|
|
feature articles |
On FIAR for Homeschool!As an educator, mother, and homeschooler, I have a rave review for all you new (and seasoned) homeschoolers out there. I believe this curriculum is truly unique. I have no affiliation in the slightest with FIAR or its authors; and although after reading my review you may doubt that, it really is true. Five in a Row (FIAR) is a literature-based homeschool unit-study curriculum for ages four to eight, and Beyond FIAR is for ages eight to twelve. Before FIAR for preschoolers is also available, and several supplements (described below). FIAR is so wonderful for both the mother/teacher and the child/student for many reasons: price, simplicity, ease of use, flexibility, sparking student interest, brevity of lessons without sacrificing quality learning, avoiding teacher and student burnout, retention of learning … but first, the mechanics of how FIAR works. It is very different from most standard curricula, even other unit studies, so read with an open mind.
|
|
The title "five in a row" refers to the fact that you read a certain children's literature book five days in a row and do an academic activity that relates to the book after reading it. (Many families read it every other day over two weeks; it is easily tailored to fit your family's schedule.) The FIAR manuals cover five subject areas (hence the five-day reading): Applied Math, Science, Social Studies (including geography), Language, and Art; but not phonics and math drill, so if you feel those are needed you would add them in (personally I do not believe they are needed at the younger ages). The children's literature books are widely available at a library or second-hand, so the only expense incurred is for the manuals themselves (and they are quite inexpensive).
So on day one you check your teacher's manual for the activity you want to do, sit down and read a lovely book together with your child, and then do the activity. Let's start with Madeline and a four-year-old girl (which I did). First I turn to the manual and choose one of the applied math activities. After reading the story together, we play with four sets of twelve pennies, dividing them in different ways ("What if Miss Clavel had the girls walk in rows of three? How many would be in each row?") to gain a basic understanding of math concepts. Other applied math lessons cover relative size (Madeline was the smallest) and symmetry and asymmetry (using the illustrations in the book).
The next day we read the story together again and begin talking about Madeline's appendicitis. We start off talking about proper eating for health but it branches from there (this is very typical of FIAR use) and begin learning about the journey of food through the body. My four-year-old daughter was soon able to recite the journey of food through the body and knew what happened at each stage and a little about why appendicitis occurs. We had the encyclopedia volume with the clear overlay pictures of the insides of the body out every day for two weeks, talking about what this was and where the appendix was and which one was the stomach – and this was completely at my daughter's instigation! I can just imagine how she would have reacted if I had said, "Let's learn about anatomy and digestion!" Oh yeah, lots of fun that would have been – NOT. But because the learning was coming out of her interests (which I deliberately sparked using a favorite book) she was eager to learn more and still, a year later, retains what she learned and is interested in more of the same.
This program is really excellent precisely because all of the "teaching" in it is predicated by the child's interest. You can call it child-led education, which I know frightens a lot of people, but that's not the whole story. You the parent are using books that you know will spark an interest in your child, and you the parent are using that interest to further your child's education. You read the book, your child watches Madeline go to the hospital and then show everyone her scar, and if you handle her interest right, she will seek out and absorb an amazing amount of knowledge - because she is interested. FIAR shows you how to build on that natural interest with simple activities and discussions that cover an amazing breadth of academic knowledge. The authors carefully selected books that would allow a wide coverage of academic subjects, resulting in an excellent, broad education.
For geography (social studies), we go to the wall map and find Paris, France. The back of the FIAR manual has a small story disk for each story, so we cut out Madeline and my daughter colors the disk; then we put the disk on the map on top of Paris. We talk about how far away it is, how long it would take to fly there on a plane or ride on a boat. Other geography ideas: color a flag of France (from a picture in the book); find the Seine in the book and discuss why so many cities are built on large rivers (for transportation) and possibly go to the riverfront to see the boat traffic; follow the Seine on the wall map to where it empties into the English Channel; and any of the many other wonderful ideas that these things will spark in yourself and your child. There are also social studies lessons on history and human relations for this title.
For language, we talk about the literary devices used in the book. Madeline is one long poem, and we practice rhyming words. Repetition is used frequently in this book, and we discuss why the author used that literary device. There are new vocabulary words: appendix, solemn, disaster. The art lessons cover variety (some illustrations are in color and others are monochromatic), perspective, and architecture (all of the famous sights of Paris are depicted in the book).
