CAMom Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 My guess is that this topic has already been covered but I wasn't even sure how to search for it. So, I'm very open to just having a link posted with a prior discussion.:) How do you approach literature with your high schooler? Do you do a year of American, a year of British, etc.? How do you organize the course? How do you choose which books to read? Do you use a curriculum to help with analysis? I admit to being pretty dense here.:lol: I am not good at analyzing literature. My son and I are reading Farenheit 451 right now and I confess that I'm having a hard time really following the story and picking up on everything I should be picking up on. We have used several Progeny Press guides which have been very helpful. We're using the one for Farenheit 451 right now. However, there are only so many of those guides. I would be very thankful for any guidance I can get on this. We'll be in 10th grade this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaurieM Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 My family uses Sonlight curriculum so the literature is broken down each year - American Lit, World Lit, etc. For help with analysis, you might want to look at Teaching the Classics. http://www.centerforlit.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 I used the WTM way of tying lit to history, for our first two years, anyway. I went with Omnibus 1 and 2, tweaking a lot. I went with interest-led history/lit for grade 11, so we used Sonlight 300, again, with tweaking. I didn't care for the Sonlight commentary, so we used mainly Cliffsnotes and Sparknotes, as well as just discussion. This last semester, we are doing 50 short stories, and filling in some gaps, so that, if I have to arrange ds' transcript in typical American Lit, Brit Lit, World Lit order, I can. We are also using Progeny Press poetry for a good overview. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaC Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 What I am doing is choosing lit that will be read/studied for analysis purposes and lit that will be read to help with the study of history. Sometimes there is a mixing but not always. This year we are studying US history and there are and most of the lit that is being read for analysis is from American authors but not all is. My oldest ds loves fantasy books and loves C.S. Lewis so one of the books to be analyzed is by George McDonald because of his influence on Lewis and we have a couple of pieces of Shakespeare that are being studied. I can handle it this way because our transcript will an accumulative transcript. All the books read by US authors will be place on a list of US authors and all the Brits will be on a Brits list and world will be on a world list and the boys will get credit for US lit, British Lit, and World Lit. In the future I might put together a Brit only list ,etc... but last year we had a mixed list that was read only and this year we have a mixed list that will be analyzed. So far the approach that I like the best is Teaching the Classics, http://www.centerforlit.com That written my boys are visual spacial thinkers and do not fall into the WTM mold perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 "see" what we would not have seen before in longer works of literature. Take a look at CLE reading 7 for your younger dc. For your older dc I recommend IEW Windows to the World. Once you have practice analyzing short stories and poems then it's easier with longer novels. You could also use the online free study guides for many novels - Sparknotes, etc (google search). Here's what's included in CLE reading 7: SUNRISE READING 700 – The Road Less Traveled 701 Labeling similes and metaphors Interpreting similes and metaphors Identifying the main ideas of paragraphs Learning to form correct mind pictures from the story Reviewing alliteration Working with the Latin word parts co-, con-, com-, col- Learning about theme Learning about imagery in poetry Studying etymologies of words Identifying internal and external conflict Learning to accept differences in others Working with personification Working with the Latin prefix pro- Learning to correctly read poetry Reviewing mood in a poem Working with humor in a story Interpreting various dialects Learning good judgment in reading Learning about symbols Working with the Latin word part trans- Studying about history and legend Working with rhyme scheme in poetry Learning qualities of parables Thinking about fads Studying humor in language Reviewing internal and external conflict 702 Studying various Latin roots Writing paraphrases Identifying allusions in a story Reviewing onomatopoeia Working with the Greek word auto- Finding where something is first introduced Observing characters’ various reactions to a problem Identifying the conflict Working with story plot Determining the importance of story details to the plot Thinking about heroes Marking rhyme scheme Identifying alliteration Working with an expanded metaphor Interpreting the story Using context clues to define words Thinking about right and wrong ways to treat people Working with the word part uni- Learning about monologue Interpreting figures of speech Working with setting and mood Determining rhyme scheme Learning about and writing a parody Practicing clear thinking Making inferences Determining character from speech and actions Reviewing static and dynamic characters Organizing a paragraph in sequence form Developing good diction Choosing words with good connotation Working