Favorite lit anaylsis for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?

[lisabees]

I am having trouble finding a secular lit study for it.

 

Thanks in advance. ;)

Edited May 20, 2010 by lisabees

[asta]

I am having trouble finding a secular lit study for it.

 

Thanks in advance. ;)

 

I bought an entire curriculum unit for the Chronicles of Narnia from the Center for Learning.

 

It is primarily secular, but it does have a very brief section (1 page per book) for "biblical allusions", which I find reasonable as that is what the Chronicles are.

 

The Center for Learning is a small company that primarily serves the school market, but they will sell you any of their stuff if you call them. They have a great online catalog. I also bought their Archetypes in life and literature unit and am tempted to buy their utopian and dystopian lit unit...

 

 

ETA: this is actually a high school level course, but you could easily adjust it

 

 

a

[lisabees]

Thank you! Can you tell me why you liked it?

[asta]

Thank you! Can you tell me why you liked it?

 

I haven't had a chance to use it yet - I bought it for next year (we're still going through LLfLotR). Reading through it, though, it looks good.

 

 

a

[lisabees]

I haven't had a chance to use it yet - I bought it for next year (we're still going through LLfLotR). Reading through it, though, it looks good.

 

 

a

 

Thanks. I wish I could see samples.

 

Anyone else?

[swimmermom3]

I bought an entire curriculum unit for the Chronicles of Narnia from the Center for Learning.

 

It is primarily secular, but it does have a very brief section (1 page per book) for "biblical allusions", which I find reasonable as that is what the Chronicles are.

 

The Center for Learning is a small company that primarily serves the school market, but they will sell you any of their stuff if you call them. They have a great online catalog. I also bought their Archetypes in life and literature unit and am tempted to buy their utopian and dystopian lit unit...

 

 

ETA: this is actually a high school level course, but you could easily adjust it

 

a

 

Asta, I:001_wub: you. I asked about The Center for Learning a while back and didn't get any answers. I actually found them while looking for a secular study for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe but didn't see it for the entire Chronicles. The few samples I looked at for other books appeared to be quite good. I am hoping that is the case.

 

Lisa, I found an inexpensive copy of Further Up, Further In. Even if I removed the considerable amount of Biblical studies in it, it would still be an enjoyable unit study. Just a thought.

[lisabees]

Asta, I:001_wub: you. I asked about The Center for Learning a while back and didn't get any answers. I actually found them while looking for a secular study for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe but didn't see it for the entire Chronicles. The few samples I looked at for other books appeared to be quite good. I am hoping that is the case.

 

Lisa, I found an inexpensive copy of Further Up, Further In. Even if I removed the considerable amount of Biblical studies in it, it would still be an enjoyable unit study. Just a thought.

 

Ooooh - thank you for this information! :001_smile:

[swimmermom3]

Further Up, Further In: A Literature Based Unit Study utilizing C.C. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia

The Basics

The study is designed for grades 4-8 and covers most disciplines with the exception of math, grammar, and spelling. The author says most of the work can be done independently.

 

Organization: The way the study is laid out should make it easy to schedule. There are 7 units, one for each book. You would cover one book per month and roughly a chapter a day for 4 days a week with the 5th day for catch-up work. It is suggested that you do the books in order.

 

Overview: To give you an idea of what’s covered, I’ll run through The Magician’s Nephew, Chaps. 1-4.

1. The Planning Guide covers 4 chapters or a week’s worth of assignments and contains the following:

a. Basic resources: Bible, book, notebooks, dictionary, art supplies

b. Literary works: for this section it included the short story, “The Speckled Band,†books featuring the Bastables, Little Women, Treasure Island

c. Science: biography of a scientist, Solargraphics paper kit, Into the Forest food chain game.

d. One chapter of Proverbs for each day

e. Suggested research topics: vacuum cleaner invention, India, photography, biographies of scientists, Atlantis, Solar system, balance of nature, ecology, food chain, sound waves

f. Suggested videos, field trips, and memorization

 

2. Worksheets – The worksheets for this week include a character list where the student keeps track of characters as they appear and then tells who or what they represent. You could extend this exercise by pulling the lesson on symbolism from Figuratively Speaking for lit analysis. There is a worksheet where the student examines the people affected by Digory’s mistakes, the consequences and whether it’s good or bad. The final worksheet has 32 questions for the science part on Sound Study.

 

3. Study Guide

a. Vocabulary - The student begins most days or chapters with vocabulary words. This section’s words are: immigrant, cistern, emigrant, bachelor, coiner, feeble, pantomime, vain, indignant, godmother, chivalry, preposterous, jaw (slang), adept, pluck, mortal, majestic, and obstinate. Students look up the words and write the definitions. They skim chapters to find sentence with one particular word. When they write down the sentence, they must footnote appropriately. Finally, there is a usage section where they fill in the blank with the correct right word.

[swimmermom3]

b. Assignments – One thing I tried to look for was if there was a pattern that you could rely on for the week, like mostly Bible on Tuesday and science on Wednesday, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. I’ll list a few of the assignments from different subjects so you can get a feel for what is required.

 

Arts – Watch a video or liver performance of a mime and make an art project using solargraphic paper. Other assignments on include making a mural of a particular scene, draw Narnia as it looked from the air. It is suggested at the beginning that you use Mona Brooks’ Drawing with Children at the beginning of each month or book to focus on learning a new art skill.

 

Bible – There is a considerable amount of Bible work. It usually starts with discussing a scene in the book such as where Polly is tempted by the beauty of the magic rings. After that, there are several Bible readings relating to temptation and some discussion questions.

 

History – For history the student might look up C.S. Lewis and read about his life, write about an interview with child’s grandparent, read in the encyclopedia about ink bottles and vacuum cleaners, look at early photographs (relates to scene in book) and read abut photography, look at some photos of Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament and learn about what has taken place there in the past.

