Matryoshka Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 So, my youngest who unexpectedly went off to school this year is making noises about wanting to come home again. I'm not quite sure what will happen yet, as I'm worried the problems that sent her off (refusing to do anything she didn't like) will still be there. Right now I'm saying we'll think on it till Christmas break, and re-evaluate then. In the meantime, I want to get my ducks in a row. I had a plan for how to deal with middle school lit/writing for 7th/8th if she stayed home (outside class, not coop), but she is still not on board with it. It's true that the book list for this class is not one that will really float her boat, but she usually gets it together for things required by others, and I thought the peer influence of other kids who are enjoying the class and an enthusiastic and experienced teacher would be a positive one. But she's flat-out saying no. It's $$$ and a 45-min drive, so I'm thinking maybe I need another plan. I did Lightning Lit with my older two, but it has a very similar book list to this outside class. I just went and looked at Mosdos, which looks like it has reading much more up her alley, but there's sooo much - are you supposed to pick and choose? (I guess that's what my 9th graders are doing with their anthology in ps...) There's no way she'd get through all that... If she comes home, I'll probably do Jamestown Short Stories for an introduction to lit analysis this year (6th) - it looks similar to Mosdos in some ways. Mosdos also seems really expensive, esp. if you get the TE - is that at all necessary? Or... she has a book club that I pick the books for. Not much analysis gets done during the club itself (too much giggling), but she does read the books. Maybe I could get her to write a paper on a number of them (she says she'd like to do WriteGuide like her older sisters did and have them help her with that), and have her do Figuratively Speaking? Sigh. At least if she comes home I can rest assured that virtually anything I do with her will be more than she'd do in school. So far in LA they've read Danny, Champion of the World, done two units of Sadlier-Oxford vocab, had a quiz about the four types of sentences (!), done the "Linking Verb Macarena" :confused: and are finally after two months starting to write a paper (on Danny). And they have to free read 20 min. a day. Maybe I should :chillpill:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Nobody has any feedback? :bigear: I'll add that she doesn't have any problems with reading - she can read just fine (good decoding, comprehension, reasonable speed, no vision issues). She just doesn't want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 My dd (11 and in 6th grade) hates reading. I'm not concerned at all about it being *great* lit or *classic* lit; right now I just want her to READ. I also read with her a lot... I read a page, she reads a page. On our list this year (taking into account what she *likes*): Fever 1793 Al Capone Does My Shirts Diary of a Young Girl The Giver misc Saint stories (she loves these) Hank Zipzer books George and the Big Bang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings. It's awesome and it gives an overview of a lot of foundational literature. Great stories are usually compelling even to reluctant readers. And the literary analysis part of it is gentle. You might not want to do all the 'reading comprehension' worksheets, but rather focus on the background material and the unit studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Have you looked at Memoria Press Lit? It only has three books for 7th grade (they are still developing 8th grade), so the reading is spread out pretty well, and you can assign as much or as little writing as you would like - it is easy to make it writing heavy or discussion heavy and still get the full benefit of the program. It does include a study of literary elements, as well. Sometimes MP Lit gets a bad rap for only scheduling 3-4 books per year in their lit program, but I think that it makes it more accessible to more students since it provides a thorough study without overwhelming the student with large amounts of reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) I'll add that she doesn't have any problems with reading - she can read just fine (good decoding, comprehension, reasonable speed, no vision issues). She just doesn't want to. Does she ever read for pleasure? Are there any books she's enjoyed and read for fun? What are her favorite subjects, and what parts of those does she find most interesting? Are you definitely looking for a "lit program" or would a list of interesting books, combined with SparkNote type resources, work? Sigh. At least if she comes home I can rest assured that virtually anything I do with her will be more than she'd do in school. So far in LA they've read Danny, Champion of the World, done two units of Sadlier-Oxford vocab, had a quiz about the four types of sentences (!), done the "Linking Verb Macarena" :confused: and are finally after two months starting to write a paper (on Danny). And they have to free read 20 min. a day. Maybe I should :chillpill:. My niece never read a novel or wrote an essay in her 8th grade "Honors English" class — they did do a few Powerpoint presentations, though. :rolleyes: Jackie Edited October 23, 2012 by Corraleno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) Does she ever read for pleasure? Are there any books she's enjoyed and read for fun? What are her favorite subjects, and what