shanvan Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 If you have used this curriculum can you tell me 1. How much writing does the student do? 2. Are they expected to write essays from the beginning, or gradually taught to write a literary essay? I'm trying to determine when to fit this into our plans. I have an advanced reader who has already done Teaching the Classics, will be finishing Figuratively speaking plus TOG 1 and some TOG 2 dialectic lit this year. He has also completed an outside middle school writing & literature class that required about 5 essays, however I felt the writing expectations were rushing the students instead of building writing skills gradually. His essays scored mostly As with a couple B's, but I think he could still use some gradual, specific, focused teaching for writing. I'm deciding on whether to use Windows next year or the following year. TIA Shannon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Shannon, I am using Windows to the World with my 13 ds this year (8th grade). It is a wonderful literary analysis program. I use the Jill Pike syllabus found on the IEW Yahoo group, which has GREATLY added to the program (it incorporates Teaching the Classics the first 5 weeks, but you could skip if you wanted, since you have already done that. It also adds the reading of "To Kill a Mocking Bird", "Jane Eyre", and "Hamlet"). I really think it breaks down the writing of a literary anaylsis essay. We are just now getting to that chapter in the book, and it will take 4 weeks to write that paper (the assignments leading up to this are analyzing literature, and writing shorter paragraphs, before getting to the big essay). So I really do think it breaks the process up into steps first. The Jill Pike syllabus also has the student research the author and time a piece was written to better understand the story. I also like the biblical allusion project which stretches over the entire year. The student must look up important stories from the bible, and then try to find an example from literature (I have noticed that many AP classes do this, as classic literature is full of biblical allusions). So, the student does not start out writing tons of papers, but is taught more gradually HOW to analyze literature and write about it. I think this is a wonderful program, and I will definately use it with my other children. I hope this was helpful to you:). Blessings, Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 Thank you, Michelle. Your post was very helpful! I think I'm going to go ahead with it for next year. I can always slow it down if I need to. I think it is going to be just what I am looking for. Thanks again. Shannon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 So glad it was helpful to you:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niffercoo Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Shannon, I use the Jill Pike syllabus found on the IEW Yahoo group, which has GREATLY added to the program (it incorporates Teaching the Classics the first 5 weeks, Michelle Michelle, could you tell me where to find this file? There are a bazillion files on that yahoo group and I have been trying for the last 20 minutes to find it and I can't! Thanks! I have TtC and WttW on the way from IEW! I mostly got TtC for myself, and WttW to use with Austin next year for 9th grade. But if there is a better way to use them, I am all for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaurieM Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Michelle, could you tell me where to find this file? There are a bazillion files on that yahoo group and I have been trying for the last 20 minutes to find it and I can't! Thanks! I have TtC and WttW on the way from IEW! I mostly got TtC for myself, and WttW to use with Austin next year for 9th grade. But if there is a better way to use them, I am all for it! Not Michelle, but maybe I can help... If you go to the IEW yahoo group and look in the files section, you'll see a folder called "Lessonshare". Inside that folder you will find another folder called "Jill Pike Windows Syllabus", which I believe is what you are looking for! HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Thank you, Laurie, it took me a few minuted to find it. There is a teacher file and a student file. They are both VERY large files, so be prepared to print A LOT :D. But, the plans are FANTASTIC!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niffercoo Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Not Michelle, but maybe I can help... If you go to the IEW yahoo group and look in the files section, you'll see a folder called "Lessonshare". Inside that folder you will find another folder called "Jill Pike Windows Syllabus", which I believe is what you are looking for! HTH! Oh thank you SO much! I was looking in all the wrong places! :) This looks like it will be perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Would this be considered a 1/2 credit course or a full credit? Would you plan to cover it in one semester or the whole year? If it's a semester course, what would you pair it with in order to fulfill a full credit of English/literature/writing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Would this be considered a 1/2 credit course or a full credit? Would you plan to cover it in one semester or the whole year? If it's a semester course, what would you pair it with in order to fulfill a full credit of English/literature/writing? This is a 0.5 credit (1 semester) course, and just to be different :tongue_smilie: we have been very successfully using units of WttW over the past 3 years -- a few at a time, inserting it in with other lit. and writing we've been doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yinne Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 If you are using the above mentioned syllabus found at the the IEW Yahoo group it is a 1 credit course. She has added to WttW. Yvonne in NE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 You could pair it with a grammar course or review and/or expand it by