Reading List from Mr. Moffett

Just in from Mr. Moffett...

K-8 Summer Reading 2009

Reading to others is an enduring feature of traditional American family and school life. At Nampa Classical Academy, all grammar teachers pursue this tradition with their classes and, so deepen the enjoyment and reward of sharing significant literature through effective oral interpretation. Students of all ages will delight in well-read stories, and this modeling by the teachers provides students excellent opportunities to experience pleasure through reading. By developing this association, students are better prepared to master the more demanding reading of the secondary years.

Students Entering:

Kindergarten

Biro, Val. The Fox and the Crow. San Diego: Wright Group, 1986.

—. The Monkey and the Fisherman. San Diego: Wright Group, 1988.

Bonsall, Crosby. The Case of the Hungry Stranger. New York: HarperCollins Children’s

Books, 1992.

Hale, Sarah Josepha. Mary Had a Little Lamb. New York: Holiday House, 1984.

Hutton, Warwick. Moses in the Bullrushes. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s, 1986.

Lippert, Margaret H. The Three Billy Goats Gruff. New York: Macmillan, 1988.

McClintock, Mike. A Fly Went By. New York: Random House, 1958.

Moon, Cliff. The Princess and the Pea. San Diego: Wright Group, 1988.

—. Rumpelstiltskin. San Diego: Wright Group, 1986.

O’Toole, Mary. The Lion and the Mouse. Cleveland: Modern Curriculum Press, 1987.

Parish, Peggy. Mind Your Manners. New York: Mulberry Books, 1978.

Petersham, Maud and Miska. The Rooster Crows. New York: Macmillan, 1973.

Piper, Watty. The Little Engine That Could. New York: Platt & Munk, 1984

Provensen, Alice and Martin. The Glorious Flight Across the Channel With Louis Bleroit. New

York: Puffin, 1987.

Shaw, Charles G. It Looked Like Spilt Milk. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 1947

Udry, Janice May. A Tree Is Nice. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 1987.

Ward, Lynd. The Biggest Bear. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1980.

First Grade

Biro, Val. The Emperor’s New Clothes. San Diego: Wright Group, 1986.

Branley, Franklyn M. Flash, Crash, Rumble, and Roll. New York: HarperCollins Children’s

Books, 1985.

—. Volcanoes. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 1985.

Bunting, Eve. The Wall. New York: Clarion, 1990.

Dalgliesh, Alice. The Bears on Hemlock Mountain. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s,

1981.

de Paola, Tomie. The Cloud Book. New York: Holiday House, 1975.

Fisher, Leonard Everett. David and Goliath. New York: Holiday House, 1993.

Flack, Marjorie, and Kurt Wiese. The Story About Ping. New York: Puffin, 1977.

Gag, Wanda. Millions of Cats. New York: Coward-McCann, 1977.

Gibbons, Gail. Sun Up, Sun Down. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,1983.

Gross, Ruth Belov. True Stories About Abraham Lincoln. New York: Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard,

1989.

Hader, Berta and Elmer. The Big Show. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s, 1993.

Jacobs, Joseph, ed. English Fairy Tales. New York: Dover, 1967.

Johnston, Tony. Yonder. New Work: Dial Books, 1988.

Lang, Andrew, ed. The Red Fairy Book. New York: Dover, 1966.

Langstaff, John. Frog Went A-Courtin’. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983.

Leaf, Munro. The Story of Ferdinand. New York: Puffin, 1977.

Lionni, Leo. Tillie and the Wall. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1989.

Low, Joseph. Mother Goose Riddle Rhymes. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1953.

McCloskey, Robert. Blueberries for Sal. New York: Puffin, 1976.

Moon, Cliff. The Frog Prince. San Diego: Wright Group, 1988.

—. Jack and the Beanstalk. San Diego: Wright Group, 1988.

—. The Tinder-Box. San Diego: Wright Group, 1986.

—. The Twelve Dancing Princesses. San Diego: Wright Group, 1988.

Payne, Emmy. Katy No-Pocket. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1944.

Rappaport, Doreen. The Boston Coffee Party. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books,

1988.