parts of those does she find most interesting? Are you definitely looking for a "lit program" or would a list of interesting books, combined with SparkNote type resources, work? No, she almost never reads for pleasure (one exception was the Percy Jackson books). She does, however, retroactively enjoy many of the books I've "assigned" her (many are from book group - she pretty much hates historical fiction, so I've given up on that). For example, at the beginning of the summer I got about 30 books out of the library that were by authors she'd liked, in genres she'd liked, and/or sequels to books she'd liked, and told her to pick any one. She didn't read one book all summer. :glare: Roald Dahl is one of her favorite authors, but she wouldn't read the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. One of the very few books she's picked up and read on her own is Alice in Wonderland, but she refused to read Through the Looking Glass. Her favorite subject is math... Sigh. The more I think about it, the more I think I should just pick some books from her book club that she'll have read anyway and have her write a few papers over the year, and maybe if she doesn't object too strenuously to the Jamestown Short Stories, get the next level up of that... I have sooo many books/curricula already. I thought the class, with its social aspect, would be a carrot, like book club, but she's digging in her heels on that one. :glare: I do also have MCT's lit series with Alice/Peter Pan/Wind in Willows, all of which she's read previously and really liked, so I thought maybe we could re-visit those. I'd almost forgotten I had that... Right now she's reading the first Warriors (cats) book, and says she loves that (although I still have to time her 20 min. a day), and there's a ton of those. Not great lit, but anything that will get her reading without me nagging (too much) is good right now. But I'd like to introduce some study of literary terms/analysis over the course of middle school... Although I don't think there's any way this kid is heading for honors English, so again, maybe I should just :chillpill:... My niece never read a novel or wrote an essay in her 8th grade "Honors English" class — they did do a few Powerpoint presentations, though. :rolleyes: Oh, my. I keep hearing how the kids in school write and write and write - I thought that was one thing she'd get there... is that just in the lower grades?? Edited October 23, 2012 by matroyshka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trillian Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 FWIW, my son loves to read, Roald Dahl is among his favorite authors, and he wouldn't finish the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (The Great Glass Elevatory, I think?). All he said is it wasn't as good - a letdown I guess. He has really liked The BFG and James and The Giant Peach in particular. He liked The Kane Chronicles after Percy Jackson but not the Heroes of Olympus. He loves The Hobbit and LOTR. He read the first of the Warriors and liked it, but not the rest. He loves most non-fiction. I put those in since it sounded like they have similar taste. I guess what I'm saying is I'm ok with him being . . . selective, although at times it has made me nuts, when it seems to have no rhyme or reason and I can't seem to find anything he likes. He does go through those spells. I have no idea if this kind of thing would interest her (and I haven't read it so I don't know the content) but this talks about the math behind Alice in Wonderland http://www.amazon.com/The-Logic-Alice-Thinking-Wonderland/dp/159102675X/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_8 . Personally, I do assign books, but loosely, with room to go off the path. I look for things that are either above DS's reading level or will challenge him mentally in other ways - generally not both. If he gets into a series, I lose the list for a while. I was reading him Tom Sawyer and he wanted to read it instead, so go ahead. It's a plan with flexibility. She's older but since she doesn't love reading, it might be a good place to start. Good luck, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Has she read any Terry Pratchett? If she liked the Percy Jackson books, the Tiffany Aching trilogy might really appeal to her — they're very well written, hysterically funny, and the main character is a strong, smart teen girl. The books are Wee Free Men, Hat Full of Sky, and Wintersmith. A few other books I can think of, off the top of my head, that have clever young female protagonists: Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery (This is a series about a highly gifted 11 yo who is into chemistry; I think there are 5-6 books in the series.) Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler I keep hearing how the kids in school write and write and write - I thought that was one thing she'd get there... is that just in the lower grades?? PS kids certainly don't "write and write and write" around here, nor in my niece's school system. (I have another niece & nephew who went through that school system, and were totally unprepared for college.) I also have a friend who teaches in a local middle school, and they do very little writing — most "output" (other than multiple choice tests) is stuff like posters, group projects, filling in graphic organizers, etc., with an occasional "report." There's occasional creative writing (with no corrections.) Essay? What's an essay??? Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 My dd got completely hooked on reading this year thanks to Red Pyramid and then the Percy Jackson series. Right now it's her lit. She stays up late reading every night. I'm grateful that there are a lot of them. She, too, liked the Al Capone series and Mara. After this run I'm planning on the Roman Mysteries and the Mysterious Benedict series. I'm so grateful that she's enjoying reading that I'm holding off for a bit for more rigorous fare. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoryChick Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 My oldest daughter was my earliest reader, read anything and everything but suddenly didn't want to read, has excellent comprehension, but would rather listen to books on audio because it freed her up to so other things she enjoyed such as painting and drawing. She stll has to read her other subjects for school so I do allow this whenever possible. Perhaps your daughter is more of an audio learner and would rather listen than read it, just thought I would throw that out there as a possibility. FTR: I love Roald Dahl but could never get into Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) I like Honoria Glossop's idea above of Galore Park (or other textbook) for English. Might be a super fit for a student who just wants to "get it done". :) Just a thought, but -- what about choosing a few titles and then read aloud together? Either via audiobook, or take turns "popcorn style" ("you read a page, I read a page"). It's more interactive, you can discuss as you go, and it's often nicer to do something you don't enjoy WITH someone else. There are lots of great individual lit. guides out there you could use to go with your selected titles to guide you through discussion, learning about literary analysis, and writing assignments. Below are some ideas; I went with the "meatier" guides, and with titles that might be of interest to a math-minded girl who doesn't tend to read for pleasure. BEST of luck in finding the best path into literature for your DD! Warmest regards, Lori D. Garlic Press pub., Discovering Literature series, esp. the challenger level see inside various guides publisher website (see all the titles) For a 7th grader who doesn't enjoy reading, how about starting with a few shorter works: - Island of the Blue Dolphins - Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - The Outsiders - The Giver Glencoe Literature Library (free online guides) Some ideas to start you off: - Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Animal Farm - Call of the Wild - Julie of the Wolves - Sounder - Tuck Everlasting - A Wrinkle in Time Portals to Literature Written for classrooms, but lots of info and ideas and can be adapted for home use. pub. website (see all titles) see inside Possible titles: - Anne Frank, Diary of a Girl - Flowers for Algernon - Hatchet - The Time Machine Parallel Shakespeare: Macbeth I recommend the student workbook and the teacher guide (both have GREAT info and activities for exploring the play, written at a middle school level), plus the book with side-by-side original text and modern translation. See inside here. Have fun dividing up the roles and reading it aloud, with some drama. Let your inner thespian out! ;) Edited October 31, 2012 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I do also have MCT's lit series with Alice/Peter Pan/Wind in Willows, all of which she's read previously and really liked, so I thought maybe we could re-visit those. I'd almost forgotten I had that... If she liked those books and you have that on hand, I'd totally recommend going for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 M- Just a couple of thoughts since I should have been off here hours ago. My youngest, the former Swimmer Dude, is very similar to your daughter with regards to reading even down to Lewis Carroll. Forget a curriculum. Honestly. I suspect the girl is bright and you might be selling her short. At least that was our experience. All the historical fiction and Newberry award-winners couldn't catch my son's attention. He didn't mind if I read to him, but his favorites tended to be things like Beowulf or the Odyssey. At the start of 8th grade, he blew my plans out of the water. My dd gave him The Hunger Games the night before school started. He read all night. The older kids then told him about dystopian literature and encouraged him to read Fahrenheit 451 because there was a crazy old lady who burned up in her house with her books and she made them think of Mom.:tongue_smilie: Thus began a whole new way of dealing with literature for us. Best year ever. Not a lot of it had to do with history, but he read 1984, The Inferno, Treasure Island, all of the Chronicles of Narnia which he had previously refused to read, and Uncle Tom's Cabin to name a few. We used tons of short stories to discuss literary elements and of course Shakespeare. There was an organic flow and the order would have given an English teacher a fit, but we accomplished more by the end of the year than I had originally planned. I had not realized that he was way ready for BIG ideas, not just themes of friendship, etc. The use of speech in 1984 for example. You probably have all the resources you need on hand. It would just be a matter of finding a starting point for your daughter. I was wondering how the return to school was going. Swimmer Dude is bored out of his mind and never has homework, except for what I give him at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TippyCanoe Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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