Which of these books should I leave out???

[ereks mom]

I UPDATED MY LIST TO SHOW THE BOOKS I'VE DELETED AND/OR SUBSTITUTED (for now). :D  It's still a work in progress, so keep the suggestions coming. 

 

For those new to the game:  I teach a group of 13-16 year old girls who are poor readers, and I need 7-8 historical fiction books set in AD 500-1750 that are actually 5th-6th grade level. I had planned to use the Memoria Press Robin Hood and King Arthur books (by Green) and guides in their 6th grade package, but that version of King Arthur is actually NINTH grade reading level, and the Robin Hood is approximately EIGHTH.  These versions would be especially frustrating to the struggling learners I tutor.

(Incidentally, Veritas Press includes them in their FOURTH grade package. :o) 

 

-----

 

Next year's history will be SOTW 2 & half of SOTW 3, so approximately AD 500-1750. I have narrowed down our accompanying literature choices to the books listed below. FWIW, I plan to use mainly Beautiful Feet's Intermediate Medieval History guide and Memoria Press literature guides. others.  I need suggestions.

However, I don't think we'll be able to get through all of these--i'm thinking 8 of them at most??? Remember that I am teaching 13-16 year old girls with poor (slow) reading skills and therefore an aversion to reading. I would love to have your suggestions for which ones to leave out.

****ETA:
Just so you know... We read EVERYTHING aloud together, usually taking turns "round robin" style. I rarely assign them more than a few pages to read on their own because they don't comprehend much.****

Beowulf - Michael Morpurgo

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table - Roger Lancelyn Green - Core Classics edition?

One Thousand and One Arabian Nights - Geraldine McCaughrean

The Adventures of Robin Hood - Roger Lancelyn Green - Core Classics edition?

Adam of the Road - Elizabeth Janet Gray

The Canterbury Tales - Geraldine McCaughrean

an abridged or simplified version of Shakespeare's Macbeth

Tituba of Salem Village by Ann Petry
- OR - The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Alone, Yet Not Alone by Tracy Leininger Craven - AND - I Am Regina by Sally M. Keehn
- OR -
Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare
- OR -
Indian Captive by Lois Lenski
- OR -
The Beaded Moccasins: The Story of Mary Campbell by Lynda Durrant

THANKS! :D

[MinivanMom]

Honestly, I would skip Macbeth entirely. I also think Adam of the Road is a little slow moving and maybe not so interesting for girls, but that may be personal preference on my part. Out of your options, I would choose The Witch of Blackbird Pond and Calico Captive. So, if it were me I would do:

Beowulf

King Arthur

Arabian Nights

Robin Hood

Canterbury Tales

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Calico Captive

I know that's only 7, but I think they are a good and accessible 7. If you have to have 8 and want them exposed to Macbeth, you could do the comic book version that Rainbow Resource carries. It's a graphic novel, and it's available in both plain text and quick text, which is the plain text edited down so there are even fewer words to read.

[ereks mom]

Thank you so much for your thoughts! 

 

Honestly, I would skip Macbeth entirely.

 

...If you have to have 8 and want them exposed to Macbeth, you could do the comic book version that Rainbow Resource carries. It's a graphic novel, and it's available in both plain text and quick text, which is the plain text edited down so there are even fewer words to read.

 

I'm just curious as to why you would skip Macbeth??  So you think it would be inaccessible to them, or just dull?

 

I don't have to have 8 books; I'd actually prefer fewer, because I doubt these girls could manage that many, given their lack of reading skills. 

 

Thanks!
 

[Momto6inIN]

Honestly, I would skip Macbeth entirely. I also think Adam of the Road is a little slow moving and maybe not so interesting for girls, but that may be personal preference on my part.

 

:iagree:

Adam of the Road is nicely written, but not very exciting, especially for girls. I'm going to try to get my DD to read it, but I'm pretty sure she'll protest and ask to give it up. :) And if you've got Robin Hood and King Arthur and Canterbury Tales in there, then that's plenty to get a nice "flavor" of the Middle Ages.

 

[MinivanMom]

Thank you so much for your thoughts! 

 

 

I'm just curious as to why you would skip Macbeth??  So you think it would be inaccessible to them, or just dull?

 

I don't have to have 8 books; I'd actually prefer fewer, because I doubt these girls could manage that many, given their lack of reading skills. 

 

Thanks!

 

 

I think Macbeth can be one of the harder plays to get into; it's just not the play I would pick for a group with reading challenges.

 

If you're wanting to do some Shakespeare for exposure, I would want to choose either a book of Shakespeare stories (instead of reading an actual play) or a more widely referenced play. That's probably Romeo & Juliet, though you could probably make a case for Julius Caesar, Hamlet, or a few others. I think R&J would be the most accessible if you're trying to read the actual play. I still vote for going the graphic novel route, either with the original text or the plain text/quick text version.

 

I think it would also be completely acceptable to skip trying to read Shakespeare at all. The plays are meant to be performed, and it could be a great experience to simply watch several good movie adaptations of Shakespeare plays instead. I wouldn't want you to waste instructional time (not sure how long the girls are with you each day), but maybe it could be a good change of pace in December to watch a couple plays.

[SilverMoon]

Macbeth is bloody. I'd agree that Romeo and Juliet would reach teen girls better. Midsummer Night's Dream is fun and more lighthearted? It'd be fun to act out parts. 

 

If you're really concerned about them getting through even 8 books, you might look for an easier author than Green for Robin Hood and King Arthur. Or else replace at least one of them. He's a serious jump from McCaughrean in difficulty.

[ssavings]

I'm not a fan of Adam of the Road. We did it as a read-aloud, and I found it to be pretty boring. 

We loved the Witch of Blackbird Pond!

