Ordering Duke TIP King Arthur study questions

[swimmermom3]

I know that some of you have already ordered this program from Duke TIP, the one for King Arthur. The place to order online shows the study and says that it is backordered. It would appear that there is no way to order it online at this point. Or am I missing something? I have been on hold with Duke for 25 minutes trying to ask about ordering it. What a pain in the neck, literally. This is the one program that I am really dying to get my hands on for next year. Anyone else have problems ordering it?

[MariannNOVA]

:lurk5: and I was unsuccessful on line as well. You're amazing to hold for 25 minutes.:)

[swimmermom3]

:lurk5: and I was unsuccessful on line as well. You're amazing to hold for 25 minutes.:)

 

No, just foolish. I hadn't realized that at about the 15 minute mark, offices had closed on the East coast. :tongue_smilie:

[swimmermom3]

:lurk5: and I was unsuccessful on line as well. You're amazing to hold for 25 minutes.:)

 

Mariann, I was able to get through this morning. They had not updated the website but do now have the Arthur study in stock. The order button is back and I just pushed it...even though I vowed yesterday I wasn't going to push anymore buttons for a while. I am so weak.:D

[happygrrl]

Mariann, I was able to get through this morning. They had not updated the website but do now have the Arthur study in stock. The order button is back and I just pushed it...even though I vowed yesterday I wasn't going to push anymore buttons for a while. I am so weak.:D

 

....and spreading your weakness to others. Honestly, I thought I was done figuring out the coming year until I saw this post. This looks great! Another decision. Sigh. (Not that I am truly complaining, as it was supposed to be spring cleaning today and I will be exploring that website instead!)

[MariannNOVA]

Mariann, I was able to get through this morning. They had not updated the website but do now have the Arthur study in stock. The order button is back and I just pushed it...even though I vowed yesterday I wasn't going to push anymore buttons for a while. I am so weak.:D

 

Lisa: Yup, me too! Going there now.:leaving:

 

BTW, you know if one is on hold with Verizon and the clock ticks to 6:00pm, you get disconnected.:lol:

[swimmermom3]

Wow! The woman I had talked to at Duke was grateful that I let her know about the website. I just got an email that my order has shipped. Doing the happy dance. Now, I need to get back to the Romans and quit thinking about next year's knights.

[Matryoshka]

Okay, guys, I was already sorely tempted by that King Arthur study, and now you're just fanning the flames. ;)

 

Can I ask if any of you who are doing it are also thinking of doing LLLOTR sometime? I was planning on that for 8th and it also uses TH White's Once and Future King, I believe - would doing both be complete overkill? Anyone know??

[MamaT]

Oh boy! I am planning on using this next year as well, so I am going to go ahead and order it while I can. I don't do backorders. :001_smile:

[happygrrl]

Okay, guys, I was already sorely tempted by that King Arthur study, and now you're just fanning the flames. ;)

 

Can I ask if any of you who are doing it are also thinking of doing LLLOTR sometime? I was planning on that for 8th and it also uses TH White's Once and Future King, I believe - would doing both be complete overkill? Anyone know??

 

Same question here... :lurk5:

[swimmermom3]

Far be it for me to ever fan anyone's flames.:D

 

About LLfromLOTR, this year we are covering ancient history. My son (6th grade) just finished versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey and next week we will read Lively's version of the Aeneid, In Search of a Homeland. I have tied this into LlfLOTR's Unit Study 5 - Exploring Epics: An Introduction to Three Great Ancient Epics. My son is making a literary booklet to go along with the study. Imo, the section on epic conventions is excellent.

 

The tentative plan for next year for 7th grade is to use the LOTR Unit studies 6 and 7 on Beowulf. I will probably spread out the Tolkien part of LLfLOTR over two years for 7th and 8th grade. The Arthur study in LOTR is really good, I'm not sure why I felt the need to check out Duke's program. We'll use one or the other or both after the Beowulf unit.

 

I have mixed feelings about breaking up the LLfLOTR study but I am so glad we used the Epic portion this year and my son is much more engaged in understanding how tales evolve than he probably would be otherwise.

 

Edited to add: Sorry, I won't know about overkill until I see the Duke program. However, if your budget only allows one or the other, go for the LLfLOTR. It does include an Arthur study and I really think it is the best program in the homeschool market for literary ananlysis. The only problem with it, is that it makes everything else seem substandard. I can't wait to see if the Duke study is up to the mark.

Edited April 23, 2010 by swimmermom3
Didn't answer question

[Matryoshka]

I have mixed feelings about breaking up the LLfLOTR study but I am so glad we used the Epic portion this year and my son is much more engaged in understanding how tales evolve than he probably would be otherwise.

 

Well, now, you just had to give me that idea! :glare: We're just starting Egypt, but Greece isn't that far away, and I do plan on them reading the Odyssey and Iliad (probably Sutcliff) then, aaagh!! I hadn't planned on actually ordering LLLOTR yet.... did you intersperse that with Lightning Lit, or aren't you using that? I can't quite keep track... :tongue_smilie: I have LL8 tap for next year (7th). The Hobbit gets read in LL8, that was one reason I thought it could make a good lead-in to LLLOTR...

 

Edited to add: Sorry, I won't know about overkill until I see the Duke program. However, if your budget only allows one or the other, go for the LLfLOTR. It does include an Arthur study and I really think it is the best program in the homeschool market for literary ananlysis. The only problem with it, is that it makes everything else seem substandard. I can't wait to see if the Duke study is up to the mark.

 

Well, I think it's very thoughtful of you to order it so you can check it out and report back to the rest of us. :D We await your report on the Duke program's relative merits with bated breath. :bigear:

[Just Another Jen]

Thanks for posting this resource- it looks great!

[swimmermom3]

Well, now, you just had to give me that idea! :glare: We're just starting Egypt, but Greece isn't that far away, and I do plan on them reading the Odyssey and Iliad (probably Sutcliff) then, aaagh!! I hadn't planned on actually ordering LLLOTR yet.... did you intersperse that with Lightning Lit, or aren't you using that? I can't quite keep track... :tongue_smilie: I have LL8 tap for next year (7th). The Hobbit gets read in LL8, that was one reason I thought it could make a good lead-in to LLLOTR...

