Heads-up on a helpful series: Writing about Literature

[Janice in NJ]

Our library has this new series.

 

http://chelseahouse.infobasepublishing.com/BookList.asp?pageID=2&gradeType=2&seriesISBN=099261&Parent=Literature&browseType=0

 

Dd and I are working our way through Great Expectations. We're enjoying the book. I'm moving in the direction of more of a WEM/WTM approach to literature. I've re-read the books, and I've listened to Susan's new lecture on H.S. writing. For some reason, it seems do-able to me now. For so long, it just seemed to hard. ;) Live, learn, and grow I guess. :001_smile:

 

Anyway - dd is enjoying GE. She is keeping a journal and a vocab notebook. She wrote her first 2-page essay on GE last week. It went well - surprisingly well, actually. She will be finishing the book next week. I pulled a copy of Bloom's How to Write About Charles Dickens from our library system. I was hoping that it would help us generate ideas. It is well done. We'll be reading through the first 54 pages together - How to Write a Good Essay & How to Write about Charles Dickens. When she finishes the book, we'll work through some of the ideas in the chapter on GE. There are so many choices there. I'm sure that it will propel us from the "what to write about" toward "There are so many choices. What looks interesting?"

 

For example:

The first 50+ pages are about writing an essay and about Dickens in general. Then there are specific chapters for each novel; each chapter offers up topics to write about: Themes; Characters; History and Context; Philosophy and Ideas; Form and Genre Language, Symbols, and Imagery; Compare and Contrast Essays. Each of topics begins with a broad description/framework for generating ideas for an essay that explores the broad category. Then the technique narrows to discuss how that category could be approached with this particular novel. If the idea-well is still dry, or if the parent still just lacks the confidence to trust her convictions....;), the text offers up several sample topics with questions that the student could answer - none of which should produce a "duh" thesis. AND it provides a way to narrow those questions to argue that question for this particular book. The questions also propel the student toward taking a position which will naturally move them in the direction of a persuasive essay.

 

I guess what I like about the series is that it teaches the process first, and then offers plenty of sensible information to help the student apply the process to a specific text. However, the process is still there. Broad to narrow. Narrow back to broad. And then back to specifics. Well done IMO! After all, the goal is to be able to apply the process to any book - not just the authors/novels/poems covered in the series. While we are practicing the skill, we need specifics. BUT very often curriculum fails to give us the big picture too. We don't just need specific questions to ask for a specific book. We need to see the process involved in generating good questions. THEN we need to see that process modeled. Over and over. Until we can do it without the training wheels.

 

This series seems to do it well.

 

I've grabbed a copy of the Emily Dickinson volume from our library too. Dd is reading about Emily; we have read quite a bit of her poetry. I need a leg up to generate some essay topics for poetry. Plenty to choose from there too.

 

The books are really pricey at $40+ each, but our library has them. I just thought I would toss them out there in case your librarian has stocked the shelves with them too.

 

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

P.S. Our library also has Chelsea's "Backgrounds" series. Very well done if you want to spend a little time expanding on the WEM info on literary periods in literature that coincide with British and American Literature. Nicely done.

 

http://chelseahouse.infobasepublishing.com/BookList.asp?pageID=2&gradeType=2&seriesISBN=056722&Parent=Literature&browseType=0

 

http://chelseahouse.infobasepublishing.com/BookSearch.asp?pageID=2&seriesISBN=051259&searchText=backgrounds+british+literature&parent=Literature&sortType=Rel&Filter=Desc

Edited February 4, 2010 by Janice in NJ

[MBM]

Those look very interesting. Thanks for mentioning!

[swimmermom3]

I printed the info out and will be casually dropping by the library for a chat. Those librarians are so nice to not run and hide when they see me coming with a new list. Of course, we've probably paid enough in library fines to cover some of my requests.:tongue_smilie:

 

Thanks, Janice!

[ereks mom]

Our library has this new series.

 

http://chelseahouse.infobasepublishing.com/BookList.asp?pageID=2&gradeType=2&seriesISBN=099261&Parent=Literature&browseType=0

 

Dd and I are working our way through Great Expectations. We're enjoying the book. I'm moving in the direction of more of a WEM/WTM approach to literature. I've re-read the books, and I've listened to Susan's new lecture on H.S. writing. For some reason, it seems do-able to me now. For so long, it just seemed to hard. ;) Live, learn, and grow I guess. :001_smile:

 

Anyway - dd is enjoying GE. She is keeping a journal and a vocab notebook. She wrote her first 2-page essay on GE last week. It went well - surprisingly well, actually. She will be finishing the book next week. I pulled a copy of Bloom's How to Write About Charles Dickens from our library system. I was hoping that it would help us generate ideas. It is well done. We'll be reading through the first 54 pages together - How to Write a Good Essay & How to Write about Charles Dickens. When she finishes the book, we'll work through some of the ideas in the chapter on GE. There are so many choices there. I'm sure that it will propel us from the "what to write about" toward "There are so many choices. What looks interesting?"

 

For example:

The first 50+ pages are about writing an essay and about Dickens in general. Then there are specific chapters for each novel; each chapter offers up topics to write about: Themes; Characters; History and Context; Philosophy and Ideas; Form and Genre Language, Symbols, and Imagery; Compare and Contrast Essays. Each of topics begins with a broad description/framework for generating ideas for an essay that explores the broad category. Then the technique narrows to discuss how that category could be approached with this particular novel. If the idea-well is still dry, or if the parent still just lacks the confidence to trust her convictions....;), the text offers up several sample topics with questions that the student could answer - none of which should produce a "duh" thesis. AND it provides a way to narrow those questions to argue that question for this particular book. The questions also propel the student toward taking a position which will naturally move them in the direction of a persuasive essay.

 

I guess what I like about the series is that it teaches the process first, and then offers plenty of sensible information to help the student apply the process to a specific text. However, the process is still there. Broad to narrow. Narrow back to broad. And then back to specifics. Well done IMO! After all, the goal is to be able to apply the process to any book - not just the authors/novels/poems covered in the series. While we are practicing the skill, we need specifics. BUT very often curriculum fails to give us the big picture too. We don't just need specific questions to ask for a specific book. We need to see the process involved in generating good questions. THEN we need to see that process modeled. Over and over. Until we can do it without the training wheels.

 

This series seems to do it well.

 

I've grabbed a copy of the Emily Dickinson volume from our library too. Dd is reading about Emily; we have read quite a bit of her poetry. I need a leg up to generate some essay topics for poetry. Plenty to choose from there too.

 

The books are really pricey at $40+ each, but our library has them. I just thought I would toss them out there in case your librarian has stocked the shelves with them too.

 

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

P.S. Our library also has Chelsea's "Backgrounds" series. Very well done if you want to spend a little time expanding on the WEM info on literary periods in literature that coincide with British and American Literature. Nicely done.

 

http://chelseahouse.infobasepublishing.com/BookList.asp?pageID=2&gradeType=2&seriesISBN=056722&Parent=Literature&browseType=0

 

http://chelseahouse.infobasepublishing.com/BookSearch.asp?pageID=2&seriesISBN=051259&searchText=backgrounds+british+literature&parent=Literature&sortType=Rel&Filter=Desc

 

:001_smile: