Mama2two Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 What other companies have literature guides besides Memoria Press, Progency Press and Veritas Press? I am looking for a guide with comprehension questions and other activities. Any reviews of your favorites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifesadream83 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Sonlight? I love their guides.. I can pick up and school without thinking its wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I've started using Shmoop guides free online. I've mostly been using their discussion questions, but they've got lots of other topics. The discussion questions have been good, I've actually had some really nice discussions with dd - they make her think, not just regurgitate. I also like that they're free and I can just bring up whatever book she happens to have read without planning ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2two Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Thanks. I didn't knoe Sonlight had lit guides separate fromtheir lesson plans. I've never heard of Shmoop, I'll checkit out. Any others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2two Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Sorry for the typos. On my phone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommytoFour Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I think Total Language Plus has literature guides. I've also heard people talking about Smarr Literature Guides and Cadron Creek Literature Guides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Glencoe has some free lit guides available online. My dd is doing Julie of the Wolves right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Where do I look for sonlights lit guides? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen. Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Wow, Schmoop guides is so much more than just literary guides. What a great find. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 With my older girls I used the Upper Grammar Literature Guides by Logos Press. If I remember correctly, there are five volumes and each covers about 5 books. We typically did two volumes per year, roughly 4th-6th grades. They can be done independently and are inexpensive ($15 per volume, so $30 per year covering 10 books). Answers are included in the back of each book. I haven't used them with my DD3, who is now in the target age range, because I don't have such an intense need for her to be independent. We're in the first book of the Memoria Press 4th grade literature program and enjoying it, but they are much more expensive for a similar product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2two Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 Thanks for all the suggestions (and I couldn't find separate sonlight lit guides) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 You didn't mention ages, so I'm giving you the whole gamut, K-12, compiled from past threads: For a Fee: - Blackbird (gr. 1-6) (secular) -- no personal experience with these; most are for classic children's works, but there are a few (Treasure Island, e.g.) that fit the middle school/high school WTM classics list - Novel Inquires (gr. 5-7) -- from Catholic perspective - Hillside Education (gr. 5-8) -- guides from Mother of Divine Grade School - Progeny Press (k-12) (Christian) -- high school guides are worthwhile; some are much better than others; see inside- Garlic Press Publishers: Discovering Literature series (gr. 5-12) (secular) -- especially the challenger level; BEST guides I've seen! meaty; background info on author/times; great discussion questions; great teaching text on literary elements/analysis; activities; resources; etc. See inside for table of contents and sample pages at www.rainbowresource.com- The Great Books (gr. 9-12) (Christian) -- guided worldview discussion rather than literature guide, but makes for an interesting different type of conversation for some books; some are definitely only so-so or are hard to use, but some (Beowulf, e.g.) are quite worthwhile- Portals to Literature (gr. 9-12) (secular) -- for classroom use -- a lot of classroom/group activities -- but you can adapt; more meaty than Novel Units, with more background info- Novel Units (gr. 9-12) (secular; high school) -- for classroom use; can adapt; only "okay"FREE: - Homeschool Share reading units (by age: toddler/preschool; pre-school-kinder; young elementary; middle elementary; chapter books; independent study; multi-age; and then by one of several different themes) - Reading Units by Gay Miller (mostly late elementary/middle school, but a few early elementary) - Novel Study reading guides by Brian Thornton (elementary/middle school) - Garden of Praise: Literature Based Reading Lessons (elementary) - Teacher Vision: Teacher Guides to Primary Literature (elementary -- extension activities) - Glencoe Literary Library (gr. 7-12) (secular) -- good background info; a few questions; exercises/graphic organizers- Sparknotes (high school/college) (secular) -- background info; length analysis articles; every chapter of a work covered; no questions/assignments/exercises; a great resource, but if the work can at ALL have a Freudian, feminist or sexual aspect it WILL be brought up in the article... tiresome after awhile- Cliff's Notes (high school/college) (secular)-- background info; length analysis articles; every chapter of a work covered; no questions, assignments/exercises- Pink Monkey (high school/college) (secular)-- background