Ok - here's what I want. Does it exist?

[Heather in VA]

I want a literature program that reads full books. I want there to be questions, worksheets, maybe projects or writing assignments to go with the books. I don't want a stack of study guides - I want it to be one program. I want it not to be all history stuff, in fact no history would be great. Just regular literature. I want the books to be specified. I don't want to run around trying to find a bunch of books that fit particular catagories. I want the focus to be the books, not a grammar program in disguise. I'm looking for mid-elementary. Basically I want something like First Favorites for older kids or Lightining Literature for younger kids.

 

Oh - and I looked at Drawn into the heart of Reading. It doesn't look at all like what I'm looking for.

 

HELP!!!

[Guest jackie_roberts_1999]

Have you ever looked at Learning Language Arts Through Literature?? It is not totally about literature, but each grade level has four book studies and there are units/lessons in the workbook that you have to have read the books to answer questions and write things about them. I like them because it is all in one deal. spelling, grammar, vocabulary, writing, and reading. There is a book list in the back for suggested readers, but each one has a set of four books and studies on each one. The cheapest place I have found them is www.rainbowresource.com. Each grade level is a color. Hope that helps.

 

There is also another one called total language plus. It is a whole workbook on one book. The only bad thing is that there are not a lot of books to choose from in the younger grades and I don't think they have anything younger than 3rd. They have their own website. I did like the way it looked, but I have not used it yet.

[Melissa B]

Beyond Five in a Row?

[HollyinNNV]

What about Progeny Press? They have a buy 4 get 1 free special right now.

Holly

[Heather in VA]

Beyond Five in a Row?

 

I don't know much about this one. Have you used it?

 

Heather

[Debbie in OR]

How about Living Books Curriculum (www.livingbookscurriculum.com) or Beautiful Feet books (www.bfbooks.com)?

[Julie]

You might check out Teaching The Classics, you could adapt it to whatever your reading. Although they don't offer projects, their lit. analysis is great.

 

Julie

[Karen in CO]

What about the Junior Great books? You used to be able to order samples of their material. They provide good discussion questions and really focus on reading comprehension with activities and some writing.

[yslek]

My friend uses a program called Total Language Plus (I think:tongue_smilie:), which she switched to after using LLATL for several years. She really likes it. Based on what she has told me about it, it sounds exactly like what you're looking for.

 

HTH

Kelsy

[angela in ohio]

See, now this is the curriculum I've been thinking of writing. Do you think there's a market for it?

 

I was going to come up with some sort of customizable curriculum where you could pick the books from a list (I hate looking at a curriculum only to realize dc have read half of the books,) and I would package it with a schedule for those books and make sure all literary elements were covered for the year among those books, but also have questions of different sorts, activities, etc. My dear friend has been encouraging me to just do it for years. It would be a little late to help you, though.

[genie]

K12's Literature program sounds just like what you are describing. It is packaged with grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and composition, but I would pay for the package for just the literature alone. Some of the classics are abridged versions (Robinson Crusoe, Don Quixote) but they are quality versions. All of the books can be purchased as a package, except for the 3 or 4 novels of your choosing. How that works is that they have a list of probably about 30 or 40 novels that you can choose from. The "lit guides" for these are all online and available to you. So you pick the ones you want to use and they are entered into your online schedule. There are 180 total literature lessons per year, so this year we haven't done any of the extra novels because we were only doing literature 3 days per week at the beginning of the year.

 

Anyway, if you have any questions, let me know.

[Sue G in PA]

:iagree: I liked that the list of novels had a Lexicon level associated w/ it so I could choose or let dd choose only those that I felt would challenge her. Great books and discussion questions. It is pricey and does come w/ all the extras as Genie said, but the grammar, spelling and vocab program isn't bad. Grammar uses the Voyages in English workbooks, Wordly Wise for vocab, their own spelling program that is quite good, etc. It does sound like what you are looking for!

