yvonne Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Does anyone have any experience with the Great Books Tutorial? The five year sequence of reading and discussing the "Great Books" looks fantastic. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 My dd is taking GBI with Mr. Hinrichs. She really likes the class, although we have had a couple of issues with Webex. We are undecided about next year though because his geometry class is required in order to take GBII. Was there anything you were wanting to know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Melissa, Thank you so much for replying. I know the class is two hours/week. What is the homework load like for your daughter? What would a typical week's assignments look like? How many and what sort of writing assignments does GBI have? Is there anything else one should know about it before signing up one's child for it? I'd be looking at it for the year after next when my boys are 13/8th grade. I'm asking now because I was thinking of using VP online's Omni classes for 7th & 8th. (And high school, if they're home for high school.) However, I've been reading the Omni I text since it arrived last week, and now I'm thinking that the Great Books courses along with some history might be a better route for us. Did you look at using Omnibus at all before deciding on GBT? Thank you so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Hi Yvonne, Here are the reading assignments: http://www.gbt.org/gbt.html#GBTIreadinglist Each number is a week - so in week 1 she read the first two chapters of the Iliad. And here are the questions: http://www.gbt.org/GBTIquestions.html Again each number is a week - so all of the questions under number 1 need to be answered for the first class, etc. My dd keeps her answers saved in a file on her computer. The question responses are turned in at the end of each semester. You also need to memorize the Greek alphabet during the first week or two and work on reading and translating the Greek phrase he supplies each week. After doing the reading and answering the questions - but before the weekly class, the student takes the online quiz listed after the reading assignment and records his/her score along with the question responses. There are six papers due the first year. I think there are paper guides for each paper somewhere on the website. Mr. Hinrichs does not give a grade for the papers, but writes comments throughout and also sends an email after all of the papers have been graded to list problem areas he saw on multiple papers and to attach the three or four best papers for the students to review. My dd spends about ten hours per week on this class (including the two hour class time each week.) Things to know: The classes only begin every second year - so there will only be GB II and GB IV offered next year. Students are required to have a video camera and microphone. You can see all of the other students during the class time, as well as Mr. Hinrichs. There are approximately 15-20 students in her class. All of the students are expected to talk during the class. If you haven't spoken yet near the end of the class he will call you out on it. While reading the plays - students are assigned parts (you can choose your part, but everyone is expected to have a part) and large portions of the plays are read aloud. You are expected to read in character - no monotones allowed. Mr. Hinrichs is fun. The students like him. He is not too serious. Sometimes you will see one of his kids come into the classroom. (They'll show up on the video screen.) He likes to share information about his week before class or during break and encourages the students to share things going on outside of class. Some of the kids are from different countries, so it is interesting. He will have them read in other languages and show pictures from their towns. I like the class because my dd keeps up with her reading in a way she never does for me. She enjoys the interaction with the other students and her writing has improved a great deal after only three papers. I never really looked into Omnibus because I was looking specifically for an online literature class where she could discuss the books with others and she would stay on pace. I really like the book choices made by Mr. Hinrich better than those of other programs and I liked the pace better. Programs like Great Books Academy move too quickly for my daughter she just doesn't read that fast. And I really like the extended focus on Aristotle and Plato. It gives me time to add additional Greek readings here at home over this and next year. I had originally thought to add some of Kolbe's history and literature as well, but that was too time consuming for us. If we feel we have the time, my dd will take GBII, Geometry and Greek I with Mr. Hinrich next year. That's all I can think of right now. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 Oh, Melissa, thank you so much for such a detailed response. You should do a FAQ for Mr. Hinrichs! I have a much clearer picture, now, of what the classes are like! They do sound fantastic! We will definitely use them as soon as the boys are 13! Thank you, again! yvonne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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