Reading Lists for Bigger Hearts

I've been busy organizing for our time with Bigger Hearts and thought I would share what we'll be reading this year. Bigger has a few different scheduled reading times - they recommend using a literature program (Drawn into the Heart of Reading or another program of your choice) if the child is old enough, there is a scheduled Storytime read-aloud each day that covers the various genres of reading, and they also recommend an extension pack of reading material for older children.

Right now TJ has reading time twice a day (30 minutes each). One reading time is for "free" reading - she can choose books that are already on our shelves or she can choose from a science/history picture book basket of library books. Her other scheduled reading time is for chapter books that are at or slightly above her reading level. These books are generally historical fiction or other literature.

We don't do a reading program. I think it's enough to discuss the books she's reading at this point. After she reads a science or history picture book I'll ask her to share two facts or interesting things she read about. For literature or historical fiction I'll ask about specific events or about the basic plot. She's learning to summarize in Writing with Ease so I try to apply what she is learning in that program to her other reading.

I'm only slightly changing our current format - we'll keep the science/history reading basket and I'll throw in any extra chapter books that I think she'll like. She'll still be free to choose whichever books she wants to read during this time. Her other reading time will be our own modified version of the Bigger Hearts extension list. She'll read these books that correspond with the units we'll be covering. Beyond our usual simple discussion I won't assign any extra work with this reading.

Here's our modified extension list:

Pedro's Journal
Pocahontas and the Strangers
Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims
Ben and Me
Madeleine Takes Command
Phoebe the Spy
The Cabin Faced West
A Lion to Guard Us
Understood Betsy
By the Great Horn Spoon
Freedom Train
Turn Homeward, Hannalee
Helen Keller
All-of-a-Kind Family


We'll also incorporate the daily Storytime reading scheduled in Bigger Hearts. We do a read-aloud at bedtime but I'd like to add in more read-aloud time during the day. And I like the way that Bigger introduces the various genres and simple book discussions in the guide. Here's our list of storytime books:

Martha Washington: America's First First Lady
Toliver's Secret
Justin Morgan had a Horse
The Cricket in Times Square
The Railway Children
If you lived.... series (we have a bunch of these on the shelf, I'll let TJ choose one that interests her)
Emily's Runaway Imagination
A Little Princess
The Children's Book of Virtues