The Curriculum Choice

The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess is a delightful blend of storytelling and nature study.

Published originally in 1919, Burgess meticulously weaves the non-fiction details of bird life into the fictional account of a curious rabbit named Peter. As Peter explores his surroundings, the Old Orchard, the Green Forest, the Green Meadows and even the banks of the Big River and its tributaries, he also pursues his longing to find out more about his feathered friends. Their ways intrigue Peter, so he sets out to discover them, interviewing Jenny Wren and dozens of other birds commonly found in the United States.

Peter is the secret to the book’s story-telling success. He is sometimes prideful, generally curious, and always growing. Peter’s personality especially appeals to children, as he flits around his world encouraging his friends, meeting new birds, and generally enjoying the whole experience. His antics and manners reflect a joy of learning and life. In addition, he is a good role model, one who chooses to learn from his mistakes and who appreciates those around him even though they are different from him.

Peter is joined by a numerically formidable group of his feathered brethren. Each bird—91 birds total—has a name created by Burgess that is intended to reflect the bird’s personality and characteristics. It is combined with the commonly used name (names in some cases) of the bird. The non-fiction nature study component for each bird includes the birds’ descriptions, male and female, and generally also discusses the bird’s diet, call, nesting practices, migration tendencies, and daily habits. The sharing of these facts does not become tedious or mundane, however; Burgess utilizes story to maintain interest. Each bird becomes a true character in his own right, engaging the reader and informing at the same time.

Burgess’s method works amazingly well. My lower elementary-aged children never failed to request “one more, please” as we worked our way through the short chapters. Though the language is not particularly difficult, it is typical for the time in which it was published and uses phrasing that is not commonly used today. This was not an issue, even though my children are young. In fact, they have retained information from the book, sometimes regaling me with their bird knowledge at unexpected times.

There are great possibilities for study with this book.

●Use it as a read-aloud. Enjoy both the story and factual elements.

●Use it as the foundation of a bird unit study. Add a field guide and some library books for an amazing nature-based science unit covering birds.

●Use it to teach the masterful combination of fiction and non-fiction in story form. Have your student give it a try.

●Use it as independent read for an older student. Expect a bird-centered project at the end.

●Use it to encourage bird watching and general nature appreciation for the whole family.

●Use it to painlessly learn the details of bird life in the United States. A field guide and audios of birds singing their tunes would complement the book nicely.

●Use it for art. Ask students to draw and color the birds from the book’s descriptions and then compare their work to photographs. For younger kids, print coloring pages.

●As you read, use it for copywork and narration. The short chapters lend themselves to this approach.

●Discuss character lessons drawn from Peter and the other creatures as you read. Collect Bible verses that illustrate similar character values and virtues.

●Use it seasonally, returning to it each spring as the birds return.

For the most part, we just read the book and loved it. It is a book that teaches without trying; a “living book” to which we will return for more in-depth study as my kids get older.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children is available for purchase from Dover for $8.95. It can be found for free at Project Gutenberg and LibroVox. A quick search of the internet will provide a number of useful sites, including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds guide. There are also quite a few homeschool mamas out there who have used this book and share their ideas.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children is really not just for children. It is a book that will encourage and engage readers and listeners of all ages. Don’t be surprised if you learn something, too!

-Most days find Susan on the couch reading to her children, in the floor “playing” math, and generally in the middle of a good-sized mess. A love for the Lord, a love for her little ones, and a love of learning have led Susan and that wonderful man she married to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason, with a touch of the traditional.

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Blackbird & Company has a poetry unit study that I taught to my 12 year old son, his friend of the same age, and my 10 year old daughter. I thoroughly enjoyed the unit, and at the end, the kids didn’t want to be done. It was perfectly age-appropriate for these kids (who, for what it’s worth, are all reading well above grade level).

From the site description of the unit:

“Reading and writing poetry expands the boundaries of the imagination and intellect. Students who engage in writing poetry will develop confidence in their voice, strengthen their ability to communicate new ideas, and convey observations of their world.

Incorporating both analytic and creative exercises to spark the poet inside of your student, the Exploring Poetry guides:

Introduce students to the poet’s kit of tools
Provide creative opportunities to practice poetic expression
Reveal connections between poetry and prose
Develop the poet’s unique voice
Explore the diverse potential of language”

I love the book selections. They are both eye-catching and enjoyable to read, both for students and for me as the teacher. In addition, they offer a wide variety of poetry examples combined with words of advice from the poets themselves, without morally objectionable material (important to me as a Christian parent).

I wish there were more hands on multi-sensory type activities. While the writing exercises are both valuable and applicable, I wish there were experiential activities that incorporated more than fill-in-the-blank style response. That said, I did appreciate the opportunity and exhortation to write, write, write. That the advice came from the poets themselves was even better; this approach is not textbook-ish, but draws the student into the heart of the poet who’s just captured their interest through their writing.

The cost is $48 for the set and includes the textbook, three poetry books, a set of art cards to use for stimulating creativity, and a student journal. While this is very reasonable for what you get, the curriculum is only written for seven weeks. This would be quite pricey to repeat several times during the school year. That said, the poetry books themselves are books we would keep on our library shelves for repeat pleasure reading. We did not get The Aspiring Poet’s Journal, but upon reading the description online, I would purchase it for the next go-round. It’s a guided journal designed to help students actively write and practice the ideas and principles addressed in this thorough and enjoyable curriculum.

You can find this and other solid literature studies at http://www.blackbirdandcompany.com.

-You can find Angela blogging at Dancing with my Father.

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We’ve implemented a new foreign language/vocabulary plan this year that’s working quite well! Every school day after Bible reading we have some sort of skill drill – math flashcards, quick math or logic games, and Greek & Latin roots.

Twice a week, using English from the Roots Up by Joegil Lundquist, we are learning one new root word and reviewing all we have already learned. This is resulting in an amazing Greek/Latin connection to words we use everyday and boosting my children’s ability to break apart new vocabulary words for meaning. (Talk about a great way to boost spelling skills AND future ACT/SAT scores!)

Here’s how the program works in a nutshell…

Your children create a notecard that includes the daily root on one side and the definition and derivations on the back. Don’t worry, all the information is included in the guide for you – your children simply copy the information from the guide to their notecard. (This is the author’s preferred method. HOWEVER, I chose to cheat and purchase the prepared notecards. In our extremely busy life, preparing the notecards seemed like busy work. On the other hand, I see the author’s point that actually writing the information makes a bigger impression on the kiddos.)
Then you simply go over the information on the cards using the short and simple teaching notes provided in the guide. Make whatever connections you can with English and possibly any other languages like Spanish or French that you are studying.
Finally, use the previous cards as flashcards to review roots, meanings, and derivatives.

A pronunciation key and the Greek alphabet are included for your convenience at the beginning of the book.

In only about 5-10 minutes twice a week, my children are really adding onto their understanding of vocabulary, word parts and spelling! I’m using the curriculum with a 5th grader and an 8th grader, but the author has used it with children as early as 2nd grade.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with English from the Roots Up!

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and view her nature study curriculum at Shining Dawn Books.

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