Candice Keaton

Greetings! My name is Candice Keaton. I am a lifelong Santa Clarita resident and mother of two United States Marines, and two daughters that attend HuckleBerry. I began my professional career as a barista at Starbucks, and worked my way to management of the Castaic location, where I ran it successfully for years prior to becoming a full time mom and homeschooler. Leadership at Starbucks taught me the importance of individuality, tolerance, coaching with kindness, and teamwork.

I enjoy a variety of hobbies including book clubs, travel, fitness, nutrition, and sports for entertainment. I love board games and Disneyland! As a homeschooling mother, I will utilize my perspective to help you and your child reach your goals at home. This course is designed to teach your children important life skills, and encourage individual growth, as well as fostering relationships with their peers and community. I will provide parents with valuable resources and samples that can assist you in your homeschool journey. I look forward to contributing to your success and joy at HuckleBerry!

Read Around The World Novel Studies

Read Around The World Novel Studies provides students ages 9-11 an opportunity to nourish their love of reading, while expanding their knowledge of the global community and history that makes us all unique.

Homework: Required! Students need to read 50 pages / week to be able to be part of the class discussions!

OBJECTIVES

Expand awareness of historical events, global cultures, and traditions
Cultivate critical thinking and compassion
Develop vocabulary and comprehension
Build community in the classroom through discussions & activities

OVERVIEW

This course is dedicated to building reading stamina and community in the classroom. In the spirit of a book club, students will be assigned weekly reading to do at home. Students should be capable of reading approx. 50 pages a week, as we will be reading 2 books each semester. Books will be distributed at the start of the semester and need to be returned at the end of term. Books should be brought to class weekly so that we can look up what we remember from a particular part of the book and discuss it's meaning.

Parents will be responsible for a replacement fee if the book is lost, damaged, or if your child wants to keep it.

Each title will transport our class to another country or historical era to be observed. In class we will discuss the reading, exploring historical events, geography and cultural significance associated with the story. We will do a variety of writing, worksheets, and activities that will provide your student an opportunity to expand their worldview, engage in thoughtful discussions, and make novel studies fun! Since we are learning about our world, for each book we will be doing map work, a country study, learning some words in the language spoken in that country, and we'll also include a feast at the end of each trimester that includes food from the countries we have visited!

When we read Running on the Roof of the World - a story that takes place in Tibet - one of our projects will include making a Tibetan mandala, where we will watch a video of Buddhist monks both creating and then destroying their work of sand art, contributing to their understanding of the word "impermanence". Each book will provide us with an opportunity to learn about different cultures and ideas!

When we read The Secret of the Andes, one of our projects will celebrate the clothing of Inca, or use of natural resources in Peru. We will also definitely be eating some Peruvian food because I love it!

Below are our reading selections:

FALL READING

Running On The Roof Of The World by Jess Butterworth (Asia: Tibet/India)

The Secret Of The Andes by Ann Nolan Clark (South America: Peru)

WINTER READING

Number The Stars by Lois Lowry (Europe: Sweden/Denmark)

The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood (Europe: London)

SPRING READING

Chengli And The Silk Road Caravan by Hildi Kang (Asia: China)

A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park (Africa: Sudan)