[OnTheBrink]

See, now this is the curriculum I've been thinking of writing. Do you think there's a market for it?

 

I was going to come up with some sort of customizable curriculum where you could pick the books from a list (I hate looking at a curriculum only to realize dc have read half of the books,) and I would package it with a schedule for those books and make sure all literary elements were covered for the year among those books, but also have questions of different sorts, activities, etc. My dear friend has been encouraging me to just do it for years. It would be a little late to help you, though.

 

Get crackin' missy! I'm waiting for this very thing! :toetap05:

[Heather in VA]

See, now this is the curriculum I've been thinking of writing. Do you think there's a market for it?

 

I was going to come up with some sort of customizable curriculum where you could pick the books from a list (I hate looking at a curriculum only to realize dc have read half of the books,) and I would package it with a schedule for those books and make sure all literary elements were covered for the year among those books, but also have questions of different sorts, activities, etc. My dear friend has been encouraging me to just do it for years. It would be a little late to help you, though.

 

OH YES!!! There is definately a market for it. If you get on the stick you can have it done for my youngest :-). Seriously though, I think it would be great. Every year I wish for something like this and every year I end up with some kind of pale imitation.

[Heather in VA]

K12's Literature program sounds just like what you are describing. It is packaged with grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and composition, but I would pay for the package for just the literature alone. Some of the classics are abridged versions (Robinson Crusoe, Don Quixote) but they are quality versions. All of the books can be purchased as a package, except for the 3 or 4 novels of your choosing. How that works is that they have a list of probably about 30 or 40 novels that you can choose from. The "lit guides" for these are all online and available to you. So you pick the ones you want to use and they are entered into your online schedule. There are 180 total literature lessons per year, so this year we haven't done any of the extra novels because we were only doing literature 3 days per week at the beginning of the year.

 

Anyway, if you have any questions, let me know.

 

Interesting, I've never looked at K12. I'll have to take a look.

 

Thanks!!

[Heather in VA]

What about the Junior Great books? You used to be able to order samples of their material. They provide good discussion questions and really focus on reading comprehension with activities and some writing.

 

Oh I remember this program from when I was in school - although it may have just be 'Great Books' then. I went online and ordered a sample.

[ClassicMom]

See, now this is the curriculum I've been thinking of writing. Do you think there's a market for it?

 

I was going to come up with some sort of customizable curriculum where you could pick the books from a list (I hate looking at a curriculum only to realize dc have read half of the books,) and I would package it with a schedule for those books and make sure all literary elements were covered for the year among those books, but also have questions of different sorts, activities, etc. My dear friend has been encouraging me to just do it for years. It would be a little late to help you, though.

 

Angela,

I think you would be great at this! :iagree:

 

Behind you 100%!!

 

Blessings,

Candace

[Melissa B]

Heather,

 

Sorry, I have never used Beyond Five in a Row. It just popped into my head as a program that uses whole books and fits into that space between First Favorites and Lightning Literature.

[Stacy in NJ]

I've come to the conclusion that my options are to either just read the same book as my child and then discuss it with him as we go, or purchase a lit program like Mosdos, which isn't whole books, but does exlusively cover lit.

 

If you find what you're looking for, let me know.:001_smile:

[Heather in VA]

I've come to the conclusion that my options are to either just read the same book as my child and then discuss it with him as we go, or purchase a lit program like Mosdos, which isn't whole books, but does exlusively cover lit.

 

If you find what you're looking for, let me know.:001_smile:

 

 

I'm starting to think the same thing. I'll look at Mosdos.

 

Thanks

Heather

[mom31257]

I know you don't want a set of books, but we LOVE BJU Booklinks. There are about 3 per grade level and we've done them for 3 years now. The set comes with a novel, a teacher guide, and a folder. It's not very much as far as taking up space. The teacher guide has vocabulary and comprehension questions on each chapter, with reproducible worksheets at the end, covering lots of topics in literature and even going across the subjects. The folder has art, science, even cooking type projects to do with certain chapters. One book we read this year was "The Bridge". I literally cried when we read it together, because of remorse the main character felt over harsh words spoken to someone who died defending them. Most are fiction, but there was a biography in third grade and next year will have fiction set in a historical time period (WWII).

