Change of plans-I need an easy lit program for my 10th grader

[Quiver0f10]

He doesn't enjoy reading and really hasn't had much lit analysis yet. I was thinking BJU but now I am not so sure for him.

[Heather in Savannah]

a study entitled " Movies as Literature" http://www.designastudy.com/products/1891975099.html My dd will be in 10th grade in the fall. She detests reading and really struggles through books if the plot is at all convoluted. She seems to get lost in the midst of the characters and events, and can't keep them all straight in her mind. Hopefully this will work well for her.

I had hoped to enroll her in Potter's School for English, but when I looked at the number of novels/plays she would have to read, I knew there was no way she would be able to make her way through them.

[Chris in VA]

Have you considered a really basic Am Lit with a short story/poetry emphasis? Progeny Press has good guides--we are using their poetry one, and it's pretty straightforward. I'm thinking short stories and poems are, well...short! lol

 

Perhaps just two or three books along with that would be enough--I'd do Huck Finn, Red Badge, and something from the 20th century--maybe Farenheit 451, or Alas, Babylon. To Kill a Mockingbird is easy to understand, too, and not terribly long.

 

I also like the idea of incorporating film--because ds is going to be a film major, we are acquainting him with what I call the Canon of American Film--tying his history, lit and film together this year was a blast. Even tho you have to be careful of content, and some films don't follow the books, you can cover some literary ground this way. At least he'd have some cultural/literary reference points--knowing the plot of the GB's is a good thing.

[Quiver0f10]

Have you considered a really basic Am Lit with a short story/poetry emphasis? Progeny Press has good guides--we are using their poetry one, and it's pretty straightforward. I'm thinking short stories and poems are, well...short! lol

 

Perhaps just two or three books along with that would be enough--I'd do Huck Finn, Red Badge, and something from the 20th century--maybe Farenheit 451, or Alas, Babylon. To Kill a Mockingbird is easy to understand, too, and not terribly long.

 

 

 

I was thinking @ doing something like this. Maybe do a few PP guides each semester and in between just read books from the college board site or the 1000 book list etc. I do like the idea of film and just last week we watched King Lear and he enjoyed it! Who would have thought LOL.

[Chris in VA]

Just thought of something--as far as literary analysis, you could probably just get a list of literary terms off the net and make sure he knows them--then apply some in a gentle way. PP guides go pretty in depth, and some of them can almost count as Bible study! You could try to supplement with cliffs or spark for ideas on analysis.

[Quiver0f10]

Just thought of something--as far as literary analysis, you could probably just get a list of literary terms off the net and make sure he knows them--then apply some in a gentle way. PP guides go pretty in depth, and some of them can almost count as Bible study! You could try to supplement with cliffs or spark for ideas on analysis.

 

Thanks again, Chris. I forgot @ sparks!

[MyThreeSons]

I'll be using TLP's Amercian Literature: Short Stories with my 10th grader this year.

[Big Buckin' Longhorn]

This year I have an 11th grader, but last year my 10th ds was the same way. He despises reading, no matter how much I read aloud to him or find high interest books for him to read, he just refuses to learn to love it. It's taken me some time, but now I realize that everyone doesn't like to read :confused: like I do. The thought of it used to blow my mind. At the same time, I had to inform him, that there would be some reading because no reading is just not an option.

 

For 10th we did the Movies as Literature, which I think someone already recommended. It was so much fun and really does have some deep nitty gritty type questions for analyzing the movies. Probably more so than I would have had him analyze any book ;).

 

This year we're going to do Lightning Literature's American Lit. He's not overly excited about it, but I think after realizing how much work he actually did last year, even without reading a lot of books, he has more confidence that he can do it and do it well.

 

Good Luck on your decision! :001_smile:

[Guest Katia]

There is always Learning Language Arts Through Literature. The high school levels have a course for both American and for British literature. I like them.

[Veronica in VA]

Nan in Mass had some great ideas a couple of months back on how to use The Well Educated Mind. You might want to do a search for this I think it was entitled TWEM. I am incorporating a lot of her ideas this year.

 

Veronica

[Quiver0f10]

Nan in Mass had some great ideas a couple of months back on how to use The Well Educated Mind. You might want to do a search for this I think it was entitled TWEM. I am incorporating a lot of her ideas this year.

 

Veronica

 

 

Oh, yes! I forgot @ that! I think I even saved it at the time. Thanks for the reminder.