Maus Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 So, the problem is, DS12 and I have decided to have him do BYUonline for Middle School. (It will be paid for by the charter/homeschool partner facilitator we use, and we like that someone else will take care of the transcript, which he hopes to use to get into a local STEM charter that does dual enrollment.) All the classes look easy for him, except English, because they read literature, and he won't get to pick the book. He is smart, but a very black & white, literal thinker, and very sensitive. Like “drama queen†sensitive. He has OCD, and has a hard time letting go of obsessive thoughts. So, we've listened to books 1-6 of Harry Potter as a family. He handled the death in Book 4 fairly well, but the death in Book 6 really upset him. It took four days of processing before he'd let us finish the book. Likewise, when we saw “Into the Woods†at the Shakespeare Festival last year, the second half left him in tears, and the very name of the play is now forbidden at our house. (Haven't seen the movie. Heard they toned some stuff down?) I'm not sure how to prepare him for next fall. I did think maybe we'd start working on literary analysis, to help with the black & white thinking, but the sensitivity is a whole different issue. So, I'm thinking I need to teach him to understand symbolism, and why an author might choose to have certain characters die, and why that is sometimes necessary to move the story on. And to step back from the story, emotionally. Anybody out there who has successfully navigated a child like this into handling literature? What did you use? How did you approach it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I'm not sure how to prepare him for next fall. I did think maybe we'd start working on literary analysis, to help with the black & white thinking, but the sensitivity is a whole different issue. So, I'm thinking I need to teach him to understand symbolism, and why an author might choose to have certain characters die, and why that is sometimes necessary to move the story on. And to step back from the story, emotionally. Anybody out there who has successfully navigated a child like this into handling literature? What did you use? How did you approach it? My dd10 is very sensitive, also. I have a thread on one of the other boards about Newbery books. I am planning to introduce literature using those because they tend to be more gentle than standard high school lit. There are still some difficult themes, but they are handled differently. If you're interested, I can share some ideas with you. Junie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I would guess that BYUonline uses relatively conservative literature in their middle school classes. Is there anyway for you to obtain a reading list ahead of time? It might be helpful to pre-read the books so you know which issues you need to prepare him for. They might even be open to making substitutions if you think a book is too heavy for him. It certainly doesn't hurt to ask. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellojwolford Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I am in a bit of the same boat. Many books I've assigned have been dropped half-way through for plot twists that were too uncomfortable for my DS. But I love your idea of digging into the symbolism to help cope with it! And so, I would suggest that you and your son pick-up "How to Read Literature Like a Professor for Kids" by Thomas Foster. This is an easy read with chapters like "every trip is a quest (except when it's not)," "he's blind for a reason, you know," and "it's never just heart disease..." He uses examples from books like Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, and Narnia so that kids can really understand his point. I don't know that it will solve your problem, but it might help. Good luck! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 If you are considering enrolling him in a STEM school in a few years, have you openly talked with him about how that means he will no longer get to have choices? With books, schedules, opinions, content, etc.... This is one of the largest wake up calls to my homeschooler. He finds the restrictive qualities of public school very uncomfortable with his black and white thinking. As much as he understands the social needs of the conformity, he is also very strongly a person who needs to be open calling out injustice. Three years is not much time for enculturation, so I would begin now with the uncomfortable situations and a bit of "suck it up." Don't make the kid a basket case or to hate learning, but without an IEP accommodations are not likely to happen. Literature is a pretty good place to start, since the whole point is to back up what you think with evidence. As long as your son can directly form a thesis and support for his point, his opinion is not invalid. I would not focus on any specific place other than that - Why he has his thoughts about the book, where did they specifically come from, how have you expressed the explicit connection of the two. Taking notes from each chapter of his thoughts/evidence and then taking notes from the instructors thoughts/evidence is equally important. As long as he can explain himself as well as repeat the information the instructor has provided, there is no issue. Don't try to change his thoughts, force him to explain himself. That process will change his thoughts, because unpacking them creates more sophisticated thinking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 My dd10 is very sensitive, also. I have a thread on one of the other boards about Newbery books. I am planning to introduce literature using those because they tend to be more gentle than standard high school lit. There are still some difficult themes, but they are handled differently. If you're interested, I can share some ideas with you. Junie Junie, I found your thread and marked it to follow. Yes, I would be interested in your ideas and experience. I have given him major spoilers for some movies we've seen. I am planning to pre-read the books he is assigned, but I don't want to have to do that all the way through the rest of his educational path! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 OP -- I have to look up links for the resources I've pulled of the web. Hopefully I'll be able to post them Monday or Tuesday. I looked at the program that you're planning to use. Are you doing seventh or eighth grade? They have a list of the literature that will be used, so I wasn't sure which year you were using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 He'll be in 7th, but I don't know whether the partner school will put him in online or paper, or if we get to pick. (BYU lists different books for 7th, depending on that choice.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizbusby Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Obviously this is on my mind since I just read it, but try having him read Deconstructing Penguins. It's a book by two people who ran parent/child book clubs for 2nd-6th graders. It's a good introduction to thinking about the deeper meaning of literature and why the author might choose to make certain choices. Maybe you could try following the techniques over the summer. Briefly looking at the online course, I saw listed The Giver and Freak the Mighty. The Giver has material that I would imagine to be pretty tough for your kid (euthanasia of the old and infants), although it also might be a good choice for his sensitivity because of the overall theme of the book. Would you give up all freedom of choice if it meant complete freedom from pain and suffering? Should we stop all the good things in the world because they also bring the bad? Thinking about the answers to these questions might give him a frame of reference to process other sad things in literature. Frankly, it took me a long time to process the death in book 6, and I was in college at the time. I think I actually wore black for a while. Maybe he was just a bit young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 Thank you, everyone! I love being able to tap into the collective wisdom of the hive! I've ordered the Foster book, and the local library has the Penguins. I'll watch for the links Junie will post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 As promised: Here are some links to the sources I will be using for introducing books as literature: The first two links are teacher resources showing the value of using children's lit with older students. http://patch.com/massachusetts/barnstable-hyannis/bp--teaching-childrens-literature-to-high-schoolers https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/practice-literary-skills The following are links for teaching literary devices: http://www.kareyperkins.com/classes/420/litelements.pdf http://literary-devices.com/ http://literarydevices.net/ http://www.wheaton.edu/Academics/Faculty/D/Jeffry-Davis/guidance/Common-Literary-Elements And a quiz: https://quizlet.com/24376428/50-literary-devices-definitions-bc-english-12-provincial-exam-review-flash-cards/ The class that I am creating for my dd will mostly focus on literary criticism, basically looking at books from different points of view. Since our family is Christian, we often "see" books differently than readers who are not. Also, race and gender play a role in how we interpret stories. Personal experiences may also influence how we read. Here is an article about "lenses": http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/EJ/1034-mar2014/EJ1034Teach.pdf And, here are some worksheets that will help with understanding literature. http://www.tcpress.com/pdfs/9780807748923Activities.pdf I am planning to use Activities 3, 4, 5, 29, 30, 33, and 34. Some of the other activities look very good, but will not fit my needs for this year. After going through this material with dd, I plan for her to read about one Newbery book each week. Then she will have an assignment such as an essay, discussion, or project. I may buy a few literature guides from Progeny Press, but this would be costly to do very many. A few of the ideas I have: The Witch of Blackbird Pond -- *Describe how Kit was expected to act in Barbados and how she is expected to act in Connecticut. *Rewrite the scene in which Kit opens her trunk. Write from Matthew's or Judith's point of view. *Explain how Hannah was treated by (choose several different characters). The Bronze Bow -- *Explain the prejudice against Marcus. Why was Daniel upset that Marcus was talking to his sister. Why does Daniel's attitude change? A Wrinkle in Time -- *Create a board game. Involve tesseling. I, Juan de Pareja -- *What is the injustice in this story? *Explain how the Juan's life was different from his masters'. How did Juan respond to these differences? From the Mixed Up Files... -- Write a new article or TV broadcast segment describing how Claudia and Jame were found. The Westing Game -- Create a web showing the relationships of the characters. Phew! Sorry for the long post! I hope this information is helpful. ETA: added a link that I originally missed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 liz, Deconstructing Penguins looks like a great book. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 Junie, Those are great! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 I would ask him. Tell him about the book in question, explain there'll be an emotional part where somebody dies and ask if he's up for reading it anyway. If he says yes, delve in. It's okay to cry at movies or books or get emotionally entangled in a character. It's a sign of a good book! If he says no, find something milder. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black-eyed Suzan Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I would ask him. Tell him about the book in question, explain there'll be an emotional part where somebody dies and ask if he's up for reading it anyway. If he says yes, delve in. It's okay to cry at movies or books or get emotionally entangled in a character. It's a sign of a good book! If he says no, find something milder. I agree! I am extremely emotional about books, but I love to read. Personally, as a teenager I found journaling about books a way to work through the strong emotions I felt. Literature has fueled all kinds of artistic expression, if your son is so inclined. It's harder of course, because in the class he won't be able to "opt out" of a book. In that case, I would suggest that he allow for extra time to process the book emotionally before he needs to write a paper, do a project, etc. Or, like End of Ordinary suggested, use his strong emotions to fuel his output and process as he completes the assignments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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