 

Hope this might help!

[Melissa B]

I am going to be using Literary Reflections published by the College of William and Mary this year. I hesitate to recommend it since this will be the first year I have used their curriculum. Here are the books it covers (copied from the website.)

 

 

 

Student Readings

 

Novels/Books

The Secret Garden; Frances H. Bumett (Lessons 3,6,12,19,20)

Year of Impossible Goodbyes; Sook Nyul Choi (Lessons 3,19)

Underrunners; Margaret Maky (Lessons 3,19,20)

Words by Heart; Ouida Sebestyen (Lessons 3,19,20)

Taking Sides; Gary Soto (Lessons 3,19,20)

Call It Courage; Armstrong Sperry (Lessons 3,19,20)

 

Short Stories

"The Power of Light"; Isaac B. Singer (Lessons 1,6)

"The Old Man and His Affectionate Son" (Lesson 13)

"The Tongue-cut Sparrow" (Lesson 15)

"Poor People"; Leo Tolstoy (Lesson 24)

 

Poems

"Dream Deferred"; Langston Hughes (Lessons 4,9,17)

"We Live by What We See at Night"; Martin Espada (Lesson 7)

"Border Towns"; Roberto Durcin (Lesson 7)

"The Habit of Movement"; Judith Ortiz Cofer (Lesson 7)

"Monument in Black"; Vanessa Howard (Lesson 9)

"Good Morning"; Langston Hughes (Lessons 9,17)

"I never saw a moor..."; Emily Dickinson (Lesson 12)

"Presentiment is..."; Emily Dickinson (Lessons 16,17)

"Funny to be..."; Emily Dickinson (Lessons 16,17)

"The morns are meeker than..."; Emily Dickinson (Lessons 16,17)

"It sifts from leaden..."; Emily Dickinson (Lessons 16,17)

"Dear March, come..."; Emily Dickinson (Lessons 16,17)

"I'm Nobody!..."; Emily Dickinson (Lesson 17)

 

Resources

The Story of Emily Dickinson; Edna Barth (Lesson 17)

Emily; Michael Bedard (Lesson 17)

Coming Home: From the Life of Langston Hughes; Floyd Cooper (Lessons 9,17)

Langston Hughes: Poet of the Harlem Renaissance; Christine M. Hill (Lessons 9,17)

Emily Dickinson; Victoria Olsen (Lesson 17)

Where the Sun Will Never Go Down; Chanticleer (Lesson 9)

Negro Spirituals; Moses Hogan Chorale (Lesson 9)

Amazing Grace: American Hymns & Spirituals; Robert Shaw Festival Singers (Lesson 9)

The Secret Garden; Original Broadway Recording (Lesson 20)

 

Optional Extensions

Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl (Lesson 1)

Number the Stars; Lois Lowry (Lesson 1)

All the Colors of the Race; Ed. Arnold Adoff (Lesson 9)

Bronzeville Boys and Girls; Gwendolyn Brooks (Lesson 9)

My Daddy Is a Cool Dude; Karama Fufuka (Lesson 9)

Honey, I Love, and Other Love Poems; Eloise Greenfield (Lesson 9)

On Our Way: Poems of Pride and Love; Compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins (Lesson 9)

A Little Princess; Frances H. Burnett (Lesson 12)

Poor Richard's Almanac; Benjamin Franklin (Lesson 15)

 

 

http://www.kendallhunt.com/samples/191.html

 

 

 

 

If I like it I will be using the next guide - Patterns of Change next year. I do like the look of next year's book list (again copied from the website.)

