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How to Read Literature Like a Professor - is this supposed to help me?


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Several recommended reading this book. I am trying to prepare myself for literature study sometime in the future 7th? 8th? 9th? Ds is in 6th now.

 

I find the book thoroughly discouraging. The author's tone is one of a literature snob. He sure wants me to know how well read he is.

 

Is there any hope for me? Math is my strength.

 

Give me permission to drop it. I have Deconstructing Penguins waiting in the wings.

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Drop it. If you have penguins, try that instead. You can also look ahead and read How to Read a Book by Adler or The Well Educated Mind. Those will both help too. For online resources, read some about Bloom's Taxonomy. I haven't read that one because the tone the sample pages I read discouraged me too.

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What are your goals for literature study?

To teach him HOW to do?

To do it with him?

Or will you be the administrator of his literature studies?

 

I'm asking because if this isn't your forte & you don't have a desire (yes, desire) to read with him or teach him to do it- there are other ways to administer his literature studies:

THe Well-Educated Mind by SWB

Invitation to the Classics by Os Guinness and co.

http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/readingguides/greatbooks.html

 

If you want to teach him HOW to do it, I have two suggestions that I know about:

1. Teaching the Classics http://www.writing-edu.com/literature/

2. How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren (I read this and took extensive notes)

 

You can also outsource this:

http://www.onlinehumanities.com/

http://www.schola-tutorials.com/greatbks.htm

http://www.thegreatbooks.com/ (this is curriculum)

also the Great Books Academy - http://www.greatbooksacademy.org/

 

Just something to consider. How to Read A Book is not the easiest book to read, it can be dreadfully boring but I got a lot out of it. I read The Well-Educated Mind afterwards (which I recommend) and SWB gives similar advice but different helps, anyone would gain a lot from reading both books.

 

 

VP's Omnibus and Tapestry of Grace both handle the Great Books within their curriculums as well.

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This former literature major found it to be a very helpful book, and I wished I'd read it before college. It's also a lot easier to read than Adler. If you really hate the tone, you could also try The PIG to English and American Literature, which is a fun read, but hasn't got nearly so much about symbolism and whatnot. WEM is also very good, but again, covers somewhat different ground.

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What are your goals for literature study?

To teach him HOW to do?

To do it with him?

Or will you be the administrator of his literature studies?

 

 

I guess my goal is to be able to read and discuss a book with him. He tends not to want to discuss anything with mom, so I need to be able to draw him out. I have investigated Teaching the Classics a little. I was so excited because I found that right after we read The Bronze Bow, and there is a free teacher's guide for it at the website. I used it to discuss the book with him. I was so excited!

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I have investigated Teaching the Classics a little. I was so excited because I found that right after we read The Bronze Bow, and there is a free teacher's guide for it at the website. I used it to discuss the book with him. I was so excited!

 

I don't know if you are planning on going to the FPEA convention in May, but Andrew Adams is going to be a speaker there. I plan on checking his program out there...maybe I'll see you!

 

I'm in Clearwater!

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