No clue how to plan English (Amer. Lit./Grammar)

[Hunter's Moon]

I am completely lost when it comes to planning out English since it is a mix of two subjects.

 

I have a general Amer. Lit. plan but I am not really liking it.

 

I am just so lost and confused.

 

I haven't really began English yet.

 

What exactly do you do during Amer. Lit.? I plan on reading in the afternoon so during the time I have Amer. Lit. scheduled should I just work on Grammar? Some days I'll look up biographies on the writers but on the days that I am not, just do Grammar?

 

I am just really lost.

 

Any help, suggestions, experiences, etc. are welcome :)

 

Should I just have Amer. Lit. and Grammar separate classes and study them separately?

 

I want to make a rough outline for this class but with them combined it is driving me nuts.

[Chris in VA]

Do Amer. Lit separately from Grammar, but count it as one credit.

Have you looked at Rod and Staff Grammar? If you have not done much grammar, you could start with Grade 7 and be fine, or even with 6. You can also do Analytical Grammar--it's one year, and really good.

 

What are you using for Am Lit?

[Musicmom]

What exactly do you do during Amer. Lit.? I plan on reading in the afternoon so during the time I have Amer. Lit. scheduled should I just work on Grammar? Some days I'll look up biographies on the writers but on the days that I am not, just do Grammar?

 

Sounds like maybe you're working from a "class period" mindset, where you have a "class time" for Am Lit and then reading is during time outside of that? With homeschooling you don't need to think of it this way. Instead, plan time in your day to do the grammar, and plan time for your Am Lit reading. During your Am Lit reading time, you can also do any other Am Lit studying (such as looking up background, or writing about a novel, etc) you have planned. Or do those activities at another time if it cuts into your reading time too much. It's all one course--English--but you just do the individual pieces of it as if they were homework. Does that make sense?

Should I just have Amer. Lit. and Grammar separate classes and study them separately?

 

I want to make a rough outline for this class but with them combined it is driving me nuts.

 

You can just outline each one separately and study them separately, even though you count them as one class. That should make it a lot easier. It's just a different way of thinking about them.

 

HTH! I think you're doing a terrific job of planning! :001_smile:

[Hunter's Moon]

Do Amer. Lit separately from Grammar, but count it as one credit.

Have you looked at Rod and Staff Grammar? If you have not done much grammar, you could start with Grade 7 and be fine, or even with 6. You can also do Analytical Grammar--it's one year, and really good.

 

What are you using for Am Lit?

 

I will be using Harvey's Grammar for Grammar.

 

American Lit., nothing. It wasn't in our budget. I made a general list of books, poetry, authors, etc and planned on going from there but I'm stuck. I'm doing U.S. History II so I planned on keeping any Lit. from 1865-now but that also seems off because what about the years before 1865, I don't want to skip them.

[Hunter's Moon]

Sounds like maybe you're working from a "class period" mindset, where you have a "class time" for Am Lit and then reading is during time outside of that? With homeschooling you don't need to think of it this way. Instead, plan time in your day to do the grammar, and plan time for your Am Lit reading. During your Am Lit reading time, you can also do any other Am Lit studying (such as looking up background, or writing about a novel, etc) you have planned. Or do those activities at another time if it cuts into your reading time too much. It's all one course--English--but you just do the individual pieces of it as if they were homework. Does that make sense?

 

 

You can just outline each one separately and study them separately, even though you count them as one class. That should make it a lot easier. It's just a different way of thinking about them.

 

HTH! I think you're doing a terrific job of planning! :001_smile:

 

Thanks for the suggestions and the encouragement :)

[Musicmom]

American Lit., nothing. It wasn't in our budget. I made a general list of books, poetry, authors, etc and planned on going from there but I'm stuck. I'm doing U.S. History II so I planned on keeping any Lit. from 1865-now but that also seems off because what about the years before 1865, I don't want to skip them.

 

Are you stuck in terms of finalizing your list? Or do you have your list settled and are stuck in terms of how to study the books? You might consider looking at the book, The Well-Educated Mind, by Susan Wise Bauer, both for ideas of books to consider for your list, as well as general guidelines for how to study them. You wouldn't be following her sequence, but you could use the book as a reference to guide your study. There are also Glencoe Literature guides (probably for many of the books you're considering) which are free online that would help guide your study. Here's a link to the website:

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/

 

By the way, I think it would be fine to include books from before 1865...

[Hunter's Moon]

Are you stuck in terms of finalizing your list? Or do you have your list settled and are stuck in terms of how to study the books? You might consider looking at the book, The Well-Educated Mind, by Susan Wise Bauer, both for ideas of books to consider for your list, as well as general guidelines for how to study them. You wouldn't be following her sequence, but you could use the book as a reference to guide your study. There are also Glencoe Literature guides (probably for many of the books you're considering) which are free online that would help guide your study. Here's a link to the website:

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/

 

By the way, I think it would be fine to include books from before 1865...

 

Thanks. Definitely will be using Glencoe and looking into SWB's book. I read it but never used it for lists and such.

[Chris in VA]

Harvey's is excellent.

 

How much is your mom/parent/adult figure in your life helping you with all of this? Are you self-educating, for the most part? There are lots of kids who do that, so I'm not slamming it if you are.