 

English – There is some literary analysis. For example, the student is told that in the second paragraph of the book there are two clues that the book is fiction. C.S. Lewis speaks of the Bastables and Sherlock Holmes as though they were real people. It’s recommended that the student read the first chapter of the books mentioned in The Magician’s Nephew and then decide if they would like to read one. Allegory and parable are defined and tied to the Bible and C.S. Lewis’ work. Writing options include writing an imaginary story about how the box made its way from Atlntis to Uncle Andrew. Quotes and single quotation marks are introduced, then the student writes a conversation between self and another character.

 

Critical Thinking – Defining coercion and looking at who used it. What pressure, threats, or intimidation were used? Did it work? Are there people who are free from common rules?

 

Science – What is the purpose of birds, insects, animals, and wind in the pollination process? Draw a food chain using animals that live in your area. Play the game, Into the Forest. Read about sound and sound waves – this is in relation to the quietness in chapter 4.

 

Social Studies – What are the different denominations of British money? Who is on the coins and bills? Which is worth more, the dollar or the pound?

 

If I were burned out, wanting to do something different, didn’t feel pressured by an existing academic agenda, and needed everything laid out for me, I think this would be a worthwhile study especially for the grades listed.

 

In the appendices the subjects covered are listed and the instructions for numerous activities are included. Recommended Readings include works such as “The Bellsâ€, scenes from Hamlet, poetry from Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Browning, and Jack London’s “How to Build a Fire.â€

[lisabees]

Wow Lisa!!! Did you write that all out for me? That was awesome. Thank you for all of the details. :001_smile: Sure looks thorough!

 

And to think I just wanted to do some lit analysis on the book! :lol:

 

I will have to investigate this further!

[swimmermom3]

Wow Lisa!!! Did you write that all out for me? That was awesome. Thank you for all of the details. :001_smile: Sure looks thorough!

 

And to think I just wanted to do some lit analysis on the book! :lol:

 

I will have to investigate this further!

 

Lisa, I had written it out for another board member but figured it might help you make a decision. When I first got it, I wasn't too enthusiastic since I wanted a more secular approach. Well, you can only go so far with "secular" regarding the Chronicles, but you know what I mean. Going through the book to give an overview sparked some new ideas for me which I am excited to implement with all my kids this summer. The older kids conduct evening family reading sessions and literary discussions during the summer. This was my daughter's idea after she saw her brother's state test reading results last year. "Mom, how can anyone in this family fail the lit analysis portion?" Actually that's fairly easy if the child only reads Calvin & Hobbes, The Far Side, and The Simpsons.

 

While I don't know that I have the time left with the youngest one to devote to a unit study, I had never seen one put together before and appreciated an opportunity to see a well-done one. What I need is another child to home school.:D

[Capt_Uhura]

Asta or anyone else, can you provide a link to the Chronicles of Narnia materials at Center for Learning Website? I tried searching for it but nothing came up.

 

Thanks,

Capt_Uhura

[swimmermom3]

When I had looked previously all I could find was the one for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was disappointing to see that character development was the primary focus for a book that is so rich in literary technique. It is paired with A Wrinkle in Time.

[Jen+4dc]

When I had looked previously all I could find was the one for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was disappointing to see that character development was the primary focus for a book that is so rich in literary technique. It is paired with A Wrinkle in Time.

 

thread hijack, maybe??;) Sorry.

 

How does this one compare with FUFI?? Which one would you choose? I don't need something secular but I'm not using this to teach worldview, I'm looking for literary analysis. (obviously, by our previous conversations about LLfLOTR).:D

[swimmermom3]

thread hijack, maybe??;) Sorry.

 

How does this one compare with FUFI?? Which one would you choose? I don't need something secular but I'm not using this to teach worldview, I'm looking for literary analysis. (obviously, by our previous conversations about LLfLOTR).:D

 

I don't know for sure. Here is the description for The Center for Learning:

 

Activities:

Students identify methods of character development, enhance vocabulary, and compare written/film versions. They also develop imaginative what-if premises, write an original fantasy, and role-play.

Supplementary activities include an objective test with answer key and essay topics.

 

 

 

Maybe I am just so darn jaded with regards to the literary analysis out there but this really seems lacking in depth to me. In my experience, "character development" is the fall-back exercise when a curriculum developer doesn't want to put a lot of effort into a project. However, they are covering two books and I suppose you do need a narrower focus.

 

 

 

Further Up, Further In is a unit study so the only thing you add to it is your math, spelling, and grammar. If I were looking for strictly literary analysis, I would check with Lori D. and see if she has any recommendations. If I were looking for a break from the usual, I would definitely go with Further Up, Further In. The literary analysis isn't intense but it is there and you can build on it easily.

 

 

I think 8FillTheHeart is going to use Further Up, Further In this year; I would be interested to hear her take on it when she gets into it.

[Jen+4dc]

Maybe I am just so darn jaded with regards to the literary analysis out there but this really seems lacking in depth to me. In my experience, "character development" is the fall-back exercise when a curriculum developer doesn't want to put a lot of effort into a project. However, they are covering two books and I suppose you do need a narrower focus.

 

Further Up, Further In is a unit study so the only thing you add to it is your math, spelling, and grammar. If I were looking for strictly literary analysis, I would check with Lori D. and see if she has any recommendations. If I were looking for a break from the usual, I would definitely go with Further Up, Further In. The literary analysis isn't intense but it is there and you can build on it easily.

 

 

I think 8FillTheHeart is going to use Further Up, Further In this year; I would be interested to hear her take on it when she gets into it.

 

I totally agree on character development, it's important but not the only thing.

 

Thanks Lisa!