 

Well, I think it's very thoughtful of you to order it so you can check it out and report back to the rest of us. :D We await your report on the Duke program's relative merits with bated breath. :bigear:

 

We have done mythology all year. For Greece, we used: D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, Coolidge's The Trojan War, and Sutcliff's The Wanderings of Odysseus. First, we used K12's unit on Myths in Ancient Greece and Rome and then their unit on the Iliad and the Odyssey. This utilized Church's and Colum's versions of the epics so we could do some comparison. The epic portion from LLfLOTR is ongoing as we move into Rome and study the Aeneid. I can post some pictures of the Dude's booklet when he is done. We did other reading as well like Theras and His Town, Archimedes and the Door of Science, and Herotodus and the Road to History.

 

As for Lightning Lit, I purchased both LL7 & 8 last year and used parts of then for my then 5th and 8th graders. The Dude did not do any LL this year because it did not line up with our studies. We will return to picking and choosing from it next year along with their British Medieval Literature study. (Thanks to the incomparable Nicole M.)

 

Have I thoroughly confused you?:D

Edited April 23, 2010 by swimmermom3

[Gratia271]

Thank you for posting about this. I am going to purchase it...not that I need another purchase opportunity. :001_smile:

[Shawna in Texas]

Far be it for me to ever fan anyone's flames.:D

 

About LLfromLOTR, this year we are covering ancient history. My son (6th grade) just finished versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey and next week we will read Lively's version of the Aeneid, In Search of a Homeland. I have tied this into LlfLOTR's Unit Study 5 - Exploring Epics: An Introduction to Three Great Ancient Epics. My son is making a literary booklet to go along with the study. Imo, the section on epic conventions is excellent.

 

The tentative plan for next year for 7th grade is to use the LOTR Unit studies 6 and 7 on Beowulf. I will probably spread out the Tolkien part of LLfLOTR over two years for 7th and 8th grade. The Arthur study in LOTR is really good, I'm not sure why I felt the need to check out Duke's program. We'll use one or the other or both after the Beowulf unit.

 

I have mixed feelings about breaking up the LLfLOTR study but I am so glad we used the Epic portion this year and my son is much more engaged in understanding how tales evolve than he probably would be otherwise.

 

Edited to add: Sorry, I won't know about overkill until I see the Duke program. However, if your budget only allows one or the other, go for the LLfLOTR. It does include an Arthur study and I really think it is the best program in the homeschool market for literary ananlysis. The only problem with it, is that it makes everything else seem substandard. I can't wait to see if the Duke study is up to the mark.

 

Just last week I took LLfLOTR out of the running because I don't want to trudge through LOTR again. DD isn't showing a great desire to read these books, so I was going to stick them in sometime later. If the other elements of LLfLOTR were good (and honestly it's what I was most interested in), then I wanted to get it and spread it out over several years. The Duke King Arthur study is planned for 7th, but now I wonder if the other parts of LLfLOTR are meaty enough because of Beowulf and if I got it in June, I could use it for reviewing the ancient Epics. We plan on a Rome study for the summer.

 

Which version of Arthur does LLfLOTR recommend? Is it the same as Duke's? I really would like a good comparison of both when you get a chance.:D

[swimmermom3]

Shawna, for the Epic unit, LOTR gives summaries of the three major epics. We just read our full versions instead. Unit 10 in LOTR is Exploring Arthurian Romances: The Story of King Arthur. The genre explored is romance literature, which is defined here not as a love story but as Literature that deals with "herosim, adventure, and courtly love."

 

LOTR gives the history behind the real Arthur (as best we know) and this is the point where I would insert literature that paints him as a Celtic chieftain in the 5th or 6th century. The earliest English version of the Arthurian tales is discussed and that is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Thomas Malory's Morte D'Arthur is discussed. Parts of Idylls of the King is presented. LOTR usually gives a good synopsis of the stories that enable the student to respond to the topic at hand. Again, you can put in full works. It's probably not as complete as the Duke program but there is more than enough here to work with. Spenser's Faerie Queene is discussed as well.

 

If you've done LOTR into the ground, the cost might not be worth it, but otherwise there is so much here to make use of. And I haven't even mentioned the two units in the appendices that cover movies and classics and religious elements.:D

[Shawna in Texas]

Shawna, for the Epic unit, LOTR gives summaries of the three major epics. We just read our full versions instead. Unit 10 in LOTR is Exploring Arthurian Romances: The Story of King Arthur. The genre explored is romance literature, which is defined here not as a love story but as Literature that deals with "herosim, adventure, and courtly love."

 

LOTR gives the history behind the real Arthur (as best we know) and this is the point where I would insert literature that paints him as a Celtic chieftain in the 5th or 6th century. The earliest English version of the Arthurian tales is discussed and that is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Thomas Malory's Morte D'Arthur is discussed. Parts of Idylls of the King is presented. LOTR usually gives a good synopsis of the stories that enable the student to respond to the topic at hand. Again, you can put in full works. It's probably not as complete as the Duke program but there is more than enough here to work with. Spenser's Faerie Queene is discussed as well.

 

If you've done LOTR into the ground, the cost might not be worth it, but otherwise there is so much here to make use of. And I haven't even mentioned the two units in the appendices that cover movies and classics and religious elements.:D

 

Hm. We haven't done LOTR as a family. I read it 5 or so years ago and would rather be done with it. I liked it, but don't feel a need to make each book last for weeks with deep discussion. DD hasn't shown any interest in them. I do plan on putting them on a reading list for her, but not yet. I was probably going to save them for high school.

 

I let you be the guinea pig for the Duke program. :D If you are really impressed with that, then I'll do that next year, then save LLfLOTR for when we cycle back to ancients.

[Melabella]

Swimmermom, are you using the TOG literature in addition to LLLOTR, and LL?

[swimmermom3]

Swimmermom, are you using the TOG literature in addition to LLLOTR, and LL?

 

This year, I did not use LL as there were not selections to match up with our study of ancient history.

 

I used all of the TOG literature selections at the dialectic level with the exceptions of Adara and Victory on the Walls. Because I am taking a secular approach, I added Virginia Hamilton's lovely book, In the Beginning: Creations Stories from Around the World. We read Genesis and Exodus as recommended but not so much for history. I used Figuratively Speaking's Lesson 19 on Allusion and Lessons 1-4 (#4 is on Allusion) in Walch's Mythology: A Teaching Unit. I have several other books on world myths but that would muddy the waters even more.:D I should mention that I chose to follow TOG's Path 2 where you start with units 4-6 instead of 1-3.

 

I used many of TOG's questions when I could and some of the literature worksheets. For Egypt, we used The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt and The Tales of Ancient Egypt as read-alouds as well The Golden Goblet. My son read the upper grammar selection, A Place in the Sun and did the worksheets. We did units 27-29 on Egyptian mythology in the Walch book.

