3girls4me Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Hi ladies, I am trying to decide on an approach to teaching good literature this year - a 4th grade girl with a 1st grade girl listening in somewhat. We are kicking off the year with a series about horses that I got at a curriculum fair. There are guides that go along with it. I suspect that will take us a quarter. I have thought about doing some of the chronicles of narnia after. But I have recently started a classics book club with several other women and have been reminded how incredible it can be to not just enjoy good books, but really dive in and have incredible discussions about these books. Obviously my kids are fairly young and the older can handle more than the younger, but I just want to do a little more with what we read than just read and narrate. I'm not interested in a program that teacher grammar and such through literature because we already have a grammar and writing (and spelling) program. We even have CLE reading to use some if we want. Any suggestions for programs to look into? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I tossed around the idea of having my oldest keep a reading notebook where he could write down new words, copy texts he liked, and we could delve into things like character, plot, climax, etc. Then I scratched the whole idea and really felt that would make it like work and we would lose all enjoyment. I plan just to start throwing out some of these terms more as he gets older as part of our narration and discussion time. Have you read Deconstructing Penguins? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3girls4me Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 No, I haven't read that. Assuming I should? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Deconstructing Penguins is a good read, although I haven't actually implemented it. It's on my list of books to re-read this summer. I've always wanted to see what Teaching the Classics is all about, but it's out of my price range. SWB has a lecture, too: http://peacehillpress.com/audiobooks-lectures/what-is-literary-analysis-when-why-and-how-should-i-teach-it-mp3-download/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 No, I haven't read that. Assuming I should? I think it will help you do what you are aiming to do. It is not a curriculum. It is more of an idea of how a book discussion could look. Very inspiring. Wasn't as practical as I would have liked, but it was very good. I would love for someone to say "read these pages and then ask _____________________" and amazing discussion will follow but I haven't found THAT curriculum/program yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenslp Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Not sure exactly what you are looking for but here's what we do now: We choose books based on TWTM suggestions as well as other books we just think my son might like. I purchase or find on the internet, study guides for only about half of the books. For the books with study guides, we read and complete the study guide assignments as we go. The guides have come from lots of different sources so they are usually different for each book in terms of assignments and questions etc. Then, for the remainder of our books for the year for which we haven't purchased or downloaded a study guide, we just read the book and chat about it each day after the reading for that day. That's it. When each book is finished, if there isn't a study guide that suggests a writing assignment, I have my son just write a paragraph summary of the book. Eventually we will get to longer literary analysis writing after reading books, but at this point it works well for us to have half of the books be books that we just read and chat about without too much work or pressure to complete assignments. My son seems to do well with this method and I notice that even when we don't use study guides, he seems to be getting better at really understanding the literature; as if the skills he has learned from the study guides with other books, do carry over to the books we just read on our own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3girls4me Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Thanks. Any suggestions on sites that have good guides for kids in elementary school? I just google it when I'm searching for my own book club, but those are way over her head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Literature is an art. I don't get any more involved in literature analysis than I do picture study or music appreciation. I absolutely refuse to turn the arts in a 3R like skill. The arts are to nourish the soul. I believe in educating and nourishing the mind, body and soul equally, without an extra emphasis on the mind. A well educated mind suspended on a weak and soulless body cannot survive. Okay, so now that I have established all that, what do I actually use for literature. I still haven't found anything and am just winging it. But I keep it light, and focused on the BOOK, and not the vocabulary to describe the book. I was recently challenged to reevaluate my own education, which I had been very negative about. I've come to see it differently, and to appreciate an education that included a LOT of free reading and not much else. I'm so rough around the edges, BUT, what I learned from JUST reading books has saved and enriched my life and the life of others. For my own self education and the education of those that I end out responsible for, I will never place ANYTHING above learning to read and just READING book after book after book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaD Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I know you mentioned that teaching the classics isn't in your price range..... I have TTC and the companion book Reading Roadmaps. My DS will be in 1st this year and I am a former 5th/6th grade PS teacher. I find that the Reading Roadmaps is enough for me to use to effectively teach Literature. It includes a scope and sequence (book list with a brief plot summary, theme, conflict, and literary device listed for each book plus an alternate book choice) for each grade level. I am really happy with it. Do you have a used curriculum bookstore? Or perhaps someone local might be done with theirs? eBay? The other thing I especially liked is that I felt like the book equipped me with the basics which could be applied to any literary piece. I highly recommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherOfBoys Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I too would like a simple guide to the classics that says "read this and ask these questions and an great discussion will happen". I have been reading some classics and will come to a cool sentence, thought, or vocab choice and wish I could remember it to present it to my boys when they get to reading the book. I'll probably never remember though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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