You Lived With the Iroquois by Ellen Levine

If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern and Anna DiVito

The Story of the Pilgrims by Katharine Ross and Carolyn Croll

The Lewis and Clark Expedition by Richard L. Neuberger

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham

Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson

The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz

George Washington’d World by Joanna and Genevieve Foster

The Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty

The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz

Tree of Freedom by Rebecca Caudill

A Dog of Flanders by Louise de la Ramee

I, Juan De Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino

The Hoosier Schoolmaster by Edward Eggleston

Treasure of the Revolution by Mary Virginia Fox

The Colonials by Allen French

The Mutineers by Charles Hawes

The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes

Wreck Ashore by Basil Heatter

Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry

Head to the West by Carol Hoff

The Story of Grizel by Elizabeth Kyle

This Dear-Bought Land by Jean Lee Latham

The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence

The Smugglers by Iain Lawrence

The Buccaneers by Iain Lawrence

Martin Hyde by John Masefield

The Two Arrows by Cornelia Meigs

Wind in the Chimney by Cornelia Meigs

Captured by the Mohawks by Sterling North

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

Eldorado by Baroness Orczy

The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman

Thaddeus of Warsaw by Jane Porter

Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Modern (1850-present)

Laddie: A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz

Long Wharf by Howard Pease

Shipwreck by Howard Pease

In Ole Virginia by Thomas Nelson Page

Two Little Confederates by Thomas Nelson Page

Red Rock: A Chronicle of Reconstruction by Thomas Nelson Page

Gay-Neck by Dhan Gopal Mukerji

The Golden Name Day by Jennie Lindquist

The Little Silver House by Jennie Lindquist

The Crystal Tree by Jennie Lindquist

The Victory Garden by Lee Kochenderfer

Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard

Mary Ellen by May Justus

The Other Side of the Mountain by May Justus

Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field

Winter Journey by Elsa Falk

The Terrible Wave by Marden Dahlstedt

Twenty and Ten by Clare Huchet Bishop

The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner

By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman

Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis

The Little Riders by Margaretha Shemin

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park

I Want My Sunday, Stranger by Patricia Beatty

Wait for Me, Watch for Me, Eula Bee by Patricia Beatty

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

Schoolroom in the Parlor by Rebecca Caudill

Thee, Hannah! by Marguerite de Angelo

The House of 60 Fathers by Meindert De Jong

Ironhead by Mel Ellis

Prairie Winter by Elsie Kimmell Field

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Man Without a Country by Edward Everett Hale

Katrina: The Story of a Russian Child by Helen Eggleston Haskell

Song of the Pines: A Story of Norwegian Lumbering in Wisconsin by Walter Havighurst

Kon-Tiki:Across the Pacific by Raft by Thor Heyerdahl

North to Freedom by Anne Holm

Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt

Lucinda, a Little Girl of 1860 by Mabel Leigh Hunt

Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James

Trapped by Roderick Jeffries

Komantcia by Harold Keith

Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon

Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski

Shoo-Fly Girl by Lois Lenski

When the Typhoon Blows by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis

The Open Range Men by Lauran Paine

Elli of the Northland by Margaret Ruthin

The Good Master by Kate Seedy

The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier

The Little Riders by Margaretha Shemin

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor

Teaching reading based on Orton-Gillingham

When I was teaching my children to read in the 70’s and 80’s I used The Writing Road to Reading by Romalda B. Spalding. It is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading and spelling (as were all good reading and spelling curricula). Today I recommend All About Reading, which also is based on Orton-Gillingham. The Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading and spelling uses instruction that is multisensory, sequential, incremental, cumulative, individualized, phonics-based, and explicit. Read about Orton-Gillingham here.

Volume 1 of our art curriculum is free on Amazon Kindle from August 19-22

What Do You See? A Child’s First Introduction to Art Volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4

These four ebooks can be purchased on Amazon Kindle for $2.99 each….

….but, for four days, August 19-22, Volume 1 will be free on Amazon Kindle.