 

To replace the two books I took out, we read God King and Theras and His Town. We don't use Theras for literary analysis but it's a perfect background for a comparison and contrast essay on Athens and Sparta. We also use Archimedes for science (BF's History of Science).

 

We read Why Snails Have Shells for China but much prefer The Ch'-i-lin Purse. If you substitute this book, there are numerous guides on line to help with discussion. We love Sutcliff, but replaced Black Ships Before Troy with the family favorite, The Trojan War.

 

Anyway, we are down to Rome and will use all of the TOG selections except possibly The Ides of April. I just received a vintage copy of Mary Ray's book, The Eastern Beacon. Wrong time frame and place, but it's oh so good. We will use some of the lit instruction from TOG but are adding a nonfiction unit for City, a Shakespeare unit on Julius Caesar, and Coolidge's Caesar's Gallic War.

 

Aren't you glad you asked?:tongue_smilie:

[MariannNOVA]

This year, I did not use LL as there were not selections to match up with our study of ancient history.

 

I used all of the TOG literature selections at the dialectic level with the exceptions of Adara and Victory on the Walls. Because I am taking a secular approach, I added Virginia Hamilton's lovely book, In the Beginning: Creations Stories from Around the World. We read Genesis and Exodus as recommended but not so much for history. I used Figuratively Speaking's Lesson 19 on Allusion and Lessons 1-4 (#4 is on Allusion) in Walch's Mythology: A Teaching Unit. I have several other books on world myths but that would muddy the waters even more.:D I should mention that I chose to follow TOG's Path 2 where you start with units 4-6 instead of 1-3.

 

I used many of TOG's questions when I could and some of the literature worksheets. For Egypt, we used The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt and The Tales of Ancient Egypt as read-alouds as well The Golden Goblet. My son read the upper grammar selection, A Place in the Sun and did the worksheets. We did units 27-29 on Egyptian mythology in the Walch book.

 

To replace the two books I took out, we read God King and Theras and His Town. We don't use Theras for literary analysis but it's a perfect background for a comparison and contrast essay on Athens and Sparta. We also use Archimedes for science (BF's History of Science).

 

We read Why Snails Have Shells for China but much prefer The Ch'-i-lin Purse. If you substitute this book, there are numerous guides on line to help with discussion. We love Sutcliff, but replaced Black Ships Before Troy with the family favorite, The Trojan War.

 

Anyway, we are down to Rome and will use all of the TOG selections except possibly The Ides of April. I just received a vintage copy of Mary Ray's book, The Eastern Beacon. Wrong time frame and place, but it's oh so good. We will use some of the lit instruction from TOG but are adding a nonfiction unit for City, a Shakespeare unit on Julius Caesar, and Coolidge's Caesar's Gallic War.

 

Aren't you glad you asked?:tongue_smilie:

 

 

 

:001_huh: Lisa: I was waiting to read your answer to this b/c I do need to torture myself, ya know!? :glare:

 

At this point in time, have you used TOG Yr 2, Units 2, 3, 4? That's what we are planning for the coming school year. Any crumbs you could toss my way :drool5:, would be most appreciated. Thanks -

[swimmermom3]

:001_huh: Lisa: I was waiting to read your answer to this b/c I do need to torture myself, ya know!? :glare:

 

At this point in time, have you used TOG Yr 2, Units 2, 3, 4? That's what we are planning for the coming school year. Any crumbs you could toss my way :drool5:, would be most appreciated. Thanks -

 

Mariann, as much as I am tempted, I probably wont use TOG 2 this year. In a perfect world, I would have a secular version of TOG, with the literature analysis modeled after LLfLOTR, and the composition portion looking like K12 but with more of the flair of Bravewriter. I think the Dude will have graduated from college before that happens.:tongue_smilie:

 

Sorry about the lack of crumbs.

[Melabella]

Lisa,

 

Thanks so much for your reply. I had typed a lengthy response earlier, but lost my intrnet connection just before submitting. Argh!

 

I had been entralled with TOG for the past year or more. Well, I finally took the plunge and purchased year 2 last month. I haven't studied the entire year in depth, but i have to say I'm underwhelmed so far. There are parts of it I really like and need, but I'm just not sure if it will be a good fit for us. Mostly, I want more and different literature. I guess I knew that from the beginning, and I always thought that I would add the Duke TIP unit and additional books from the TWTM list. Now, I'm wondering if I'm delusional in thinking that we will have time for TOG and additional lit.

 

After reading this thread, I'm thinking LLLOTR may be the better way to go. However, I'm concerned my dd will be a little young for it. Does the student need to be comfortable writing essays for LLLOTR?

 

Also, if you aren't going to continue with TOG for history next year, what are you going to use?

[MariannNOVA]

Lisa,

 

Thanks so much for your reply. I had typed a lengthy response earlier, but lost my intrnet connection just before submitting. Argh!

 

I had been entralled with TOG for the past year or more. Well, I finally took the plunge and purchased year 2 last month. I haven't studied the entire year in depth, but i have to say I'm underwhelmed so far. There are parts of it I really like and need, but I'm just not sure if it will be a good fit for us. Mostly, I want more and different literature. I guess I knew that from the beginning, and I always thought that I would add the Duke TIP unit and additional books from the TWTM list. Now, I'm wondering if I'm delusional in thinking that we will have time for TOG and additional lit.

 

After reading this thread, I'm thinking LLLOTR may be the better way to go. However, I'm concerned my dd will be a little young for it. Does the student need to be comfortable writing essays for LLLOTR?

 

Also, if you aren't going to continue with TOG for history next year, what are you going to use?

 

I don't know if this will work for you, but I am going to use TOG only for History and Geography -granted it's for three children: two UG and one D, but that way they are all in the same history time period - they were not this past year and it drove me nuts.

 

I am pretty much decided on Mosdos for the two UG for literature, and not sure about rising 6th grader, but probably LL or LLoLOTR - have to decide - leaning towards saving LLoLOTR for 7th grade. And, I will use Figuratively Speaking - we may start that over the summer.

 

Just thought I would share.:)

[swimmermom3]

Lisa,

 

Thanks so much for your reply. I had typed a lengthy response earlier, but lost my intrnet connection just before submitting. Argh!

 

I had been entralled with TOG for the past year or more. Well, I finally took the plunge and purchased year 2 last month. I haven't studied the entire year in depth, but i have to say I'm underwhelmed so far. There are parts of it I really like and need, but I'm just not sure if it will be a good fit for us. Mostly, I want more and different literature. I guess I knew that from the beginning, and I always thought that I would add the Duke TIP unit and additional books from the TWTM list. Now, I'm wondering if I'm delusional in thinking that we will have time for TOG and additional lit.

