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Is there an all in one 9th grade English curriculum?


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Don't think it covers grammar or writing instruction, but we used Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings in 9th grade for English.  Here is my review:

Amelia Harper has enthusiastically designed Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings for students in grades 7-12.  We used LLfLOTR for 9th grade English.

 

For each chapter in the LOTR, the curriculum provides:

  • Study guide (fill in the blank summary of the chapter)
  • Vocabulary exercises
  • Additional notes (discussing literary devices, LOTR background information, Tolkein background information, probably more)
  • Comprehension questions (short answer)

 

There are 13 unit studies:

  • Exploring the Author
  • Exploring Linguistics
  • Exploring Setting
  • Map Study
  • Exploring Epics (Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid)
  • Beowulf Parts 1 & 2
  • Exploring Genre
  • Exploring Poetry
  • Exploring Arthurian Romances Parts 1 & 2
  • Research Project
  • Exploring Unifying Elements
  • Optional Movies and the Classics
  • Optional Religious Elements

 

Finally, the curriculum provides:

  • 6 tests
  • 18 vocabulary quizzes
  • Enough suggested writing assignments to have several to choose from on a weekly basis

 

Pros:

  • Pick up and go (minimal teacher preparation)
  • Well organized (lesson plans available at the website)
  • Quizzes, tests, papers provide objective material for grade
  • Secular (with one optional Religious Unit Study)

 

Cons:

  • None for me.
  • Some people complain about the fill-in-the blank activities.  We used everything as is.

 

Let me start out by stating that the LOTR is my favorite book of all time.  I loved this curriculum.  Ds was less enamored, but tolerated it well.  I also have a degree in math, so I loved how EASY it was for me to implement.  I wish Amelia Harper would write more.

 

A supplement I enjoyed was The Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad

ISBN 0-618-1258805

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You might check out Total Language Plus or LLATL (Learning Language Arts through Literature). I don't have any experience with them but they are both presented as comprehensive programs.  Also, you might look at CLE, they offer a Literature course and an English course which can be done over two years if you want to combine them. CLE is very open and go and written to the student. I believe BJU also offers a similar program, with a half year of Writing and Grammar and a half year of Literature.

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Don't think it covers grammar or writing instruction, but we used Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings in 9th grade for English.  Here is my review:

Amelia Harper has enthusiastically designed Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings for students in grades 7-12.  We used LLfLOTR for 9th grade English.

 

...

 

Let me start out by stating that the LOTR is my favorite book of all time.  I loved this curriculum.  Ds was less enamored, but tolerated it well.  I also have a degree in math, so I loved how EASY it was for me to implement.  I wish Amelia Harper would write more.

 

A supplement I enjoyed was The Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad

ISBN 0-618-1258805

 

Oh my goodness, Sue.  This looks ridiculous!  As in ridiculously fun!!!  My son would have a blast with this program since LoTR is his favorite book and movie.  Now why did you have to go and do that?  Are you trying to spoil my well laid plans for writing next year?!  Do not tempt me with this sort of thing. ;)  If I showed it to him that would be it.  He would refuse to do anything else next year but this.  haha

 

Honestly, we are looking at something which I would imagine will be significantly more 'painful,' but in a good way.  It is LToW.  You may have seen my quickly growing thread on it.  LToW focuses on three main areas of writing:  Invention (coming up with original ideas), Arrangement (laying out thoughts in a cohesive way), Elocution (developing one's style).

 

Based on my high level 'fly over' of LLfLOTR it looks primarily like a Literary Analysis program.  It doesn't appear, at least initially, to work on specific writing methods or forms like other programs may.  But I'm not really sure.  Can you please describe how/if it teachers certain writing methods?  Or is the main focus more on creative writing in the context of analyzing and possibly imitating the classics? Does it include an essay writing component?

 

Thanks,

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I'm adding another since I have been researching this as well.  Take a look at Write@Home.  It seems to cover many standard topics a normal High School 'Composition' course would.  Though I'm not seeing literary analysis bundled in.  http://www.writeathome.com/Learn_More/Writing_Courses/High_School_Composition_1.aspx

 

Your best bet may be to use one main program such as Composition, then supplement with Literary Analysis. Many times other courses such as History require reading certain books and then writing about them.

 

OTOH, I think with Lost Tools of Writing (LToW) you end up writing about classic books.  So in that sense there is also literary analysis in conjunction with composition.  It would then be easy to supplement with grammar as needed.

 

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Excellence in Literature includes classic literature, research, and writing exercises.  The grammar and vocab aren't explicitly included but are obviously part of the process.  I think the author might explain how they work in her how to do this commentary.  Also-Window to the World (often used with the syllabus Introduction to Literary Analysis by Jill Pike) incorporates writing with literature, poetry and short stories.

 

Didn't the author of LLfLOTR also write an Anne of Green Gables program?  Or something very similar.  (I could be imagining this...)

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Based on my high level 'fly over' of LLfLOTR it looks primarily like a Literary Analysis program.  It doesn't appear, at least initially, to work on specific writing methods or forms like other programs may.  But I'm not really sure.  Can you please describe how/if it teachers certain writing methods?  Or is the main focus more on creative writing in the context of analyzing and possibly imitating the classics? Does it include an essay writing component?

