The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home

by Susan Wise Bauer

1. Read the material to your child as she follows along. Once she’s beginning to read independently, alternate reading paragraphs or sections out loud to each other. By third or fourth grade, some students are ready to read alone (although most will still get more out of the material if they read out loud to you; it’s easy for young minds to wander when reading nonfiction). 2. Make a narration page. After your first or second grader tells you about what you’ve just read, write her version down on notebook or drawing paper for her. (By third grade, children should be starting to write down their own narrations; see page 78). 3. Ask the child to illustrate what she’s just read (and help her make a caption), or let her color a picture related to the story. 4. Find the geographical area under discussion on a globe and on a wall map, and color the appropriate black-line map. 5. Go to the library to find out more about the subject.