FIVE IN A ROW

http://www.fiveinarow.com

FIAR Frequently Asked Questions

Where did the name Five in a Row come from?

It comes from the fact that you read the same story every day, five days in a row exploring Social Studies on Monday, Language on Tuesday, Art on Wednesday, Applied Math on Thursday and Science on Friday.

Can you tell me how you work Math and Science into books that don't really contain those concepts?

I NEVER try to "force" a math or science lesson artificially in Five in a Row. The only lessons which appear in the curriculum are those which are easily drawn from the book. Now the books covered in Five in a Row were selected from more than 1300 books I've used on the basis that for one thing... they have a wide variety of interesting material to explore including.... applied math and science.... also that they're great literature and well illustrated with strong character qualities. That's why I suggested that for 5 and up (ages) Five in a Row will only SUPPLEMENT a math curriculum and a reading/phonics curriculum. It is NOT all-inclusive by any means.

Do you think that this is an idea that can be expanded as children get older with more in depth books?

Absolutely!! In fact it is my prayer that Five in a Row will be the springboard to a lifelong habit of reading with understanding and excitement and critical thinking. Every book, word books, fiction, biography, etc. can be another "gateway", in fact SHOULD be another "gateway", to exploring the world around us. Hopefully students will discover that learning is the natural result of reading. If I might digress briefly, most children read books the way they watch television they only want to know "whodunit" that is...the plot! That's why as soon as you've read them one book they toss it aside and ask you to read another. Plot is their only interest but through critical thinking and exploring through literature they can learn to examine what they've read to "see where it leads them". Which is, after all, the beauty of unit study approach

Do you use the books in a specific order?

That might be a problem in a small town where many families need the same book at the same time from the library! Good question!! No... the books do NOT have to be used in a specific order for EXACTLY that reason!! You'll find a "suggested" order which loosely ties the books to the seasons..Cranberry Thanksgiving for instance would be enjoyable just before Thanksgiving but the curriculum does not BUILD on itself and the books can be enjoyed in any order so if you go to the library searching for "Lentil" and it's checked out get Katy and the Big Snow instead!

What kind of prep time does this entail?

Five in a Row was designed to be self-contained your preparation time will normally be less than 5 minutes daily everything you SHOULD need...is included, things like definitions of foreign words or phrases, pronunciation guides, background information, etc. Your only job is to read the several (2-8) lessons available daily and select one or two to "do" with your child.

I know my 2 year old will be tagging along on this one. He loves to be read to. Will he be able to participate in any of the activities?

Sure... It's amazing how much a 2 year old absorbs when they're included. Any 2 year old will have comments and questions once he grasps the concept that learning means reading a book and discussing what you've read. They'll always love to participate in art days on Wednesdays too... but you might want to do it outside! (smile)

My Notes: We are using FIAR now and examining it for ourselves. I have checked out several of the titles and read them myself. I am quite pleased with the content value of the stories chosen…and I am usually very hard to please. But out of all the helps that have been arranged through this program, I appreciate the Bible Study that goes with it the most. Included are proper Scripture verses that apply to each and every book in the FIAR series. For us, it helps my children to see a story or event that they can relate to and then see how God's rules apply to our everyday lives. I would suggest getting the Bible Study book that covers all three volumes of FIAR just for the resource it is. Have a question about FIAR? Either stop by their site, the chats, or email me and I can send you a sample lesson for one of the stories with the Bible verses.

If you are a member of America Online, you can join a great group of FIARowers. The "Five in a Row" folder is located in the Practical Homeschooling Magazine forum on AOL. The Keyword is "PHS", then select "Talk To Other Homeschoolers", then page down through the folders until you find the "Five in a Row" folder.