Have you used Excellence in Literature?

[plain jane]

I'm looking at the first book to use with my oldest (going into 7th) but I am not sure when I can begin using it.

 

She has completed WWS1 and is 1/2 done WWS2.  I am taking a slight detour in the fall and we will start in on LToW1 before going back to finish off WWS2.

 

She has read a lot of classic novels already, including Moby Dick, Great Gatsby, P&P, Emma, Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Don Quixote, To Kill a Mockingbird (she started and finished this this afternoon after finding it on my shelf and before I even noticed she was reading it).  The list goes on, but you get the idea. ;)  She likes to read and has strong writing skills.

 

However, the Excellence in Literature program says it should come after IEW's Elegant Essay and Windows to the World.  I haven't used either of those programs.  If she's working through WWS2 does she need to do the IEW Elegant Essay program?  What about Windows to the World?  How does that fit in?

 

She is ready to do some work with literary analysis and I don't want to do lit guides at this time.  I think there is a time and place for them but for her, they seem to sap the joy of reading and she isn't keen on them.  We've done a few PP (Progeny Press) ones in the past.

 

Thoughts?

[mumto2]

We recently started EIL II with dd and she loves it! Like your daughter she has always been fairly independent and quite well read. We skipped volume I because she had read all the books already and was not interested in a year of repeats. This program has been perfect for her. Enough direction so she stays on track. Two completed papers a month. Between 2 and 4 novels a month to read with the honors suggestions. Several have been on the kindle for free. :) It is very easy to just do various units so I plan to get the rest of the books and use them by individual unit as opposed to the each course as a whole.

 

The Windows to the World does look good and I plan to use it with ds. Dd had already done many of the short stories and was able to look at a copy of the curriculum. She felt pretty confident about skipping it. Since your daughter is younger then dd I would probably go through it first. We had a few terminology/program type questions at the beganning which may not have existed if we had used the earlier programs first. She actually figured some of it out with the Economics Based Writing Lessons book which she is also doing.

[Melissa B]

I used EIL 1 with my eldest when she was in 7th grade.  I don't think those other programs were recommended to be used first when we used it.  Actually, they might not have been written yet.  Either way, I've never used Elegant Essay or Windows to the World and my dd did just fine.  :)

[RootAnn]

I have EIL on the list for what I'd like to use for Lit in high school. We do plan on going through WttW next year, but I don't have Elegant Essay down (yet) on the schedule.

 

I posted a thread awhile back about what to use before WttW & someone mentioned Elegant Essay. I still can't find that requirement (although it is listed in the FAQ for EIW as "helpful" if you need more detailed instruction & is one of the writing programs she likes) on IEW's site for either EIL or WttW, but I haven't looked very hard. ;-)

 

[Julie of KY]

Elegant Essay is essay instruction. Windows to the World is literature analysis instruction. Neither curriculum has to be done before EIL, though essay and lit analysis skills are assumed.

 

EIL can be done with poor essay or lit analysis skills as well - just modify it to what works best for you. I love the literature and the learning/discussion related to EIL. Just skip any units that you've already read.