 

Student readings

 

NOVELS

 

The Watsons Go to Birmingham

 

A Wrinkle in Time

 

Bridge to Terabithia

 

A Long Way from Chicago

 

Maniac Magee

 

My Daniel

 

SHORT STORIES/ESSAYS

 

The Helpful Badger

 

A Bouquet of Wild Flowers

 

Walking

 

POEMS

 

New feet within my garden go

 

On the Pulse of Morning (excerpt)

 

all ignorance toboggans into know

 

In the Windowsill

 

Frequently the woods are pink

 

As children bid the guest goodnight

 

The Wind Was Blowing West

 

Buffalo Dusk

 

Below

 

When forty winters shall besiege thy brow

 

Little Gidding (excerpt)

 

 

 

AUTHOR

 

Christopher Paul Curtis Madeleine L'Engle Katherine Paterson Richard Peck Jerry Spinelli Pam Conrad

 

AUTHOR

 

Laurence Yep Laura Ingalls Wilder Linda Hogan

 

AUTHOR

 

Emily Dickinson Maya Angelou e.e. cummings Mary Pleiss Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson Joseph Ceravolo Carl Sandburg Joseph Bruchac William Shakespeare T. S. Eliot

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am also planning to have my children do a couple of their individual novel studies each year. Several are available for free online.

 

http://cfge.wm.edu/curr_language.htm

 

Scroll down to Navigators Available Online for the free literature guides.

[MIch elle]

I had Mosdos Pearl and sold it unused.

 

I highly recommend CLE reading; it's a 15 week course that uses a reader with short stories (not abridged) and poetry with 5 workbooks (15 lessons/workbook).

 

Here's what's covered in CLE reading 8:

 

SUNRISE READING 800 – Where Roads Diverge

801

Analyzing story characters

Working with the Latin word roots

annus, quattuor, and junctum

Identifying setting in a story

Defining and identifying foreshadowing

Identifying figurative language:

metaphor, personification, simile

Understanding and identifying allusions

Considering the results of respecting

older people

Understanding and identifying conflict

Relating characters’ actions to “where

roads divergeâ€

Understanding what an essay is

Identifying the theme of an essay and

a story

Interpreting unusual figures of speech

Rewriting a passage to eliminate a figure of speech

Identifying the lessons taught in a

fable

Identifying the theme of a fable

Identifying paraphrases

Paraphrasing passages

Identifying personification

Extracting lessons from characters’

