Looking for info. Further Up & Further In

[Donna T.]

Hi! I have searched for reviews of Further Up and Further In but can't find any. I am considering this for a 6th grader. He will probably be using Sonlight's Core F: Eastern Hemisphere or whatever they call it now. He will finish Writing with Ease and move into Writing with Skill by the end of the year. I think Further Up and Further In includes some English but I am not sure how much is taught. He is finishing First Language Lessons 4 soon and I am not sure what we will use for grammar after that is completed.

 

Any general info. about this curriculum will be appreciated! Is it very activity-based or is it more reading based? I can't find sample pages anywhere!

[SilverMoon]

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Edited September 10, 2023 by SilverMoon

[Donna T.]

Thank you! I went straight to the sample pages this time!

[Susie in MS]

Make sure to check out Topics Covered. It will answer your question about what English is covered. It is mostly literary terms, a good deal of vocab, and many writing assignments. I may just completly skip grammar that year.

[momto2Cs]

Some previous threads for you:

 

http://forums.welltr...ther-in-narnia/

 

http://forums.welltr...nia-unit-study/

 

http://forums.welltr...-up-further-in/

 

http://forums.welltr...ther-in-narnia/

 

http://forums.welltr...and-further-in/

 

FWIW, I have a lit list for a Narnia study on my blog as well.

[Susie in MS]

Here is another thread for you:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/397319-fufi-roll-call/page__hl__+fufi?do=findComment&comment=4302652

 

The above thread has a bit more praise for the study.

 

I wish freeindeed would see this. She has been using FUFI, and last I heard , enjoying it thoroughly! I found a used copy on ebay for $20 and , remembering my last experience with it, was thrilled to get another copy. Whoever owned it last used the entire thing. There were check marks by a lot of lessons all the way to the very last page. My guess is they REALLY liked it! My dd has been chomping at the bit to start FUFI. She will be 8 in July so she is a bit young, but I am thinking of adjusting the lessons to fit her abilities a bit more.

[Donna A.]

I have a couple of spinoff questions, if the OP doesn't mind. (Blame it on the unit study "rabbit trail" mindset. :lol: )

 

I just recently purchased a full textbook curriculum to use with my youngest, for a variety of reasons, but one being I wanted something more systematic and structured than unit studies. Burnout, I guess, but there are other reasons, too. Anyway, I'm already having buyer's remorse :001_rolleyes: because I'm a unit study girl at heart, and now I'm considering doing the Prairie Primer with my youngest instead. Susie, do you remember me saying I didn't want to spend that much time on *just* the Little House books? :p Anyway, now that I'm actually LOOKING at it, I'm seeing how many different topics are really covered in the PP, and..... then I got to looking at FUFI, too.....

 

Meanwhile, my middle dd who's the opposite of me... has always been a textbook girl at heart and hasn't enjoyed our unit studies at ALL.... is *requesting* to do WBRM. (I already have that as oldest dd did a good chunk of it.) She's also a lover of the Narnia books, so I'm starting to toy with the idea of having her do FUFI before WBRM, but could FUFI really be beefed up to high school level? She's already 16 weeks into 9th grade, so I told her to work through Week 18 before starting WBRM, and then I'll give her a half-credit for Ancient History. FUFI looks like it could count toward some Ancient History as well, so maybe she could do it at a little faster pace than a full year, to complete a full credit for Ancients? I see an awful lot of great topics (some pretty "heavy" ones) covered in FUFI.

 

And *if* one were doing FUFI for high school (beefed up however necessary), how would you go about grading it?

 

Probably not a good idea at the high school level.... maybe I should just wait and use it with my youngest in a couple years.

 

I had another question from the thread Susie linked, but now I don't remember what it was. :willy_nilly:

[SilverMoon]

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Edited February 11 by SilverMoon

[Susie in MS]

And *if* one were doing FUFI for high school (beefed up however necessary), how would you go about grading it?

 

Maybe you could use a system similar to what is in WBRM?

I read one review on Amazon where one person was totally upset because she felt the material in FUFI was suited for high school. I have to agree that some of it is! But being a unit study suited for a good age span I can see how some of the lessons will be more advanced than others. But we are used to that with FIAR anyway. ;) I do agree that you will need to add some science and history, or at least expand upon what is there if you are to use it for high. Diane has good lit suggestions for the high school level and there is a LOT of Bible in there.

 

There really are a lot of topics covered in all of the CC studies, aren't there.

 

This was Han a few days ago:

 

"Mom, what are you doing?"

"Looking over FUFI to see *when* you will be old enough for it."

"WHAT!!!???"

"Well, Baby, there is a lot of writing in there."

"Well, couldn't we *row* the easy stuff now, and then *re-row* it again in a few years!!??"

 

:lol:

[Donna A.]

And *if* one were doing FUFI for high school (beefed up however necessary), how would you go about grading it?