with imagery Marking meter in a poem Working with the word part peri- Working with setting and plot Reviewing conflict, crisis, climax, and resolution Writing the story from a different point of view 703 Classifying related items from the story Working with the Greek word part tele- Writing a basic outline of the story Choosing correct descriptions of characters Using context clues to find vocabulary words Working with metaphors Marking rhythm pattern Using the dictionary Working with figures of speech Determining broad and specific setting Working with conflict and crisis Finding vivid descriptions Working with the Greek word phobos Reviewing expanded metaphor Interpreting symbols Thinking about prejudice Communicating clearly Determining the reason for happenings Working with the word part aqua- Identifying setting and plot Deciding which details are important to the plot Learning to think about what you hear Writing rhyme scheme Learning about eye rhyme Interpreting the poem Reviewing prejudice Thinking about personal responsibility Working with irony Working with the theme of the reader 704 Reviewing characteristics of parables Choosing the correct paraphrase Comparing two similar stories Classifying items Working with the Greek word bios- Making analogies Learning the difference between imply and infer Finding allusions Interpreting unfamiliar terms Recognizing faulty thinking Determining premise and conclusion Learning about parallels in poetry Identifying figures of speech Working with the root word solus Working with the Greek word part geo- Working with the Latin word scribere Identifying premise and conclusion Learning about four reasoning fallacies Working with plot Interpreting the image in the poem Marking rhyme scheme Writing contrasting parallels Working with the Greek word chronos- Thinking about fairness Marking rhythm pattern Matching synonyms 705 Defining stoop Reviewing clear thinking Working with the suffix -ism Interpreting the metaphor Learning about free verse Dividing a poem into stanzas Identifying faulty thinking Reviewing conflict Working with the Greek word micro- Dividing a poem into stanzas Writing clear sentences Thinking about racism Thinking about slavery Reviewing irony Learning about sarcasm Determining setting Making inferences Reviewing premise and conclusion Reviewing various word parts Reviewing metered and free verse Comparing and contrasting characters Thinking about consequences of sin Determining the symbol in the story Choosing synonyms Finding similes and metaphors Working with the word part inter- Considering different points of view Matching themes with story titles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaNY Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I used WTM/WEM with my older dd in 9th gr. It provided me with all that I needed for a well-rounded study of history/Great Books. If we ever got stuck on anything, Sparknotes came to the rescue. We both enjoyed our history studies that year. I had begun the year with Omnibus I, but it was not a good fit for us. I wanted something that did not do most of the thinking for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coopers5 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I recommend it for your literature studies. They divide their studies into 4 eras. With each one, they have reading assignments of great works. THEY have done all the work for you, the teacher/parent, and provide information for you to read through during each week while your student reads his/her works. You have discussion time. Your children learn (as rhetoric level students) how to fully analyze literature. You will cover world literature, medieval, American, etc.; it'll just be sometimes a mixture, depending on the timeframe you are studying. I like doing literature this way and it is also the "Well-Trained Mind way" just with a structured curriculum to help you work through it with your student to make the most out of it. I had trouble really helping my daughter make the most of her great reading ability and interest and being able to give her meaningful writing assignments to go along with all that she was reading all the time. TOG takes all the guesswork out of it for me. She was challenged this year and looks at things she reads even more deeply and carefully than before. Take a serious look at the Lampstand Press website and TOG curriculum. It is a curric. that includes history, etc., but you pick and choose out of it what exactly you want to use. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Thank you all for the help, especially the Teaching the Classics link. That looks great! I'm thinking of doing mostly American lit. this year because he is taking US History (through The Potter's School). Now I'm trying to come up with a list of what to read.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King's Kid Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Coming in late, but you may want to check out Total Language Plus; if you google it, I'm sure the webpage will come up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in Indy Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 You might also search for a post from Nan in Mass, on her use of TWEM (The Well-Educated Mind) to discuss the literature of her choosing with her sons. Her method inspires me! (Sorry, I don't know how to put a link to that thread in here:confused: - still learning the boards). HTH, Cindy in Indy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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