 

After reading this thread, I'm thinking LLLOTR may be the better way to go. However, I'm concerned my dd will be a little young for it. Does the student need to be comfortable writing essays for LLLOTR?

 

Also, if you aren't going to continue with TOG for history next year, what are you going to use?

 

Melanie, what year of TOG are you looking at for next year? Can you just sub in on the ones you don't like? I really like LLfLOTR but my youngest who will be in 7th grade next year, isn't really ready yet either. I've written before how he is the non-book lover in a house full of books. He has changed so much this year and has enjoyed both our book selection and the literary analysis, so maybe he will be ready in 8th grade. In the meantime, I'll still use the LLfLOTR units that pertain to what we are doing.

 

For history next year, I am using a combination of Suzanne Strauss Art's books and a list from another board member whose ancient history list I really liked. We are going for simple. History overwhelmed our science program this year and that can't happen again.

[Melabella]

I don't know if this will work for you, but I am going to use TOG only for History and Geography -granted it's for three children: two UG and one D, but that way they are all in the same history time period - they were not this past year and it drove me nuts.

 

I am pretty much decided on Mosdos for the two UG for literature, and not sure about rising 6th grader, but probably LL or LLoLOTR - have to decide - leaning towards saving LLoLOTR for 7th grade. And, I will use Figuratively Speaking - we may start that over the summer.

 

Just thought I would share.:)

 

Thanks for sharing, Mariann. I may do just that. Figuratively Speaking has been sitting on my shelf all year and I have promised myself that I will implement it next year.

[Matryoshka]

I really like LLfLOTR but my youngest who will be in 7th grade next year, isn't really ready yet either. I've written before how he is the non-book lover in a house full of books. He has changed so much this year and has enjoyed both our book selection and the literary analysis, so maybe he will be ready in 8th grade. In the meantime, I'll still use the LLfLOTR units that pertain to what we are doing.

 

So, Lisa... am I understanding correctly that you've used the Epic units but not touched on LOTR itself at all yet? That the units can be used all out of order like that and still make sense? Don't the lessons/units all refer back to elements/storyline in LOTR? How does that work if you haven't read it yet? I also think my kids would benefit from waiting till 8th to tackle LOTR (I was planning on the Hobbit in 7th).

 

But if that's true I can do this out of order and have it make sense, I'm going to have to go out and buy this right now, then...:glare: over the next year or so, I'm planning on having them read Beowulf, Iliad, Odyssey and King Arthur as we go along... or would it make any sense to just read them this time and refer back to them when we get to the LLLOTR study (which I guess was my original plan)?

 

Please help give clarity. :)

 

For history next year, I am using a combination of Suzanne Strauss Art's books

 

Are the S. Art books you have the same black & white, 2-column just-the-facts type versions I got out of the library (back when I was trying to figure out our 'plan')? I find it so interesting what appeals to different kids... my girls are loving the K12 HO and Oxford books (well, at least so far, we're just finishing up Mesopotamia...)

[Melabella]

Melanie, what year of TOG are you looking at for next year? Can you just sub in on the ones you don't like? I really like LLfLOTR but my youngest who will be in 7th grade next year, isn't really ready yet either. I've written before how he is the non-book lover in a house full of books. He has changed so much this year and has enjoyed both our book selection and the literary analysis, so maybe he will be ready in 8th grade. In the meantime, I'll still use the LLfLOTR units that pertain to what we are doing.

 

For history next year, I am using a combination of Suzanne Strauss Art's books and a list from another board member whose ancient history list I really liked. We are going for simple. History overwhelmed our science program this year and that can't happen again.

 

I am starting TOG at Y2 Unit 1 which I'm now reading on another thread is a difficult thing to do. :eek:

 

I love the way you are using LLfLOTR over several years as it fits in with your other lit/history studies. My dd loves to read and reads well above grade level, but her writing skills are not up to par. Also, she is on the young end for her grade with an August birthday, so she really is probably not ready for that much analysis. I may pick it up used if I can find it at a good price, but I'll also be anxiously awaiting your review of the Duke TIP Arthur unit. At this point, my literature plan is to use what I like from TOG, add selections from TWTM list with SWB's questions, and work through Figuratively Speaking. Maybe adding in the Duke unit.

 

As much as I enjoy history, I know exactly what you mean about it overwhelming other subjects. I had the same feeling at the end of our Sonlight year. Then, this year we tried History Odyssey and I feel like we barely touched history (other than Greek Myths becuase my daughter is now obsessed with them). I hope TOG won't overshadow our other subjects, but I know I want more than outline this page from the encyclopedia, label this map, write a narration. I want the discussion, the depth that TOG brings.

 

Thanks to both you and Mariann for helping me think this through.

Edited April 25, 2010 by Melabella

[swimmermom3]

So, Lisa... am I understanding correctly that you've used the Epic units but not touched on LOTR itself at all yet? That the units can be used all out of order like that and still make sense? Don't the lessons/units all refer back to elements/storyline in LOTR? How does that work if you haven't read it yet? I also think my kids would benefit from waiting till 8th to tackle LOTR (I was planning on the Hobbit in 7th).

 

But if that's true I can do this out of order and have it make sense, I'm going to have to go out and buy this right now, then...:glare: over the next year or so, I'm planning on having them read Beowulf, Iliad, Odyssey and King Arthur as we go along... or would it make any sense to just read them this time and refer back to them when we get to the LLLOTR study (which I guess was my original plan)?

 

Please help give clarity. :)

 

 

 

Are the S. Art books you have the same black & white, 2-column just-the-facts type versions I got out of the library (back when I was trying to figure out our 'plan')? I find it so interesting what appeals to different kids... my girls are loving the K12 HO and Oxford books (well, at least so far, we're just finishing up Mesopotamia...)

 

LOTR's Unit 5: Exploring Epics is organized as follows:

 

1. Definition of epic - there is a short discussion as to which definition of epic, contemporary or classic, that LOTR falls into. We covered only the definition and will apply it to LOTR when we do the books.

 

2. The 3 most well-known epics, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid are discussed. We read the background information but did not read the four pages that describe the Trojan war. We had already read about it. No application to LOTR.

 

3. Homer - This section defines oral traditions and how they are passed from storyteller to storyteller. It discusses their importance in revealing a culture and its value system. The reasons oral traditions don't stay the same are explained included the techniques bards used to memorize parts of the work and then build on it. Folk epics.Homer is introduced. No reference to LOTR.

