Anything comparable to LLfLOTR?

[Jen+4dc]

I originally asked this on the K-8 board because of the ages of my dc. But, since LLfLOTR is really meant as a high school course I'm asking here, too.:D

 

Anything comparable to LLfLOTR that uses a different book series?

 

I bought this and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! My ds really, really wants to use it next year but dd finds LOTR boring, boring, boring :confused: (we've been listening to it on CD in the car for the last several weeks). My original plan was to use it with both dc over 2 years with the middle school lesson plans since they're on the young side for it.

 

For the sake of my sanity I'd like to keep them together, but it's not necessary. They have had little to no literary analysis (literary terms and elements and such) and need some before they hit high school. But, I don't want dd to hate it and I don't want her resultant bad attitude to spoil it for ds.:glare:

 

I was discussing this with dh and he asked if there was anything like LLfLOTR (which he was also very impressed with) for Harry Potter (dd's current favorites).

 

So, hive mind, what's out there? Anything? I know there's Prairie Primer (too young for my dc) and Further Up and Further In but I've heard that's not nearly as involved or rigorous as LLfLOTR.

 

Any suggestions for dd13 (8th) and ds11 (6th)???

 

Thanks!

[Lori D.]

... anything like LLfLOTR... I know there's Prairie Primer (too young for my dc) and Further Up and Further In but I've heard that's not nearly as involved or rigorous as LLfLOTR. Any suggestions for dd13 (8th) and ds11 (6th)???

 

 

The only other one that comes to mind is "Where the Brook and River Meet", which is based on the Anne of Green Gables series (Montgomery). But it is designed as a full year unit study (not just literature study), with history, home ec, and other credit-worthy material attached. AND it is strictly a girl's curriculum. See it at Home Scholar's website.

 

 

Further Up and Further In is also a unit study rather than a literature study, mostly focusing on Bible study (pulling out Christian themes from the books and comparing with Scripture), with science, history, music/art, cooking info, activities, and research ideas. JMO, it's best for gr. 4-6 level (I think it would be way too "lite" for most 7th-8th graders).

 

 

Just my 2 cents worth, but if DS really wants to do LLftLotR -- let him! I know it's a pain to have your children doing subjects separately, but... it's also good to allow them their individuality and to start pursuing their separate interests. And it's good to encourage your students when they express an interest in anything academic/scholastic! ;) Maybe DS and dad could enjoy it together!!

 

 

If the Anne of Green Gables study is not to your DD's tastes, what about having her do a few of the Garlic Press publishers Discovering Literature guides for individual books while her brother does LLftLotR? They are geared for grades 5-12, and are quite meaty (especially the "Challenger" level), with lengthy background on the author/work/times, a summary of each chapter, LOTS of GOOD discussion questions for each chapter, a number of literary terms introduced with good teaching text and examples, and great writing assignment ideas. You can see sample pages at Rainbow Resource, or the complete list of works.

 

 

Another good (and free!) resource are the individual literature guides online from Glencoe Literature Library; very detailed background info on the author/work/times; focus is on various types of workpages and graphic organizers for thinking about the work, making comparisons, etc.; plus a small amount of teaching text and/or analysis.

 

 

Another option, if DD is a strong reader, is to try the full-year literature program Lightning Lit. & Comp 7 (scope & sequence; sample lesson . It is a very gentle intro to literary analysis, with 8 units covering several types of novels, plus autobiography, poetry and short stories, each with teaching text on a specific literary element and how it is used in the work read for that unit; workpages to help the student put that literary element into practice; a "mini-writing unit" at the end of each unit with a short explanation of an aspect of writing (such as citing sources, "hooking" your audience's interest, etc.), and then a choice of several longer writing assignments at the end of each unit.

 

 

BEST of luck, whatever you decide! Enjoy your literature adventures as a family! Warmly, Lori D.

[Jen+4dc]

The only other one that comes to mind is "Where the Brook and River Meet", which is based on the Anne of Green Gables series (Montgomery). But it is designed as a full year unit study (not just literature study), with history, home ec, and other credit-worthy material attached. AND it is strictly a girl's curriculum. See it at Home Scholar's website.

 

Thanks! I didn't even know this existed. I'll look into it.

Further Up and Further In is also a unit study rather than a literature study, mostly focusing on Bible study (pulling out Christian themes from the books and comparing with Scripture), with science, history, music/art, cooking info, activities, and research ideas. JMO, it's best for gr. 4-6 level (I think it would be way too "lite" for most 7th-8th graders).

 

I do, too, that's why I had initially dismissed it. But, she does love Narnia.

Just my 2 cents worth, but if DS really wants to do LLftLotR -- let him! I know it's a pain to have your children doing subjects separately, but... it's also good to allow them their individuality and to start pursuing their separate interests. And it's good to encourage your students when they express an interest in anything academic/scholastic! ;) Maybe DS and dad could enjoy it together!!

 

I think ds and I might enjoy this together. That was my first thought when it arrived and I looked through it: I would love to do this personally!:D

If the Anne of Green Gables study is not to your DD's tastes, what about having her do a few of the Garlic Press publishers Discovering Literature guides for individual books while her brother does LLftLotR? They are geared for grades 5-12, and are quite meaty (especially the "Challenger" level), with lengthy background on the author/work/times, a summary of each chapter, LOTS of GOOD discussion questions for each chapter, a number of literary terms introduced with good teaching text and examples, and great writing assignment ideas. You can see sample pages at Rainbow Resource, or the complete list of works.

 

I thought about something like this, I even own the Hobbit one. But, they look too hard (it's challenger level). She's had no literary analysis before...

Another good (and free!) resource are the individual literature guides online from Glencoe Literature Library; very detailed background info on the author/work/times; focus is on various types of workpages and graphic organizers for thinking about the work, making comparisons, etc.; plus a small amount of teaching text and/or analysis.

We did one of these before and dd absolutely HATED it. Sigh.

 

Another option, if DD is a strong reader, is to try the full-year literature program Lightning Lit. & Comp 7 (scope & sequence; sample lesson . It is a very gentle intro to literary analysis, with 8 units covering several types of novels, plus autobiography, poetry and short stories, each with teaching text on a specific literary element and how it is used in the work read for that unit; workpages to help the student put that literary element into practice; a "mini-writing unit" at the end of each unit with a short explanation of an aspect of writing (such as citing sources, "hooking" your audience's interest, etc.), and then a choice of several longer writing assignments at the end of each unit.

 

This was my plan until I found out about LLfLOTR. Dd is a very strong, voracious reader. But, she's had no literary analysis at.all! Do you think she could start with this?

 

BEST of luck, whatever you decide! Enjoy your literature adventures as a family! Warmly, Lori D.

 

Thanks, Lori! You're always a wealth of information!!:D

[swimmermom3]

Ugh! I don't know how I forgot about LL. While it's not "comparable" to LLofLOTR, it's still a very worthwhile program and I wouldn't hesitate to use it especially with a child who has had little or no literary analysis.

 

I used both LL 7 & 8 last year with my then 5th and 8th graders. We did some units together like The Christmas Carol for character development (now that was a well-done unit,imo) and two of the poetry units.The oldest was doing American history so he did Tom Sawyer and To Kill a Mocking Bird while the youngest did Alice in Wonderland and The Hobbit. I will be forever grateful to Elizabeth at Hewitt Homeschool for creating LL. It was the first time my non book-loving youngest chose to continue reading a book outside of school hours (Alice) besides Calvin and Hobbes and the poetry of Edward Lear was right up his alley.

 

While there is some building of topics in LL, you can still use the units out of order with a little extra explaining on your part. I like that flexibility and will probably utilize the remaining units over the next two years. I will also be adapting some of the hs Medieval unit to go along with our use of LLofLOTR.

[Lori D.]

