Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Readers in Residence Volume 1 (Sleuth) - TOS Review





I am happy to announce that Apologia Educational Ministries offers Readers in Residence Volume 1 (Sleuth). The two books in this full set include the All in One Student Text & Workbook and the Answer Key. Readers in Residence is here to help students in grades 4 and up learn how to comprehend what they read while appreciating its beauty.


The assigned books used for close study in the Readers in Residence series are among the finest in children’s literature, written by authors children know and love. They also are exemplary for the elements focused on in each unit: character development, plot development, and setting. The three books assigned in this volume are Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, and Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.





My daughter especially liked the sections labeled Aha! These sections provide reading comprehension questions. Some questions are designed to make sure students grasp the basic events of the assigned chapters. Other questions are designed to help students make accurate inferences about the events in the story.


I especially liked the sections labeled Word Sleuth! The best way to build a robust vocabulary is to learn words in context. Vocabulary words have been carefully selected from each reading assignment. The Word Sleuth activities give students an opportunity to practice the process that expert readers use to decode the meanings of unfamiliar words. Readers in Residence asks students to first make an educated guess about the meaning of the word from the surrounding context. The word entry also includes the part of speech that corresponds with how the word is used in the sentence. Then the students are instructed to look up the definition and compare their educated guess with the dictionary definition.


And we both loved the sections labeled Sowing Seeds! This section is designed to give teachers and students an opportunity to make connections from books to biblical truth. Spiritual growth can happen through listening to sermons, but it can also happen through thinking about what you read in light of Scripture. Great authors write meaningful topics – topics that prompt us to think deeply about life and truth. When we explore these topics through the lens of God’s Word, we have an extraordinary opportunity to grow.


The Readers in Residence series is a reading comprehension, literature, and vocabulary program. From the Product Description Page, students learn how to do the following:


  • Understand the author’s craft, choices, and intentions
  • Recognize the literary elements authors use to create fiction and nonfiction
  • Make inferences from the details in the text plus their own prior knowledge and experience
  • Decode the meaning of unfamiliar words from context clues
  • Build a rich and varied vocabulary
  • Identify and understand figures of speech such as personification, metaphor, and hyperbole
  • Notice how expert writers employ the conventions of the English language to achieve clarity


It is possible to teach young readers to process and savor what they read, appreciating good literature while being captivated by it.


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