Do you love reading? Are you intimidated by the classics, or do you have favorites you have been waiting to introduce your children to? I’ve made it my goal to write classic literature unit studies, and The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame was my first pick!

These studies will launch first in Book Clubs, and then on my website! You can find the Wind in the Willows on the site HERE.

Why read Classics?

The classics are classics for a reason, and the reasons are not mysterious. Classics are well crafted stories that offer emotional connection for the reader, and catharsis at the end of a story. What does this mean for the read-aloud parent? It means you can read these aloud to your children, and help them get into classic literature as well.

But where do I start?

I’ll get to a list of the classics, but first I’d like to offer three steps to get started without picking a book yet.

Read an abridged version.

I’m a certified English teacher with a master’s degree, who taught high school literature for years. I witnessed first hand lights going out in kids eyes because we were reading books above their comprehension. Part of the issue with public schooling is goals have to be met. The goal here is not to prove arbitrary comprehension. The goal here is to enjoy a well written story.

Keep it simple - read and discuss.

Do not worry about assessing comprehension via vocabulary, comprehension questions and the like. I’m so excited that my kids are enjoying Shakespeare. I didn’t love Shakespeare as a kid, probably due to being really confused by the language despite being a huge reader. We’re not reading the original language…yet.The stories Shakespeare told have enough layers that when it’s time for the original language too there will be plenty of love left for his tales. Right now I’m just soaking up my kids telling me to save our best read aloud for last: Shakespeare.

Stay ahead of your kids in the reading.

Even if you’re skimming the readings the day before reading them, that is enough to read better and feel better prepared. You are busy, and I totally understand that. I fully relate, but will always advocate that some light preparation while reading with our children is a good idea. Skim reading the next day’s chapter or pages is never going to cause problems, and will in fact probably help with patience and consistency in getting through this book. Have you finished every read aloud attempted with your kids? I haven’t. Being prepared helps. My favorite method is making a plot chart ahead of time, but I don’t often have time for that. I have one literature unit with a ready made plot chart so far: The Wind in the Willows.

In the Wind in the Willows, I found a novel we could read from ages 5-12 with no issues at all.

We front loaded the reading by watching the Disney Cartoon. This really gave my kids a grasp on the characters before starting the story.
Let kids move when you’re reading. It is annoying and makes me crazy, but we have to grow patience and roll with it.
Find resources that make reading fun and help hands stay busy - be that toys or a good unit study.