choirfarm Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 It is looking like my oldest is going to graduate without studying ancient literature... Is that horrible??? I just cannot figure out a way to make it fit. Here is what he has done so far: 9th grade English I Chalkdust Geometry SOS Spanish I TOG Year 3 rhetoric ( called it 19th Century World History) Apologia Chemistry Logic (Introductory and Intermediate Logic for 1 credit) 10th grade English II Chalkdust combined Alg I and II ( He did TT Alg I and II in 8th) SOS Spanish 2( actually finished 1 and did about half of 2) TOG Year 4 rhetoric ( 20th Century World History) CS Lewis ½ credit course AP Statistics through PA Homeschoolers Apologia Physics Driver’s Ed- ½ credit 11th grade English III Chalkdust Precalculus Spanish I and II at cc Racquetball at cc- ½ pe credit AP Chemistry through PA Homeschoolers AP Government through PA Homeschoolers Health ½ credit Computer Programming ½ credit AOPS course (March-June) This is what we are looking at for 12th grade: PA Homeschoolers AP Economics PA Homeschoolers AP Physics B Calculus at either cc or PA Homeschoolers Spanish III and IV at cc English I and II at cc I just don't see how the ancients fit... Maybe I could start doing a little of them now, but I had wanted to do it with history... He did dialectic level ancient history in 7th grade... Uggh. I've run out of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 If you do not ave time to study them in depth, I would have have him read them for exposure - and for fun. Maybe listen to an audio recording. Much of later and modern literature alludes to Homeric epics, and some exposure to the epics would go a long way to help him understand literature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 When my son studied Basic Composition and Expository Writing at the community college (two semesters), I still assigned books from the WTM cycle at home. If it were me, I would add a literature component in 12th. Perhaps a "fill in the gaps" list? Has he studied Shakespeare? (It is not clear what he did in English I, II, III. Is the grammar and writing or do these courses include literature?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 What about as summer reading? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 When my son studied Basic Composition and Expository Writing at the community college (two semesters), I still assigned books from the WTM cycle at home. If it were me, I would add a literature component in 12th. Perhaps a "fill in the gaps" list? Has he studied Shakespeare? (It is not clear what he did in English I, II, III. Is the grammar and writing or do these courses include literature?) These are the works he has studied over the last 3 years: English I Grammar Component Analytical Grammar Writing Component IEW Intensive C How to Be a Superstar Student Tapestry of Grace Assignments Vocabulary Vocabul-Lit Book I Literature Component Pride and Prejudice Swiss Family Robinson Les Miserables A Tale of Two Cities Tom Sawyer Huckleberry Finn Red Badge of Courage Heart of Darkness The Invisible Man Hound of the Baskervilles Poetry: The Making of A Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms Mark Strand and Eavan Boland A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver Poets studied: William Wordsworth, William Blake, Robert Burns, Coleridge, Lord Byron, Keats, Walt Whitman, Longfellow, Robert Browning, and Alfred Lloyd Tennyson Documentaries Biography: Charles Dickens Ken Burn’s Mark Twain Literature: American Regionalism Short Stories All Quiet on the Western Front Animal Farm Great Gatsby The Pearl Lord of the Flies The Chosen A Separate Peace Fahrenheit 451 To Kill a Mockingbird As You Like It Movies Our Town The Great Gatsby The Crucible As You Like It Literature A variety of short stories including A Dangerous Game, Contents of a Dead Man’t Pocket, The Lottery, The Short Happy Life of Francis MaComber, The Necklace Analyzed poetry using Perrine’s Sound and Sense 11th Edition: 1st 6 chapters Great Expectations Jane Eyre The Scarlet Letter Cyrano In 8th grade we did a big Shakespeare unit along with TOG year 2. We studied Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet and Henry IVth. Last year they saw As You Like it at the Globe Theater in London and we have a Shakespeare Festival every year hear that we go to. We are about to start Othello. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 What about as summer reading? I thought about that, but I'm a little afraid of burn-out. He will be gone for a week in June, a week in July and then on a family vacation for the first two weeks of August. CC starts 3rd week of August. My plan was for him to spend a couple of hours every day in June and part of July working on filling out the paper copies of college applications and writing college essays. ( Then when they are released in August, he can just fill them in and won't have to think about it. I'm afraid his schedule will be too tough to do them justice in the fall.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 When my son studied Basic Composition and Expository Writing at the community college (two semesters), I still assigned books from the WTM cycle at home. If it were me, I would add a literature component in 12th. Perhaps a "fill in the gaps" list? Has he studied Shakespeare? (It is not clear what he did in English I, II, III. Is the grammar and writing or do these courses include literature?) I had that on another post and everyone said I would kill him by doing that.. That is what I thought I might do.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I'm living proof that you can graduate from high school and university without ever reading any of the ancient works. It may not be your favorite choice, but nothing bad will happen, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I read them for the first time in college. I don't see where there would have been any advantage to having read them in high school too. He'll survive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 If you do not ave time to study them in depth, I would have have him read them for exposure - and for fun. Maybe listen to an audio recording. Much of later and modern literature alludes to Homeric epics, and some exposure to the epics would go a long way to help him understand literature. :iagree: My son has read twice as many classics just for fun as he's read for credit and serious study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in TX Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 My dd will be taking modern English lit and modern American lit at cc next year (sadly they don't offer an ancient