chelsea in TN Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I am looking at this as possibly a family study for boys 12 and 15 next year. We did ancients this year so 15 yo has read Gillgamesh. Homer, sophacles, etc... Younger son read easier versions of most of what older son read. Next year we are doing Middle ages. I see that Beowolf is discussed but what other books might it be good for the boys to be familiar with before starting the LOTR study. I was thinking of using the LOTR in Between the litterature books that we are scheduled to read - perhaps..... TIA Chelsea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Did you go to her web site & check there? My dd did it as a 1 credit English class for hs, but it's been a while. HTH http://www.homescholar.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea in TN Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 Thank you, I had already been to the website and i did not see it. I will look again though. Chelsea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorna Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 We are doing Lightning Literature British Medieval Literature. I haven't done the Lord of the Rings course but I imagine this would be an excellent prequel. It has Beowulf, Piers Plowman, Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It would give the background that Tolkien would presume his readership to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 We are doing Lightning Literature British Medieval Literature. I haven't done the Lord of the Rings course but I imagine this would be an excellent prequel. It has Beowulf, Piers Plowman, Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It would give the background that Tolkien would presume his readership to have. Ooooh... I hadn't even looked into this but now I have to ask... If I were considering LLfLOTR specifically for the extra unit studies, do you think I'd like LL&C Medieval better? The one thing I've heard generally about LLfLOTR that came across as not-quite-perfect (not a bad thing, just not the best fit for us) is that it's heavier on comprehension than on analysis... We've used LL&C 7 this year and enjoyed it, and we plan on using 8 next year and found them "just right" for analysis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Just wanted to throw in a praise for Lit. Lessons for the Lord of the Rings and for doing it in between Lighting Lit. 7 and Lightning Lit. 8. Or possible after both. Last year we did both LL7 and LL8 -- the 7th grader doing one, the 8th grader doing the other -- and this year we're doing LLftLotR, along with some of those ancient classics (read/discuss in the Well Trained Mind manner), and it's all coming together very well. LLftLotR is laid out a bit differently than the LL7 and LL8, but has a similar amount of analysis -- but no worksheets for practice. We are getting a LOT out of it by doing it together -- we can point out things as we read -- and then doing the additional notes (which also point out themes and introduce lots of literary terms and elements (more than LL7 and LL8) and then we get a lot out of doing the discussion questions together. (We skip the comprehension worksheet and vocabulary worksheet for each chapter.) LLftLotR is helping us put into practice some of the things learned in LL7 and LL8. I can also see that doing LLftLotR would also work well doing it simultaneously with the Medieval Lightning Lit. Works partially analyzed and covered in some detail in LLftLotR (whole side units on these): - Beowulf - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Works described in several pages each, and how they influenced Tolkien: - The Iliad - Arthurian romances Works mentioned, or suggested as possible interesting extra, outside reading: - Macbeth - Midsummer Night's Dream Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Just wanted to throw in a praise for Lit. Lessons for the Lord of the Rings and for doing it in between Lighting Lit. 7 and Lightning Lit. 8. Or possible after both.<snip> I can also see that doing LLftLotR would also work well doing it simultaneously with the Medieval Lightning Lit. More to think about.... LOL So... If we finish LL&C 7 this year, and we've already done Macbeth (in great GREAT detail, with a book group this year... which was a ton of fun! And by the end of this year we'll have done the Roger Lancelyn Green version of King Arthur) and keeping in mind that we're suckers for this kind of thing and so not afraid of "overkill" (LOL)..... Do you think you'd do a combined LLfLOTR with Medieval LL&C between LL&C 7 and LL&C8? I assume by combined you would mean doing a little picking and choosing between them (not full-fledged both?) or is it less overlap than that? I know our book group is doing Twelfth Night next year, but I don't know what else... If I have ~my~ plan in place before the summer then I can probably engineer to have some overlap in our "real" schoolwork and our book group work.... hehehe... You know by the end of the conversation I'm sure I'll have ordered both "just to look at".... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Well, don't know as though I have a response as we haven't done LL Medieval yet. All I know about the high school levels of the LL is: - they do not have worksheets - each unit is for 1 semester - the Medieval LL is rated for grades 10 and up So, on the one hand, it would probably be do-able to do both LL Medieval (a semester) AND LLftLotR (1 year) simultaneously, as you'd be spreading the 1 semester works over a whole year. We are successfully doing both LLftLotR AND more in-depth study (Well Trained Mind method) of 6 ancient classics this year, and it's not overload. We do the reading of LotR out loud together 2 nights a week, but then do the study guide portion of LLftLotR during the school day. However, on the other hand, I remember StaceyL in Canada trying to use the LL Medieval 2 years ago with her then 7th and 9th grade boys and having to stop, as she said it really *is* for 10th grade and up -- and Stacey is no slouch at adapting. And LL Medieval, at a 10th grade+ level, is definitely a step above LL8, at an 8th/9th grade level. From what I gather, LL Medieval assumes a certain level of understanding/ability of literary analysis, and ability to write about literature. And it doesn't have the worksheets that LL8 (if that is important to you). The worksheets in LL8 really do start moving the student into analyzing literature -- first with short excerpts from various classic works, looking for specific things, and then analyzing a whole work, with the last literary piece of "To Kill A Mockingbird". Yeah, in the end, best to look at all the samples at the websites! : ) All I can tell you is from our own experience -- we are *loving* LLftLotR, and it is really complementing our study of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Odyssey, etc. this year. It was also nice to do LLftLotR after having had one year of beginning literary analysis under our belts with LL7/LL8; I can also see that we probably wouldn't have wanted to wait until late in high school to do LLftLotR -- how to say it? -- it might have seemed not as deep or as enjoyable by that time. Maybe it's just because my boys are at THE perfect age for LotR right now. Just my musings! Best of luck in deciding! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea in TN Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 Thankyou so much for your thoughts. I am leaning towards LL midevil British and LLftLotR simutaneously. Not sure how yet :) My 7th grader will be doing LL 7 / 10th Grader LL Midevil British Lit Family - LLftLotR. What do you think? Chelsea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Oo, good combination! Very do-able. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Yeah, in the end, best to look at all the samples at the websites! : ) Or buy them all and ooh and ahh over them, right? LOL I had completely forgotten that the high school LLs were meant to be one semester! Even though I just posted about that on another thread regarding the Shakespeare LL (duh!) That makes it sound extremely doable for combining.... Hmmm... I guess my only question would be whether you think doing Medieval/LLfLOTR combined next year would make LL&C8 a letdown the following year. kwim? I think I just need to buy them all... hehehehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Or buy them all and ooh and ahh over them, right? LOL That's what I do, too! (No wonder I always have BOXES of stuff to sell at the local homeschool "vender" day!) (lol) I guess my only question would be whether you think doing Medieval/LLfLOTR combined next year would make LL&C8 a letdown the following year. I wondered that, too, when I read your post. Having done LL8 last year with my 8th grader, I would say "yes AND no". "Yes, a letdown" in that it would be a step back (or easier?) in the literary analysis instruction and expectations. But -- "No, not a letdown" in that it is a good selection of literature, some of it not part of your typical lit. program and surprise hits with my 8th grade son, such as "A Day of Pleasure" and "My Family and Other Animals". And other works in LL8 are definitely of high school level in - vocabulary ("A Christmas Carol") - or themes ("To Kill a Mockingbird"; the poetry units) - or writing style ("A Crazy Tale", "Wakefield"). The only literary works that might seem "junior high-ish" to a high school student would be "The Hobbit"; and possibly "Treasure Island". And you don't have to do all of any program -- just use the parts that work/fit for your family! We've been so pleased with LL7, LL8, LLftLotR, and reading these Great Books, that I'm really looking forward to doing LL8 next year with my younger son (he'll then be in 9th grade), and LL Medieval and some of Sonlight's British Lit. with my older son (who will be 10th gr.). Anyways, enjoy your literature journey! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 "Yes, a letdown" in that it would be a step back (or easier?) in the literary analysis instruction and expectations. I could always ramp it up a bit.... heheheheh... Given that we're always running this in tandem with a pretty hefty book group (two months of dissecting one Shakespeare play surrounded by various other excellent books and serious analysis), he might not mind if there's some "up and down" with the curriculum at home... You know I always think of myself as a math-and-science kind of girl until I start talking about literature. LOL!! Payday is Friday... All bets are on buying one of everything! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 LOL! (Hey, buy *2* of each and share!) ; ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAR120C Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 LOL! (Hey, buy *2* of each and share!) ; ) ROTFLOL!! And then try to explain to DH why I'm over the homeschooling budget by 100%.... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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