 

Maybe you could use a system similar to what is in WBRM?

I read one review on Amazon where one person was totally upset because she felt the material in FUFI was suited for high school. I have to agree that some of it is! But being a unit study suited for a good age span I can see how some of the lessons will be more advanced than others. But we are used to that with FIAR anyway. ;) I do agree that you will need to add some science and history, or at least expand upon what is there if you are to use it for high. Diane has good lit suggestions for the high school level and there is a LOT of Bible in there.

 

There really are a lot of topics covered in all of the CC studies, aren't there.

 

This was Han a few days ago:

 

"Mom, what are you doing?"

"Looking over FUFI to see *when* you will be old enough for it."

"WHAT!!!???"

"Well, Baby, there is a lot of writing in there."

"Well, couldn't we *row* the easy stuff now, and then *re-row* it again in a few years!!??"

 

:lol:

 

LOL, I *LOVE* that! :lol:

 

I agree, the many activities and reading suggestions for a wide span of ages doesn't intimidate me at all. That's why I thought it might be doable. I wish I could see more samples somewhere, esp her lit suggestions. We've got her high school science, so no worries there.

 

OTOH, I've got PLENTY of material around here..... :001_rolleyes: Now to find if my dd even wants to do it. She's pretty motivated to get to WBRM (which I'm totally shocked by.... she's getting more into the little homemaker role these days), so she might not be interested.

 

Good idea about using the grading suggestions in WBRM. ;)

[Donna A.]

My rising 8th grader had shown interest in FUFI too. My rising 5th and 3rd graders will be using it this fall, and she's thumbed through the materials I've collected for them. DD is finishing up WBRM for 7th grade, and FUFI as-is would be too light for her. However, with some added study on C.S. Lewis himself and several other whole works (King Arthur, etc) it could work.

 

In the end she had to choose one of her top two choices: that or doing a similar study based on The Annotated Hobbit. Hobbit won, but she fully plans on snooping her way into her siblings' Narnia adventures where she can.

 

 

King Arthur is suggested in WBRM, so she'll get to that (although we could do it with FUFI instead), but we do have several works by Lewis, including Surprised by Joy. We could also take a rabbit trail back into the Roman era since Shakespeare is listed in FUFI (Julius Caesar). Hhmmm..... The wheels are starting to turn, but I need to go get ready for company! :001_cool:

[Susie in MS]

Her lit suggestions that are more high schoolish --or thereabouts-- to me:

 

Comedy of Errors

Hamlet

Henry the IV

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Midsummer's Night Dream

1984

Of Other Worlds

Paradise Lost

Poems

Surprised By Joy

Tom Sawyer

 

 

I know Han will love WBRM when we get to it. She was engulfed in the Anne movies and the books are so much better. Trish loved WBRM.

[echoterry]

I am doing some of the activities with my girls who are younger than the suggested age as an intro to homeschooling for the summer. I like it and the girls like looking up the words in the dictionary. I am just modifying the assignments to them and not doing all of the work.

[Donna T.]

Wow, thanks for all of the feedback! I have never used a unit study before,and I wasn't sure how much planning it would take to implement one. It looks like it is very well laid out and seems simple enough. I think we will try it!

[Donna T.]

I am going to try FUFI with my upcoming 6th grader. I will also have a 9th grader. I want to do LLFLoR with him but had not planned to do that until 10 th grade. Could I use FUFI with both of them and then move on to LLFLoR with both of them in 7th and 10 grades? Both of them have read all of the Narnia books. My oldest has just started reading The Hobbit. I am sure he is going to love it! Just wondering if I could combine them for this or if FUFI would be too light for my 9 th grader. He has not had much formal literature study though he loves to read and we do a lot of discussing and reflecting on the books we read. So, maybe FUFI would work since he could use a good intro. to literature study??

 

 

[Donna T.]

And, if I could use FUFI with my 9 th grader... would it be enough to merit earning a portion of his total English credit? He will be using Analytical Grammar, Vocabulary from Classical Roots, and Writing With Skill 2 (as soon as WWS 2 is released). He will also read a lot of literature with his history (not 100% settled on that choice yet).

[Donna A.]

And, if I could use FUFI with my 9 th grader... would it be enough to merit earning a portion of his total English credit? He will be using Analytical Grammar, Vocabulary from Classical Roots, and Writing With Skill 2 (as soon as WWS 2 is released). He will also read a lot of literature with his history (not 100% settled on that choice yet).

 

 

Donna, it looks to me from the FUFI samples that's there quite a bit of meatiness in it. I think it would work. My girl that I was inquiring about doing it with for h.s. credit is reading The Hobbit, too, and I was also thinking of adding Vocab from Classical Roots and Easy Grammar. It *looks* like there's quite a bit of writing in FUFI, so I don't know if you'd even need WWS. Might not need Vocab from Classical Roots, either, as there appears to be a lot of vocab work in FUFI. OTOH, I know that the author recommends doing a Latin course, so VfCR could replace a full Latin program on the schedule.

 

My oldest is reading LoTR with her dad right now, and we hadn't fully decided on what to do for her 12th grade English..... I wonder if she'd want to do Literary Lessons?

 

I like your ideas! :)

[SilverMoon]

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Edited February 11 by SilverMoon

[Donna T.]

Thank you, Moon! Yes, he would definately be reading a lot of other books! I am just wondering how to include him in FUFI, if at all. He could just be a tag along, but I know the dynamics of our home and if his brother is doing something that is very interesting he will want to be included. The problem that I run into with them is that they end up wanting to do one another's work in addition to their own, so their days are too long and we don't get as far along as I have planned. At almost exactly three years apart in age, I find they are interested in one another's work but still have needs at their own levels that we need to meet.

[Susie in MS]

echoterry,

Your plan sounds like what I will end up doing.We won't start for a little while. We still have some yummy books to row before moving on. But I am sure my dd will make us take a detour before we are finished with all of BYFIAR.

 

 

 

And, if I could use FUFI with my 9 th grader... would it be enough to merit earning a portion of his total English credit? He will be using Analytical Grammar, Vocabulary from Classical Roots, and Writing With Skill 2 (as soon as WWS 2 is released). He will also read a lot of literature with his history (not 100% settled on that choice yet).

 

I will give you an idea of what is in there so it may help you to decided if it is enough for your child.

 

Vocab:

Some days there are only 1 or 2 words, but other days there may be up to 12. Sometimes the assignment will be to copy the definition into your notebook. Other times they are also supposed to copy the sentence from Narnia that has the word. They also use it in the sentences given (fill in the blank). At times there are footnote assignments. I plan to spread the vocab evenly over the week. At the end of each book there is a vocab cross word puzzle where a synonym for each vocab word is given as the clue. Because my child is younger I will be making up a vocab matching sheets using the crossword answer key to help me. Vocab words down one side and the down the other side. Sampling of some words: scullion, hummocks, grovel,

vermillion, valor,hale, standard, frowsty, cordial,impertinent. So you can see they go from moderate to a bit up there in difficulty.

 

Writing:

Write a report on an artist such as Winslow Homer who is known for his seascapes.

Make a banner using the names of Jesus.

Copy passages from the Narnia book then re-write it in your own words.

Writing your own novella (details given), design cover, etc

Write a paragraph about a poet and one about his/her work

 

That was the tip of the iceberg. Writing opportunities abound. The person who owned this book before I did felt it needed a bit more writing so the word 'oral' was crossed out in many cases and the word 'write' your answers put in its place. So that is something to consider if you want it.

 

Having graduated 3 kiddos I can say that I would be perfectly happy to count what is in FUFI for a full English credit as long as the upper level lit is included.There is not much grammar, but in high the focus should be on writing and lit anyway unless the student is lacking in grammar. But you know your child best. You know his/her weaknesses and strengths.

[Donna A.]

And you can take any one of those writing exercises and turn them into a Speech/Communications exercise. I was thinking about that last night... the one about copying passages from the book(s) and rewriting them in your own words. One problem we have in our family is needing to re-word something in a way that the other person understands. This is a necessary life skill, especially for someone who's not naturally good at it. It spills over into every area of life, including studying the different translations and interpretations of Scripture, and the way sermons are preached by different pastors, Bible study using commentaries, etc.. ;)

 

You see how far this can go? FUFI can end up being the spine for so many other avenues! :)

[Donna T.]

Just wanted to pop in and thank you guys for your input!! Our NEW copy of FUFI arrived this week-end!! :hurray: I don't buy brand new resources very often, so that alone was a treat! Wow, I love it! It arrived on Saturday and my 11 year old is ready to start this Monday. I am a little nervous because we have never used a unit study before. I think I will be o.k. as long as I can get in the habit of looking ahead to make sure we have the supplies and other books we need for the lessons. I am really excited! I think this will be a big chunk of my 6th graders day. I plan to allow my 9th grader to sit in as a tag-along and pick his own "adventures" as he has the time and interest. That will be fun, I think, because it is usually my younger son that's the tag along! It would be nice if the guide included one list of all of the other books that are recommended through the study. All I can find is an Additional Resources Recommended list that has the four titles that are most often referred to listed. No mention of the extras like Treasure Island that is referred to in Chapter 1. But, there are the handy lists of things to gather in the Planning Guides. I am going to go through those lists and begin gathering those titles. Well, thanks again!

[freeindeed]

I am using FUFI with my 4th grade son this year. He describes it as his "best year ever." :)

It is actually quite meaty. We have had some really great discussions this year. If you click on my blog link in my siggie and look for posts labeled Further Up and Further In, then you could get an idea of what we do each week.