6th Grade Reading Adventures

Yesterday's post 'The Viking Tale' is a bit of writing my 11 year old son composed after immersing himself in the stories and songs and lore of the Vikings.

Having worked out way through the Ancients last year using H.A. Guerber's Story of the Romans and Story of the Greeks that Nothing New Press has republished, combined with TruthQuest Ancients and TruthQuest Romans we have now moved on to the Dark Ages. Our spine this year is Guerber's Story of the Middle Ages.

Since June my history loving 11 year old has read the following:

Beowulf the Warrior by Ian Serraillier, which we actually took turns reading aloud to each other. It is written in epic poetry form but simple enough for a younger child. Having read read through this we are looking foreword to reading the original story of Beowulf when we get to ancients again.

White Stag

Children of Odin

He learned all about the Norse gods of the Vikings in this book of tales.

Black Horses for the King. This is a story of a boy who helped find/capture horses for King Arthur. My son appreciated this little book because unlike many King Arthur stories, this book put the story in the correct historical time period.

The Story of Roland by Baldwin

Blood Feud by Rosemary Sutcliff. This woman can tell some wonderful tales. My son could not stop coming to me with all the details from this little book.

Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

Viking Tales

We are now moving on to the early medieval period so he is now working through:

When Knights Were Bold by Eva March Tappan

and for free reading

Red Hugh: Prince of Donegal by Robert T. Reilly. (which takes place in the 1500s)

He is thrilled with the books he has read so far and excited about the ones to come. All of them combined with TruthQuest History Middle Ages is going to make a good year for my medieval loving son.

Sorry about not listing all the authors of the books he has read. I'm just too lazy this morning to look them all up.

THE VIKING TALE

Over blue oceans, the wind hard and good

I see no land for a home

Oh Odin, I long to see earth

Besides the old soil in a brass chest

Mine Viking heart aches for frolic

Must we all feast in Ran’s Halls?

My sword arm dos’ ache

With the heaving of the oar; my back dos’ ache with

the heaving of the oar.

Over black oceans, the wind and waves, are tossing us

hard

The mast is down the oars are out;

I see no land to rest

Oh Thor bring up your hammer; call of your rage

We tire of the sea

Must we feast in Ran’s Halls?

With a heart-breaking gesture we prepare for death;

We put on our hell shoes

I hand out our fee.

Us Norse Men need land, I pray for deliverance

Our provisions are low winter draws close

Shall we die aboard the ‘Dragon Tongue?

But lo’! A bird! A Raven Odin’s Bird!

The storms have lifted; the mast is up the men rest

from the oar

Follow and keep watch: Land must be near

Odin’s Bird shall guide us follow

Strip of your hell shoes pocket your gold give a great

shout

The gods have mercy upon us

Lo’! I see land give thanks a great shout!

We shall have frolic and houses and fields.

New land’s full of sun.

The women weep; It has been hard

They weep for joy and for sorrow for their old homes

and for the fair sight of

Wonderful land.

We pulled ashore the ship is on rollers

The men leap for joy

They roll and tumble in the grassy land.

We have found a land for a home;

We have found land to rest.

I build our temple we give our praise

to the gods in Asgard that watch over us.

We give great thanks and build

our great hall the ale dos’ flowith merrily!

Now winter is over the Jotuns leave us in peace

the hall rings with wily

rejoicing feasting tables bend from Platters

and food; benches dos’ bend from men

The women weave

The men do plow the fields.

~by Z. age 11 ~

inspired in part by Jennie Hall's Viking Tales

Learning to Blog

As the saying goes, the more I learn the more I realize I don't know squat! Or something like that anyway.

This applies to blogging of course. Even Blogging For Dummies isn't helping me enough. Thank goodness for my friends over on The Well Trained Mind Boards. Anything I ever need to know I can find there.

Today I've managed to get my LibraryThing Books to show up in my side bar, though I'm sure I went about it the hard way. I do everything the hard way I think.

I also helped my 9th grader get his own blog started. He is really excited about that. He doesn't have much to say at the moment, but I'm sure that will come for him. For now he is has managed to get a picture of his drumset up there and is working on figuring out how to get a video of himself (playing the drums) up as well.

Other than that, I've been content to take pictures of my calico kitten, Starlie. She was sweet enough to pose, so I thought I'd give her a spot on my blog. I'm sure all her furiends will be impressed. She sends them all her purrs.

Docendo Discimus: 'While we teach, we learn.'

This is a Latin proverb I picked up from somewhere. I like it so much I've considered having it put on a T-shirt. For me. Since learning with my kids is what I do.

My children and I are on very long journey. A Quest.

In literature a 'Quest' is an adventurous journey taken on by the protagonist of a story. The protagonist usually meets with and overcomes a series of obstacles, returning in the end with the benefits of knowledge and experience.

I think that about sums up our own particular quest called Homeschool. Seven years completed, only twelve years to go.

I've been learning all sorts of thing that I never learned in school. Such as Latin, and classical literature and higher math. And learning how to blog. My oldest, who is in high school this year, wants to learn to blog. So I decided I'd learn myself. Writing is something I've needed to get back to doing anyway. And this seems like a good enough place for it. I have high hopes that by writing every day I'll be a good example to my children. But I'm doing it for me as well. I've always enjoyed writing...but somewhere along the way my writing has gotten a little rusty.

You know, I never once dreamed during my own high school years that I'd be teaching children, much less my own. But here I am...teaching... and learning as I go.