Jump to content

Menu

MCT literature in 2nd or 3rd grade? Discussions instead of writing?


Recommended Posts

I've been looking for a lit program for Savannah that gives us a framework for meaty discussion.  I keep coming back to MCT, but I don't really care to start with Mud since 1) we're not doing MCT grammar (KISS instead -- it's free!) and 2) I'd rather read classics.  

 

So I'd like to start with APM, but I'm hung up on the fact that AO (our default lit program otherwise) has all three of these books scheduled earlier (A-3rd, P-1st, M-2nd).  But as far as I can tell, APM is intended at the earliest for a 4th grader.  

 

I am a bit loath to drop the AO Year 4 literature selections, because that year is reputed to be a big step up in reading level, and I don't want to water it down.  (Even though I know APM would bring challenge in its own way... the reading difficulty would be less).

 

So what that brings me to is, would APM work for a 7- or 8-year-old as long as we do all essays and such orally?  Would I be losing too much of the program if we dropped its grammar work?  Or would KISS grammar be enough to allow her to adapt to MCT's system?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, we LOVED the grammar in both Island and Town levels.  DS really loved the little Mud trilogy too.  We decided against the lit books because we had already read 2 of them, and the general consensus on the boards was that they weren't really worth it.

 

So I guess I'm suggesting you do the opposite of what you posted. :lol:   Feel free to ignore me.

 

In all seriousness, I would just keep going along with the AO book lists. (We use these too.) I don't think you need the special "lit" books MCT offers, and I'm a total MCT fangirl.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, we LOVED the grammar in both Island and Town levels.  DS really loved the little Mud trilogy too.  We decided against the lit books because we had already read 2 of them, and the general consensus on the boards was that they weren't really worth it.

 

So I guess I'm suggesting you do the opposite of what you posted. :lol:   Feel free to ignore me.

 

In all seriousness, I would just keep going along with the AO book lists. (We use these too.) I don't think you need the special "lit" books MCT offers, and I'm a total MCT fangirl.

 

Do you do anything beyond narrations after you read?  I'm putting together some more analytical questions to go with part of our history program (An Island Story), but it's taking so much time I don't know if I can do the same for literature.  Maybe I wouldn't need to have questions after each chapter, and it would go quicker?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, I thought about it for a short time, but ultimately decided to just discuss the books as we go in an informal manner for elementary ages.  8filltheheart is one that sticks out, but many posters advised me against adding more than just discussion. 

 

I don't know what would be included in "more than just discussion," but that's really all I'm looking for -- a good discussion.  So far we have had some great discussions in history, and I feel like we do better when we have "starter questions" to get us going.  

 

The analytical questions I'm writing are inspired by Socratic questioning and Bloom's Taxonomy.  I would describe what we do as fairly informal, but I do rely heavily on my list of questions to keep the conversation going.

 

I forget exactly where I heard it, but I think it was in a podcast where the speaker gave this example of a thought provoking question -- after reading The Ants and the Grasshopper, ask, "Should the ants have helped the grasshopper?"  It's not a question I would have thought of on the spot, but I really like it because it encourages divergent thinking.  The ants seem to be justified in the fable, but when we ask this question we are forced to see it from another perspective.  And I think it's great for kids to have the exercise of considering other angles.  It's something I really want to give my kids, but it's hard for me to do this without some kind of notes in front of me.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The analytical questions I'm writing are inspired by Socratic questioning and Bloom's Taxonomy. I would describe what we do as fairly informal, but I do rely heavily on my list of questions to keep the conversation going.

 

 

Another option from Royal Fireworks Press is the Suppose the Wolf Was An Octopus series. I like it because I can pick and choose from the books it uses, and the questions follow along with Bloom's Taxonomy. I dint think of those types of questions naturally and it gives me just enough help to spark discussion.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another option from Royal Fireworks Press is the Suppose the Wolf Was An Octopus series. I like it because I can pick and choose from the books it uses, and the questions follow along with Bloom's Taxonomy. I dint think of those types of questions naturally and it gives me just enough help to spark discussion.

 

I already have a copy on the way.  :-D  I wish there were something like that with more questions per book... not necessarily chapter-by-chapter, but some things to spark thinking as the child continues reading, maybe every few chapters.  Also would like the book selections to line up better with what we are doing.

 

Does anyone know if MCT lit has more meat to its discussion materials than Wolf/Octopus?  Or is the meat more in the grammar and character/plot analysis?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I would also love a comparison between MCT lit and the Wolf/Octopus series. 

 

Cottonmama, do have books you'd recommend about socratic questioning? I would love to read more about this! 

 

I would love it if there was a book like the Wolf/Octopus series using the Ambleside books!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...