We thank all of our wonderful homeschool families for all of their support and love over the last 15 years. We pray for God’s love and wisdom over your homeschool journey.
CERC and the Bookstore are now CLOSED
CERC Bookstore July Anniversary Sale
| shopping how-to’s and Bookstore Closure dates |
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5/17 Bookstore Closed today
Liz will be out today due to a dentist appointment.
See our calendar!
CERC Bookstore – Liz’s Birthday sale! 5/3/2021-5/13/2021
| Don’t miss these deals! |
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Bookstore CLOSED 10/22/2020
The CERC Bookstore will be CLOSED Thursday, October 22, 2020. Shop online! All orders will be mailed Monday, October 26, 2020.
CERC T-shirts on sale now!
| Thank you for supporting CERC! |
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Hello! Welcome to the CERC Bookstore!
We are attempting to improve the function of the Bookstore at this time! We hope to be back up very quickly! Some product pages are still incomplete, but you can get an idea. E-mail or message Liz with any questions, or if you have trouble with the site!
Also, if you get an error while looking at product, try refreshing your page. This usually works, but we are trying to remove that error.
Email: liz.hach@cerconline.org
Please email Liz with any questions and personal shopping!
Call 972-475-4138 during our regular hours!
Literature based Curriculum: Where to start with Sonlight or choose a reading list
So Sonlight’s Literature-based curricula provide an excellent resource for reading material, whether grade level reading or read-alouds for the whole family.
When we were starting out, Sonlight was a great fit for my little family. Aaron was around 5 years, and Emily was 2 years. We did read-alouds every night before bed. In addition, Aaron was picking up reading like the genius he is. (Only a mom-brag. Just ignore me.) When we started, we used an old Sonlight schedule for a One-Year Intro to World History, now called Core B+C. In order to get all the books, my lists are divided by the individual Core lists. You can see my Intro to World History Part 1 list here.
So what I wanted to discuss, is the change in the grade level of the Sonlight reading. So originally, the Intro to World Cultures (Core A) was Kinder, and is now listed for 1st Grade. World History Part 1 (Core B) was 1st grade, and is now listed as 2nd grade.
In addition, they have changed the reading level of their suggested reading books. I have to say, I’m not a fan (just a personal opinion.) As a pre-kinder and Kinder, we used Sing, Spell, Read, and Write. Amazon’s prices are outrageous, so I recommend buying the Kinder/Level 1 Combo Kit from either ChristianBook.com or RainbowResource.com. Aaron was reading their 1st Grade list in Kinder, and then we moved through the Sonlight 2nd grade reading levels (regular, advanced, beginning chapter books, and longer chapter books). These have been swapped across the 2nd and 3rd grade lists over the years. I’ll have a future post about those reading books in the near future.
Teaching phonics will be another post entirely. Teaching phonics completely relies on the student. In my opinion, each child is so vastly different, I always recommend changing curricula from student to student. SSRW did not work for my daughter, or as well as it had for my son. My own stubbornness and determination did not make for a happy learning experience for my daughter. So don’t be afraid to try something different.
So with all that in mind, without making an entirely new chart on books and their past grade levels, I’m including my personal preference for completing the reading material within Sonlight. If you’re not sure where to start, send me an e-mail, and I will be happy to help!
- Kinder Intro to World Cultures
- 1st Grade Intro to World History Part 1
- 2nd Grade Intro to World History Part 2
- 3rd Grade Intro to American History Part 1
- 4th Grade Intro to American History Part 2
There are so many great books, but if you feel you cannot spend 2 years on World History, I recommend using one of the One-Year combinations.
- Kinder NEW Exploring American History
- 1st Grade Intro to World Cultures
- 2nd Grade One-Year Intro to World History
I have not researched the entire New Exploring American History. However, many of the read-alouds have been on the World Cultures list. All great books, highly recommend. As the list is brand new for 2020, I have not reviewed all the books. If you choose to do this new study, please let me know what you think! I would love to hear from you!
Lastly, Sonlight’s literature-based curricula contain plethora of books. Don’t be afraid to make your own list. I always recommend doing what is right for your family. And during these times, if you just want to spend more time reading books, or supplement your child’s history lessons, you can choose from any number of books. If you need help, please contact me! I would be happy to help!
Thanks so much for your time!
