Jeff Baldwin's Great Books v. Great Books Academy???

[Hoggirl]

Can anyone compare these two programs for me? I must admit that the semester-bounded guides from Great Books Academy at $45 each seem a much better value than the individual guides Great Books.com. But, do you get what you pay for?

 

Has anyone used the resources from Great Books Academy? If so, how do you do history with them?

 

I know this is supposed to be easier than it is, but it is scaring me to death! The WTM makes it sound so simple, but it just doesn't seem that way to me.

[Lori D.]

Can anyone compare these two programs for me? I must admit that the semester-bounded guides from Great Books Academy

 

 

We are only familiar with some of the The Great Books (http://www.thegreatbooks.com) individual guides. They are different from your standard literature guide.

 

Individual lit. guides, depending on which one you use, focus on literary analysis through such things as chapter summaries, comprehension and/or discussion questions, vocabulary list/work, possible teaching text on literary elements, writing assignments, etc.

 

In contrast, The Great Books guides are a series of questions and answers like a guided discussion, with the focus specifically on worldview or philosophical view, and comparing/contrasting the worldview of the work with Christian worldview. Specific Scriptures are mentioned at points in the answers. No literary elements are discussed, and the work is not analyzed through symbolism, theme, characterization, etc.

 

We have had varying degrees of success with The Great Books guides. The guide for Beowulf was outstanding. The one for Billy Budd was helpful. The ones on Emerson and on Thoreau were difficult to use (we weren't reading full works by either essayist, just excerpts; and it was difficult to find the parts of the essays being discussed in the guides). Overall, we have found them to be a nice break from the usual lit. guides we use (Sparknotes and Glencoe Literature Library free online guides; Garlic Press publisher's Discovering Literature series; Progeny Press guides; LLATL Gold lit. programs; etc.) to look at literature with a different focus.

 

 

 

I know this is supposed to be easier than it is, but it is scaring me to death! The WTM makes it sound so simple, but it just doesn't seem that way to me.

 

 

Just to encourage you, Cynthia: any new curriculum or program can seem very intimidating as you're trying to figure it out and learn how to make it work in YOUR homeschool setting. Once you get going, you and your student(s) will figure out the "rhythm" of how to make a WTM Great Books study work for you. These past threads might be helpful as you get started:

 

Nan in Mass et.al. (very helpful thread with people sharing how they specifically DO a Great Books study)

Realistic use of WEM for high school

Questions about how you do literature with your high school students

 

Also, you might want to look at the Excellence in Literature programs, and IEW's Windows to the World program as helpful "handholding" programs as you get started.

 

Once I figure out what our literature will be for the year, I just gather lots of guides (sometimes 2, 3, even 4 guides per work!), and keep them handy as my "safety net". This past year was our third in doing literature along the lines of WTM, and we only skimmed through the guides for any info or questions we missed in reading/discussing amongst ourselves. We're getting pretty good at discussing, finding themes and worldviews, etc.! You'll gain confidence, too, once you have a few books under your belt. :) BEST of luck for a wonderful Great Books journey! Warmest regards, Lori D.