However, even self-educators who want to do lit need someone to discuss/analyse the lit WITH. Imo, you need someone to ask you about your impressions, thoughts, analysis, etc of the works you want to cover. Someone to hash things out with! And someone to guide you. You can put all your thoughts in a paper for each book, but it will be really tough to do that without discussion.

[momofjep]

Have you looked at using your literature selections to teach grammar? I used these lessons when I taught high school English.

 

http://www.grammardog.com

[sadiegirl]

We will be using Analytical Grammar this year...new to it but I have always wanted to try it. We are also using Vocabulary from Classical Roots. As far as reading, I usually have a read-a-loud that I do with my kids(yes, even at 8th and 9th grades, they love it) and then they each have books that they read independently. I'm afraid that our list of books are not what most read however as I try to find books that will peak their interest in reading(I have a hunter/fisherman who loves books with nature/animals and old-time feel.) He is currently reading a book written by an author that wrote for Outdoor Life etc for years. My other son reads books like Peter and the Starcatchers, The Anybodies series, etc.

[LanaTron]

I'll have an 8th and 9th grader that I'm going to teach together. They'll most likely be studying the Constitution and American history with a friend of mine and her daughter, so we're going to do early american lit. Our main problem lies in the amount of outside activities--I have four kids, all in scouts, and youth group, and we do a music co-op on Friday mornings.

 

Here's where I am with planning; it is highly subject to change over the next month or so and will probably morph during the course of the year, too. ;)

 

I'm going to try a modified "loop" schedule. 7:30-11:30 every morning they (8th & 9th graders) will study four subjects for an hour each. We will end up hitting on Literature 3x/week. Grammar will be alternated with either spelling (8th grader) or Latin (9th grader); so we will end up touching on grammar 3x over two weeks.

 

They'll be using Growing With Grammar 7; I know that's not "high school level," but the 8th grader is just finishing GWG 6, and 9th grader hasn't done much grammar, so I figure it's a good place to start. My dd ususally finishes a GWG lesson in 20-30 minutes, so I am thinking that they could do two lessons in an hour = 6 lessons over two weeks. That will put them on a pretty good pace to finish the book in the year's time, and if they don't, I have no problem with carrying over to the next year.

 

Back to literature. Just this morning, I've been contemplating using the first half of The Teaching Company's "Classics of American Literature," combined with ideas I've gleaned from all of Lori D.'s posts on this topic and this thread. I think we could read the selections aloud, write about them, and discuss them during our 3 hours/week of literature. We would probably watch the corresponding TC lecture once we finished reading, before our writing. Oh, and as I am on a super-tight budget, I'll get the TC course from my library.

 

I am also putting together a list of books about the time period for just reading. The kids will be able to choose whichever books off the list they would like; I may assign a minimum, or just have them read a certain amount of time each day. I don't know how feasable this is; it may cut into their fun reading time. But the books I'm putting on the list are things that are at or below grade level, so shouldn't be too challenging. I could see my dd going through the whole list in short order, as she is a fast reader. ;)

 

Hope this helps a little at least.

[Hunter's Moon]

Harvey's is excellent.

 

How much is your mom/parent/adult figure in your life helping you with all of this? Are you self-educating, for the most part? There are lots of kids who do that, so I'm not slamming it if you are.

However, even self-educators who want to do lit need someone to discuss/analyse the lit WITH. Imo, you need someone to ask you about your impressions, thoughts, analysis, etc of the works you want to cover. Someone to hash things out with! And someone to guide you. You can put all your thoughts in a paper for each book, but it will be really tough to do that without discussion.

 

Yeah, I basically self-educate.

 

I don't really have anyone to discuss the literature with. My mom said I could read out-loud to her though.

 

I was thinking of using TC like someone else said. That way I could go deeper independently.

 

Thanks everyone :)

 

ETA: Also, how would you split up Harvey's? I was thinking of doing each different subject for two weeks. Nouns for two weeks, adjectives for two weeks, etc, etc. Is that a good idea?

[momofjep]

Take a look at http://www.grammardog.com

 

I used these in the classroom to combine lit and grammar. Good luck!

[momofjep]

Take a look at http://www.grammardog.com

 

The lessons use the literature to teach grammar and style, and it's a good way to incorporate both in one unit. No experience using these at home, but it's what I used when I taught high school English. Good luck!

[Kareni]

Stephanie,

 

Perhaps you could persuade your mother to read a few of the books also so that the two of you could discuss them together.

 

You may also be interested in reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines and How to Read Novels Like a Professor: A Jaunty Exploration of the World's Favorite Literary Form both by Thomas Foster.

 

Here's the Amazon blurb for the first book,

 

"What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey?. Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface -- a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character -- and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you.

 

In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun."

 

and, for the second book:

 

"Of all the literary forms, the novel is arguably the most discussed . . . and fretted over. From Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote to the works of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and today's masters, the novel has grown with and adapted to changing societies and technologies, mixing tradition and innovation in every age throughout history.

 

Thomas C. Foster—the sage and scholar who ingeniously led readers through the fascinating symbolic codes of great literature in his first book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor—now examines the grammar of the popular novel. Exploring how authors' choices about structure—point of view, narrative voice, first page, chapter construction, character emblems, and narrative (dis)continuity—create meaning and a special literary language, How to Read Novels Like a Professor shares the keys to this language with readers who want to get more insight, more understanding, and more pleasure from their reading."

 

Regards,

Kareni