lit course), and this summer I will have her read the Iliad and Odyssey at home. I find that there's a lot of time to fill in summer if they aren't taking classes, and I've always assigned summer reading, at all grade levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 No, he does not need to read them. If he was in eighth grade I'd tell you to try to get them in because unless he majors in something that will require them this maybe his last chance at them, but at the back end, no they aren't necessary. I'd probably have him read either Bullfinch or Hamilton's Mythology books so he gets the cultural background information, but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 In addition to Hamilton's Mythology, you might add in The Trojan War and the Adventures of Odysseus by Padraic Colum (and maybe The Golden Fleece by him as well). They're children's books so they can be read fast. Hamilton, Colum, and A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls (by Hawthorne) were all I ever read from this time when I was a kid. I knew quite a bit, despite never having got into the hard core of The Odyssey and The Iliad. In fact, I may have known more than if I'd just read the real works, because the children's books tend to explain a bit more. Another choice, if you want something quick, are the Sutcliff versions: Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus. These come with artwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 In addition to Hamilton's Mythology, you might add in Another choice, if you want something quick, are the Sutcliff versions: Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus. These come with artwork. He read these when we did ancients when he was in junior high. He knows the basic Greek myths. He just hasn't read the "real" Illiad or Odysseus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 He read these when we did ancients when he was in junior high. He knows the basic Greek myths. He just hasn't read the "real" Illiad or Odysseus. I'm going to bet that most students heading to college won't have read them. English classes have changed a ton over the past 20 years or so. He'll be "normal." If he wants to read them, have him read them. If not, I wouldn't worry about it. Oldest never read them. (I'll have to ask if he's read them while in college.) Middle has, but middle is much more of a reader than oldest. Youngest won't get them in ps, nor will he want to read them on his own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 About.com (sorry I can't do links) has a 10week Homer course. There are also on line quizes for the Illiad -- I think they are there for both books. Anyway dd13 has just started that as a supplement to reading the WTM great books list. She is also doing SL 200. So she has a fairly heavy load. The first email was fun. Dd loves mythology so she knew most of it but a good review. The "who is" for the house of Atreus was explained. No reading assignment. I think that is done separately. She plans to start the Illiad today, hopefully. I am not saying your son must read the books before he goes to college. I do think it would be helpful to know the story. With that in mind CD's would work great. Even movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristin in Hawaii Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I wasn't always able to keep up with the reading, even with the audio version of the Fagle's translation. I found that listening to Prof. Vandiver's lectures on Illiad and Odyssey helped so much. I also enjoyed Prof. Grant Voth's lecture on the Illiad from "The History of World Literature." Actually, I think it was his lecture that gave me my best visualization -- that of Achilles standing and shouting for the dead -- and that it was the inspiration for a very moving poem written by a WWI soldier. At least I think that was the lecture :tongue_smilie: The audio lectures are fine and are so easy to listen to while commuting. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I am not saying your son must read the books before he goes to college. I do think it would be helpful to know the story. With that in mind CD's would work great. Even movies. Look for the Iliad performed by Derek Jacobi---it's an abridged audiobook, but he really makes it come alive. We listened to it last year in the car and greatly enjoyed it. Ian McKellan did a wonderful job with the audiobook of the Odyssey as well. We got a bit more bogged down in the audiobook of the Aeneid (Seamus Heaney was the translator and performer, IIRC). These particular audiobooks are from the Fagels translation and don't stint on complexity of language, nor are they aimed at children (I actually bought them for my husband, but we used them in school). Since you don't have time to study them, I would do this for exposure rather than the movies. From what I've seen, they either severely limit or even totally remove the Gods in most of the modern movie adaptations, which is a HUGE difference from the originals and their culture. I have heard that the Vandiver lectures are wonderful and hope to buy them for our next history go-round, when we want to actually study the works rather than just go for exposure as we did this time. Unfortunately, they're not on sale right now, but keep watching as they will go on sale for at least 70% off sometime this year. If he wants (or you think he needs) exposure to the Divine Comedy by Dante, btw, I liked "Dante's Divine Comedy: As told for young people," by Joseph Tuisiani. It definitely give the sense of the entire story (not just "Inferno") and includes some of the original language. We got it through ILL. There are so many literary and artistic allusions to the story that I think it's another important cultural referent (albeit one I did not have going into college ;)). This version is quite compact and readable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I asked oldest about these and he replied that they did read them and/or excerpts of them (and the Aeneid) in his freshman college class (at an LAC). He said the kids who had been classically schooled had already read them. The kids who had come from public schools generally had not read them or had read excerpts. He didn't feel "left behind" not having read them, but this is my non-reading/classics loving oldest. I know back in my day in high school we read all three, so I've neglected that a bit with my own based upon their preferences. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably have worked them in someway. Middle will pick up Aeneid over the summer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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