mistakes and examples

Identifying the parts of plot: conflict,

crisis, climax, resolution

Labeling a plot map for a story

Understanding and identifying prejudice in story characters

Identifying a strategy for avoiding

wrong judging

Interpreting symbolism in literature

Considering anger as a response to

stimuli

Considering and identifying satire

Identifying the main ideas of paragraphs

Writing the main idea of a paragraph

Interpreting a metaphor from a

Scripture verse

Gaining information from letters, dialogue, and narrative

Identifying allusions

Comparing a character’s situation to a

Bible character’s

Identifying the main points of stanzas

of poetry

Identifying summaries of stanzas of

poetry

Marking the rhyme scheme of a poem

Identifying eye rhyme

Contrasting two characters

Interpreting the meaning of a poem

Applying the message of a poem to

life

802

Identifying first- and third-person narrators

Considering how point of view helps

develop a story

Identifying characters as static or

dynamic

Identifying a selection as romantic or

realistic

Identifying the theme of a selection

Determining the likely veracity of statements

Analyzing a poem’s structure

Identifying beautiful language in a poem

Working with the Latin roots jactum and

dentis

Identifying the possible varying sides of

a story

Interpreting description

Analyzing character in relation to

‘‘where roads divergeâ€

Analyzing how characters took responsibility

Analyzing setting

Identifying foreshadowing

Applying principles from the story to life

Interpreting passages from an essay

Inferring from the essay

Identifying onomatopoeia

Marking the rhyme scheme of a poem

Identifying similes

Identifying a paradox

Interpreting poetry

Comparing a poem and an essay

Identifying mood-creating words in a

poem

Telling why the first person to declare

his cause usually seems right

Understanding unity in a poem

Writing an additional stanza for a poem

Marking meter in a poem

Learning the term iamb

Identifying the thesis of an essay

Identifying examples that support the

thesis

Identifying the double meaning of a title

Working with the French root para

Comparing characters’ actions to

Scripture passages

Determining character traits from actions

Interpreting symbols in a story

Using context clues to determine word

meanings

Identifying the elements of setting

Interpreting and applying Bible verses

Identifying an allusion

Identifying proper response to life situations

803

Identifying a story frame

Telling how a character obeyed a Bible

command

Telling how someone could have better

obeyed a command

Defining denotation and connotation

Identifying the denotation and connotation of words

Identifying the climax of a story

Determining the broad setting of a story

Working with the Greek roots biblos

and philos

Identifying reasons for characters’ feelings

Interpreting figurative language

Describing how different views of the

same thing can be both right and

wrong

Choosing the most likely correct view of

an incident

Identifying the lesson taught by folktales

Describing the characteristics of folktales

Comparing two versions of a folktale

Determining word meanings from context clues

Inferring details from the story

Identifying character qualities from

characters’ actions

Paraphrasing text from the story

Interpreting an allegory

Summarizing a list of items

Identifying a statement that best states

the idea of a number of statements

Interpreting symbolism

Describing the results of jealousy and

envy

Analyzing characters’ actions in light of

“where roads divergeâ€

Identifying irony

Thinking clearly about disagreements

Tracing the internal conflict in a story

Identifying a character as static or

dynamic

Working with the Latin root centum

Understanding the reasons for a character’s actions

Identifying an allusion

Understanding stereotypes

Identifying indications of prejudice

Explaining the irony in a statement

Applying a verse to the story

Paraphrasing a poem

Interpreting symbolism in a poem

Identifying the main idea of a stanza of

poetry

Learning the term anecdote

Identifying the keyword in an anecdote

804

Identifying problem-solving skills

Identifying actions that show persistence, observation, and understanding

Identifying protagonist and antagonist

Relating setting to mood

Identifying character traits from actions

Identifying the elements of plot: conflict,

climax, resolution

Working with the Greek root hydro

Analyzing a character’s actions in light

of ‘‘where roads divergeâ€

Explaining how “talk leads to penuryâ€

Identifying the resolution of the story

Determining word meanings from context clues

Paraphrasing lines of poetry

Explaining the poem title

Identifying mood or atmosphere of stanzas of poetry

Identifying the theme of a poem

Matching paraphrases to lines of poetry

Completing two parodies of a poem

Identifying four types of fallacies in

thinking

Marking rhyme scheme and rhythm

Identifying alliteration in a poem

Identifying the moral

Paraphrasing a verse

Working with the Latin roots terra and

pedis

Identifying unfair judgments

Determining character by observing

actions

Identifying couplets

Identifying refrains

Telling how a refrain affects the mood

of a poem

Identifying irony

Identifying the theme of several verses

Matching a popular saying to a proverb

from Proverbs

Explaining the meaning of unusual

phrases

Identifying foreshadowing

Analyzing character in light of the story

verse

Noting the descriptive language used to

describe setting

Inferring details from the story

Matching figures of speech to their

meanings

Describing aspects of the story setting

Explaining characters’ actions

805

Determining meanings of words from

context clues

Inferring details from the story

Analyzing characters’ actions in light of

“where roads divergeâ€

Understanding the historical background and setting

Identifying four types of fallacious thinking

Comparing and contrasting two characters

Considering how others can stereotype

you and your family

Relating setting and mood

Identifying the double plot of a story

Identifying the theme of a story

Considering the effect of one’s actions

on others

Matching lines of poetry to paraphrases

Identifying the theme of a poem

Paraphrasing lines of poetry

Matching lines of poetry to anecdotes

that illustrate them

Identifying foreshadowing

Determining character from actions

Identifying how different characters

would respond

Identifying “victim†and “overcomerâ€

responses

Identifying how characters obeyed a

Bible commandment

Defining parallel

Identifying three types of parallelism in

Hebrew poetry

Identifying the meanings of stanzas of

poetry

Identifying an implication of the poem

Identifying the part of the plot

Working with the theme of the story

Identifying a character as an “overcomer†or a “victimâ€

Identifying protagonists, antagonist, and

conflicts

Explaining irony in story events

Drawing lessons from story events

[Mamabyrd]

I had Mosdos Pearl and sold it unused.

 

I highly recommend CLE reading; it's a 15 week course that uses a reader with short stories (not abridged) and poetry with 5 workbooks (15 lessons/workbook).

 

 

 

 

If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you like Mosdos? I've been swinging back and forth between these two programs. Well, I just ordered and received Mosdos but I'm having second thoughts...

[MIch elle]

I loved the beautiful artwork/illustrations in the Mosdos textbook/reader but I didn't like that it was large and heavy. I bought it used on ebay so it wasn't the expense (it's EXPENSIVE); I had the TM & SM. I don't like abridged stories, it was too teacher intensive and didn't cover half of what CLE reading covers.

 

HTH,

[LNC]

Someone PLEASE write this! I would love a program like this! Seriously - there is a huge need.

 

The Veritas and Logos novel guides are wonderful in their own way, but a program that includes several novels each year would be outstanding. A wide variety of exercises, projects and worksheets would be great also.

[Mamabyrd]

I loved the beautiful artwork/illustrations in the Mosdos textbook/reader but I didn't like that it was large and heavy. I bought it used on ebay so it wasn't the expense (it's EXPENSIVE); I had the TM & SM. I don't like abridged stories, it was too teacher intensive and didn't cover half of what CLE reading covers.

 

HTH,

 

 

AAARRGGG..... I try and research to avoid curricula mistakes. I swung back and forth for weeks between CLE and Mosdos. Looking at the Mosdos samples, it seemed to have what I wanted and seemed easy to do. I JUST received it yesterday afternoon. I bought the whole package - teacher manuals, student text and student workbook. It DOES, in fact, cover all the literary elements, genres and teaches analysis; I have no complaint with the content. My problem is that I already have novels that I want to cover and I was looking for something to do on a daily basis between the book discussions/guides I will do with my dd. Looking at the Mosdos I can tell that it will be too much. It is very extensive and a lot is covered. Because of co-op, we will be doing school only 4 days per week and there is no way I can finish this program.

 

I hate expensive mistakes. CLE would probably have suited my needs better.

[Carol in Cal.]

In the early years, it uses excerpts from good books. Sampled selections include The Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, and others. It does use complete folk tales and short stories, and some poetry.

 

It is a program which I think is better suited to a coop setting than an individual one--very discussion oriented, at least through about the 5th grade level.

 

I recently purchased some studies from Total Language Plus that might suit your needs. They are definately more literary and less 'language artsy' than other programs that I have seen. They have some Christian content. I like them, but they are kind of pricey--around $20/book studies. Have not used them yet, but I bought the ones for "Rifles for Watie" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" to try with DD, 11. The first will probably be a little easy for her, and the second quite challenging (recommended for high school). I may just study TKAM with her lightly this year and return to study it in depth at the high school level later, using that guide.

[MIch elle]

use it over 2 years. If you really like Mosdos then use it over 2 yrs.; you have 3 dc so you could use it for them over the years :001_smile:

 

Good Luck!:D

[Donna T.]

We haven't used Total Language Plus yet, but I plan to pick up one of the gudies when I go to convention in a few weeks. I've looked at the samples and they look great.

[VanessaS]

If you build it they will come. That sounds like a great idea!