Customer Reviews

The Christian Eclectic Readers and Study Guide (5 Volume Set)

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

These are the original 1837 McGuffey Readers before the secular revisions, with slight revisions of archaic grammar. Four Readers and a Study Guide show you how to teach your children to reason cogently, speak persuasively, write clearly--all in a Christian framework. Each lesson has moral and intellectual content, and offers an impressive vocabulary. Words progress from 'learn,' 'keep,' in the early grades to 'assiduity, profligate, efficacious, calcaneous, penury, communition, execrated' in high school. Lessons are followed by spell/define exercises, and thoughtful questions. Ex.: "Is it not better to be industrious and possess a good name than to possess many riches?" "What is the effect of making public opinion the rule of life?" "Have we not reason to rejoice that we live where we may hear the glad tidings of salvation?" Each lesson begins with a basic rule of reading and elocution. Study Guide ties each original lesson to a biblica! l theme. There are 10 years of 36 weekly lessons (grades 1-10). Instructions on teaching reading aloud, public speaking, good writing habits, memorization, logic, love for language as one of God's gifts. Many famous authors like Blackthorn, Shakespeare, Bacon, Irving figure prominently. By the time a child begins the third reader he will have surpassed most of today's high schoolers. Mastery of the fourth reader puts him beyond most college students. Any adult can read the selections with profit. You'll be awed at what was once accomplished in American schools, and resolved that your children grow up with the same advantages. The lessons cover a broad range of worthy topics including history, geography, poetry, and virtue. These are just reading selections,however, and do not as such offer instruction in phonics or grammar. Some of the 19th-century perspecitves are quaint, even funny. These lessons are intended for Christian parents who homeschool their children. ! I'm happy to learn from them myself. I see the sublime ed! ucational value of these lessons, and see the great need for moral and spiritual training for young people. These lessons will provide those in spades.

I have been using this series as I teach my six chidren at home. The authors have done an excellent job of bringing us the best of the original McGuffy Readers, returning to the contents of the first series, not those later published under his name. My children are discovering a nobler time and way of life as they learn the basics with these fine readers. The study guide is simple to use with many practical exercises and examples. The only reason for less than five stars seems to be the quality of the paper and binding. In the noble effort to keep costs down, the durability of the product suffers. I am hoping for a hard bound edition. Should one appear, the publishers should be prepared for greater sales than the previous edition. Such excellent content deserves an equally excellent binding with the ability withstand being read again and again.

When buying these from private sellers make sure you read the fine print and/or contact the seller to make sure you will be receiving ALL 5 volumes. I thought I was but I only got the fourth reader. I have no way of going back to read the offer to see if I missed something in the fine print but...lesson learned. I like the copy I got and will be keeping it but not sure if I would have paid for just one volume as there may have been a better deal out there for all 5.