If you're teaching a middle schooler,

[creekmom]

do you feel the need to go the textbook route? I've been teaching reading using novels, but now that my oldest is in 6th grade, I'm very worried about "holes" in my curriculum. I ordered a Prentice Hall literature textbook from Ebay (teacher's edition), and I was looking through it today thinking about all my ds is missing by just doing novels. This text has all kinds of different genres (short stories, plays, nonfiction, etc.) and lots of discussion/critical thinking questions/literary element discussion, etc. about each. I think I'll pull quite a few selections from it this year along with some novels for him to read. I know this is "anti-classical", but I don't have the time and energy to find all the different genres of reading on his level. Lightening Lit looks OK, but it's expensive and seems to be filled with busywork. I got this text for around $10.00! - Anyone else doing a ps text for literature? history? science?

[regentrude]

I do not use anything special for reading - just books. We are tying history and English together. My 6th grader, who is studying the Middle ages, has been reading during the past three weeks: Beowulf (an adaptation), Robin Hood, Tales from Arabian Nights, Ivanhoe(Great Illustrated Classic), St. George and the Dragon, D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths- and a variety of self selected fiction books that have nothing to do with history.

He has read non-fiction, too: he works with the Kingfisher encyclopedia for history, reads books about Earth Science from the library, reads the texts about Roman life in his Latin book.

I see no need to get a specific "Reading Book".

We talk about the things he reads, but are not doing any formal literature analysis. I am saving this for later - right now I want him to just read a wide variety of materials. He just made the jump to an avid reader who carries a book everywhere and I want to cultivate this.

[abbeyej]

Well, I like Lightning Lit a lot... I didn't find much of 7 or 8 to be busy work (there were a few crossword puzzles or word-search type things, and I just made those optional), and while some of the writing assignment choices in the hs-level set we're using now are a little fluffy (I just tell ds, "No, pick one of the challenging ones"), none of it is "busy work". I like the balance it has of real, full-length novels, memoirs, biography, along with various short stories and poems.

 

I just can't consider using a text book in lieu of reading real books. Perhaps as a supplement that covers more short stories and poetry? But certainly not alone.

[Sunshine State Sue]

I'm no longer hs'ing a middle schooler, but I didn't feel the need for textbooks then. I feel more of a need now with a high schooler due to NCAA eligibility.

 

We used Analytical Grammar, Write Shop, Megawords, and Lightning Literature for LA. Like abbeyej, we enjoyed LL and didn't find it too much busywork. We did skip the puzzles, but since our grammar and writing programs were not overly demanding, LL reinforced both of them.

 

We did use Science Explorer (along with other more hands-on science programs). We didn't do this specifically to have a textbook. We did it specifically to have secular material.

 

Math evolved from MUS/CWP to MUS/LoF to Foerster's Algebra (textbook). Would MUS and LoF be considered textbooks?

 

No textbooks for history at all. Though if I had a do-over, I'd definitely investigate K12 Human Odyssey.

 

I also don't have the time or energy (or knowledge) to pull things together myself. I think it's wonderful that we can choose what we believe will work best for our family.

 

Good luck! :grouphug:

[gingersmom]

I just purchased the Prentice Hall literature for my 8th grader. The textbook is about 800 pages. I am really pleased with it plus some of the support materials. My daughter also reads 3-4 books a month and has questions to answer or an essay to write.

[radiobrain]

No.

 

I happened to have bought a science textbook, but not because I was worried about any holes, or think they are superior to something else.

 

You should buy whatever you want!

[Luckymama]

I'm not using a textbook for literature with my 10yo. We're tying literature in with history, at least for this year. We'll do some basic literary analysis with the books she reads, plus do a month of poetry in the winter, again with basic analysis.

 

History: using K12's Human Odyssey Vol 1 as a spine. It's very well-written for a middle school history text. I'm supplementing with the Oxford Press World in Ancient Times series and the corresponding books for the middle ages, plus lots of library resources and the aforementioned literature.

 

Science: As a former academic chemist, a good background in science during the middle school years is a MUST. We're using CPO's Earth Science this year and using almost all the labs as written (a few need to be adapted and a few are impossible to do as at home). I was all set to do life science with a me-made botany focus (I'm taking grad courses in horticulture and landscape design, on hold this year...) but she wanted to learn about plate tectonics, weather and such so earth science it is! (As an added bonus, I get a year to fully flesh out my botany ideas :D )