Rey, H.A. Curious George. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1973.

Richardson, Frederick, illus. Great Children’s Stories: The Classic Volland Edition. New York:

Checkerboard, 1972.

Rowe, Erna. Giant Dinosaurs. New York: Scholastic, 1975.

Rylant, Cynthia. This Year’s Garden. New York: Macmillan, 1984.

—. When I Was Young in the Mountains. New York: Dutton, 1993.

Thayer, Jane. Popcorn Dragon. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1989.

Second Grade

Asbjornsen, P.C., and J.E. Moe. The Three Billy Goats Gruff. New York: Harcourt Brace

Jovanovich, 1991.

Barker, Marjorie. Magical Hands. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989.

Brown, Marcia. Stone Soup. New York: Macmillan, 1947.

Bunting, Eve. How Many Days to America? New York: Clarion, 1990.

Gibbons, Gail. Sunken Treasure. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 1988.

Lang, Andrew, ed. The Green Fairy Book. New York: Dover, 1965.

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Paul Revere’s Ride. New York: Dutton, 1990

McCloskey, Robert. Time Wonder. New York: Puffin, 1989.

McNulty, Faith. How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World. New York: HarperCollins

Children’s Books, 1979.

Parrault, Charles. Cinderella. New York: Dial, 1985.

Potter, Beatrix. The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit. New York: Pyffin, 1984.

Roop, Peter and Connie. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books,

1985.

Third Grade

Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Jesse Owens. New York: Holiday House, 1992.

—. A Picture Book of Sitting Bull. New York: Holiday House, 1992.

D’ Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin. Benjamin Franklin. New York: Doubleday, 1987.

—. Columbus. New York: Doubleday, 1995.

de Paola, Tomie. Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi. New York: Holiday House, 1982.

Grimm Brothers. The Fisherman and His Wife. Berkeley: Ariel Books, 1992.

Keats, Ezra Jack. John Henry: An American Legend. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987.

Locker, Thomas. The Boy Who Held Back the Sea. New York; Dial, 1987.

Parks, Edd Winfield. Teddy Roosevelt: Young Rough Rider. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks,

1953.

Fourth Grade

Andersen, Hans Christian. The Little Match Girl. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1990.

Eckert, Allan W. Incident at Hawks Hill. New York: Dell, 1971.

Fisher, Leonard Everett. The Olympians: Great Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece. New

York: Holiday House, 1984.

Freedman, Russell. Buffalo Hunt. New York: Holiday House, 1988.

Hodges, Margaret. The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur. New York: Holiday House,

1990.

Hughes, Shirley. Dogger. New York: Lothrop, Lee, & Sheppard, 1988.

Richmond, Robin. Introducing Michelangelo. Boston: Little, Brown, 1992.

Singer, Isaac Bashevis. Stories for Children. New York: Farrar, Stauss and Giroux, 1984.

White, E.B. Stuart Little. New York: Harper & Row, 1973.

Fifth Grade

James, Kate. Poems for Children. New York: Derrydale, 1993.

Newton, Stanley D. Paul Bunyan of the Great Lakes. AuTrain, MI: Avery, 1992.

Razzi, Jim. Custer and Crazy Horse. New York: Scholastic, 1989.

Russell, William F., ed. Classic Myths To Read Aloud. New York: Crown, 1989.

Smith, Jessie Wilcox. A Child’s Book of Stories. New York: Children’s Classics, 1988.

Thurber, James. Many Moons. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970.

Sixth Grade

Edmonds, Walter D. The Matchlock Gun. Mahwah, NJ: Troll, 1991.

Freedman, Russell. Children of the Wild West. New York: Clarion, 1983.

Nesbit, E. The Railway Children. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

The Holy Bible, New International Version: Esther

Seventh Grade

Graves, Robert. Greek Gods and Heroes. New York: Dell, 1965.

Lamb, Charles and Mary. Tales From Shakespeare. New York: NAL, 1986.

McGraw, Eloise Jarvis. Moccasin Trail. New York: Penguin, 1986.