What Do You See? A Child’s First Introduction to Art

This curriculum is a gentle and easy introduction to art appreciation for children, ages 4-12. Our goal is to introduce children to basic concepts in learning how to look at a piece of art and evaluate it. In addition, we want to spark in the child a love for the great works of art.

The students and teacher should spend time observing the painting, and then answer the included questions. Since one of our goals is to learn to love art, we recommend that you ask the child to answer the questions orally, not with pencil and paper. We want to make the learning experience enjoyable for you and the children.

Each volume introduces only one elementary art principle.

Volume 1 — Center of Interest

Volume 2 — Primary Colors

Volume 3 — Source of Light

Volume 4 — Five Traditional Classifications for Paintings

From August 19-22, you can download your free copy of Volume 1 here.

Table of Contents for Volume 1

1. Little Red Riding Hood and Grandmother, by Harriet Backer

2. The Dog Cart, by Henriëtte Ronner-Knip

3. The Birthday Cake, by Victor Gabriel Gilbert

4. Boy with Baby Carriage, by Norman Rockwell

5. Feeding the Baby, by Axel Theophilus Helsted

6. Elsie Cassatt Holding a Big Dog, by Mary Cassatt

7. Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, by John Singer Sargent

8. Cottage Girl with Dog and Pitcher, by Thomas Gainsborough

9. A Child’s Menagerie, by Eastman Johnson

10. Belshazzar’s Feast, by Rembrandt

You can buy Volume 2 here.

Table of Contents for Volume 2

1. Le Tour Du Monde, by André-Henri Dargelas

2. Teaching a Dog New Tricks, by John Arthur Lomax

3. The Baptism of the Eunuch, by Rembrandt

4. Arabs Crossing the Desert, by Jean-Leon Gerome

5. The Blind Girl, by John Everett Millais

6. The Good Turn, by George Hillyard Swinstead

7. The Animals Entering the Ark, by Jan Brueghel the Elder

8. The First Lesson, by Louis-Emile Adan

9. Baseball Players Practicing, by Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins

10. The Reading Lesson, by Paul Seignac

You can buy Volume 3 here.

Table of Contents for Volume 3

1. The Burning of the Houses of Parliament, by Joseph Mallord Wil-liam Turner

2. A Dinner Table at Night, by John Singer Sargent

3. Harmony, by Alexandre Cabanel

4. Keelman Heaving in Coals by Night, by Joseph Mallord William Turner

5. Protecting the School Children, by Andre Henri Dargelas

6. Saint Michael and the Dragon, by Raphael

7. In Charge of Baby, by Winslow Homer

8. A Child Peeling Potatoes, by Evert Pieters

9. Tiger on the Watch, by Jean-Leon Gerome

10. Saul and David, by Rembrandt

You can buy Volume 4 here.

Table of Contents for Volume 4

1. Mound of Butter, by Antoine Vollon French

2. Vanitas with Violin and Glass Ball, by Pieter Claesz

3. Science Is Measurement, by Henry Stacy Marks

4. True Friends, by John George Brown

5. Arctic Adventure, or A Ship in Distress off Greenland, by Abraham Hondius

6. The Poppy Field near Argenteuil, by Claude Monet

7. The Dancing Lesson, by Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins

8. Time to Wake Up, by Charles Burton Barber

9. Washington Crossing the Delaware, by George Caleb Bingham

10. Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph, by Rembrandt van Rijn

You can also purchase the PDF version (printable) of these ebooks here.

Thornton W. Burgess — nature study might make you a famous author

Thornton Waldo Burgess (1874 – 1965) was an American author of children’s stories. Thornton’s father died when Thornton was only one-year-old and he was raised by his mother in humble surroundings. As a youth, he had to work tending cows, shipping water lilies from local ponds, selling candy, and trapping muskrats. One of his employers lived on Discovery Hill Road, a wildlife habitat of woodland and wetland, and much of his childhood was spent exploring the flora and fauna, fishing and picking berries. This habitat became the setting of most of Thornton’s later books and stories.

