Memoria Press guides for Iliad and Odyssey - anyone seen them?

[Hoggirl]

I seem to need/want multiple guides for everything we are reading. I always felt like their guides that went along with their Famous Men series were tedious, but these are, obviously, geared toward an older audience and are different types of books.

 

I don't want too workbooky.

[Melissa B]

The layout is similar to the Famous Men study guides. Each book (chapter) has the people/places to identify, comprehension questions, discussion questions, quotes to discuss. There are also passages for memorization and exams (3 for the Iliad and 3 for the Odyssey.)

[Hoggirl]

The layout is similar to the Famous Men study guides. Each book (chapter) has the people/places to identify, comprehension questions, discussion questions, quotes to discuss. There are also passages for memorization and exams (3 for the Iliad and 3 for the Odyssey.)

 

Are they "literary?" Do they have analysis or are they mostly comprehension?

Thanks!

[Melissa B]

Are they "literary?" Do they have analysis or are they mostly comprehension?

Thanks!

 

Well, I'm very like you in using multiple resources.:) Reading the Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid are a very large part of our school year this year.

 

 

The MP guide is mostly comprehension and that is why I use it. One thing I especially like is the vocabulary section. (What I'm about to say is my own assumption, I've NEVER seen it stated anywhere,) but I think that Highlands Latin school (MP) puts a lot of emphasis on scoring well on standardized tests and the guides are developed with that in mind. I helped my cousin prepare for the GRE this past summer and found an inordinate number of the vocabulary words were words my children had to memorize from the MP guides. And we've only used the elementary level guides! So I'll use the MP guide to build vocabulary, check comprehension, assign memory work passages and give tests. This is the first year my eldest will receive a progress report with grades (from me.) So I also really like having the tests available.

 

For additional depth and breadth we will be using the Teaching Company CDs on the three works by Vandiver along with the TC Famous Greeks DVDs that cover Agamemnon, Achilles, Hector and Odysseus. I also have the Kolbe literature guides which cover much more as far as discussion of themes and questions of morality and also includes essay prompts. And in case that isn't enough, I have the unit from Excellence in Literature and the suggestions from History Odyssey Ancients 3 on reading the Iliad and Odyssey along with additional essay suggestions. :D (In my defense, I didn't buy either of the last two for the purpose of studying these three books. I already owned them and they just happen to cover the books we are studying this year.)

[In The Great White North]

How long is the Iliad and the Odyssey Guide?

 

Has anyone compared them to Rutherford's Greek Classics: Questions for the Thinker? (I have one of these, but the second one order was canceled - out of stock. Having looked through it, I found that dd(14) would only be using about 50 of the 200 pages, so I'm thinking about getting her a different Iliad and Odyssey guide instead.)

Edited August 26, 2010 by In The Great White North

[Hoggirl]

Well, I'm very like you in using multiple resources.:) Reading the Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid are a very large part of our school year this year.

 

 

The MP guide is mostly comprehension and that is why I use it. One thing I especially like is the vocabulary section. (What I'm about to say is my own assumption, I've NEVER seen it stated anywhere,) but I think that Highlands Latin school (MP) puts a lot of emphasis on scoring well on standardized tests and the guides are developed with that in mind. I helped my cousin prepare for the GRE this past summer and found an inordinate number of the vocabulary words were words my children had to memorize from the MP guides. And we've only used the elementary level guides! So I'll use the MP guide to build vocabulary, check comprehension, assign memory work passages and give tests. This is the first year my eldest will receive a progress report with grades (from me.) So I also really like having the tests available.

 

For additional depth and breadth we will be using the Teaching Company CDs on the three works by Vandiver along with the TC Famous Greeks DVDs that cover Agamemnon, Achilles, Hector and Odysseus. I also have the Kolbe literature guides which cover much more as far as discussion of themes and questions of morality and also includes essay prompts. And in case that isn't enough, I have the unit from Excellence in Literature and the suggestions from History Odyssey Ancients 3 on reading the Iliad and Odyssey along with additional essay suggestions. :D (In my defense, I didn't buy either of the last two for the purpose of studying these three books. I already owned them and they just happen to cover the books we are studying this year.)

 

We must be some kind of soul sisters or something! Thanks for ALL of this info. I had looked at those CDs from the TC on Vandiver. They were recently on sale, but I decided, "enough already."

 

I have another thread about the Kolbe guides. Sounds like these might be what I am looking for. I wouldn't mind having the MP guides either as long as they are not too nit-picky, kwim? I have no issues with comprehension. Typically I have ds write a summary of each chapter he reads in his reading journal, but I had wondered if these two works might not be very conducive to that.

 

More to think about, but I very much value your input. Thank you!

[Melissa B]

How long is the Iliad and the Odyssey Guide?

 

Has anyone compared them to Rutherford's Greek Classics: Questions for the Thinker? (I have one of these, but the second was order was cancelled - out of stock. Having looked through it, I found that dd(14) would only be using about 50 of the 200 pages, so I'm thinking about getting her a different Iliad and Odyssey guide instead.)

 

I haven't seen the Rutherford guides. The MP student guide has two pages per book (or chapter) of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Each two page spread includes Places and Characters to Identify, Comprehension Questions, Quotations, and Discussion Questions. The entire guide is about 100 pages. The teacher's guide has all the answers (so the same 100 pages only with answers) and also some additional notes, memory work and six exams with answer keys.