My two independent readers have daily reading time during our homeschool. For this time, we utilize book baskets. This allows me to give them a wide feast of good literature, while also allowing them to choose their own book.
Here's how we build our book baskets:
Collect Good Books
First, I use book lists to gather books. My go-to places for living book ideas are:
-Books from our core curriculum
-Ambleside Online free reads by year
-Stories of Color
-Read-Aloud Revival
-Living Book Legacy: our weekly book loop on Instagram.
I look for used books online, as well as at thrift stores and library sales. My goal is always to find high-quality used books at good prices.
Read Widely
After gathering books, I separate them into different genres. Right now we are prioritizing:
-Biographies
-Historical fiction
-Classic literature
-Fairy tales, myths, fables
Many of our books will align with our current history cycle, whether it's a book that takes place during that time or was written during that time. However, we also read outside of this time frame.
Also, I set aside books I want to use for family read-alouds. Since we'll be reading these together, I don't include them in their baskets.
Fill the Baskets
I add a few books from each genre to their individual basket, trying to be mindful of their reading level.
I also include a book or two that we've already read before as a read-aloud, to give them an opportunity to read it on their own.
Let them Read!
When it's time for their independent reading, they can grab their basket and select a book. This gives them a variety of beautiful books, while also letting them choose.
Outside of this specified time, they can read other books in our home. These book baskets are specifically for their scheduled independent reading time.
When they Finish a Book
We'll talk about the book in a natural way- narration is not required for free reads.
This isn't a time to quiz them on what they learned or to moralize a story. Instead, it's an opportunity to hear how the story spoke to them and to hear their thoughts on the book.
As they finish books, I will add more to their book baskets. Throughout the year I may add in additional books as well.
