Christian Novel Studies

I (Chris Roe) am a licensed teacher in the state of Minnesota; reading is my area of interest and expertise. I recently retire from my part-time job of working as a substitute teacher; I am still writing literature-related materials for our family's home-based business -- Christian Novel Studies. My husband and I homeschooled our two daughters for ten years.

Twenty years ago when I was student teaching and raising our two girls, I discovered something that has guided me since that time: Children love to read books! I realized that one advantage to reading/studying whole books instead of individual stories is that children are exposed to in-depth views of characters and settings. As people set in a particular place and time change and develop through the chapters of a book, students grow and expand in their understanding too. I've watched struggling readers read words fluently because the words are in context and the students are able to see the big picture. For these reasons, I began to write literature guides for books about important historical people and for books that contain classic stories. When I start CNS, I wrote guides for Christian books (TRAILBLAZER books by Dave & Neta Jackson and Treasures of the Snow -- and other books by Patricia St. John). Over the years, however, I also began writing guides for secular books -- and I connect biblical principles to the content of the book. Most of the biblical connections are in a section titled Bible/Life Application. Since most of the vocabulary, questions, and reading activities do not have Christian content, these guides are also able to be used in public schools.

In college I completed the Honors program and graduated summa cum laude. A description of my greatest honor, however, follows: Twenty-eight years ago, as I held our oldest daughter in my arms, I pondered the questions: What is the big picture? What is the major goal in raising children? I felt the answer is that -- as parents -- we should be working toward training our children to contribute to society rather than taking from it. As we think about it, contributions can take a multitude of forms -- and they can be small or large. Some can be done every day; others are accomplished over a long period of time. My greatest honor at this point in my life is watching Amy and Rachel contribute to society as adults: Amy is an elementary Spanish teacher who is touching students every day and Rachel is working at a challenging job for a growing business. As teens and young adults, they both volunteered many hours in a variety of programs in the U.S. and abroad. I am very proud of these two girls!

I graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1993 with a B.A.S. in Elementary Education.

I am an active Friend of the Duluth Public Library. I am also a member of the following reading groups: Arrowhead Reading Council and the Minnesota Reading Association. I participate in a Chapter and Verse reading group: Once a month teachers and librarians get together to discuss children's literature!