info; length analysis articles; every chapter of a work covered; few questions, no assignments/exercises- Penguin Group (high school/college) (secular)-- synopsis; background info pre- and post- reading activities; questions- Schmoop (just a few middle school resources; high school/college) (secular) -- background info; length analysis articles; few questions; no assignments/exercises- Bibliomania (high school/college) (secular) - Wikipedia articles on specific authors/worksShakespeare- Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays (high school/college) (Christian)- Parallel Shakespeare (middle school/high school) (secular) -- the teacher guides and student workbooks are great; the side-by-side original and modern translation book can be helpful- No Fear Shakespeare (Sparknotes side-by-side original and modern translation online)Questions for Literature - SWB's list (from Site Resources --> Workshops & Hand Outs --> What is Literary Analysis and When to Teach It) - SWB's audio lecture on literary analysis is also highly recommended. Later, move on to the method SWB outlines in the first few chapters of TWEM.- Specific literary analysis questions.- Socratic Questions for Kids - Reader's Odyssey (gr. 7-12) = teaches you and the student how to read literature for yourselves and make your own assignments; then follows with a list of classic literature to choose from Lit. Programs- Memoria Press grade 6, grade 7 = Christian; student workbook component done solo, but also needs teacher input - Kolbe Middle School Literature = Christian/Catholic; study questions and weekly writing assignments - Lightning Literature & Composition: grade 7, grade 8 = secular; can be largely done independently by student (above middle school levels are 1 year long; high school levels are 1 semester; the 2 American Lit. programs for LL are geared for grade 9 and up) - Windows to the World (gr. 9-12) -- Christian; there is a student book, written to the student, but also a teacher book and this program will need more teacher input- Excellence in Literature: Intro to Literature (gr. 8); Literature & Composition (gr. 9) = Christian Online Courses - Boomerang Book Club (gr. 7-10) = secular (?) perspective - Center for Lit (gr. 7-8 class; also a high school class) = Christian perspective UNIT study - Prairie Primer (gr. 3-6) = Little House on the Prairie - Further Up, Further In (gr. 4-6) = Chronicles of Narnia- Where the River Meets the Brook (gr. 8-12) = 1 year study based on Anne of Green Gables books - Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings (gr. 7-10) = secular; 1 year program "Whole language arts" (grammar, spelling, writing, lit)- Total Language Plus (K-12) (Christian)- Learning Language Arts Through Literature (K-12) (Christian) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 You didn't mention ages, so I'm giving you the whole gamut, K-12, compiled from past threads: For a Fee: - Blackbird (gr. 1-6) (secular) -- no personal experience with these; most are for classic children's works, but there are a few (Treasure Island, e.g.) that fit the middle school/high school WTM classics list - Novel Inquires (gr. 5-7) -- from Catholic perspective - Hillside Education (gr. 5-8) -- guides from Mother of Divine Grade School - Progeny Press (k-12) (Christian) -- high school guides are worthwhile; some are much better than others; see inside - Garlic Press Publishers: Discovering Literature series (gr. 5-12) (secular) -- especially the challenger level; BEST guides I've seen! meaty; background info on author/times; great discussion questions; great teaching text on literary elements/analysis; activities; resources; etc. See inside for table of contents and sample pages at www.rainbowresource.com - The Great Books (gr. 9-12) (Christian) -- guided worldview discussion rather than literature guide, but makes for an interesting different type of conversation for some books; some are definitely only so-so or are hard to use, but some (Beowulf, e.g.) are quite worthwhile - Portals to Literature (gr. 9-12) (secular) -- for classroom use -- a lot of classroom/group activities -- but you can adapt; more meaty than Novel Units, with more background info - Novel Units (gr. 9-12) (secular; high school) -- for classroom use; can adapt; only "okay" FREE: - Homeschool Share reading units (by age: toddler/preschool; pre-school-kinder; young elementary; middle elementary; chapter books; independent study; multi-age; and then by one of several different themes) - Reading Units by Gay Miller (mostly late elementary/middle school, but a few early elementary) - Novel Study reading guides by Brian Thornton (elementary/middle school) - Garden of Praise: Literature Based Reading Lessons (elementary) - Teacher Vision: Teacher Guides to Primary Literature (elementary -- extension activities) - Glencoe Literary Library (gr. 7-12) (secular) -- good background info; a few questions; exercises/graphic organizers - Sparknotes (high school/college) (secular) -- background info; length analysis articles; every chapter of a work covered; no questions/assignments/exercises; a great resource, but if the work can at ALL have a Freudian, feminist or sexual aspect it WILL be brought up in the article... tiresome after awhile - Cliff's Notes (high school/college) (secular)-- background info; length analysis articles; every chapter of a work covered; no questions, assignments/exercises - Pink Monkey (high school/college) (secular)-- background info; length analysis articles; every chapter of a work covered; few