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Everyone starts at Level 1. Age doesn’t matter. Parents read all the books too. This builds knowledge and leads to real family discussions. Students move through one book at a time, at their own pace. After each reading, students complete a narration and a writing prompt. Math is done daily, also at their own pace.

Before starting Level 1, students need to know how to read using phonics. A lack of phonics skills puts kids at a disadvantage, adding to our national illiteracy crisis. Phonics is essential. While teaching reading, read aloud to them every day from a mix of fiction and non-fiction books. Reading fluently is key before Level 1.

Students also need to be emotionally ready to learn on their own. Most kids reach this stage around ages 6-8. Resources to help your kids get prepared for Level 1 are found at the Level 0 page of this website.

Everyone, no matter their age or experience, starts with Level 1. Parents, dive in. Lead by example. Level 1 isn’t babyish. It’s interesting for all ages. Older students ready for higher levels will move through quickly. There’s no wasted time here. No fluff. No busy work. Every book builds essential knowledge.

What do you need to get started? Level 1 books. Paper. Pencil. That’s it. At higher levels, when students are writing research papers, they’ll need internet or library access. Other than that, you can do this entire program at home, for free.
 

Printed books are best, but a high-quality e-reader is a good alternative. Choose one that isn’t backlit to reduce eye strain. E-readers have some advantages—they’re compact, you can adjust the font size for easier reading, and you can download all the books from this curriculum for free on Project Gutenberg. Try the Amazon Kindle. 

Don’t rely on books always being accessible online. Plan ahead. Download the books you need. Build a digital library for your family. Websites go down. Things happen. The Internet Archive was recently hacked, and many books are now temporarily unavailable. Public domain sources have these books. Download them. Stock up. Don’t be dependent on websites or internet access.

What if your child has read a book on the list before? Good. It’s beneficial to read books again. What if they don’t like a book? Good. This will lead to valuable discussions. What if they disagree with something in a book? Good. Learning to think for themselves is part of the process.

Do parents really need to read the books? Yes. You need to stay one book ahead of your child to have meaningful discussions. It’s good for you, and it’s good for your family. I’ve chosen the best living books I could find, but these books are old. They sometimes use outdated language, express offensive ideas, or may be confusing. That’s why you read ahead. Use this as a chance for discussion. These books give you a safe way to bring up heavy topics before your child encounters them in the real world. As the parent, you assign each reading based on your family’s personal standards and your child’s needs. Read ahead so you can make an informed decision. If words used in a classic book seem strange, look up their meaning through time. There might have been a change in meaning that you will need to explain to your child.