Drawn into the Heart of Reading

by Carrie Austin

Heart of Dakota Publishing, Inc.

This is one of my 100 Top Picks!

See the complete review in 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum.

Drawn into the Heart of Reading is a single volume that guides children through a reading program using real books rather than readers. It has companion student workbooks for three levels: grades 2-3, grades 4-5, and grades 6-8. (Second graders need to be independent readers.) Student book pages can be reproduced for all students within your family.

Drawn into the Heart of Reading can be your core reading program or a supplement. The books are divided into sections for various genres such as adventure stories, historical fiction, folk tales, nonficition, and biographies. You or your child selects a book from the genre to read. Activities apply to the genre in general rather than to specific titles. Thus, the same lessons can be used multiple times and with books of increasing difficulty.

Student workbooks require many written responses, but the program also calls for discussion, some drawing, and suggests lots of project ideas. It's really up to parents to select among the activities those most useful and appropriate for their children.

This is definitely a Christian program with Scripture and Biblical character building incorporated into the lessons.

Since many homeschoolers (myself included!) really like to use real books rather than textbooks, this resource makes it possible to use real books while still developing a wide range of academic skills in conjunction with the reading.