[re: Further Up and Further In:]... I had initially dismissed it. But, she does love Narnia.

 

 

What if while DS did LLftLotR, you went ahead and had DD do all or just parts of FUFI? This might be the last year you'd have where the program would work for her. It is so wonderful to do a program that matches up with books a child especially loves... Check out the sample lesson at the publisher's website. If you really felt you needed more, you could perhaps add in the Progeny Press guides or other guides on the various Narnia books for a little more literature angle...

 

 

 

[re: LLftLotR] I think ds and I might enjoy this together. That was my first thought when it arrived and I looked through it: I would love to do this personally!

 

 

That's why I did it with DSs -- because *I* wanted to do the program! :D But we all loved it -- a real high water mark in our homeschooling adventures. Even DH enjoyed getting in on parts of it.

 

 

 

[re: Garlic Press Discovering Literature series guides] I thought about something like this, I even own the Hobbit one. But, they look too hard (it's challenger level). She's had no literary analysis before...

 

 

The non-challenger levels are easier, and usually meant for grades 5-7 or 8, while the challenger levels are usually meant for grades 8-12. Another idea is to go through Story Elements aloud together (I think your DD could do both the gr. 5-6 and gr. 7-8 booklets as a 6th grader). They are very nice very gentle introductions to literary genres and literary terms, with gentle exercises. We just did them aloud together, taking about 10 minutes to do 2-3 pages in a sitting. See them at Rainbow Resource.

 

 

 

[re: LL7] This was my plan until I found out about LLfLOTR. Dd is a very strong, voracious reader. But, she's had no literary analysis at.all! Do you think she could start with this?

 

 

Yes, I do think a 6th grader with no literature background could easily do LL7. You might want to do some of the books aloud together due to vernacular (Tom Sawyer), flowerly, overlong, unusual sentence structure (Story of My Life), and veterinarian vocabulary and British slang/accents (All Creatures Great and Small). But the lessons are very gentle and don't assume any previous literary analysis. Check out the scope & sequence and the sample lesson at Hewitt Homeschooling's website.

 

 

Another thought: possibly, if the whole family does LLftLotR, she may get drawn into it in spite of initially not connecting with the books -- the 12 additional units are quite interesting! But if not, she may also enjoy having her own program -- or, consider waiting another year on literary analysis, and just let her enjoy all those great children's classics that are right at her grade level. :) Enjoy your literature journey, where ever it leads! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited May 26, 2010 by Lori D.
added info

[Jen+4dc]

I used both LL 7 & 8 last year with my then 5th and 8th graders. We did some units together like The Christmas Carol for character development (now that was a well-done unit,imo) and two of the poetry units.The oldest was doing American history so he did Tom Sawyer and To Kill a Mocking Bird while the youngest did Alice in Wonderland and The Hobbit. I will be forever grateful to Elizabeth at Hewitt Homeschool for creating LL. It was the first time my non book-loving youngest chose to continue reading a book outside of school hours (Alice) besides Calvin and Hobbes and the poetry of Edward Lear was right up his alley.

 

While there is some building of topics in LL, you can still use the units out of order with a little extra explaining on your part. I like that flexibility and will probably utilize the remaining units over the next two years. I will also be adapting some of the hs Medieval unit to go along with our use of LLofLOTR.

Sounds like you used LL7 & LL8 at the same time and mixed up the orders. I like the books in LL8 better (and dd will be 8th grade technically) but she's starting at the beginning. Do you think she could reasonably do both in one year or will it be overwhelming?

 

What if while DS did LLftLotR, you went ahead and had DD do all or just parts of FUFI? This might be the last year you'd have where the program would work for her. It is so wonderful to do a program that matches up with books a child especially loves... Check out the sample lesson at the publisher's website. If you really felt you needed more, you could perhaps add in the Progeny Press guides or other guides on the various Narnia books for a little more literature angle...

 

I never thought about adding in other lit study resources like Progeny Press....that could work. I just hate to spend so much for something I'm only going to use parts of. Dd will be in 8th grade and I'm trying to get her ready for high school.

 

That's why I did it with DSs -- because *I* wanted to do the program! :D But we all loved it -- a real high water mark in our homeschooling adventures. Even DH enjoyed getting in on parts of it.

 

:D:D

 

Yes, I do think a 6th grader with no literature background could easily do LL7. You might want to do some of the books aloud together due to vernacular (Tom Sawyer), flowerly, overlong, unusual sentence structure (Story of My Life), and veterinarian vocabulary and British slang/accents (All Creatures Great and Small). But the lessons are very gentle and don't assume any previous literary analysis. Check out the scope & sequence and the sample lesson at Hewitt Homeschooling's website.

 

Dd will actually be 8th grade, can she do LL8 without having done LL7?

 

Another thought: possibly, if the whole family does LLftLotR, she may get drawn into it in spite of initially not connecting with the books -- the 12 additional units are quite interesting! But if not, she may also enjoy having her own program -- or, consider waiting another year on literary analysis, and just let her enjoy all those great children's classics that are right at her grade level. :) Enjoy your literature journey, where ever it leads! Warmest regards, Lori D.

This is what I had hoped for, that's why we started listening to them now as a family, I was hoping to spark her interest. Sadly, it has had the opposite effect:glare:.

 

Thanks for talking this through with me. I really appreciate it!

[swimmermom3]

Your daughter could do both LL7 & 8 in one year with some editing. For example, both children could do The Christmas Carol in LL8 and thoroughly develop a character of their own. You then may decide to skip reading All Creatures Great and Small because the main lesson covers "The Character Sketch." Talk to you kids about what a character sketch is, how it contrasts with full character development and forget doing the rest of the work on that book except the mini-lesson on choosing a topic for a research paper.

 

My youngest loved the LL7 on lesson with Alice which covered creativity and nonce words. It is a fun lesson but not one I would feel is necessary for an 8th grader. I covered plot line with both kids (LL7); however, the youngest did the first lesson with "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" and confined his plot line analysis to the short story while the older one skipped it and went straight to studying the plot line in a novel in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

 

If you want to cover all the literary works, the literary lessons, and the mini lessons, then cut some of the worksheets, don't do the vocabulary, and be selective about the writing assignments you choose especially if you already have a demanding writing program.

[Jen+4dc]

After much debate and discussion I think I'm going to let ds do LLfLOTR and dd do LL7 but have her do the unit studies from LLfLOTR with us. This should give her time to do extra unit studies in addition to LL7 (and the rest of school:)).

 

If dd finishes LL7 I'll have her go straight into LL8. It's important to me that she learn these literary elements but not that she reads LOTR (sigh, :glare: I feel like she's missing out but she's thrilled! She would much rather read Alice in Wonderland and Tom Sawyer than LOTR. We'll see if she still feels that way mid-year next year:tongue_smilie:). I think both of them will get more out of it if they have a passion for what they are studying. More work for mom....but hsing is NOT for the faint of heart, right. As I tell my kids all the time: "It's not about you.":D

 

Thanks Lisa and Lori!!! I feel much better about this plan than I what I had a few days ago!

[Lori D.]

Hurray! :) It always feel good to make a decision. And while having DD and DS in different programs is a bit more work, both LL and LLftLotR can be done virtually solo by the student if you wish. And I do think your DD will have fun doing the 12 units of LLftLotR with the rest of you.

 

re: doing LL8 without LL7

You don't *have* to do LL7 before LL8, but there are some great classics in LL7 you don't want to miss. And you don't *have* to do ALL of LL7, either. And, both LL7 and LL8 are flexible -- LL7 can be done by gr. 6-8 students, and LL8 can be done by gr. 7-9 students (our younger DS did LL8 last year in grade 9). LL7 starts with a FUN short story -- Rikki Tikki Tavi by Kipling -- and is a great intro lesson into literary analysis (the parts of a plot).

 

Have a super literature adventure next year! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.