 

There is no writing instruction, rather topics to write about.  Beyond that, I can't remember.  This was 4 years ago, and I pitched everything when ds graduated.  I do have some sample essays that I had evaluated.  Ds could only write a 5 paragraph essay in 9th grade, so he had a choice of topics each week for that.  If you have any desire to see them, PM me with your email address and I'll send them along.

 

There is a sample chapter at the website that may give you a better idea. 

 

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Oh my goodness, Sue.  This looks ridiculous!  As in ridiculously fun!!!  My son would have a blast with this program since LoTR is his favorite book and movie.  Now why did you have to go and do that?  Are you trying to spoil my well laid plans for writing next year?!  Do not tempt me with this sort of thing. ;)  If I showed it to him that would be it.  He would refuse to do anything else next year but this.  haha

 

Honestly, we are looking at something which I would imagine will be significantly more 'painful,' but in a good way.  It is LToW.  You may have seen my quickly growing thread on it.  LToW focuses on three main areas of writing:  Invention (coming up with original ideas), Arrangement (laying out thoughts in a cohesive way), Elocution (developing one's style).

 

Based on my high level 'fly over' of LLfLOTR it looks primarily like a Literary Analysis program.  It doesn't appear, at least initially, to work on specific writing methods or forms like other programs may.  But I'm not really sure.  Can you please describe how/if it teachers certain writing methods?  Or is the main focus more on creative writing in the context of analyzing and possibly imitating the classics? Does it include an essay writing component?

 

Thanks,

 

Derek, 

 

Ridiculous doesn't even begin to describe this!!  I got this recommendation from Sue last year and we haven't looked back since.  I had to revive this old thread just to tell you that LLfLOTR is my daughter's REWARD when she completes her work every week.  Seriously, she checks the last box on One Note and we MUST start discussion right there.  We skip some of the fill in the blank stuff but the background and discussion questions are terrific.  It's so much fun that my other two kids and husband look forward to it.  We've even begun a family fun night around it.  Crazy, I know.  Then again, we are unrepentant Tolkien freaks around here.

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Derek, 

 

Ridiculous doesn't even begin to describe this!!  I got this recommendation from Sue last year and we haven't looked back since.  I had to revive this old thread just to tell you that LLfLOTR is my daughter's REWARD when she completes her work every week.  Seriously, she checks the last box on One Note and we MUST start discussion right there.  We skip some of the fill in the blank stuff but the background and discussion questions are terrific.  It's so much fun that my other two kids and husband look forward to it.  We've even begun a family fun night around it.  Crazy, I know.  Then again, we are unrepentant Tolkien freaks around here.

 

Hi Lisa,

 

It *really* sounds like your family enjoys LLfLOTR. But now I'm confused.  I thought you were using LToW with your DD this year?  Are you actually using both combined in some way?  And you do it with your other kids too?  It doesn't sounds that crazy at all since our kids love Tolkien as well.  ;)  

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Here we are using Michael Clay Thompson's Language Arts program, though not the 9th grade level (we aren't there yet).  I quite like this program, and I see he has what looks like a similarly inclusive program for the high school years, too.  I can't speak from experience on the upper levels yet, but you might want to google Michael Clay Thompson and check it out.

 

 

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Hi Lisa,

 

It *really* sounds like your family enjoys LLfLOTR. But now I'm confused. I thought you were using LToW with your DD this year? Are you actually using both combined in some way? And you do it with your other kids too? It doesn't sounds that crazy at all since our kids love Tolkien as well. ;)

Hi Derek,

 

Yes, I'm combining both. We're skipping about half of the writing assignments in LLfTLOTR and using LOTR as her source of topics for LTOW. In the LTOW class, you work on the essay invention process and topoi for two weeks with the actual essay writing on the third week. So, during the two development weeks of LTOW, she does the writing in LLfTLOTR. And then, during the writing week of LTOW, she skips the writing assignment in LLfTLOTR. I'm also using LLfTLOTR topics to teach paragraph construction to my 4th and 6th grader. It dovetails beautifully. The family fun nights include cooking food from Middle Earth, the little ones acting out scenes from the book, my son playing guitar and attempting to sing the ballads (fall on the floor funny) and of course costumes, costumes and more costumes. This has been so much fun, we've all decided to do Further Up and Further In next year. I purchased one of the Great Courses on CS Lewis along with his other works and a couple of biographies. We're looking forward to it.

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We're using LLLotR this year as well as a World Lit Text and other World Lit reading. It has been a good springboard to The Iliad, Beowulf, Macbeth, etc., and has been a fun intro to Literary Analysis. We do the Reading,Vocabulary and Writing assignments, discuss all the questions, and skip the fill-in-the-blanks and tests. We also do all the Unit Studies. He's read LotR a few times so the reading goes quickly. The whole thing only takes about 4 hours a week, which leaves us lots of time for other reading.

 

IOW, I think it is easy to use with another program, as it is easy to modify.

 

Oh - he did say that he would HATE it if this were his first time reading the books. To have to read a chapter at a time would be horrible!

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