incorporating more literature and applying what you've learned to write more papers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keniki Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I am on the IEW yahoo group, and some people there have mentioned that's it's been very helpful (but not mandatory) to do Elegant Essay first. Based on that, I'm planning to do Elegant Essay first semester next year and Windows the second semester to create an English credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 This is a 0.5 credit (1 semester) course, and just to be different :tongue_smilie: we have been very successfully using units of WttW over the past 3 years -- a few at a time, inserting it in with other lit. and writing we've been doing. Hi Lori D, Is it obvious where the breaks are in WttW to do this? I purchased WttW to use with dd 11th grade, but am having a hard time fitting it in to her curriculum. She loves to write, and would enjoy this book. Do you need to go in order in WttW? I see American Lit. pieces in it, and we are doing Am. Lit. this year. She is doing a grammar/comp workbook this semester, and reading from an Am. Lit. text. We will insert another book or two. Once we get to early 1900s in the text, I thought we could break over to WttW a bit, what do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I am on the IEW yahoo group, and some people there have mentioned that's it's been very helpful (but not mandatory) to do Elegant Essay first. Based on that, I'm planning to do Elegant Essay first semester next year and Windows the second semester to create an English credit. Is it in the same form? I have Essay Voyage and wonder if Elegant Essay would be reduntant or if EE could follow EV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keniki Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I don't know anything about Essay Voyage, so I'm no help there. I would guess from what the others have said that you could get by without EE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 (edited) Hi Lori D,Is it obvious where the breaks are in WttW to do this? I purchased WttW to use with dd 11th grade, but am having a hard time fitting it in to her curriculum. She loves to write, and would enjoy this book. Do you need to go in order in WttW? I see American Lit. pieces in it, and we are doing Am. Lit. this year. She is doing a grammar/comp workbook this semester, and reading from an Am. Lit. text. We will insert another book or two. Once we get to early 1900s in the text, I thought we could break over to WttW a bit, what do you think? (NOTE: My response is based on that I do NOT have the download of additional course material mentioned elsewhere in this thread. :) ) I would do the course in order, as it very much builds on itself: - the first units on how to read/annotate - the next units on how to write a literary analysis based on the notes you write in the margin of the text as you read - the last units are on different literary elements, how to look for them, and how to incorporate them into your literary analysis writing There are 15 units in WttW, and if you wanted, you could do just 1 every so often. I think they are short enough that doing 2 as a "mini-unit" to insert every so often worked better for us. Below is how we've been doing it, ending up with a total of seven "mini-units". I wouldn't worry about trying to match up the nationality of the authors of the works covered in WttW with whatever Lit. you are doing. And, it works out conviniently anyways for you that if you do the first few Units of WttW this semester, you will have covered all but 1 of the American works in the program. :) BEST of luck, whatever you decide! Warmest regards, Lori D. A. Unit 1 (welcome) & Unit 2 (annotation) - "Gift of the Magi" (Henry) - American short story; set around 1900 - "The Most Dangerous Game" (Connell) - American short story; set in early 1920s - "Marginalia" (Collins) - American poem - 3 short exercises B. Unit 3 (allusion) & Unit 4 (plot & structure) - "The Donkey" (Chesterton) -- British poem - "The Lamb" (Blake) -- British poem - 1 short exercise C. Unit 5 (literary analysis essay) & Unit 6 (parallelism, euphemism, simile) - 1 long writing exercise (essay) D. Unit 7 (characterization) & Unit 8 (symbolism and emphasis) - "The Necklace" (du Maupassant) -- French short story; set in the late 1800s - "The Convergence of the Twain" (Hardy) -- British poem - 1 short exercise - 1 long writing exercise (essay) E. Unit 9 (theme and worldview) & Unit 10 (setting) - "A Jury of Her Peers" (Glaspell) -- American short story; set in early 1900s - 6 short exercises (1 is writing) F. Unit 11 (imagery) & Unit 12 (point of view) - "Meeting at Night" (Browning) -- British poem - "A Fight with a Cannon" (Hugo) -- French short story, set in 1800s - 2 short exercises G. Unit 13 (tone) & Unit 14 (irony) & Unit 15 (farewell) - "The Open Window" (Saki) -- British short story; set in early 1900s - 6 short exercises (2 are writing) Edited January 14, 2011 by Lori D. fixed typos; added clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Thank you Lori D!!! About how long for each unit? I would think the units without a long essay would be shorter so a range would be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Thank you Lori D!!! About how long for each unit? I would think the units without a long essay would be shorter so a range would be fine. Yes, it depended on whether or not you are reading/annotating a short story or doing a longer essay in the unit -- but usually about 1 to 1.5 weeks per unit, so the program as-written would take 15-20 weeks doing it straight through, depending on how much time you want to spend on the reading/annotating, or the writing assignments. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vritz Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 If you use Jill Pike's syllabus with the additional books, it is a 1 credit course. We replaced Hamlet with Twelfth Night as this is our students' first Shakespeare play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.