 |
FIAR Frequently Asked Questions
- Where did the name Five in a Row come from?
- It comes from the fact that you read the same story every day, five
days in a row exploring Social Studies on Monday, Language on Tuesday, Art
on Wednesday, Applied Math on Thursday and Science on Friday.
- Can you tell me how you work Math and Science into books that
don't really contain those concepts?
- I NEVER try to "force" a math or science lesson artificially in
Five in a Row. The only lessons which appear in the curriculum are
those which are easily drawn from the book. Now the books covered in
Five in a Row were selected from more than 1300 books I've used on
the basis that for one thing... they have a wide variety of interesting
material to explore including.... applied math and science.... also that
they're great literature and well illustrated with strong character
qualities. That's why I suggested that for 5 and up (ages) Five in a
Row will only SUPPLEMENT a math curriculum and a reading/phonics
curriculum. It is NOT all-inclusive by any means.
- How many books are included in Five in a Row? Also
is it meant to last a whole year?
- Volume 1 covers 19 titles and provides a semester's material
normally. There are 16 weeks in a semester. I've included 3 extra titles
because while each book is a classic or an award winner and SHOULD be
available in virtually every library in the country there may be one or two
which for some unknown reason are NOT available in your local library.
Further there might also be a title or two which for some reason you choose
not to use. Volume 2 covers 21 titles and Volume 3 has 15 titles. That is
a total of 55 books filled with wonderful learning!
- Do you think that this is an idea that can be expanded as
children get older with more in depth books?
- Absolutely!! In fact it is my prayer that Five in a Row will
be the springboard to a lifelong habit of reading with understanding and
excitement and critical thinking. Every book, word books, fiction,
biography, etc. can be another "gateway", in fact SHOULD be another
"gateway", to exploring the world around us. Hopefully students will
discover that learning is the natural result of reading. If I might digress
briefly, most children read books the way they watch television they only
want to know "whodunit" that is...the plot! That's why as soon as you've
read them one book they toss it aside and ask you to read another. Plot is
their only interest but through critical thinking and exploring through
literature they can learn to examine what they've read to "see where it
leads them". Which is, after all, the beauty of unit study approach.
- I don't think my almost 5 year old would listen to the same
story 5 days in a row.
- That's possible but consider that after you've discussed the
geographic and historic setting on Monday when you begin reading the book
again on Tuesday they now see it in a much broader context and are often
fascinated to re-examine the book in light of yesterday's new information.
After Wednesday's art lesson they'll see the illustrations with new
understanding and curiosity. In my experience most children are FAR more
interested in the book on Friday than they were on Monday. I'd encourage you
to at least try the approach but remember...the book you select has to be
worth reading five times with plot, illustrations, characters and values of
interest. There are lots of books I wouldn't want to read once! (smile)
- Do you use the books in a specific order? That might be a
problem in a small town where many families need the same book at the same
time from the library!
- Good question!! No... the books do NOT have to be used in a specific
order for EXACTLY that reason!! You'll find a "suggested" order which
loosely ties the books to the seasons..Cranberry Thanksgiving for
instance would be enjoyable just before Thanksgiving but the curriculum does
not BUILD on itself and the books can be enjoyed in any order so if you go
to the library searching for "Lentil" and it's checked out get Katy and
the Big Snow instead!
- Katy & the Big Snow is one of our favorites...Are
the majority of titles chosen related to the holidays or loosely based on
the seasons?
- No not specifically. The titles were selected in the basis of:
- Great story
- Great illustrations and
- Strong character qualities.
Several are seasonal but the topics/titles cover the gamut from 60 year
old classics to this year's Caldecott winner, Grandfather's
Journey.
- How would I use this for my 4 year old who's not reading or
writing yet?
- Good question. Five in a Row is created for non-readers as
well as readers. Whenever you come to a lesson which you might choose a 7
year old to write you'll want to invite your 4-year-old to discuss you may
simply handle it conversationally or you may invite them to "dictate" their
answer to you, or into a simple tape recorder. All of Five in a Row
is written in a discussion format because we want to blur the line between
reading a book together and "teaching" so every point you bring out is
brought out casually, conversationally after you've finished reading. There
are also vocabulary cards designed for non-readers using illustrations
instead of words so that even 4-year-olds can share their new "vocabulary"
with dad when he gets home. (NOTE- the vocabulary cards are not physically
included...but rather examples of how to create your own!)
- What kind of prep time does this entail?
- Five in a Row was designed to be self-contained your
preparation time will normally be less than 5 minutes daily everything you
SHOULD need...is included, things like definitions of foreign words or
phrases, pronunciation guides, background information, etc. Your only job
is to read the several (2-8) lessons available daily and select one or two
to "do" with your child.
- I know my 2 year old will be tagging along on this one. He
loves to be read to. Will he be able to participate in any of the
activities?
- Sure... It's amazing how much a 2 year old absorbs when they're
included. Any 2 year old will have comments and questions once he grasps the
concept that learning means reading a book and discussing what you've read.
They'll always love to participate in art days on Wednesdays too... but you
might want to do it outside! (smile)
- Can you use this program for more than one age?
- Absolutely!! I have one friend who is using Five in a Row
with 5 children from age 4 thru 13. Let me add that one could teach a high
school or college class using Five in a Row!! (In fact I've
wondered if I couldn't get a 1/2 million dollar government grant to try!!)
Anyway...seriously... if you're discussing a language arts lesson on the
four components of a story's plot for instance (conflict, rising action,
climax and resolution of conflict) you might explain them and ask the four
or five year old to try to find the "exciting" part of the story...the
climax then perhaps ask an 8 year old to identify the page where each of the
four components took place and ask a 12 year-old tag-along to write a 400
word short story including and identifying each of the four components in
her story. They all share the reading time and discussion then each go their
separate way to do their assignment.
Submit Your Own Question(s) Here:
|
|
![[ideas & support]](../images/support.gif)
![[next]](../images/next.gif){kind=small}