Beverley Paine's Australian Home School Curriculum: Tips for Learning How to Read

Hooked on Reading

© Beverley Paine, 2004

Series books are a great way to get hooked on reading. Take Harry Potter for example. Who could resist rushing out to buy or borrow book two, then three. Science fiction fantasy has taken the idea of book series to its extremities, capitalising on the fact that most readers never want to let the characters and worlds they inhabit go.

Perhaps you had a favourite series of books when you were a child - The Famous Five , Secret Seven , Biggles , Ann of Green Gables , Little House on the Prairie, The Babysitters' Club, The Dark Is Rising, Peter Rabbit. Perhaps you read anything you can lay your hands on that horses in it, or spy stories, or science fiction. If you child takes an interest in one area, feed that interest, while at the same time providing a rich and varied diet in other areas of their education. Read aloud a first-hand account of survival in the Antarctic while doing a unit-study on whales; share a news story about Greenpeace protests in the Pacific; read Moby Dick every night to the whole family. Let the child follow their passion for their series, knowing that it is laying the foundations of a life-long reading habit. Remember that they are learning much about the human condition from whatever books they read. Series books often transcend culture, time and environment. It is this universal nature that makes them so engaging for children.

Pioneering members of the home education movement in Australia, Beverley and Robin Paine are passionate advocates of true educational choice for families. They began homeschooling their children in 1986 and three years later started the South Australian Home Based Learners network. Beverley wrote several books and booklets on home education through her self-publishing business, Always Learning Books. Beverley retired from actively supporting home education in July 2008 to allow her to spend time on her garden and writing projects. She maintains an extensive collection of websites as well as several Yahoo groups supporting families teaching their children at home. Beverley continues to support the Home Education Association of Australia as a committee member. Beverley's books will remain available through her websites. Gradually all of her books will be converted to E-books as she makes the transition to a 'paperless office'.
Text & Images on this site Copyright © 1999-2008 Beverley Paine. All rights reserved. Please note that the opinions and articles included in the suite of Homeschool Australia websites are not necessarily those of Beverley and Robin Paine, nor do we endorse or necessarily recommend products (other than our own) listed in contributed articles, links, pages, or advertisements.