In Burgess’ first book, Old Mother West Wind, the reader meets Peter Rabbit, Jimmy Skunk, Sammy Jay, Bobby Raccoon, Little Joe Otter, Grandfather Frog, Billy Mink, Jerry Muskrat, Spotty the Turtle, Old Mother West Wind, and her Merry Little Breezes, and these characters form the backbone for his later books.

Old Mother West Wind [image error]

Thornton Burgess books on Librivox.

Thornton Burgess books on audible.

Books by Thornton Burgess on Gutenberg.

Throughout the years, Harrison Cady (1877-1970) illustrated the Thornton Burgess books.

An early illustration by Harrison Cady

Reading aloud — above the reading level of your child

Thank you so much for encouraging us to read above the level you think your child will understand. Recently we began to read Charlotte’s Web with our 5yo son because the play is coming to our area and we needed to know the story since we didn’t read it as children. To our surprise and amazement he is really enjoying it!! No matter what he’s doing, if I say “Let’s read some Charlotte’s Web” he jumps up enthusiastically and runs to the couch to read. This is such a fun adventure with him. My question is, what other chapter books would be appropriate for his age? Since he’s still young, are there unabridged versions with a few more pictures than the junior book we borrowed from the library? Thanks for your wonderful work and ministry. Sincerely, Vanessa

How about these:

–The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds

–books by Marguerite Henry

Smoky:The Cow Horse[image error] by Will James

–books by Lois Lenski

–Homer Price by Robert Mccluskey

–Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

–The Borrowers series by Mary Norton

The Blind Colt[image error] by Glen Rounds

–Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

–books by Thornton Burgess

–A Child’s History of England by Charles Dickens

–The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

–The Door In The Wall by Marguerite de Angeli

Volume 4 of What Do You See? A Child’s First Introduction to Art Now Available

What Do You See? A Child’s First Introduction to Art, Volume 4

How to Use This Art Curriculum

This curriculum is a gentle and easy introduction to art appreciation for children, ages 4-12. We teach children to look at a piece of art and evaluate it. We hope to spark in the child a love for the great works of art.

Students will learn:

1. How to identify questions to ask.

2. How to identify why the artist painted what he did.

3. How to identify details the artist placed inside his painting.

4. How they might try to paint something themselves.

5. How to pay attention to the artist and the history of the painting.

The students and teacher should spend time observing the painting and then answer the questions. We recommend that you ask the child to answer the questions orally, not with pencil and paper. We want to make the learning experience enjoyable for you and your children.

This fourth volume of What Do You See? A Child’s First Introduction to Art introduces only one elementary art principle — the five traditional classifications for paintings.

Paintings are traditionally divided into these five categories:

1. Landscape paintings — A landscape painting is an artwork where the primary focus is natural scenery. Thomas Cole and Vincent Van Gogh are two famous landscape artists.

2. Portrait paintings — A portrait is a painting of a human subject. The face, expression, and personality of the model are often captured by the artist. Rembrandt van Rijn is perhaps the greatest portrait painter.

3. Still Life paintings — A still life painting is an arrangement of household or everyday objects which may be natural, such as flowers and fruits, or man-made, such as glasses and musical instruments. Paul Cezanne and Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin are two of the most famous still life artists.

4. Genre paintings — A genre painting is a scene of everyday life. Édouard Manet and Johannes Vermeer are two well-known genre artists.

5. Historical/religious/symbolic paintings — This category includes paintings where the subject is religious, historical, or symbolic. Raphael and Michelangelo are two well-known artists in this category.

In this volume of What Do You See? A Child’s First Introduction to Art, we will learn to identify the category to which a painting belongs.

Table of Contents

How to Use This Art Curriculum

1. Mound of Butter, by Antoine Vollon French

2. Vanitas with Violin and Glass Ball, by Pieter Claesz

3. Science Is Measurement, by Henry Stacy Marks

4. True Friends, by John George Brown

5. Arctic Adventure, or A Ship in Distress off Greenland, by Abraham Hondius

6. The Poppy Field near Argenteuil, by Claude Monet

7. The Dancing Lesson, by Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins

8. Time to Wake Up, by Charles Burton Barber

9. Washington Crossing the Delaware, by George Caleb Bingham

10. Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph, by Rembrandt van Rijn

You can purchase the PDF of this curriculum on our Trivium Pursuit shopping cart (the PDF version can be printed), or the Kindle version on Amazon (the Kindle version cannot be printed).

