11th grade books

[cajunkaren]

Hi, I am wondering if anyone can give me some advice on a good book for my son in 11th grade. He is not into reading, dislikes anything that "bores" him. I am trying to find a really good book that will really interest him. I was looking at Huck Fin, what age level is that? I don't want to go way below his grade level, that would be just what he'd want. He's using ACE for his curriculum and there's not much in reading as far as good books. More like understanding poems and things like that. He's not going to college but I want him to know how to write good essay papers .... I know I'm rambling but any advice is well appreciated...

Thanks

Karen

[Lori D.]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you are really looking for 2 things:

1. a literature supplement supplement to ACE for exposure to classic works of literature, and teaching on how to analyze literature.

2. a writing composition supplement to ACE to instruct in how to write well, plus writing assignments for putting the writing instruction into practice.

 

 

1. LITERATURE:

Yes, Huckleberry Finn is typically done in high school. While it could probably be read by a younger student, the themes are more complex and mature and at a high school level. Other high interest works typically done in high school that might connect for him, and below at the end of this post are 2 lists -- one of the 10 top classics, and then the 35 top classics -- literary works most frequently covered in high school classes.

- Animal Farm (novella)

- To Kill a Mockingbird

- Lord of the Flies

- 1984

- Farenheit 451

- Treasure Island

- Call of the Wild (more of a middle school level book)

- classic short stories: The Most Dangerous Game; Gift of the Magi; The Open Window; The Lady or the Tiger; The Monkey's Paw; The Lottery; The Open Boat; The Necklace

 

Whatever work you choose, get a good literature guide to help guide the two of you through analyzing the work, finding the literary elements, identifying themes, explaining background of the author and the times, good discussion questions (with answers). Also, I *highly* recommend doing the novel together -- at the least, YOU read it, too, so the two of you can discuss together twice a week. That will also hold him accountable, and much less likely he'll say it was "too boring to finish." Even consider reading it aloud together, or listening to an unabridged audio version, so you can discuss "in the moment" -- that always makes a work more interesting.

 

Also, perhaps start with something short, such as a short story, a play, or a novella and work up to a novel. Go to a play, or watch a film version of it first and then read through it and analyze it. For help with doing a Shakespeare, check out the Parallel Text Shakespeare series (see it at: http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1268789703-1275010&subject=6&category=1471) -- the book has the original text, and side-by-side is a modern translation so you can understand all the language. There are also a helpful teacher guide and student workbook for analyzing the play.

 

Some good lit. guides to help you:

- Discovering Literature series: Challenger level (secular) = http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1268789121-461539&subject=6&category=1408

- Progeny Press (Christian) = http://www.progenypress.com/

- Sparknotes (secular; free online) = http://www.sparknotes.com/

- Cliffs Notes (secular; free online) = http://www.cliffsnotes.com/

- Glencoe (secular; free online) = http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/

 

Windows to the World (see it at: http://www.christianbook.com/windows-the-world-introduction-literary-analysis/lesha-myers/9780980100518/pd/100518?item_code=WW&netp_id=523440&event=ESRCN&view=details) is a 1-semester course (you could spread it out over a year to supplement ACE), which teaches annotation (jotting your thoughts / insights / questions in the margin of the book as you are reading to help you analyze the work), and then has a fabulous section with extremely clear, detailed information on how to write a literary analysis essay. It focuses on 6 short stories.

 

Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL) Gold: American Lit. (see it at: http://www.christianbook.com/learning-language-through-literature-american-book/greg-strayer/9781880892893/pd/72898?item_code=WW&netp_id=213135&event=ESRCN&view=details) is another 1-semester course (again, you could spread it out), covering 10 shorts stories, 3 novellas (Red Badge of Courage, Old Man and the Sea, The Pearl), and 10 poets. You could use it just for the novellas and some of the short stories, and use as supplement with ACE. LLATL has a little bit of explanation about literary terms, a number of discussion questions, and writing assignment ideas.

 

 

 

 

2. WRITING COMPOSITION

Still struggling to find a composition program we really like, but the writing composition section in Windows to the World has been very helpful. Another very helpful thing we have done is practice writing timed essays from real, past SAT test essay prompts (scroll to very bottom of this web page: http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/sat-test-prep.html) we all do one, and then critique them; both DSs essay writing abilities have improved dramatically in the 2.5 years we've been doing this. The Owl at Purdue (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/sitemap/) is a very helpful free online resource on writing. For good instruction (and practice!) in writing, perhaps consider having him take an online course.

 

 

Hope something here was of help! BEST of luck, whatever you go with. Warmly, Lori D.

 

 

 

TOP 10 WORKS TAUGHT AS HIGH SCHOOL LIT

(listed in order of most frequently used in schools)

 

1. To Kill A Mockingbird (Lee)

2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)

3. a play by William Shakespeare

4. a novel by Charles Dickens

5. Farenheit 451 (Bradbury)

6. Lord of the Flies (Golding)

7. The Odyssey (Homer)

8. 1984 (Orwell)

9. The Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne)

10. (toss up from the list below)

 

 

 

The 35 Classic Works Most Often Taught in High School:

(listed roughly in order of when WRITTEN -- NOT by how often read in high school)

 

- The Iliad (Homer)

- The Odyssey (Homer)

- Beowulf (translation by Heaney)

- a play by Shakespeare -- usually a choice from:

* Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet (tragedies)

* Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night (comedies)

* Henry V, or Julius Caesar (histories)

- The Last of the Mohicans (Cooper)

- The Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne)

- Pride and Prejudice -- OR -- Emma (Austen)

- Frankenstein (Shelley)

- Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)

- Great Expectations (Dickens)

- a short story by Edgar Allen Poe (usually a choice from: Tell Tale Heart, Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Gold Bug, or The Rue Morgue)

- Adventures of Tom Sawyer -- OR -- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)

- Moby Dick (Melville)

- Treasure Island (Stevenson)

- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson) -- novella

- a Sherlock Holmes short story (usually a choice from: The Blue Carbuncle, The Red Headed League, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Adventure of the Dancing Men, or The Problem of Thor Bridge)

- The Red Badge of Courage (Crane)

- a short story by O. Henry (usually The Gift of the Magi; or perhaps The Ransom of Red Chief)

- Call of the Wild (London)

- The Open Window (Saki) -- short story

- All Quiet on the Western Front (Remarque)

- The Most Dangerous Game (Connell) -- short story

- The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)

- Animal Farm (Orwell) -- novella

- 1984 (Orwell)

- Anne Frank: The Diary of Young Girl (Frank)

- Lord of the Flies (Goldman)

- The Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck)

- Things Fall Apart (Achebe)

- Death of a Salesman (Miller) -- play

- Farenheit 451 (Bradbury)

- Catcher in the Rye (Salinger)

- A Farewell to Arms -- OR -- The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway)

- To Kill A Mockingbird (Lee)

- The Lottery (Jackson) -- short story

Edited March 17, 2010 by Lori D.
added info

[Guest]

It is nowhere set in stone that a high schooler must read fictional classics. Some people find themselves drawn toward classical literature much later in life than adolescence, and that's okay. Some readers prefer classics in manga or comic form; science fiction; magical realism; or even prefer drama to prose.

 

Or it may be that your son is one of those people who gravitate toward non-fiction, given the choice. And there is a world of excellent non-fiction out there to explore: history, biography, science writing and/or the history of science, collections of essays, reviews, journalism, current events reporting in short articles or analysis in full-length books, anthropology and cultural reporting, on and on. I would turn my child loose in a good bookstore for a couple of hours and let him browse all these categories and see whether anything piques his interest. There is a series of collections of shorter pieces called "Best Non-Fiction Writing of _____ [insert year]," "Best Essays of _______," etc., which might be good for getting a sense of the possibilities in terms of topics and style. Then you and he could look for a longer work in the same general field or area.

 

It's perfectly possible to write a rhetorical (literary) analysis of this kind of writing as well as to use any of these genres for learning to write persuasive essays or critical reviews, or to use them as jumping off points for further research.

[HeatherInWI]

Seconding some of Lori's suggestions:

 

Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, and 1984 have been among our favorites to read -- and good for the children's comprehension of political systems and the nightly news, too!

 

Shakespeare is actually pretty good, too. One selling point -- The plays are short! We usually read the Sparknotes synopsis, watch the video version with subtitles on, so that we read and watch all in one, which makes comprehension much simpler, then go through the actual written play once it and its language are familiar to us.

 

For good essay skills, I'd suggest IEW's Student Writing Intensive. My children actually enjoyed it, and we did it as an actual intensive course over a week's time. We're planning to use their High School Essay Intensive next school year, so I don't know whether they'll like it as well or not.

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

Who cares if a book is a middle school book? Good literature is good literature. And some "fun" books can be a great jumping off point to good literature.

 

Also consider books on CD. We can still learn/think/discuss books we hear instead of hold.

 

Read most of the books you chose for the enjoyment of reading the book. Discuss some of them to teach thinking skills. Pick a few to write an essay. You don't have to write an essay or have a heavy discussion about every single book.

 

My students have a "lit" book going, plus a "fun" book. My 11th grader regularly picks a classic as her fun book. And I don't give an assignment for a fun book.

[cajunkaren]

Wow, thanks to everyone for their responses....this really helps me alot.

Karen:001_smile:

[Kendall]

Are you wanting to encourage a love of reading?

 

Are you just wanting to get some classic book into his course?

 

My boys favorites from the last 2 years are- A Tale of Two Cities, Pride and Prejudice, Moonstone(the first true mystery novel I think)

 

If he might struggle with these and you are wanting to encourage a love of reading, then choose a good quality book from a little lower level. Has he read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books?

 

This is my free opinion and worth every penny:), but I think even in 11th grade I would schedule in a 30 min time period of reading if that is what it took to get them to read.

 

I also would highly encourage you to read the book yourself so that you can share things about it with each other.

 

Kendall