 

4. Brief, but succinct synopsis of The Iliad and The Odyssey. No LOTR.

 

5. Vergil introduced along with "literary epic" and "pastoral poetry." Mention of influence on poets like Edmund Spenser (must remember this for next year!). Synopsis of the Aeneid. No LOTR.

 

6. Explanation of modern epic translations: prose vs. poetry and their uses. Brief mention of Tolkien not relevant.

 

I am going to split this into two posts.

[swimmermom3]

7. The Epic Conventions - "literary conventions" are defined, "epic conventions" introduced. Again, brief mention of Tolkien. This section that discusses eleven epic conventions is awesome. We are enjoying it so much. My son thought it was cool that the first convention was, "The story begins in medias res." he had learned the term from Caesar's English II.:D (6 pages)

 

We are making a booklet as we go along covering epics and their conventions.

 

8. Tolkien and The Epic Influence - very brief

 

9. Writing suggestions which would be appropriate for middle school.

 

10. 56 question review guide that would make a nice test.;)

 

 

If you are moving from Greece to Rome, then you can read The Iliad, The Odyssey, and then The Aeneid. I had some other areas such a character development and conflict/resolution that we discussed for the first two and I will probably use the TOG guide for the later...or not.

 

Ack! I didn't finish this. As you can see, there would be no problem using this as a separate unit. I would just do a brief review when you came to it in the regular program or pull out the epic convention book they made the year before and start applying it from the beginning.

 

Matroyshka, yes, those are history books the Dude likes. As I have said, there is no accounting for his taste.:tongue_smilie:

Edited April 25, 2010 by swimmermom3
Didn't finish.

[MariannNOVA]

Then, this year we tried History Odyssey and I feel like we barely touched history (other than Greek Myths becuase my daughter is now obsessed with them). .

 

OMH -- my dd11 is obsessed with Greek Myths as well. Does your daughter read the books by Caroline Lawrence?

Edited April 26, 2010 by MariannNOVA

[swimmermom3]

I am starting TOG at Y2 Unit 1 which I'm now reading on another thread is a difficult thing to do. :eek:

 

I love the way you are using LLfLOTR over several years as it fits in with your other lit/history studies. My dd loves to read and reads well above grade level, but her writing skills are not up to par. Also, she is on the young end for her grade with an August birthday, so she really is probably not ready for that much analysis. I may pick it up used if I can find it at a good price, but I'll also be anxiously awaiting your review of the Duke TIP Arthur unit. At this point, my literature plan is to use what I like from TOG, add selections from TWTM list with SWB's questions, and work through Figuratively Speaking. Maybe adding in the Duke unit.

 

As much as I enjoy history, I know exactly what you mean about it overwhelming other subjects. I had the same feeling at the end of our Sonlight year. Then, this year we tried History Odyssey and I feel like we barely touched history (other than Greek Myths becuase my daughter is now obsessed with them). I hope TOG won't overshadow our other subjects, but I know I want more than outline this page from the encyclopedia, label this map, write a narration. I want the discussion, the depth that TOG brings.

 

Thanks to both you and Mariann for helping me think this through.

 

We are both on the same page where the history is concerned. I think you will enjoy TOG and that Mariann's suggestion about utilizing just the history and the geography is worth looking into. My impression of the TOG dialectic literature is that Y2 is not nearly as strong as the other years, so I think your plan to add to it is a good one as well.

 

Your questions have helped me further define what I am looking for.

[Matryoshka]

As you can see, there would be no problem using this as a separate unit. I would just do a brief review when you came to it in the regular program or pull out the epic convention book they made the year before and start applying it from the beginning.

 

 

 

Thank you so much, Lisa! You are always so helpful. :) So I'm thinking maybe instead of using LL8 in 7th and LLLOTR in 8th I will just stretch them both out over the two years with the units out of order...

 

Now I have to go spend some money... :rolleyes:

 

You will now have to report back on the Duke study posthaste and let us know if we should spend yet more, or if the KA section of LLLOTR would suffice. :bigear:

[swimmermom3]

Thank you so much, Lisa! You are always so helpful. :) So I'm thinking maybe instead of using LL8 in 7th and LLLOTR in 8th I will just stretch them both out over the two years with the units out of order...

 

Now I have to go spend some money... :rolleyes:

 

You will now have to report back on the Duke study posthaste and let us know if we should spend yet more, or if the KA section of LLLOTR would suffice. :bigear:

 

Slightly off topic but it does involve spending money...maybe! Have you looked at IEW's Windows to the World for lit analysis? Just curious? Now I need to go bug Mariann about Mosdos. I just want to know what it all looks like.:tongue_smilie:

[Matryoshka]

Slightly off topic but it does involve spending money...maybe! Have you looked at IEW's Windows to the World for lit analysis? Just curious? Now I need to go bug Mariann about Mosdos. I just want to know what it all looks like.:tongue_smilie:

 

I've looked at it and been intrigued. It does look to have a decidedly Christian worldview, but for more advanced lit analysis this doesn't bug me as much as it might elsewhere - from secular college lit analysis, I still remember trying to find the Christ figure in practically every book we read. A lot of books (older European ones especially) do have Christian symbolism running rampant, and even if you're not one yourself, it's a good idea to know how to spot it.

 

Now, I haven't actually gotten this program into my hands to see how this plays out lesson by lesson... I'd love to hear feedback from others.

 

One thing WTTW does is talk a lot about annotation. I have some kind of phobia about writing in books (that aren't workbooks). I thought this might help me with this little problem...

[Corraleno]

Sorry for coming in late here ~ I'm on vacation with limited internet access, but I bought the Duke/TIP Arthur study several months ago and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

 

Duke suggests the program be done as a 10 week unit study, but there are 20 lessons, which are quite meaty, so I plan to do one lesson per week. It covers all four books of The Once and Future King, with several chapters covered in each lesson. There are 20-30 questions for each lesson, divided into several categories: The Quest, The Monarchy, The Castle, The Feudal System, The Role of Women, Knights, Daily Life, and Knowledge. The questions are generally critical thinking type questions, not merely make-sure-they-read-the-chapter questions, and they require the student to relate information in the books to medieval life and history. A couple of examples:

 

"After the Grail Quest, Arthur decides to invent 'law as power.' Why does he want to replace the ideal of Might for Right with a system of laws? In what ways are Arthur's ideas about laws very modern?"

 

"How would you describe the castle of Dunlothian in Orkney? How would you compare the structure and function of parts of this castle with Sir Ector's castle? How has growing up in this environment influenced the Orkney boys' personalities?"

 

There are also a series of projects to choose from; here are 2 examples:

 

Design a school for knights. Research, identify and classify the steps in training for knighthood. List the skills and chivalric attitudes knights should have and plan out appropriate lessons. Come up with a name and logo for the school and design the building, using what you know about medieval architecture. Write a daily schedule. Develop a list of professors to teach specific skills; name and describe their personalities. Create advertising for your school.

 

Research the model most people in the Middle Ages used to describe the universe and provide reasons for the differences between their view and ours. Define and describe the following models used to conceptualize the universe: astrolabe, armillary sphere, turquet. Build a model of an astrolabe.

 

I haven't used LLfLotR, so I can't really compare the Duke program to the LotR Arthur unit, but my impression is that the Duke program is less focused on literary analysis than on extrapolating ideas about medieval thought and culture from the Once and Future King books.

 

Jackie

[Matryoshka]

Now I need to go bug Mariann about Mosdos. I just want to know what it all looks like.:tongue_smilie:

 

I haven't seen the full Mosdos program, but I did go and buy the Silver short story book from Mosdos. I have to say I highly prefer the Jamestown Best Short Story book over that, both in story selection and the kinds of questions and assignments to go with it.

 

This may or may not have any bearing on the selections/assignments in the full Mosdos syllabus. :) It could be the reason for the short story book seeming 'light' is that it's meant to be used alongside the rest of the stuff and it's meant to be a light supplement? I don't know...

[MariannNOVA]

I haven't seen the full Mosdos program, but I did go and buy the Silver short story book from Mosdos. I have to say I highly prefer the Jamestown Best Short Story book over that, both in story selection and the kinds of questions and assignments to go with it.

 

This may or may not have any bearing on the selections/assignments in the full Mosdos syllabus. :) It could be the reason for the short story book seeming 'light' is that it's meant to be used alongside the rest of the stuff and it's meant to be a light supplement? I don't know...

 

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. your post got me to thinking so I went back to the Mosdos site and I think you are right - while Silver does have it's own TM that can be purchased, it does seem that it is a supplement. However, can you tell me what grade SILVER is written for? I was unable to find that info on the website.

 

As far as Jamestown Best - they give so little info on the website - but I am still intrigued by them. How did you know what to order from them?

[Matryoshka]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. your post got me to thinking so I went back to the Mosdos site and I think you are right - while Silver does have it's own TM that can be purchased, it does seem that it is a supplement. However, can you tell me what grade SILVER is written for? I was unable to find that info on the website.

 

I have the Silver TM as well. It has a reprint of everything in the student book (the stories themselves, a pre-reading contemplation titled "consider this", and 5 "thinking it over" questions) - the TM just has short suggested answers to the "thinking it over" questions and and an additional "consider this" section aimed at teachers rather than students. That's it. I was honestly quite disappointed.

 

As far as Jamestown Best - they give so little info on the website - but I am still intrigued by them. How did you know what to order from them?

 

I just ordered the Student book for Short Stories and there's combined Teaching Notes for all the books at that level. I was specifically interested in Short Stories, so that's why that book. I just ordered it sight-unseen, as I was able to get it cheap used on Amazon. The Teaching Notes I got from Hewitt when I ordered LL8.

 

I'm using this as a warm-up for the much more indepth lit studies I'm hoping to embark upon next year. We're only halfway through the second of 10 units, so take that for what it's worth. I'll re-paste a write-up I did for someone else who asked about Jamestown:

__________________

 

It's set up very nicely. There are some pre-reading and pre-writing activities, the story itself, comprehension questions, three lessons, discussion questions, and a final writing assignment. Each Unit has a focus - theme, plot, character, etc. which the lessons elaborate on. Each lesson has reading, two short-answer questions, and a writing assignment. After having gone through one unit now, I think this is how it's going to go:

 

Day 1: Read introduction including: About the Author, About the Lesson, Before Reading (questions to think about as you read), do Pre-Writing Activity, read the story, and answer comprehension questions.

 

Day 2: Discuss comprehension questions from day before (if any wrong).

Read Lesson 1, answer questions, do writing assignment.

 

Day 3: Discuss questions from day before.

Read Lesson 2, answer questions, do writing assignment.

 

Day 4: Discuss questions from day before.

Read Lesson 3, answer questions, do writing assignment.

 

Day 5: Discuss questions from day before, do final writing assignment

(which instructs them to use all the writing from the week to produce a final piece - all the writing assignments build on each other).

 

Day 5 may actually be two days sometimes, depending on how long the final piece of writing ends up being.

 

There are a few pieces I'm going to skip. In the intro, they're instructed to speculate on an illustration (and not a particularly good one), purportedly from the story. Seems useless. There's also About the Story - a quick synopsis of the story. Hey, they're about to read it in two seconds, why bother? Then the discussion questions toward the end of the unit seem geared to group peer discussion where there's supposed to be some kind of group consensus.

 

The short-answer questions that go with the three lessons, however, have made them think and have produced some good discussions. The writing assignments, miraculously, have received not the slightest complaint. I have yet to see the final product they come up with, though...

[MariannNOVA]

 

 

I'm using this as a warm-up for the much more indepth lit studies I'm hoping to embark upon next year. We're only halfway through the second of 10 units, so take that for what it's worth. I'll re-paste a write-up I did for someone else who asked about Jamestown:

__________________

 

Matroyshka: Thank you for the wonderful details. So of course, I have more questions: do you mind if I ask you the age/grade of your dc with whom you are doing Jamestown?

 

When you complete Jamestown, what indepth lit studies will you be using?

 

Again - thanks. Oops - one more thing -- in your opinion (and I realize I am asking your opinion and I am not going to hold you to this but you have seen the material and I have not) the reading level of Jamestown: I have two very very capable rising 4th graders as far as reading -- is Jamestown too advanced for them? It's okay to speculate - I only need an opinion. Thanks

[Matryoshka]

Matroyshka: Thank you for the wonderful details. So of course, I have more questions: do you mind if I ask you the age/grade of your dc with whom you are doing Jamestown?

 

My two 6th-graders. Jamestown books come in three levels: Introductory for 5th/6th, Middle for 7th/8th, and Advanced for High School. I'm using Introductory with them.

 

When you complete Jamestown, what indepth lit studies will you be using?

 

Why, all the stuff Swimmermom's making me buy. :D The original plan was to use LL8 next year for 7th, then LLLOTR for 8th. But now I'm going to have to go buy LLLOTR early so I can do the Epic unit when we get to the Greeks, and probably the Duke King Arthur study because it just looks soooo cool. :tongue_smilie:

 

Again - thanks. Oops - one more thing -- in your opinion (and I realize I am asking your opinion and I am not going to hold you to this but you have seen the material and I have not) the reading level of Jamestown: I have two very very capable rising 4th graders as far as reading -- is Jamestown too advanced for them? It's okay to speculate - I only need an opinion. Thanks

 

Well, I also have a 9yo. I couldn't see her doing it right now - not so much for reading level but for the writing assignments and thinking questions. But things do change quickly at this age!

 

Here are the stories:

The Professor of Smells by Laurence Yep

Tuesday of the Other June by Norma Fox Mazer

Almost a Whole Trickster by Gerald Vizenor

President Cleveland, Where Are You? by Robert Cormier

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

Catch the Moon by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Many Moons by James Thurber

The Richer, the Poorer by Dorothy West

The Long Rain by Ray Bradbury

Lob's Girl by Joan Aiken

[swimmermom3]

Here is a write-up I did a while ago about Jamestown:

 

First, I would love to hear from Lisabees what type of instruction you get with the Silver Collection. She mentioned discussion questions. Does the book cover any literary devices or is it strictly a nice collection of stories with discussion questions?

 

Jamestown offers 10 stories which progressively work through what a short story is, character, plot, setting, use of language, theme, tone and mood, folk story, science fiction, and judgments and conclusions. We have used components of this book as well as some of the other Jamestown books.

For my youngest last year, I used several different parts of LL 7 & 8 that corresponded with the SL core he was using or that he could do simultaneously with his older brother. We are using Jamestown while we are covering ancient history but will return to LL next year to finish what we haven't used.

 

My son is fine with using Jamestown but prefers LL. We like most of the literature choices just fine, but I find the format irritating. The common public school approach to analyzing literature is used here. Jamestown tells the student what the piece is going to be about (in too much detail), gives them questions to think about while they read and has them start the planning process for the writing project. You read the story and then a lesson on the topic, for instance character. There are several mini lessons involving character and corresponding steps in the writing process. Then there are comprehension questions, discussion questions and then the final writing exercise for which you have been preparing. The child has thoroughly flogged the piece to death by the time they are done. Imho.:D

 

The thought of following this process through 5 books is more than I can bear. Okay, that was a bit dramatic but you get the idea. Lightning Lit was patterned after the Jamestown books but I personally think it is better than the model. It's gentler, includes more classic works and full works. And it doesn't take all the mystery out of the work.

 

Again, I'd love to hear what Lisabees has to say. I also would like to hear what the routine for analysis is for the full curriculum editions for Mosdos.

 

Matroyshka, I don't think you would be sorry for using Ll and the Silver Collection.

[MariannNOVA]

Thank you so much. Your answer is very helpful. Yes, I am beginning to think that Swimmermom is working on a commission!:lol::lol::lol:She has totally upended my lit plans for rising 6th grader.

 

I've also ordered the Duke King Arthur study. Can't wait to get it.

 

Couple more questions (sorry to be a pain): so you aren't going to do LL7 with your rising 7th graders?

 

You liked Jamestown for your 6th graders, right? Did you use all the components of it, i.e., short story, plays, etc?

 

I may still use Mosdos with the twins (rising 4th grade) as it seems to be an organized pick up and go way to cover that material with them, keep them reading (ds can be a challenge in that dept), and be able to spend the time that I need to with dd11.

[swimmermom3]

Jamestown went away shortly after I wrote that. I think it is a good program, one of the better one's out there, but still...it's just not there. KWIM? And now that we are talking about it, it reminds me what I wanted to ask about Mosdos. I was wondering if it was set up with as intense of prereading work.

 

Matroyshka, do your kids do all the prereading work? Or maybe the Introductory level doesn't have as much of it as the Intermediate level. K12 does the same thing. "Today we are going to read a story where Johnny escapes poverty as a child only to die young as an homeless person." The theme is XYZ and the major conflict is ABC. It's as though publisher thinks our children need to be spoonfed.

 

But I digress...this search for great literary analysis curriculum is a royal pain. I'm back to reading TWTM and Deconstructing Penguins.

 

Forgot to mention that I got all excited when I saw the Great Book study on the Angelicum Academy site. My impression was that the high school work was very good. Unfortunately, the literary choices for 6-8 grade were nearly everything G.A. Henty and Louisa May Alcott wrote studied over three years.:tongue_smilie:

Edited April 26, 2010 by swimmermom3
Scrambled thoughts!

[MariannNOVA]

Jamestown went away shortly after I wrote that. I think it is a good program, one of the better one's out there, but still...it's just not there. KWIM? And now that we are talking about it, it reminds me what I wanted to ask about Mosdos. I was wondering if it was set up with as intense of prereading work.

 

Matroyshka, do your kids do all the prereading work? Or maybe the Introductory level doesn't have as much of it as the Intermediate level. K12 does the same thing. "Today we are going to read a story where Johnny escapes poverty as a child only to die young as an homeless person." The theme is XYZ and the major conflict is ABC. It's as though publisher thinks our children need to be spoonfed.

 

But I digress...this search for great literary analysis curriculum is a royal pain. I'm back to reading TWTM and Deconstructing Penguins. :iagree: I'm beginning to think that there is not a curric out there that meets the criteria I would like it to meet. I do tend to pull in stuff from all over so I guess that right now, that is how I am going to proceed. BUT WHAT A MINUTE: Doesn't RFWP have something coming out in June that is going to address Literary Analysis?

 

Forgot to mention tha tI got all excited when I saw the Great Book study on the Angelicum Academy site. Unfortunately, the literary choices for high school were nearly everything G.A. Henty and Louisa May Alcott wrote studied over three years.:tongue_smilie:

 

Lisa: thanks for this. I'm not going to be much help to you regarding Mosdos - I am going to use it with the rising 4th grade twins. But, thank you very very much (and thank you to matroyshka) for all the info you've both shared here.

[Matryoshka]

First, I would love to hear from Lisabees what type of instruction you get with the Silver Collection. She mentioned discussion questions. Does the book cover any literary devices or is it strictly a nice collection of stories with discussion questions?

 

Well, I have the Silver Collection, and it covers no literary devices whatsoever. The "consider this" paragraph in the first story says 'you may want to review the literary component of conflict with your students', but that's it for the whole book. The discussion questions are brief and facile, imho, and mostly deal with comprehension and feelings - "Amanda is attending a new school this fall. She does not yet have any close friends. How does that feel?". The story collection, as a whole, I do not find as well-written as those in Jamestown, although there are a couple well-known authors represented - the rest I've never heard of. The stories seem to have been chosen to teach moral lessons more than to acquaint the child with good writing, jmho.