Each FIAR manual covers about twenty different children's books, with a wide variety of such lessons for each. The authors have carefully selected a variety of titles so that the child will be exposed to a wide variety of types of literature, most of the basic literary devices, and geography and science lessons that cover an amazing breadth of knowledge. According to the authors, in choosing the books for the FIAR curriculum:
Content was of supreme importance. Books were chosen that showcase close family relationships, personal triumphs, and persevering in times of trial . . . in all the stories the characters touch the reader's heart and demonstrate life's truths. . . . The books also cover a wide range of artistic expression. . . . Each title was selected for its magnificent art, beautifully rendered for the utter appreciation and enjoyment of children.
A note about the manuals: FIAR has three volumes for ages 4 to 8, and Beyond FIAR also has three volumes for ages 8 to 12. Before FIAR is a single volume for preschoolers, but it is not a curriculum as are the other manuals. It is more a list of good books and fun activities for the younger crowd. One friend started with Before FIAR and then abandoned the program because she wanted something more structured, not realizing that FIAR and Beyond FIAR are curricular whereas Before FIAR is not curricular.
FIAR is incredibly flexible, lending itself to a variety of homeschooling styles. The most formal will sit down every day at the same time and always do language lessons on Monday, social studies lessons Tuesday, applied math on Wednesday, etc, followed or preceded by a phonics lesson and math drill. Families with lots of outside commitments will take two weeks to "row" one book, with three lessons one week and two the next, possibly adding a sixth lesson from the cookbook or Bible study supplement (separate volumes; see below). Families who like unit studies will pick a book and stick with it for several weeks, following every interest sparked by the reading, bringing home armloads of library books on the topic, mapping possible routes to the location, delving into the history or architecture of the location, finding more books by the same author and comparing them. Unschoolers will use the manuals as a resource for good ideas and a jumping-off place for creative learning adventures with their children.
There are several lessons given for each topic in each story, although the authors recommend doing only one lesson per day to keep interest high. The authors say,
By using only one lesson element each day, you can work through FIAR in as little as thirty minutes daily, including the time to read the book. If you choose to use all of the lesson elements, field trips, and follow-up exercises, you could easily spend several hours daily. Use FIAR however it best suits your needs and the needs of your students.
Why read the same book five times? From the Introduction:
The technique of reading the same story for at least five days in a row is one that I have tested in teaching for more than eight years. I continue to be amazed at the effectiveness of this technique! Each book will become very special to the children. They will remember more and more about the story, but more importantly, they will begin to think more critically (even four year olds!) as they begin wondering how certain portions of the story came to be, or how the characters solved a certain problem. These results could never be achieved in just one reading.
Students will see how the illustrator accomplished certain effect and they'll be encouraged to begin exploring those techniques in their own art. You'll see your students learning about science, math, and history by the things you bring to the discussion every day. Your students will have the opportunity to try new activities they read about, or to learn more about a variety of people, places, or animals. You'll also discover them asking more questions than ever before. By the end of the week, a new book will have become their friend for life.
Perhaps the most valuable benefit of using FIAR is that the young students learn to completely critique a work (with your guidance), and that skill will serve them well as they learn to read for themselves. Your students will begin looking to see whether a book is a Caldecott or a Newberry medal winner. They'll quickly classify a new book as either fact or fiction. They'll be able to articulate the point of view from which the story has been written. They will know about a wide variety of literary techniques and learn to recognize them for themselves. You'll be delighted when your students begin to evaluate the illustrator's medium and technique.
FIAR is the very best program I have seen to keep interest high and prevent teacher and student burnout. Because everything is contained right there in the manuals, there is not a lot of pressure on mom. There are not a lot of materials to gather for difficult lessons – although you can do that if the interest is sparked and you have the time. There is not a lot of preplanning to do – although if you want to do in-depth activities that necessitate such planning, you can. Because the learning stems from interest piqued by the literature, the child enjoys it. If they are school-resistant, you don't even have to tell them they are learning. In fact, most families who use FIAR report that the children pester their mom to "do FIAR!" even on days when mom doesn't feel up to it. That's how much fun they find it.
FIAR lends itself incredibly well to teaching children of different ages at the same time - with the same material! Again, so easy for mom. All ages love to sit and have mom (or dad) read aloud, and the activities can easily be simplified for smaller children, or expanded for older children. Reading Madeline with several children, you could work together with the elders to make a model of the digestive system: outline a body on butcher paper or cardboard and tape a leg of hosiery from the mouth to the stomach, emptying into a plastic baggie, into more tubing for the intestines. Wrap a banana tightly in a baggie and send it through the system. This and tons of other suggestions for "go-alongs" (books on similar topics) are all over the extremely active FIAR discussion boards.
Besides its superlative worth as a teaching tool, FIAR is wonderful in other ways too! First off, it is - and I am not exaggerating - the cheapest curriculum you will ever find. FIAR and Beyond FIAR each comprise three volumes (for a total of six), each volume of which is $20-$25. Before FIAR (preschool) is a single volume. That's all you have to buy; the literature books are easily found at the library, though a lot of people prefer to own their own books. Well, you'll probably want to get a good laminated world wall map, and possibly a US map too; but that's also quite inexpensive and will last you through all your kids and all your years of homeschooling.
Note: If you buy this from Amazon.com you'll have to wait several weeks for delivery, and still pay the same price as through the website, where you'll get quicker delivery.
There are supplementary volumes you can purchase for about the same price. Many families do a sixth lesson from one of the FIAR supplemental volumes: FIAR Cookbook, FIAR Holiday, FIAR Christian Character and Bible Study Supplement.
The cookbook has recipes relating to all of the books in FIAR and most of Beyond FIAR. The holiday book has unit lessons relating to FIAR titles on holidays throughout the year. The character supplement has several lessons for each FIAR and Beyond FIAR title, relating them to specific verses and character growth lessons. For instance, in Madeline the girls "smile at the good," an opportunity to talk about Philippians 4:8, which encourages us to recognize things that are true, honorable, lovely, etc. (Note that all of the Christian content is confined to the supplementary book, making it simple for nonChristians to use without alteration).
Each volume has an appendix with a sample planning worksheet and a blank to reproduce for each story to help you plan your five (or more) readings of the book. There are helpful suggestions for a review week with the student (how many story disks can he correctly place on the map?) and integrating FIAR study with other curricula (specifically phonics and math drill).
The best teacher help you will have is the FIAR website. There is a wealth of information here, including very active message boards where homeschooling families exchange good ideas and helpful hints and great "go-along" books and in-depth activities. Archives are kept by book, so you can go directly to the book you're reading and find even more ideas for expansion than are in the manuals, such as the digestive system structure mentioned above.
I have a degree in elementary education, and I really believe that this is probably the best curriculum I have seen for teaching the way children learn. Too many other curricula try to replicate school at home, trying to make home as much like school as possible, when that is totally unnecessary. There's nothing wrong with seeking to engage your child's interest and then following where it leads. Believe me, it will lead to places you never thought you would go, and following it will lead to all sorts of amazing learning that is truly retained, not just learned for a test. The only reason schools follow lockstep curricula as they do is that there is no way to allow thirty children to follow their own interests in a classroom and the teacher keep track of it. As a homeschooler you are not so constrained. Use the glorious freedom you have as a homeschooler to expand your child's learning far beyond that of their school chums.
Okay, the one thing that is not here is drill. The authors suggest getting a phonics and math program.
Well, people who think that education must be difficult or boring or hard on the child will have a problem with FIAR. It is fun, it is easy, and children love it. People who believe that education must take place in a school-like setting won't be comfortable with FIAR. It can be done anywhere, anytime, briefly or deeply, as interest and opportunity allow. People who need grades and tests won't get that validation here. The intimacy of the learning situation completely negates the need for it. People who think education must take hours of labor every day won't be comfortable. It is superlatively easy and can take as little as a half hour a day with excellent academic results.
But it will work for a wide variety of people and a wide variety of situations. FIAR is great for moms who want a good structure to follow as well as for unschoolers, relaxed homeschoolers, and those who use other methods such as Charlotte Mason. For those who need to show records to officials, it is easy enough to fill in the planning worksheet for each book and document the child's work. It works for children with physical or mental handicaps and is easily and effortlessly adjusted to their special needs. It works for nonreaders and reluctant readers as well.
Go on over to the FIAR website and look at the sample lessons and read the archives for your child's age group. Lurk around on the discussion boards or ask a question or two. These people love to tell about their great experiences with FIAR.
Copyright (c) 2002 Carma Paden. All rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced in any fashion without express permission.
