Novel Thoughts

The Courage of Sarah Noble

Today, we look at how to teach and what to look for in The Courage of Sarah Noble from the Memoria Press Second Grade Literature Curriculum. We dive into how to study this book effectively to find the themes and metaphors that make this classic novel essential to a great homeschool education. If you have any great study tips on how to review and study this novel in your own homeschool, let us know down below! The Newbery Honor-winning The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh dramatizes a young girl’s struggle in colonial America. Eight-year-old Sarah Noble and her father travel through the wilderness of Connecticut in 1707 to build a new life. As they live in the wild, Sarah sometimes finds it hard to be brave when there are strange noises in the woods. However, she soon makes new friends in her wilderness home, and when she must stay alone while her father goes to fetch the rest of the family, Sarah learns what it really means to be brave. The Courage of Sarah Noble Set includes everything you need to guide your student to a deeper understanding and appreciation of this exciting, historical children’s novel.

Prairie School

Today, Novel Thoughts sits down to explore a student's first chapter book in the Memoria Press curriculum! Prairie School by renowned children’s author Avi tells the story of Noah Bidson growing up on the prairies of Colorado. One day, his Aunt Dora arrives and begins teaching Noah reading, writing, and arithmetic. Noah is hesitant at first, trying to find ways to avoid studying. However, once Aunt Dora begins teaching him outside on the prairie, Noah discovers the joy of learning, and his life changes forever. The Prairie School Set comes with the everything you need to ensure your student will read, understand, and learn from this beautiful children’s book for beginners.

Animal Folk Tales of America

On today's episode of Novel Thoughts we go back to analyze one of the first literature books that students are expected to read on their own! No more read-aloud books, it's time to move on to Animal Folk Tales of America. This book contains many famous stories told throughout American history, adapted by Caldecott Honor-winner Tony Palazzo. Legends in this text include Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, The Jumping Frog, Davy Crockett, Johnny Appleseed, Sweet Betsy, and others. Your student will explore magnificent landscapes and discover legendary deeds as they come to know and love these treasured tall-tales!

Second Grade Read-Alouds [ Part 7 ]

Today, Novel Thoughts unpacks the final books of our Second Grade Read-Aloud collection. What a journey it's been! Today we're talking about Island Boy, a handful of Animal Fables, and Sam, Bangs, and Moonshine. We'll cover how to teach children about family and growing up, the role of community leadership, and how our imagination can often get us into trouble. Thanks for joining us for this episode, we hope you enjoy it!

Second Grade Read-Alouds [ Part 6 ]

Today we unpack two categories of books in our 2nd Grade Classical Homeschool Curriculum, poetry and history. We will talk through Emily, A Visit to William Blake's Inn, Paul Revere's Ride, and The 4th of July Story, as we explore how understanding the language, meter, and rhyme of poetry prepares children for later success in their language arts studies. Second grade is a great time to get children invested in reading poetry, a skill and pasttime that is a worthwhile investment for students at any stage of their education journey.

Second Grade Read-Alouds [ Part 5 ]

Today, Novel Thoughts dives into the second semester of the Memoria Press Second Grade Read Aloud Books. We will talk about two books that almost didn't make it into the curriculum, Verdi and The Gardener. But we learned that this literature guides students toward understanding the themes of belonging, place, and self-reflection; important lessons that you shouldn't miss either! Start your second semester right, with two great books that we know will prepare your students for the semester ahead!

Second Grade Read-Aloud [ Part 4 ]

Today Novel Thoughts dives back into the Memoria Press Second Grade Read Aloud Books. Let us be your literature guides as we be talk about Wee Gillis, Johnny Appleseed, and The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, and how these read alouds contribute big lessons in our classical Christian homeschool curriculum. We hope you enjoy this review of our education material and how reading these books are a great first start to learning how young children can begin to find their purpose!

Second Grade Read-Alouds [ Part 3 ]

On today's episode of Novel Thoughts, we dive into Maybelle the Cable Car and The Ant and the Elephant. These two classic stories are excellent stories that unpack a person's civic responsibility to their city or town and their interpersonal responsibility to their friend and neighbor. As young kids navigate their world, it's important for their teachers to enourage kindness, thoughtfulness, and grace toward one another as well as a larger social awareness of how they can enact change in the world around them. We invite you to come along as we unpack our next two books in our Second Grade Read-Aloud Set from Memoria Press.

Second Grade Read Alouds [ Part 2 ]

On this episode of Novel Thoughts, we continue to unpack selections from our 2nd Grade Read-Aloud set: Cinderella and The Emperor's New Clothes. These are two of Leigh's favorite choices from our set of 33 classic children's books. With every story and every illustration these classic authors give us countless lessons and virtues we can glean wisdom from. Join us as we talk about pride, jealousy, redemption and more. Have you ever thought about how the story of Cinderella reminds us of the story of Joseph and his brothers?

Second Grade Read Alouds [ Part 1 ]

Memoria Press 2nd Grade Literature Curriculum introduces stories with powerful and poignant themes, like those of The Velveteen Rabbit. Today on Novel Thoughts we explore these classic children's stories, fairy tales, and read along books for kids using our classical homeschool curriculum. Education through story is a core part of our learning strategy and these books are a big part of setting a great foundation for young readers.