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LLFLOTR if we have not done lit an. before?


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My ds, about to start 6th grade, really wants to do LLFLOTR this coming school year. He has read the books before and as we will be studying the medieval times, he wants to add this.

 

We have never used a formal literary analysis program before. We have talked about what we have read and have looked through parts of Figuratively Speaking.

 

Would LLFLOTR be too much as a first intro to lit. analysis?

 

Also, do I need both the student and teacher books or can I just use the teacher book?

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Go for it! You've got HIGH student interest, and it is a gentle intro into literary analysis. Take your time -- as you do the wonderful 12 units of additional material, if needed, consider spreading the program out over 1.5 years or even a full 2 years!

 

Also consider doing the full version of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Two of those 12 units analyze excerpts of Beowulf, and another one analyzes Sir Gawain. the Seamus Heaney translation of Beowulf would be do-able for a 6th grader who has already read LotR on his own, and our DSs loved Tolkien's translation of Sir Gawain (though some people prefer the more modern translation by Simon Armitage).

 

 

 

re: teacher book

 

ONLY if you get the original edition can you JUST use the teacher book. (That TM was the student version with all the answers filled in.) My understanding is that the new, current edition of the TM is now JUST the answers, with the additional teacher resources. So, if you can find an OLD, original TM for sale used and you weren't planning on having your student do the workbook, yes, you can just go with the TM; otherwise go with both student and teacher editions of the new edition.

 

 

In case you were interested in how long the program takes, they schedule you to read 2 chapters per week, and the program includes the following for EACH chapter:

1. 1-2 pages of fill-in-the-blank comprehension questions

2. 1-2 pages of fill-in-the-blank or multiple choice vocabulary quizzes

3. 1-2 pages of chapter notes -- the "meat" of the study, where themes and literary elements in the book are discussed, suggestions of what to look for in future chapters, as well as influences on the author, background details, comparisons to other works of literature, etc.

4. 4-10 discussion questions -- the "meat" for discussion

5. every 2-3 weeks, a writing assignment suggestion in the chapter notes

 

We read aloud together the two chapters on 1-2 nights a week (usually Mon-Tues), and then did the program during the school day over several days, following the readings (usually Tues-Thurs). Reading aloud took about 1-2 hours for the two chapters. We skipped the fill-in-the-blank comprehension; did the vocab. aloud orally; and then enjoyed the chapter notes and discussion questions aloud together. We skipped the writing assignments, as both DSs were doing assignments for their individual writing programs.

 

Then there are the 12 additional units of material. If you want to complete LLftLotR in 1 year, then you will also take about 3 weeks to complete a unit. Each unit is usually 4-8 pages long; usually included 4-6 discussion questions (more if the unit was analyzing another work, such as Beowulf); and included a few writing assignment ideas at the end. We usually spend several hours per unit, as sometimes there was an activity idea, or the discussing of the other literature being analyzed.

 

 

Doing LLftLotR in this way, took us about 4, sometimes 5 hours a week

- .5 to 1 hour/chapter (aloud together); 2 chapters each week = 1-2 hours/week

- 45 min/chapter to read/discuss (aloud together); 2 chapters each week = 1.5 hours/week

- 1 hour/week working on a unit = 1 hour/week

 

 

Here are some links that may be helpful to you:

table of contents = http://homescholar.org/Table%20of%20Contents.htm

scope & sequence = http://homescholar.org/LOTR%20Contents.htm

sample lessons = http://homescholar.org/Samples.htm

resources to go with the units = http://homescholar.org/Student%20Resources.htm

daily lesson plans for younger students (middle school) = http://homescholar.org/Middle%20School%20Lesson%20PLans.htm

enter monthly drawing -- may win FREE program or gift certificate (way at BOTTOM of page) = http://homescholar.org/Specials.htm

 

Hope that helps. Enjoy! LLftLotR was an all-time high-water mark for ALL of us in our homeschooling journey! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited by Lori D.
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WE are just loving The Hobbit. My boys beg, beg, beg for it everyday and just one more page. The writing is just beautiful and engaging. SHhhhh don't tell them but I couldn't resist and read ahead last night! :001_huh: I can't wait to start LOTR. We're just reading them for pleasure right now, picking out great descriptive passages or great use of grammar as we go along.

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WE are just loving The Hobbit. My boys beg, beg, beg for it everyday and just one more page. The writing is just beautiful and engaging. SHhhhh don't tell them but I couldn't resist and read ahead last night! :001_huh: I can't wait to start LOTR. We're just reading them for pleasure right now, picking out great descriptive passages or great use of grammar as we go along.

 

 

Now, do be aware that the writing becomes more elevated in LotR... He keeps the lighter tone/vocabulary/sentence structure at the very start with the focus on the hobbits in Hobbiton, but as they venture out on their quest, and especially as they meet the high and noble cultures and kings, the language becomes more elevated. It is a subtle transition, and very clever in how the language of the writing quietly supports the culture you find yourself in. We just took it slowly in our first family reading of LotR, and enjoyed every step of the quest. :)

 

 

If you can find it, your family will LOVE Tolkien's absolutely charming "Letters from Father Christmas" -- you'll see many influences from The Hobbit in there. We read a letter a night aloud every Christmas season! :) It is a reprint of the letters Tolkien wrote to his own children over 20 years in the voice of Father Christmas, and he illustrated them himself with charming watercolor pictures!

 

Also, you may enjoy Tolkien's very whimsical, short children's book "Mr. Bliss" (also illustrated by Tolkien), but especially his short story "Farmer Giles of Ham" -- hilarious! And if your DC are ready for something more poignant and thought-provoking, also try Tolkien's short stories "Leaf by Niggle" and "Smith of Wooten Major", and the fairly recent release (by son Christopher Tolkien), "Children of Hurin" (reminds me of a tragic epic of Ancient Greek, crossed with Beowulf and Tolkien's own proud and willful elves of the First Age). "Children of Hurin" is a separate work, but the 3 short stories can be found in one of these Tolkien anthologies: "A Tolkien Miscellany"; "Tales from the Perilous Realm"; "Tolkien Reader" -- each with poems, essays or other short odds and ends by Tolkien.

 

 

But for now, enjoy your first outing into the world of Middle Earth! :) "Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo" -- Tolkien's Elvish for: "A star shines on the hour of our meeting" -- and Tolkien supposedly said that he wrote LotR just so he would have a reason for being able to write that line... :)

 

Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited by Lori D.
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Does anyone know the copyright date of the original version? Or the 2nd edition? So that I can make sure to get the first.

I assume you mean the TM. The ISBN is 0-9754934-0-X. Mine is the Second Printing: 2005.

 

WE are just loving The Hobbit. My boys beg, beg, beg for it everyday and just one more page. The writing is just beautiful and engaging. SHhhhh don't tell them but I couldn't resist and read ahead last night! :001_huh: I can't wait to start LOTR. We're just reading them for pleasure right now, picking out great descriptive passages or great use of grammar as we go along.

My favorite book of all time is LOTR. Ds was totally opposed to it because of that. Somewhere around 5th or 6th grade, I got The Hobbit on CD and we listened to it in the car. When it was finished, ds said, "That was a really good book, Mom. Does that author have any other books?". I smiled and said, "As a matter of fact, you know that ring Bilbo found? ..." Ds just rolled his eyes.

 

Another wonderful resource is The Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad. It's full of maps and more information. ISBN 0-618-12699-6

 

Enjoy!

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