Taylor, M.W. Harriet Tubman: Antislavery Activist. New York: Chelsea House, 1991.

The Holy Bible, New International Version: Jonah

Eighth Grade

Carey, Ernestine Gilbreth and Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. Cheaper by the Dozen. Mattituck:

Amereon, 1948.

Harvey, Paul Jr. Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story. New York: Bantam, 1984.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. A Wonder Book. New York: Airmont, 1966.

The version of the Bible you use is at your discretion.

Book List

Quite a few people have asked about a book list, or list of books our kids will be reading in class, or have available in the library. Although this will still take some time for the Academy to compile (they have a million things to accomplish before this), you can see an example of the books, curriculum, and areas of study by downloading the Hillsadale manual on their website. http://www.hillsdale.edu/academy/default.asp I do believe you have to create an account, and have it emailed to you. I did it so long ago, I don't remember, but this is the perfect thing to familarize yourself with what the kids will be reading and learning.

Groundbreaking, Sports, & Music

From the Chairman

You and your family are invited to our official ground breaking.

Date: June 16th
Time: 8:30am
Place: 1720 Smith Avenue

Agenda

Opening Remarks: Mr. Kyle Borger, Chairman
Charter History: Mr. Isaac Moffet, Founder
Staff Remarks: Mr. Val Bush, Headmaster
Building Plans: Mr. Kyle Borger, Chairman
ISDE Remarks: Mr. Tom Luna, Superintendent
Ceremony:
Board of Directors, Administration, and Dignitaries will break ground then the remainder of the audience will be invited to participate
Music Survey
As you know, music is part of classical education. Its benefits in deepening a student’s intellectual development is well documented, but it also develops the aesthetic sensibility and character. As we work to develop our music program, it will be helpful to know the existing music interests and backgrounds of our students. The range of music activities will fit the age levels of the students. We are exploring starting an instrumental ensemble in the 5th or 6th grades. A vocal program is also planned for the Logic/Rhetoric levels, within our scheduling parameters.

Please complete the Music Survey by June 17. Please keep in mind that we are still forming our music program, which will be designed to best meet the needs of our students Thanks so much for your help in this information gathering process so that we can make the best decisions for our staff and scheduling.

You may find the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=rBqhQ_2b1swSNLZV4Dp3gt9Q_3d_3d


Sports Survey Results

Basketball - 20%
Soccer - 16%
Football - 13%
Track - 13%
Swimming - 13%
Cross Country - 7%
Wrestling - 5%
Rugby - .001% - It wasn't on the list but the chairman thinks it would be really cool.



Thank You,

Kyle Borger
Chairman
NCA Board of Directors

Testing Explanation

Mr. Moffett and I put together this explanation of the testing, after those who were asking questions.  We wanted everyone to feel comfortable, and take very seriously all your questions and concerns.

In regard to questions many of you have concerning placement testing, please be assured there is nothing secretive about the testing. We do want the testing to be non-rehearsed so the selections the students read are cold reads or not practiced. Each student will be asked to read a grade level selection. The selection will be timed and errors will be counted. Testing up or testing down will be determined based upon the objective data.  

The math test is oral for the first sections asking students to count orally and then a written test with the problems becoming increasingly more difficult. The language test is oral for the first three levels and then becomes a written test. 

Each placement test will give the academy a beginning point for student placement rather than students who are old enough for first grade being placed in that grade without their personal level taken into consideration. Our objective with the placement test is two-fold;

1. We would like to order the appropriate texts for the school, and 

2. A beginning point for instruction is required for planning on both the part of the staff and students. 

The series has built in assessment every five lessons which will quickly allow teachers to reassess any student that has been misplaced in the initial placement testing.   

In regards to parents being present during assessment, Direct Instruction trainers have informed us that based on 4 decades of research, parents being present during assessments creates more stress (and time) for the tester and for the child.  Pressure to perform is HUGE when parents are present.  Therefore, parents will not be allowed to sit with or be in the same room as their child during their assessment.  For the early grades, this time is very brief.  For those children who are not ready for this separation, if they are not able to complete the assessments, he or she will be placed in the lowest level for their grade and reassessed two weeks after school begins.  (All students are reassessed two weeks after school begins.)  Please understand, this is the way Direct Instruction works, and NCA is not going to deviate from their proven program.  In fact our charter prevents this.  

