Help me understand literature programs

[Alison in KY]

I'm wondering if you can tell me the value of using a literature program, like a Progeny Press guide, or Drawn Into the Heart of Reading.

 

I currently own a guide, but I'm not looking forward to using it. Then I wonder how I can fit it in. I'm doing Latin, grammar, writing, and spelling. Plus we're reading some really good books and I do ask my kids to tell me about what they are reading. Isn't that enough? Is their greater value in the long run if I do a lit. program?

 

Alison

[i.love.lucy]

Hi Alison,

 

We're using DITHOR and really like it. I am not sure I can say that a lit program is essential in grammar age, but my dd was devouring books without really slowing down to *savor* them. When I assign a genre through DITHOR, I set the pace and don't allow her to read more/faster. She has assignments that encourage her to really think about the moral themes, the characters, the plot points, etc. I am not creative enough to be able to have come up with those activities/questions on my own! She still gets plenty of free reading time where I don't monitor how fast she reads or require narration, but this way I know certain books are really being thoroughly read and studied and enjoyed in depth.

[Stacy in NJ]

I'd say lit programs for grammar stage are unnecessary. Just reading is fine. We use lit guides once we reach logic stage to enchance our understanding of the book, focus on some of the vocabulary, and learn about literatry elements.

[MIch elle]

I find tremendous value from using a reading program! We like CLE reading 6-8. It's only 16 weeks of using a reader & workbooks/yr and covers a ENORMOUS amt of valuable info. found in an easy format for student and teacher.

 

If YOU do not look forward to using the PP guide then DON'T! Find something that you like and will work for your family.

 

Look at the CLE reading S&S to find out what's included: http://www.clp.org/documents/3201/original/Elementary_Scope_and_Sequence_2009-2010.pdf

[Colleen in NS]

I'm wondering if you can tell me the value of using a literature program, like a Progeny Press guide, or Drawn Into the Heart of Reading.

 

I currently own a guide, but I'm not looking forward to using it. Then I wonder how I can fit it in. I'm doing Latin, grammar, writing, and spelling. Plus we're reading some really good books and I do ask my kids to tell me about what they are reading. Isn't that enough? Is their greater value in the long run if I do a lit. program?

 

Alison

 

I am guessing that the value of using a guide is that it's something to tell you what to do and when. If you think you need that, then use a guide. If you don't, then don't use one.

 

In general, I stick with the WTM recs for literature study. Grammar stage - read lots and do narrations. Logic stage - read lots, start to ask child questions about the storyline, characters, etc., write narrations, and eventually learn to write a simple evaluation. WWE helps me tremendously with the grammar stage part. The WTM questions on logic stage reading help me with the logic stage part. I typed out the questions to put in my notebook that I keep with my weekly schedule, and use this list every couple of weeks to talk about a book with my logic stage child. It gets easier with practice, and I like that it's one set of questions that can be used with every lit. book. And sometimes the questions or the content of the book sparks another question. The discussions are getting more "natural" here now, after fits and starts. But I'd much rather have this general set of questions than to have to follow a study guide.

 

The other thing I do is try to find a biography about the author, and have my kids read about him/her. My 6th grader also puts the author's birth/death and the book pub. dates on his timeline. They may or may not write a narration about the author, depending on mostly if I remember to include it in writing assignments that week.

Edited November 13, 2009 by Colleen in NS

[Melmc]

I don't use a Lit program, but I came up with my own year long KidLit Book Club curriculum that I teach 3 Fridays each month at our co-op for an hour September through May. The nine kids range in age from 5 - 8. I ask the parents to read aloud with the kids so they can focus on the story, not reading the words. Each week I give the parents a vocab list to review with the children so they understand what I'll be reading to them. My goal of the class isn't to create readers, but booklovers!

 

I'll be honest. It's something I toss together each week though I do have a list of books for the entire year. I figured the parents would want to see that before signing up their kids. The kids really seem to be enjoying it. They like talking about each of the elements of fiction and we have great discussions. I used the Teaching the Classics DVD and syllabus sitting untouched on my shelf to figure out what I should try to teach. I write romances for a living so have my own ideas about story, too. I went into the class just wanting to introduce the elements of fiction and not expecting a lot back, but even my youngest students want to get their input in there. It's exciting and very cool!

 

The format of each class is pretty similar:

 

• Introduce/review element(s) of fiction. They are given sheets with the definitions to review at home like memory work.

• If there was a story assigned to be read as homework, we talk about that and may graph it on a roller coaster plot diagram (from NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program elementary workbook) or narrate the story.

• Introduce author (if new) or add new info/review to what we know

• Examine and discuss what we can learn from the book cover (if new story)

• Read story

• Discuss what we've read. Review plot (group narration of sorts. To teach them how to do this I made sequence cards with pictures from our first story Tale of Peter Rabbit.) Talk about individual elements of fiction we've covered so far. We may do a roller coaster plot. I'll bring back an early story to talk about it and the new element. I have a big white board at the space where the class is held so I use both words and pictures due to some kids reading and other's not.

• Activity. This can be anything from a pie chart with pictures of the plot, to a roller coaster plot, to a character worksheet I made where they draw who they think is the main character, the minor characters and their fave character to an art project. Pretty much the activity is whatever I can think of as I'm putting things together for the class. It can also just be something fun. An example from our last class was a celebration for finishing Winnie the Pooh. We made party hats (simplified craft from Martha Stewart's website) and illustrated it with our favorite character for the book. Once we all had our hats on, we sampled biscuits with honey and marmalade, Pooh's fave foods, that we'd read about and talked about what we'd drawn on our hats and the food.

• Coloring page (to do if time or take home). This is just taken from the Internet.

• Copy work page (to do if time or take home). I use a sentence from the story and make a sheet using Write Start.

 

Sorry for such a long post! I guess what I'm trying to say is a lit guide could be handy if you wanted something open and go, but I'm just using books I had in the house and that's working just fine and saving me money, too!