Which would be best for preparation of reading the great books?

[Luanne]

Which one of these would best prepare someone for reading the great books?

[plimsoll]

Here is a related thread: Which 20 books help prepare for reading the Great Books?

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93913

 

Many people offered reading lists. You may want to correlate the reading lists in that thread to the reading lists of the above curricula....

Edited October 19, 2009 by plimsoll

[Cedarmom]

I voted WTM. I don't think the other choices are bad though. I voted for it because it has the elements necessary for reading great books. The outlining will teach them how to pick out the main points of what they are reading. The discussion questions will help prepare them for more indepth questioning later. The grammar study will be invaluable to them when they are trying to understand some of the meatier books. When I was doing the logic stage, I did some of the things (outling,grammar) because I believed they would be useful. Now in the rhetroic stage, I see how all those things did lay the foundation that my son needed. I am glad I used WTM logic.

[Nan in Mass]

I'm not voting because I'm not familiar with the other choices, but I can tell you that TWTM logic stage list did a great job of preparing my two sons to read great books. Just today, my youngest paused while we were reading Gilgamesh and said, "I'm just going to summarize this because it is confusing and I bet you didn't get it." I had to laugh. I was just opening my mouth to ask him to tell me what was going on. I understand the text fine, but he knows some background material that I don't. In this case, he was familiar with the various gods and how they were connected to the people in the story. We're reading a harder translation, which we are liking very much, and I've also been impressed with how easily he manages to read those lines of poetry, many of which are missing words. Go WTM LOL!

-Nan

[Lori D.]

1. Different things work best for different people; I can only tell you what has worked for us.

2. JMO, but I don't think specific programs, booklists, or even educational philosophies, are necessarily the best prep for a Great Books study (see #1 for why -- LOL!).

 

Here's what helped us most prepare for a Great Books study:

- Reading aloud TONS of classic, age-appropriate as well as just-above-their-reach works, from toddlerhood through high school.

- Loads of critical thinking puzzles at all ages; logic puzzles and then moral formal logic for understanding how to "argue" (with supportive examples).

- Discussing / analyzing film and great TV shows -- it is an easier jump to see visual elements and symbolism and to use those things to start thinking about and analyzing the highly VISUAL media -- and then jump to seeing literature elements and themes and using them to discuss / analyze classic literature.

- Worldview materials; helps in understanding consequences and therefore themes.

- Most of all -- TALKING about everything! Why did he do that? What's the consequence of her choice? What will happen next? Where have we seen something similar before? We keep seeing that pop up -- what might it symbolize? How does what's happening connect with, contrast with, or reveal the author's life or worldview, or with the times in which this was written or takes place? ....

 

Enjoy your Great Books journey together! Warmest regards, Lori D.