34 pages

$2.99

United States Constitution Text and Audio

Complete text and audio of the U.S. Constitution and its amendments. Listen and read along.

See the video here.

Books from my library for sale

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

beautifully illustrated by Jeanne Edwards

edited by William H.G. Kingston (considered “the authoritative English version”)

HB with dust jacket

The World Publishing Company

1947

good condition

$29 with free U.S. media mail shipping

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

HB with tattered dust jacket

book in good condition

MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.

copyright 1935, 1973 printing

$18 with free U.S. media mail shipping

The Refugees: A Tale of Two Continents by A. Conan Doyle

illustrated by T. de Thulstrup

historical novel

paperback

first published 1892, printed 2004 by Inheritance Publications

good condition

$16 with free U.S. media mail shipping

Living Documents in American History Volume Two, From Reconstruction to the Outbreak of World War I, edited by John A. Scott

Primary sources from American history

published 1968

Washington Square Press

HB

small amount of writing on two pages

binding tight

good condition

illustrated with maps and folk music scores

$19 with free U.S. media mail shipping

515-249-3611

Readings in European History: A collection of extracts from the sources chosen with the purpose of illustrating the progress of culture in Western Europe since the German Invasions

by James Harvey Robinson

Primary sources from the Barbarian Invasions to early Twentieth Century

published 1906

HB

tight binding

good condition

$19 with free U.S. media mail shipping

515-249-3611

The Portable Greek Historians: The essence of Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius

selected and edited by M. I. Finley

published 1959

paperback

good used condition

$9 with free U.S. media mail shipping

515-249-3611

Stories of Famous Ships by Frank Knight

illustrated by Will Nickless

ex-lib

HB

published 1966

tight binding

good condition

$15 with free U.S. media mail shipping

515-249-3611

Little Journeys to the Homes of American Statesmen

by Elbert Hubbard

richly illustrated with black and white plates

published 1898

binding loose

fair condition

$15 with free U.S. media mail shipping

515-249-3611

Antique school primer

The First Step to Learning antique school primer

London: Yorkshire J.S. Publishing and Stationery Co. Limited; Agents: DEAN & SON, 11, Ludgate-hill, Wholesale Warehouse — Otley, Yorkshire

Paperback

$12 with free U.S. media mail shipping

10 pages

good condition

around 1860 (penciled in)

515-249-3611

Periodic Table of the Elements Poster by Time Life Books (1986)

illustrated with photographs of the actual elements

out of print

fair condition

30X50 inches

$12 (free U.S. media mail postage)

515-249-3611

Susanna and Sue by Kate Douglas Wiggin

illustrated by Alice Barber Stephens and N.C. Wyeth

published 1909 by Houghton Mifflin Company

firm binding, no missing pages

interior pages clean

225 pages

$15 (free U.S.media mail postage)

515-249-3611

Korean translation of Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style

I have one copy to sell (U.S. addresses only)

$29 (free U.S. Media Mail shipping)

HB, new, never used

515-249-3611

Alphaboat by Michael Chesworth

Alphaboat[image error] by Michael Chesworth — you will LOVE this book!

O que é o Trivium?

What is the Trivium?

by Harvey Bluedorn

Traduzido por Bruno Philippe

O TRIVIUM

O Trivium organiza a educação da criança em três áreas bíblicas:

O Conhecimento são os fatos: as datas na história, os dados na ciência e as notas na música. O Entendimento organiza os fatos em uma sequência lógica: as razões por trás da história, a teoria da música. A Sabedoria aplica nosso conhecimento e entendimento em maneiras práticas: um artigo sobre a guerra civil, um projeto na feira de ciência ou tocar a música Sonata ao luar…..

Read the rest of the article here.