Similar Posts

33 Comments

  1. I almost bailed last year, too. And I agree that “sometimes homeschool doesn’t go like that” about sums up homeschooling in general. Yet we soldier on. Thanks for sharing this great idea. Blessings!

  2. I love the reading journal. I expected 30 pages, not way over 100!!!!!!!!!! When I saw the preview, I thought I would print it off and just let my kiddo pick which one he wanted to work on the day and use it as an independent review. In looking at the whole download, I see skills like comparing, fact or fiction, etc. Are the activities the same on all the pages or does summarizing have several different activities?

    I am also wondering what age range this would be good for? I may use the journal to teach her the skills also, instead of just using it for review.

    I was going to have all of my children have a reading journal and this will give us so much structure, an area I definitely need assistance. Thank you!

    1. Hi Angie,
      There are 30 lessons, so 15 unique pages. After that it repeats 6 times to make a full year’s worth. It’s just enough to practice the skills, but not too much that children will feel bored!

      So glad you love it. Can’t wait to hear what your kids think!

  3. When I read the email, it was as if you were writing it for me! Last year was a disaster and I needed reassuring as I stand trembling at the edge of the new school year. My son’s problem may not be reading, but your post was a great reminder that we can throw “school” out and do what we need to reach our children’s individual minds and, thus, their hearts.
    That being said – What a GREAT concept for a reading program! I LOVE the idea! and your book journal is so well done!

  4. This sounds so similar to what I am experiencing right now with my 2nd/3rd grader. The program we are using now is over her head and I can’t really afford many of the others. I was wondering, you said that this journal is “supplemental”. Do you use other free “printables” that you find online and then the journal on the in-between days, or do you use the journal everyday as well as the free printable resources? I noticed also that each page has 2 activities. Does each activity count as one lesson, and you only do one of those a day? These are probably silly questions…

  5. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I found your site through Pinterest a few weeks ago. My son who is in fifth grade is struggling in school. He is currently in public school and next year we are going to start homeschooling with him. This is how I planned on making our reading curriculum but was afraid that this wasn’t the most common. This weekend we went to the book store and picked out several books that are on his reading level & interest level. I found several studies to go along with them as well. We will also be working this reading journal in as well.
    Thank you again for showing that there are may different ways to accomplish a goal. As for reading being replaced with other studies, that happened to us this year. His reading book was set aside in the classroom to teach social studies, which the school did not have a book for. However the state test emphasized in 5th grade was the social studies test, so he received a full year of social studies. So frustrating.

  6. Hi, can I please preview a sample? It’s really hard to see what’s on the pages from the photo above and I want to ensure it’s something my daughter would be able to use before purchasing. She is just starting level 2 of All About Spelling, so do you think she would need to finish all levels of that before using something like this?

  7. If your child finishes a book halfway through one of the lessons do you just continue with reading the next book or do you schedule the reading to last as long as the 30 lessons?

  8. Are you considering an older-kid version at some point? My son is advancing to 8th grade, and he will probably need structuring. But on first glance, the pages in the Reading Journal are a bit youngish for where he is. Your examples do give me ideas, though… so maybe in the meantime, I can parse together some journal pages for his age. You’re just so much more stylish than I am! 🙂 You make it all very attractive!!

    1. Not at this time, but I will keep it in mind! Are you mostly referring to graphics? Or actual content? I think minus the front cover, the content itself would be very appropriate.

  9. Regarding the comparison with Scripture portion of the curriculum, are the comparisons presented as references to look up, Bible stories and situations to consider, or actual scripture quotations?

    1. No Scripture is printed in the book. There are a few with references to look up. Most are questions like “how would you share Jesus with the main character” or something like that.

  10. This was the only plac I could find to contact someone, so forgive me if it’s the wrong place.

    How does is book work? I homeschool 2 early elementary ages children, I have a support teacher and she said that this book is for novel reading, I have looked at the previews and I don’t quite understand how you can use any book with some of the layouts, for example you wouldn’t use a character profile for a fact book. I really love this product and would love to use it, help meeeee!!!!!

  11. What ages is this developed for? I love the idea … just not sure who the target audience is.

  12. We love using it! Indpendent work, holding them accountable, allowing them to work in their interest areas. Thank you, Kim and Rachel!

  13. Hey Kim!
    Thank you so much for sharing how to make my own homeschool curriculum. I’ve also purchased the reading journal you and Rachel created. I will also be utilizing some printables and/or unit studies for some of the classical books.
    Do you use the reading journal for their individual study time or for read out loud time? Can it be used fo both?

    1. It is typically just used for individual reading time though it could be used for both. 🙂
      Suzanne@NotConsumed

  14. Hey there, I’m a kid in homeschool and I’m struggling with staying on task and consistently turning in assignments on time. Got any advice for me?

    1. Jessica-
      I’m not sure how old your post is since the year is not stated, but my son is easily distracted and can have a hard time staying on task. What I have done to try to help him out is writing his assignments out for the day so he knows what he needs to get done and can easily check them off. If you are needing to keep track of when assignments are due and plan out when you can do them, maybe try a mo/weekly calendar where you can write out when the assignments are due; plus you would be able to “check” them off once they are turned in. If you need motivation to stay on task, you could try restricting use of recreational activity that you might get otherwise drawn into until after you complete your set check list of assignments for that day. Sometimes, my son will need a 5 min break in order to regain his focus so he can finish an assignment. In those situations, he will use a timer to help keep him within the allotted time frame. I hope this helps you or anyone else in a similar situation.

  15. I am excited to try this! I have a fourth grader who is a fairly good reader. He’s definitely not a reading lover by any stretch of the imagination, though. I’ve only done a small amount of actual phonics with him, because reading/phonics curriculums have just not worked well for him. Would it be acceptable for me to just use this Reading Journal, or do you think I have to do a phonics program so that he learns to actually decode words? Thanks!

  16. Is this a good option for my advanced reader? He devours chapter books and will be 7 in Septmeber. I am looking for something to help him dive a bit deeper into comprehension without it being too much for his age. He is going into second grade. Thank you!

  17. The Reading Journal looks really nice, and I am sure my daughter would love it. A question though, how much religious content is throughout? We are not Christian, and would like to know if we can still adapt it to our needs. Thank you.

    1. Hi Maria,
      The Reading Journal cycles through 28 different lessons, and of those 28, five reference the Bible or encouraging a character in their faith.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *