I used the Penguin edition and enjoyed it but honestly, I didn't do any comparisons :http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Lost-Penguin-Classics-Milton-ebook/dp/B002XHNNGQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-4&keywords=paradise+lost+penguin What I found invaluable were C.S. Lewis' lectures on the poem: http://www.amazon.com/Preface-Paradise-Lost-C-S-Lewis/dp/0195003454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408725082&sr=8-1&keywords=a+preface+to+paradise+lost Pretty amazing commentary! I did do a write up on my blog if you are interested: http://cleoclassical.blogspot.ca/2014/03/paradise-lost-by-john-milton.html I read it as part of a read-along, so at the bottom of the post you can find my updates. I think I have a review of Lewis' book on there somewhere too. Paradise Lost is my highlight book of 2014. I enjoyed it beyond my wildest imaginings!

It completely depends on the facilitator that you get. My dd had Carla and she is excellent but if she got anyone else, it was pretty much a waste of time and sometimes the facilitator would make errors, so it was certainly frustrating at times. If you have a facilitator that isn't good, make sure you push to get someone competent. It's so important for the child to get speaking practice and this is, for most of us, the only way available. Your son should be uncomfortable speaking, at least at first. This is a good thing. If he's pushed out of his comfort zone, that means that he's learning. My dd is hesitant to speak German, even though she understands it very well and needs a push to get her going. After finishing German II, I'd say that OSU German is an excellent course. It definitely has its frustrations and both my dd and I have wanted to call it quits numerous times, but the bottom line is that it teaches them fluency and comprehension much better than an open-and-go curriculum.

I used How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Even though I insisted that we work on it consistently, I really allowed my dd to set the pace as to how much we covered. If she only wanted to do a little bit, we covered only a little bit. As for the independent reading, I purchased the McGuffey Readers and the only thing I really required was that she spend 5-10 minutes reading a story that would be challenging for her. Otherwise I made sure that we had good "twaddle-free" books and I'd encourage her to read at her level but never force her. She'd often choose books that were way below what she was capable of reading but I'd just grit my teeth and, again, try to encourage her to read something more difficult. She's now fifteen and has read Vanity Fair, Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice and she will often take non-fiction science books from my library pile and read them before I can even get to them. So don't worry. Your instinct that you don't want her to hate reading is a good one. Go slowly if she needs to, but steadily, encourage reading good (well-structured) books and, as Homeschool Mom in AZ said, read to her as much as you can. I think reading aloud to children encourages a love of books more than anything else.

I bought the first level of Poetry and we did some of it. Honestly, there is definitely value in it, but I found it quite technical. They really focussed on the structure of poetry, whereas my dd was more interested in delving into the meaning, at least at that age. We ended up using The Art of Poetry and she loved it. We had to wait a little longer, because it does require abstract thinking but I think I introduced it at about a grade 7 level. It was less focussed on structure but you got to dig deeper into the poetry, any background of the poet that might pertain to the poem, poetic devices, etc. In a perfect world, I would have liked to do both, but having to choose, I'd definitely choose The Art of Poetry.

It's strange ……. I went on their site where they usually list their tutorials. They used to have live tutorials, then they were selling pre-recorded tutorials, as well as essay marking but I couldn't find anything except free tutorials. I finally went on their message board and they mentioned in the Herodotus thread that they have discontinued tutorials and are working on adding free tutorials. Hmmm ……. you might want to either post on the message board here: http://www.classicalwriting.com/messageboard/ and ask them if they still have essay marking packages, or contact them directly by e-mail. Please let us know if you find out anything interesting!

I use the student workbooks simply because they make it a little easier. My dd is studying four languages (not including English) and she needs all the extra time she can get. I do, however, modify the lessons to fit my dd's writing strengths and weaknesses.

I've used parts of Omnibus for self-education, but I also use a number of other resources: The Great Books by Anthony O'Hear, Great Books by David Denby, Invitation to the Classics, How to Read A Book by Adler, The Teaching Company courses, etc. Omnibus can give a particular slant to certain issues and it's nice to have a balance of views yet without having to do copious amounts of reading. I agree with Anne, I think because the online course would be geared to 7th to 12th grade, while you'd glean some information, you may not be getting your money's worth out of them. There are some MOOC's courses out there that I'm planning to try but I still need to look into them. Hope that helps you a little!

My dd started with Aesop, moved to Homer, then Diogenes and begins Herodotus in the fall. As FloridaLisa says, there is a learning curve with Homer but once you've mastered their methods, it makes the program much more easy and very flexible. Many programs you have to stick with exactly what they have in their lessons, but with CW you can chop and change very easily to fit your student's needs. When my dd reached Diogenes, she was able to do the lessons herself with less involvement on my part. One thing that was very helpful was that in the last level of Diogenes, I bought marking through Classical Writing. The package included 5 essays that I could submit for feedback and marks, if I so desired, and the feedback was absolutely excellent; much better than I could have given and I am fairly good writer. I would recommend it at that level. So to answer your question, you I don't think you have to be a good writer, but you have to be willing to invest the time to learn how the program works. Let me know if you have any more questions, I'd be glad to help!

Thanks, everyone! No, Rosie, unfortunately I don't have a facebook page. I'm trying to avoid facebook if I can. If I can, remains to be seen ……

Thanks, Kfamily! I'm planning on reviewing books but also having some basic analysis questions and/or techniques in each review to help homeschoolers. I have a "follow me" widget up now, so it is basically up and running.

Honestly, I haven't read it myself, but since you have no replies as of yet, I was wondering if this review might help you out: http://greatbookstudy.blogspot.ca/search/label/Of%20Plymouth%20Plantation

I know what you mean. I have a dd who is a good reader, but when I look at the levels in All Through the Ages, the book choices can, at times, feel arbitrary. What I tried to do is familiarize myself with the books as much as possible, and authors as well. That way you can make a better judgement when narrowing it down. Honestly, I feel that you'll find this problem with many book lists (Veritas Press' literature curriculum springs to mind). Even when trying to attach age levels to the books I'm reviewing for my blog, it is so HARD! One book may be easy for one child, but be difficult for another the same age. Two children could read the same book and one be able to easily pin-point the themes of the book and the other not. I think books are often listed for the youngest age that can read them, but that really doesn't help the people whose children may take more time to acquire reading skills.

I've started a children's literature blog and I'm in the middle of compiling a list of chronological literature. You can go there and see if you can get some ideas. It's called Children's Classic Book Carousel. Right now I only have the ancient's period up but I'll try to work on it some more in the next week to add more books. The books are listed chronologically rather than by country, but it's pretty easy to pick out the ones based on different countries. Perhaps a country list is the next one I should work on! :)

Bump! :)

Everyone else gave such excellent curriculum suggestions that I don't have anything to add. However, if you need to find good Christian literature I have a couple of suggestions. Veritas Press has some good book lists. Here is a link. If you click on literature on the left-hand side, you can see the books suggested for each grade. Classical Christian Homeschooling has a 1000 Good Books list. It is excellent and we haven't had any complaints about the books suggested. I've also just started a children's book blog where I plan to review books and give some extra questions for reading. On it I have a children's book Master List. I've tried to include wholesome, Charlotte Mason-type books; there are very few (if any) modern books included. If you go to Children's Classic Book Carousel, you can see the list there. I'm also working on a chronological list that I hope will be helpful to homeschoolers. With lists like these, if you come across a book that is objectionable to you, then you will at least have the resources to be able to exchange it for something more to your liking. Best wishes for starting out on your homeschooling journey! I remember this age and it was so much fun. I love that you're doing a literature based curriculum. With hindsight I think it's the best way you can go. Blessings! Cleo

I've just started a classic children's book blog to list and review classic children's literature. Anyone who is interested can find me at Children's Classic Book Carousel. I'm working on some reading lists so, at the very least you should be able to find some interesting classics. Hope to meet you there!

I've just started a classic children's book blog to list and review classic children's literature. Anyone who is interested can find me at Children's Classic Book Carousel. I'm working on some reading lists so, at the very least you should be able to find some interesting classics. Hope to meet you there!

I've started a Pre-College English course from Saylor University and I have some questions with regard to their answers to certain tests. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Question 1 A. Grammar Practice: You are supposed to find the subject and the verb and tell if the verb is action, linking, compound and/or a verb phrase. 1. eg. At three o'clock precisely, I was at Baker Street. (I put linking which they have as the correct answer because I had no other choice, but I actually think it is a state of being verb. If it was a linking verb doesn't it have to be followed by a predicate nominative or a predicate adjective that refers to the subject?) 2. Thick clouds of smoke curled through the room. (I put clouds for the subject, but they have clouds of smoke. In reality, "of smoke" is a prepositional phrase describing the subject, isn't it? Or is one a simple subject and the other a complex subject? I'm confused. Or is smoke the actual subject?) Question 2 B. Main Idea and Supporting Sentences Quiz: I had to tell whether this is a simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex sentence. The answer says "compound-complex" but I think it is "compound". Sentence: 1. Larger birds such as parrots are good choices for families with older children, because they can be trained and they will interact with humans. Larger birds such as parrots are good choices for families with older children (independent clause) they can be trained (independent clause) they will interact with humans (independent clause) There is no dependent clause, therefore it cannot be "compound-complex", because a complex sentence needs a dependent clause. Or do I have to keep "because" with the second sentence, making it a dependent clause? Grammar experts? What do you think?

I signed up for the English Literature major. I started with ENGL000, which is pre-College English, just to see what it was like. It's really difficult to assess because I already know the information I'm going over. I do know that I've found what I think are three errors in the assignments/exams and I haven't received answers to my posts on the forum, but this could be due to the Christmas season. Basically, all the assignments and tests have had answer keys so you mark it yourself. It looks like you can post your essays on the forums for feedback and I do see some of the instructors coming online for comments but again, I'm not sure if the feedback is prompt. In this course, the final exam counts for your complete mark. I think you get something on completion ……. not a certificate but a transcript or something that says you've completed it. I've found ENGL000 very easy ……. I may start 001 or even skip to ENGL101 to pick up the pace. Since you can add or drop a course at any time and no one is keeping track of you, I would suggest signing up for whatever interests you and give it a whirl. If you are thinking of the English Literature major there is a Goodreads study group that has just formed: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/120355-saylor-english-literature-major I hope that answers some of your questions! Good luck in whatever you choose!

Adding Emilé Zola to the 'must-read' list! :001_smile:

I just signed up and have begun my first course. What would you like to know?

By all means, if she's raring to go, let her read it! There are some adult references, but if I remember correctly, they do not go into detail. However, this book is very dense and chock full of examples of Greek society, culture and mindset that, if there is not an informed adult to communicate these philosophies and ideas, they won't be picked up by a grade 6. So while I think it is a wonderful opportunity to have her read it while she is eager, look at it not as if she has read The Iliad but only that she has prepared herself for a much more informative reading later on. And all the best to her. I love it when children show the initiative to read such wonderful classical literature!

You didn't mention how old your dc is, Vida Winter. Were you looking specifically for something online? I did take a look at the program. It's hard to give an informed opinion because, without seeing all the pages of the curriculum, it is difficult to see how the program progresses or properly evaluate the method it uses. I can say, just from a quick perusal, I wouldn't have used it for my dd. I'm not sure how large their modules are but the progress appears very slow, the program not very cohesive, and the language the child focuses on is not always useful. I know it is very 'en vogue' for language programs to teach the children to tell time, etc. but honestly, how often does one ask the time or give the time to someone else? I'd rather have the initial focus on useful vocabulary and syntax instead of concentrating on what you might need if you travelled. In any case, if you let me know the age of your dc, your goals and expectations, I might be able to give you a few more options!

I see that I'm late to the party! Beowulf is one of my favourite poems!! I actually just lead an online group in studying Beowulf on Goodreads but, sadly the group is private :sad: , otherwise I would gladly link the study here. For extra fun, you might want to have them listen to Beowulf read in Old English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y13cES7MMd8 It's fun and interesting to listen to. Benjamin Bagby performs a very dramatic re-telling. Keep in mind too, that the "real" Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney is not out of reach for a 12 year old or possibly a younger child with some help. I read it aloud with my daughter when she was 12 and discussed some main themes of the poem. It became one of her favourite books. In any case, I hope your children fall in love with Beowulf as much as my daughter has! :)

I tried to sign my daughter up today but their system is trying to charge me an extra $25 as a school fee. As a homeschooler, I'm not sure how to get around this but I've e-mailed them. If anyone else figures it out, could you please let me know? Appreciate it! :001_smile: