Oh, the irony! Literature question inside

[Chris in CA]

I am going back to school to get my MA in English Lit. and it is the one subject I cannot find for my 8th grade dd. We have used Figuatively Speaking for terminology (about 1/2 through) and TTC, but I am looking for something more - a program that probably doesn't exist.

What do you use with your 8th/9th grade dc?

thanks

[Kareni]

Have you considered using Lightning Literature from Hewitt? They have literature programs for 8th and 9th grades. See: Lightning Literature and Composition samples and information.

 

ETA: Hmm, I just read in another thread that you'd considered and decided against this option. How about Mosdos Press Literature? See: Mosdos.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chris in CA]

I think I've ruled that out, we already have writing and vocab covered.

[8filltheheart]

LOL......I had to read your post simply b/c I have exceeded my limit for using the word irony on the forum this week. ;)

 

To answer your question, I put together my own. I pick about 20 titles from assorted poems, short stories, and novels and we progress through them chronologically. I use online sources (including Cliffnotes. Sparknotes, author websites, and materials posted by teachers and universities) to guide our discussions.

 

I love it that way. We go way more in-depth and we cover what I want.

 

HTH

[Colleen]

I think I've ruled that out, we already have writing and vocab covered.

 

What other resources are you using? What exactly (or generally, anyway;)) are you looking for?

[Carol in Cal.]

It also has book lists to correspond with each historical period, if you want to correlate with your history studies.

 

I've used those guidelines to good effect during the last year, and it's been great.

 

I also have used Junior Great Books up until this year, in a coop, but I don't care much for their middle school stories so will not be continuing that as DD goes on into 7th grade.

 

This year we are going to do Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings, and I expect to focus much more on the literature aspect of it than on the writing. We are also going to continue using the WTM guidelines for a monthly literature discussion group that I am hosting. For the first semester we are going to kick things off with "To Kill a Mockingbird" and then study "Macbeth" but at a middle school level. We will start by reading the Lamb version of the play and digesting the main plot line. Then the next month we will study "Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth" which is an excellent book in its own right, and which references Macbeth extensively. Then we will study the play itself, using two versions of it--one that is extensively annotated, and one that has modern English in parallel with the original play. This will probably take two sessions. Then we will wrap up by watching a movie of it if I can find one that I like--I have not looked for this yet.

 

DD is going into 7th grade, so a little younger than yours, but I think that our plan would be similar in a year, maybe with a little more depth. I'm really looking forward to all of it.

[8filltheheart]

Hijacking the thread to reply to Carol.....

 

I am taking 2 yrs to do LL from LOTRs with my middle schooler. This is our 2nd yr. The unit studies that are embedded in the program are what really connect the dots and are just too good to pass up. We spent several weeks on the Iliad and the Odyssey. Several more on Beowolf. That even led us to Canterbury Tales.

 

Just wanted to share b/c I couldn't pace it any faster for my middle schooler and we enjoyed every minute of the program last yr. Even though we have started back to school, we haven't started back to LL yet b/c my oldest at home is going to school and he doesn't start back until the 25th. But, I can't wait to jump back in. :)

[Chris in CA]

Hmm, maybe that is the way to go, I just honestly don't know if I'll have the time to do that this year. But maybe I can pull some from my classes as well...... You've given me something to think about

[Chris in CA]

We are using AG for grammar, Jump In (2nd half) for writing, Vocabulary Cartoons for vocab, and Figuatively Speaking for Lit terminology.

 

Windows to the World is the closest I have come to finding what I was looking for - straight lit analysis, teaching of terms and actually using them to pick apart the writing with additional ideas on how to cement the teaching.

Janice in NJ on the hs board has this and thought it wouldn't be a problem for 8th grade, she's gone for the night, but maybe I'll pick her brain tomorrow.

[Veronica in VA]

As someone else mentioned LOTR is wonderful. I used it with both of my dc when they were in 9th grade. Another option might be Kolbe Lit for junior high. Their website is http://www.kolbe.org They are a classical Catholic school, but I haven't found anything in any of their courses other than theology that would be an issue for a non-Catholic.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Veronica

[Chris in CA]

thanks Veronica, I'll check into Kolbe.

I looked at LOTR and it wasn't for us, but it did look wonderful

[Carol in Cal.]

Hijacking the thread to reply to Carol.....

 

I am taking 2 yrs to do LL from LOTRs with my middle schooler. This is our 2nd yr. The unit studies that are embedded in the program are what really connect the dots and are just too good to pass up. We spent several weeks on the Iliad and the Odyssey. Several more on Beowolf. That even led us to Canterbury Tales.

 

Just wanted to share b/c I couldn't pace it any faster for my middle schooler and we enjoyed every minute of the program last yr. Even though we have started back to school, we haven't started back to LL yet b/c my oldest at home is going to school and he doesn't start back until the 25th. But, I can't wait to jump back in. :)

 

I, too, want to do all of the unit studies. I don't care how long it takes. I don't even care whether my DD likes them. If she truly hates them, I will assign her something else and go off and do them by myself, for myself. They look that good.

[Moira in MA]

I was thinking of suggesting Literary Lessons as well. My eldest dd loved it for 8th grade. I had her do the suggested high school schedule and she throve. I thought at the time that the vocabulary work and the story summarizations were rather lame but they really helped my dd to understand how to summarize a text and the vocab review did not harm. She loved all the unit studies, much of what she learned has been useful with Great Books.

 

My youngest is pretty upset that she'll not get to do it, she started Great Books along with her sister.