LLATL instead of Chronological Literature

[Hunter]

I recently purchased Layers of Learning year 1. I think I finally found my eBook/updated version of the original 1990s NtK series that I like so much but struggle to lug around as hardcopies. 

 

LoL screams out to add chronological literature, but it's just not falling into place. LLATL comes in eBook format, and I was able to purchase many of the paperback TMs very cheaply, so already have them to use while I save up for the eBooks. I'm thinking of maybe abandoning the idea of chronological literature and just doing the literature in LLATL.

 

Has anyone found contentment while doing history chronologically, but given up on trying to tie in the literature? Does anyone use LLATL alongside SOTW or some other 4 year rotation history?

[dsmith]

We read historical fiction, but we don't do anything with it beyond hopefully enjoying it. We will do these as read-alouds or buy an Audible version. This works out to about 4 - 6 books a year. I pick lit books based on what I think ds will enjoy and purchase various lit guides to go with them. We've been doing about 4 - 5 a year. So far we have done Treasure Island and The Hobbit for lit. Next will be some stories from Washington Irving so that we can see this in October:

 

http://www.hudsonvalley.org/events/irvings-legend

 

I will probably follow that with A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Dh purchased the annotated version and the storyteller from the link above does a great performance of that every year at the same church. I'm also planning on Watership Down (my favorite book when I was my son's age) and a unit on poetry. I wanted to do Poe this year, but it will probably wait until next year. I found a really cool app on iTunes for Poe. 

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ipoe-interactive-illustrated/id507407813?mt=8

 

I did use LLATL orange one year. We really enjoyed it, but many of the lit choices for following years were not my cup of tea. I do try to incorporate the methods used in that program. I may look at the higher levels now that they are in ebook format.

 

With ds, I always need to find ways to increase his interest in various subjects. That's why our historical reading is always fun and interesting with no strings attached, while what we are studying for literature has to be of high interest to ds and well written, and a big plus if I can find interesting things to do related to what we are reading.

 

I'm afraid to look up Layers of Learning - your posts usually cost me some money, lol. :lol: And what is NtK? 

[dsmith]

After downloading the free first unit of LoL, I think you could go either way with lit. Yes, they have recommendations for historical lit, but also a good amount of non-fiction. It could easily be added to any history curriculum, or with their non-fiction recs a person could easily create their own. One could easily use what is on hand or at the library too. To me, this would be even more incentive to drop historical lit completely because the units themselves add a lot of interest to any history study. To me, it's about adding interest, so that's why we do read-alouds or Audible books. I don't choose a book for everything we are learning about, and we may go a few months without historical lit. And again, you have cost me some money, lol. I'm going to try a unit of LoL to go along with what we are studying now.  :001_smile:

[Hunter]

I think I'm going to give up on linking easy novels to the history. I started a thread about secular chronological lists, but even with help, it's just too much work and expense.

 

LoL, from my skimming, appears to be more hardcore lit suggestions rather than easier Sonlight style novels. And as you said, lots of nonfiction.

 

I'm going to just do LoL, LLATL and then just provide random free reads as I am able to accumulate them. I'm going to set aside an area of bookshelves for just fill some boxes full of logic level novels and biographies and let students pick a book a week whenever I don't have a novel planned.

 

Sorry, about costing you money! NtK is What Your _ Grader Needs to Know. The original 1990s series is a lot like LoL, at least to ME.