With that said we would like to add a few more comments. For those children who may be nervous about the testing, we can offer a little tidbit to help ease their (and parents) minds. 

1.  Accuracy is the most important thing in all the tests.  We will be timing some things, but remind your children not to worry about their timing.  They need to just relax, listen carefully to the directions and do their best.  I know a lot of public schooled kids will be used to rushing through things because of timers.  This is not the case here.  Timers are just a reference point for the Direct Instruction evaluators and the teachers to place the children correctly. 

2.  Remind them to think before they answer questions.  Again, accuracy is the most important.  They don't need to worry about saying anything "wrong,"  just remind them that we are only testing to see what they know. 

3.  They may be tested with other children in different grades.  Remind them to only worry about themselves, and not what is going on around them.  This is not a race.   

We hope this calms some of your concerns.  Proctors are trained to follow a proven script.  They are not allowed to deviate from it.  As the academy year begins you'll be able to see the logic in the way things are done.  You'll be grateful your children were given tests and curriculum tailored to their abilities and weaknesses.  The focus is mastery (85% not 60% like some districts), and being able to learn at the child's pace.  We think we'll all have a much clearer picture on what our children know and need work on through all of this.

Placement Testing

For anyone still needing to RSVP or any help with scheduling, please contact Carolina McArthur mcarthur.carolina@gmail.com.  She is working closely with Mr. Moffett to coordinate the testing.

Again, please remember to be patient during this process.  We are doing the best we can to juggle hundreds of children with only 10 proctors.  It will be a slow process, but well worth it.

These tests really aren't "tests."  They are more geared to see where any gaps may be in our children's knowledge.  They are just to create a knowledge base and find the right curriculum strand to fill the gap.  

The children will only be testing on Language Arts and Math.  This is very specific testing, and usually goes quickly for the younger kids.  The older children will take slightly longer.  After being trained to do the proctoring I'm thrilled my children are being tested.  I have the full conficidence this curriculum (Direct Instruction) will benefit not only my children, but all children.  

Please also remember to thank the proctors who have donated and will donate MANY HOURS to this process.  It's a big job!

Library Books

Lynne had a great idea about saving books for the library.  I did get some clarification from our board chairman that I need to share.

According to our accreditation as a school, we will only be able to have certain books in our library. They have to be books that correlate with our curriculum.  I'm sure this also has a lot to do with being a classical academy.  

The board will be providing us a list of approved titles for our library as soon as they can, and then we'll be able to weed out the unapproved ones.  We'll probably need to do a lot of sorting on our own, so we don't inundate a few volunteers with all the books.

In the mean time it wouldn't hurt to save books specifically for our library.  Hopefully we can get the list before our June Rummage Sale.  Then we can sell any books that don't fit.  I would guess that any classic books (unabridged) would be approved.  If any of us have those to donate, hang on to them just in case.

I'll keep everyone posted as I hear more.

DI Clips

Here are some video clips of DI (Direct Instruction), the program we are using for Reading.

http://www.adihome.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115&Itemid=119

Upcoming PFA Meeting Topics

Along with PFA business, and committee updates, we'll be having mini workshops on topics parents want to learn more about at our monthly PFA meetings.  We meet on the first Thursday of every month at Pioneer Title in Nampa on 11th Ave.  7pm for general membership, and 6pm for board members.

Here are the three upcoming month's "hot topics."

April
Grant Writing Part 1
Uniforms  

May
Grant Writing Part 2  

Funding for Public Education

How Charter Schools are Funded

June

Grant Writing Part 3
Direct Instruction (our Reading Program)

Please let us know what you would like to learn more about, or have us address.  Email us at ncapfa@gmail.com

Math Scope & Sequence

Here are some scope and sequence charts Isaac sent me.  This will give you a rough idea of the math curriculum.

K-3

Intermediate           

Another Intermediate