 

The thought of following this process through 5 books is more than I can bear. Okay, that was a bit dramatic but you get the idea. Lightning Lit was patterned after the Jamestown books but I personally think it is better than the model. It's gentler, includes more classic works and full works. And it doesn't take all the mystery out of the work.

 

I am only interested in the Short Story book - I have no intention of using the others. I agree that following this format through five books would be awful, but for one book I don't mind. I specifically was looking for Short Stories, as they are whole works, yet quick to read. And I also wanted something that introduced literary elements - this fit the bill.

 

I am completely skipping the "describe the illustration", which is pointless as far as I can see, as well as the "about the story", because I totally agree that they shouldn't be told the whole story before they read it. :confused:

 

Matroyshka, I don't think you would be sorry for using Ll and the Silver Collection.

 

I think I'll really like the LLit, but I don't think I'll find any use for the Silver book other than perhaps handing it to my kids for extra reading - but I honestly don't find any of the stories compelling enough to even bother with it for that. I actually went and bought the Silver because at first glance the Jamestown looked too "schoolish", but comparing them side-by-side actually made me appreciate the Jamestown more.

[Matryoshka]

Matroyshka, do your kids do all the prereading work? Or maybe the Introductory level doesn't have as much of it as the Intermediate level. K12 does the same thing. "Today we are going to read a story where Johnny escapes poverty as a child only to die young as an homeless person." The theme is XYZ and the major conflict is ABC. It's as though publisher thinks our children need to be spoonfed.

 

No, I have specifically told them to skip that section, which is only a paragraph or two, but I dislike it for all the same reasons you do.

 

Silver has a pre-reading section called "Consider This..." In fact, that's pretty much all it has - a pre-reading page, and 5 questions per story.

[lisabees]

Here is a write-up I did a while ago about Jamestown:

 

First, I would love to hear from Lisabees what type of instruction you get with the Silver Collection. She mentioned discussion questions. Does the book cover any literary devices or is it strictly a nice collection of stories with discussion questions?

 

Jamestown offers 10 stories which progressively work through what a short story is, character, plot, setting, use of language, theme, tone and mood, folk story, science fiction, and judgments and conclusions. We have used components of this book as well as some of the other Jamestown books.

For my youngest last year, I used several different parts of LL 7 & 8 that corresponded with the SL core he was using or that he could do simultaneously with his older brother. We are using Jamestown while we are covering ancient history but will return to LL next year to finish what we haven't used.

 

My son is fine with using Jamestown but prefers LL. We like most of the literature choices just fine, but I find the format irritating. The common public school approach to analyzing literature is used here. Jamestown tells the student what the piece is going to be about (in too much detail), gives them questions to think about while they read and has them start the planning process for the writing project. You read the story and then a lesson on the topic, for instance character. There are several mini lessons involving character and corresponding steps in the writing process. Then there are comprehension questions, discussion questions and then the final writing exercise for which you have been preparing. The child has thoroughly flogged the piece to death by the time they are done. Imho.:D

 

The thought of following this process through 5 books is more than I can bear. Okay, that was a bit dramatic but you get the idea. Lightning Lit was patterned after the Jamestown books but I personally think it is better than the model. It's gentler, includes more classic works and full works. And it doesn't take all the mystery out of the work.

 

Again, I'd love to hear what Lisabees has to say. I also would like to hear what the routine for analysis is for the full curriculum editions for Mosdos.

 

Matroyshka, I don't think you would be sorry for using Ll and the Silver Collection.

 

Hi all! It's late, so I am going to be brief. (Swimmermom, I am almost positive I responded to your original question about Mosdos Silver.) It is in no way a complete reading program. Ds and I loved the selections - very thought provoking and contemporary, which was perfect for my son who has a difficult time thinking deeply. "Consider This" questions are used for pre-reading - just a few thoughts to keep in mind before the readings (literary terms, author's history or purpose etc). We also used the follow up questions orally which created some nice conversations.

 

We are now using Mosdos Pearl and are very happy with that. Of course it is a complete reading program. We pick and choose from the workbook activities, as there are WAY too many options in there. One could effectively use just the questions/writing activities in the text. So, it is more in depth than Silver, but we loved Silver for what it was. ;)

 

ETA: We are starting TIP's Arthur Study today. I don't know why I'm tacking it on at the end of the year, as if there isn't much to do. But, I'm so excited! FWIW, I ordered a few weeks ago with no problems ordering. I did it online. Good luck to all trying to get it.

Edited April 26, 2010 by lisabees

[Capt_Uhura]

So, Lisa... am I understanding correctly that you've used the Epic units but not touched on LOTR itself at all yet? That the units can be used all out of order like that and still make sense? Don't the lessons/units all refer back to elements/storyline in LOTR? How does that work if you haven't read it yet? I also think my kids would benefit from waiting till 8th to tackle LOTR (I was planning on the Hobbit in 7th).

 

But if that's true I can do this out of order and have it make sense, I'm going to have to go out and buy this right now, then...:glare: over the next year or so, I'm planning on having them read Beowulf, Iliad, Odyssey and King Arthur as we go along... or would it make any sense to just read them this time and refer back to them when we get to the LLLOTR study (which I guess was my original plan)?

 

Please help give clarity. :)

 

 

 

Are the S. Art books you have the same black & white, 2-column just-the-facts type versions I got out of the library (back when I was trying to figure out our 'plan')? I find it so interesting what appeals to different kids... my girls are loving the K12 HO and Oxford books (well, at least so far, we're just finishing up Mesopotamia...)

 

I'm wondering the same thing Matroyshka! I may have to buy LLfLOTR to see when my kiddo might be ready for it. I was planning on LL7 for next year.

 

Which Oxford book are you referring to? Right now I'm reading The Ancient Near Eastern World by Oxford U Press. I'm really enjoying it! If I win the lottery, I'm going to buy the whole set.

[Matryoshka]

I'm wondering the same thing Matroyshka! I may have to buy LLfLOTR to see when my kiddo might be ready for it. I was planning on LL7 for next year.

 

Yes, and now we have to decide whether to buy the new version or the old version... aaaah!

 

Which Oxford book are you referring to? Right now I'm reading The Ancient Near Eastern World by Oxford U Press. I'm really enjoying it! If I win the lottery, I'm going to buy the whole set.

 

Yep, that's the one! We're just starting on the Ancient Egyptian World. I got my library to buy not one but two sets, so I'm in heaven!