questions, no assignments/exercises - Penguin Group (high school/college) (secular)-- synopsis; background info pre- and post- reading activities; questions - Schmoop (just a few middle school resources; high school/college) (secular) -- background info; length analysis articles; few questions; no assignments/exercises - Bibliomania (high school/college) (secular) - Wikipedia articles on specific authors/works Shakespeare - Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays (high school/college) (Christian) - Parallel Shakespeare (middle school/high school) (secular) -- the teacher guides and student workbooks are great; the side-by-side original and modern translation book can be helpful - No Fear Shakespeare (Sparknotes side-by-side original and modern translation online) Questions for Literature - SWB's list (from Site Resources --> Workshops & Hand Outs --> What is Literary Analysis and When to Teach It) - SWB's audio lecture on literary analysis is also highly recommended. Later, move on to the method SWB outlines in the first few chapters of TWEM. - Specific literary analysis questions. - Socratic Questions for Kids - Reader's Odyssey (gr. 7-12) = teaches you and the student how to read literature for yourselves and make your own assignments; then follows with a list of classic literature to choose from Lit. Programs - Memoria Press grade 6, grade 7 = Christian; student workbook component done solo, but also needs teacher input - Kolbe Middle School Literature = Christian/Catholic; study questions and weekly writing assignments - Lightning Literature & Composition: grade 7, grade 8 = secular; can be largely done independently by student (above middle school levels are 1 year long; high school levels are 1 semester; the 2 American Lit. programs for LL are geared for grade 9 and up) - Windows to the World (gr. 9-12) -- Christian; there is a student book, written to the student, but also a teacher book and this program will need more teacher input - Excellence in Literature: Intro to Literature (gr. 8); Literature & Composition (gr. 9) = Christian Online Courses - Boomerang Book Club (gr. 7-10) = secular (?) perspective - Center for Lit (gr. 7-8 class; also a high school class) = Christian perspective UNIT study - Prairie Primer (gr. 3-6) = Little House on the Prairie - Further Up, Further In (gr. 4-6) = Chronicles of Narnia - Where the River Meets the Brook (gr. 8-12) = 1 year study based on Anne of Green Gables books - Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings (gr. 7-10) = secular; 1 year program "Whole language arts" (grammar, spelling, writing, lit) - Total Language Plus (K-12) (Christian) - Learning Language Arts Through Literature (K-12) (Christian) Wow, Lori, what a great list! For the free ones, I've only used Glencoe and Sparknotes, both of which have been helpful. I can see that I can branch out more! Not a lit. guide per se, but for getting started with discussions with kids I love Deconstructing Penguins! Bright Ideas Press (publisher of Mystery of History) has individual lit. guides (also included in their Illuminations course). Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2two Posted November 3, 2013 Author Share Posted November 3, 2013 Wow, thanks everyone. I had no idea there was so much out there. Look forward to looking at all of these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifesadream83 Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Thanks. I didn't knoe Sonlight had lit guides separate fromtheir lesson plans. I've never heard of Shmoop, I'll checkit out. Any others? Well they have the Readers Guides for Grades 1-4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 You didn't mention ages, so I'm giving you the whole gamut, K-12, compiled from past threads: For a Fee: - Blackbird (gr. 1-6) (secular) -- no personal experience with these; most are for classic children's works, but there are a few (Treasure Island, e.g.) that fit the middle school/high school WTM classics list - Novel Inquires (gr. 5-7) -- from Catholic perspective - Hillside Education (gr. 5-8) -- guides from Mother of Divine Grade School - Progeny Press (k-12) (Christian) -- high school guides are worthwhile; some are much better than others; see inside - Garlic Press Publishers: Discovering Literature series (gr. 5-12) (secular) -- especially the challenger level; BEST guides I've seen! meaty; background info on author/times; great discussion questions; great teaching text on literary elements/analysis; activities; resources; etc. See inside for table of contents and sample pages at www.rainbowresource.com - The Great Books (gr. 9-12) (Christian) -- guided worldview discussion rather than literature guide, but makes for an interesting different type of conversation for some books; some are definitely only so-so or are hard to use, but some (Beowulf, e.g.) are quite worthwhile - Portals to Literature (gr. 9-12) (secular) -- for classroom use -- a lot of classroom/group activities -- but you can adapt; more meaty than Novel Units, with more background info - Novel Units (gr. 9-12) (secular; high school) -- for classroom use; can adapt; only "okay" FREE: - Homeschool Share reading units (by age: toddler/preschool; pre-school-kinder; young elementary; middle elementary; chapter books; independent study; multi-age; and then by one of several different themes) - Reading Units by Gay Miller (mostly late elementary/middle school, but a few early elementary) - Novel Study reading guides by Brian Thornton (elementary/middle school) - Garden of Praise: Literature Based Reading Lessons (elementary) - Teacher Vision: Teacher Guides to Primary Literature (elementary -- extension activities) - Glencoe Literary Library (gr. 7-12) (secular) -- good background info; a few questions; exercises/graphic organizers - Sparknotes (high school/college) (secular) -- background info; length analysis articles; every chapter of a work covered; no questions/assignments/exercises; a great resource, but if the work can at ALL have a Freudian, feminist or sexual aspect it WILL be brought up in the article... tiresome after awhile - Cliff's Notes (high school/college) (secular)-- background info; length analysis articles; every chapter of a work covered; no questions, assignments/exercises - Pink Monkey (high school/college) (secular)-- background info; length analysis articles; every chapter of a work covered; few questions, no assignments/exercises - Penguin Group (high school/college) (secular)-- synopsis; background info pre- and post- reading activities; questions - Schmoop (just a few middle school resources; high school/college) (secular) -- background info; length analysis articles; few questions; no assignments/exercises - Bibliomania (high school/college) (secular) - Wikipedia articles on specific authors/works Shakespeare - Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide to Six Shakespeare Plays (high school/college) (Christian) - Parallel Shakespeare (middle school/high school) (secular) -- the teacher guides and student workbooks are great; the side-by-side original and modern translation book can be helpful - No Fear Shakespeare (Sparknotes side-by-side original and modern translation online) Questions for Literature - SWB's list (from Site Resources --> Workshops & Hand Outs --> What is Literary Analysis and When to Teach It) - SWB's audio lecture on literary analysis is also highly recommended. Later, move on to the method SWB outlines in the first few chapters of TWEM. - Specific literary analysis questions. - Socratic Questions for Kids - Reader's Odyssey (gr. 7-12) = teaches you and the student how to read literature for yourselves and make your own assignments; then follows with a list of classic literature to choose from Lit. Programs - Memoria Press grade 6, grade 7 = Christian; student workbook component done solo, but also needs teacher input - Kolbe Middle School Literature = Christian/Catholic; study questions and weekly writing assignments - Lightning Literature & Composition: grade 7, grade 8 = secular; can be largely done independently by student (above middle school levels are 1 year long; high school levels are 1 semester; the 2 American Lit. programs for LL are geared for grade 9 and up) - Windows to the World (gr. 9-12) -- Christian; there is a student book, written to the student, but also a teacher book and this program will need more teacher input - Excellence in Literature: Intro to Literature (gr. 8); Literature & Composition (gr. 9) = Christian Online Courses - Boomerang Book Club (gr. 7-10) = secular (?) perspective - Center for Lit (gr. 7-8 class; also a high school class) = Christian perspective UNIT study - Prairie Primer (gr. 3-6) = Little House on the Prairie - Further Up, Further In (gr. 4-6) = Chronicles of Narnia - Where the River Meets the Brook (gr. 8-12) = 1 year study based on Anne of Green Gables books - Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings (gr. 7-10) = secular; 1 year program "Whole language arts" (grammar, spelling, writing, lit) - Total Language Plus (K-12) (Christian) - Learning Language Arts Through Literature (K-12) (Christian) I agree, what an awesome resource list! Thanks for taking the time to share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brasilmom Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Wow, this list is very resourceful. I jsut took a look and this is going to be used over and over again. Thank you for posting. I was just searching for literature guides this morning, but none of the resources have a guide for the Wheel on the school. I found the lapbook in one of the resources, but my dd is totally not into that. I also found the ARBook have a quiz, but only offered to teachers in schools, not homeschoolers seems to me. Anyone knows of quizzes that we can administer to our children? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Wow, this list is very resourceful. I jsut took a look and this is going to be used over and over again. Thank you for posting. I was just searching for literature guides this morning, but none of the resources have a guide for the Wheel on the school. I found the lapbook in one of the resources, but my dd is totally not into that. I also found the ARBook have a quiz, but only offered to teachers in schools, not homeschoolers seems to me. Anyone knows of quizzes that we can administer to our children? LOVED Wheel on the School! I love that every character ends up playing an important role, even the one with disabilities. I love the message about impossible things being possible. I wouldn't give young kids quizzes over what they read (stuff like that made me HATE reading comprehension in school--I just wanted to read and enjoy books!). We always just talk about what we enjoy in a book, about how it makes us think or feel, if we would have done things differently than a character did, what we think will happen next, relating events to things we've experienced or heard about....and so on. Enjoy good books together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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