Liz
email: liz.hach@cerconline.org
Literature-based Curriculum: Sonlight Intro to World History Part 1
So, I have to confess, as a homeschool bookstore manager, I’ve become familiar with many of the homeschool curriculum titles. I wish I could say ALL, but let’s be honest, there are so many new offerings every year, it’s impossible to keep up! Regardless of the offerings, my favorite type is literature-based curricula, and the books they group together to make thorough, well rounded educational experiences.
In 2006, when we first started out, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a homeschooler. However, we had a love of read aloud time at the end of the day. We had been reading books with my son since he was 6 months old. Every night. Even on vacation. Even when camping. We always had books to read with us. We fell, quite naturally, into Sonlight Intro to World History (now called Core B).
I’d like to share with you the books we read and enjoyed (the list is from 2002, but very similar), and demonstrate how the list has changed over the years.
*An interesting observation about the old lists: the readers list, and the advanced readers list were included in the same schedule (2002). That was great when combining multiple ages. Also, the intended grade levels of the reading lists changed over the years. They are no longer included, the reader schedule must be purchased separately for each grade level.
If you see a book you’d like to comment on, please click the link, and give the book a review. I would love to read your comments.
Thanks for reading!
Liz
The following tables are best viewed in tablet or desktop form.
Bible and History
Unless otherwise stated, book list is derived from the 5-Day list.
| Bible | 2002 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
| Leading Little Ones to God | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Sing the Word: A New Commandment CD | Y | Y | Y | |
| History | ||||
| Usborne Peoples of the World | Y | Y | ||
| Missionary Stories with the Millers | Y | Y | ||
| From Akebu to Zapotec | Y | Y | ||
| Usborne Houses and Homes | Y | Y | ||
| Archaeologists Dig for Clues | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Usborne World History (original) (revised) | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| A Child’s History of the World | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Tut’s Mummy: Lost…and Found | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Usborne Time Traveler | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Greek News | Y | Y | ||
| The Great Wall of China | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| George Muller (Christian Heroes) | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Roman Diary | Y | |||
| Around the World with Kate and Mack | Y | Y | ||
| Catching Their Talk in a Box | Y | Y | ||
| Wonderful Houses around the World | Y | Y |
Read Alouds
| Read Alouds | 2002 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
| Favorite Poems of Childhood | Y | Y | ||
| Charlotte’s Web | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| “Mother Goose Rhymes” | Y | |||
| Homer Price | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Owls in the Family | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mr. Popper’s Penguins | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Heidi | Y | |||
| Mountain Born | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| It Could Always Be Worse | Y | |||
| Henry Huggins | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Understood Betsy | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Greek Myths (original) (updated) | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| The Year of Miss Agnes | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Gooney Bird Greene | Y | Y | Y | |
| Follow My Leader | Y | |||
| Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle | Y | Y | ||
| Little Pear | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| The Wheel on the School | Y | Y | ||
| Detectives in Togas | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Case of the Gasping Garbage | Y | |||
| Babe the Gallant Pig | Y | Y | ||
| Happy Times in Noisy Village | Y | Y | ||
| Kildee House | Y | Y | ||
| NG Book of Animal Poetry | Y | Y | ||
| The Year of the Baby | Y | Y |
Readers
| Readers | LA 1 | Grade 1 | Grade 1 | |
| I Can Read It! | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| The Best Trick Yet | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Green Eggs and Ham | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Little Bear | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Put Me in the Zoo | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| The Cat in the Hat | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| A Big Ball of String | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| The Bravest Dog Ever: Story of Balto | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| A Fly Went By | Y | Y | Y | |
| Advanced Readers | Grade 2 | Grade 2 | ||
| The Beginner’s Bible | Y | Y | Y | |
| Surprises | Y | Y | Y | |
| Pompeii: Buried Alive | Y | Y | Y | |
| Owl at Home | Y | Y | Y | |
| Frog and Toad are Friends | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mouse Tales | Y | Y | Y | |
| Greg’s Microscope | Y | Y | Y | |
| Hill of Fire | Y | Y | Y | |
| Frog and Toad All Year | Y | Y | Y | |
| Daniel’s Duck | Y | Y | Y | |
| Amelia Bedelia | Y | Y | Y | |
| Nate the Great | Y | Y | Y | |
| Frog and Toad Together | Y | Y | Y | |
| The Big Balloon Race | Y | Y | Y | |
| The Fire Cat | Y | Y | Y | |
| The Sword in the Tree | Y | Y | Y | |
| Wagons Wheels | Y | Y | Y | |
| Titanic: Lost and Found | Y | Y | Y |