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

I still have nightmares of reading Beowulf in school.  It is really OLDE English.  We covered this in second with my son, and I read an updated version that was a picture book in the library that was fairly interesting.  The version you are looking at looks good too.  But there is a brief, abridged version of the story in SOTW.  It's good to know the history of Beowulf, and maybe you can read a sample to them to show them the olde language style, but imo, you can skip this one.  I don't find it all that interesting.

 

On a side note, SOTW 3 goes to 1850, and SOTW 4 starts at 1850.  Did you mean 2 and 3?

[SilverMoon]

If you think they could *listen* to the Seamus Heaney version of Beowulf you can find it on Youtube being read by Heaney himself.

[Ali in OR]

I would also look at dropping either King Arthur or Robin Hood. I know King Arthur is long; haven't seen the Robin Hood. How accessible is Canterbury Tales? I like McCaughrean (though not familiar with this one), but this would be something I might read about rather than read. For kids who don't really like reading (eg my youngest), I would look at which books are physically less threatening--thinner books, larger print. And engaging story for girls. I like to do Shakespeare as a read-aloud--maybe that would be better than assigning it for them to read on their own. Or assign them roles as you all read it aloud.

[ereks mom]

On a side note, SOTW 3 goes to 1850, and SOTW 4 starts at 1850.  Did you mean 2 and 3?

 

Oops!  Yes!  I'll go edit that...

[Mrs. Tharp]

I would drop Beowulf and Hamlet, or stick to short excerpts, and keep the rest. I have to put in a plug for Adam of the Road. I loved the book and it's one of the ones that stayed with me from childhood.

[ereks mom]

I would also look at dropping either King Arthur or Robin Hood. I know King Arthur is long; haven't seen the Robin Hood. How accessible is Canterbury Tales? I like McCaughrean (though not familiar with this one), but this would be something I might read about rather than read. For kids who don't really like reading (eg my youngest), I would look at which books are physically less threatening--thinner books, larger print. And engaging story for girls. I like to do Shakespeare as a read-aloud--maybe that would be better than assigning it for them to read on their own. Or assign them roles as you all read it aloud.

Just so you know... We read EVERYTHING aloud together, usually taking turns "round robin" style. I rarely assign them more than a few pages to read on their own because they don't comprehend much.

[ereks mom]

Macbeth is bloody. I'd agree that Romeo and Juliet would reach teen girls better. Midsummer Night's Dream is fun and more lighthearted? It'd be fun to act out parts.

 

If you're really concerned about them getting through even 8 books, you might look for an easier author than Green for Robin Hood and King Arthur. Or else replace at least one of them. He's a serious jump from McCaughrean in difficulty.

What is the reading level or lexile level of those two books? Since we do everything as a read-together read-aloud, it shouldn't matter much anyway, right?

[ikslo]

I was going to say Adam of the Road because I had never heard of it and have gotten through life just fine. LOL  But now that I know what it is, I think I need to check it out of the library for our next read-aloud.

[ereks mom]

Okay, I did some searching and found that Green's Robin Hood is about 9th grade level and his King Arthur is about 8th grade level. So.... Why does Memoria Press have these listed in their 5th or 6th grade (it recently changed) literature program????

[SilverMoon]

My kids read Green around then, but I have a houseful of strong readers who work/worked down VP lists for elementary. Those two books are more challenging to read and easily thrice as long as the typical Mccaughrean book (whom we also read and loved).

[SilverMoon]

I have Green, Pyle, and Lang versions of King Arthur on my shelves. On a quick flip through I'd say Pyle is most readable.

[ereks mom]

My kids read Green around then, but I have a houseful of strong readers who work/worked down VP lists for elementary. Those two books are more challenging to read and easily thrice as long as the typical Mccaughrean book (whom we also read and loved).

My own children would have breezed through the Green versions, but the girls I am teaching now would become REALLY frustrated. And here I was all set to buy the Green versions and the study guides from Memoria Press instead of writing my own. My work would've been so much easier. Crud! Now I have to start over and find Robin Hood and King Arthur on REAL 5th or 6th grade level. Suggestions, anyone??

So... I just found a King Arthur book by McCaughrean on my shelf. I need to research it to find out what reading level it is and if there's a study guide that goes with it.

[twoxcell]

My ds read this one for 6th grade this year and he really enjoyed it. Not sure how it compares to the others mentioned. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0486410218/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?qid=1434420776&sr=8-12&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=robin+hood+book

[regentrude]

I would skip the Canterbury Tales. I just recently tried to reread this particular retelling when we covered the actual Chaucer, and found that she has not only simplified the language, but completely altered some of the stories. I don't see much benefit in that - if you don't like the original stories because they are not child appropriate, read something else.

For struggling readers, I would not read any Shakespeare, but watch a live or videoed performance of a play.

[Farrar]

Agreed with the above advice to drop Adam of the Road, which I also found very meh.

 

Also agreed with the advice to watch some Shakespeare instead of reading it. I think Macbeth actually *is* a good in for many kids (I've directed a children's version and I think most of the kids really liked the story) but there's no good movie version for kids. I'd just go by what movie you'd like to show them. There's a decent late 90's Dream that's pretty good - mostly totally appropriate. If they've never done any Shakespeare, that's a decent one to start with.

 

Alone, Yet Not Alone by Tracy Leininger Craven - AND - I Am Regina by Sally M. Keehn
- OR -
Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare
- OR -
Indian Captive by Lois Lenski
- OR -
The Beaded Moccasins: The Story of Mary Campbell by Lynda Durrant

 

As for these... I would not do any of them. Or, at least, I would not do any of them without also doing something that at least balances them. Every single one of these options is white settlers being victimized by historically inaccurate Native Americans. Not to say that didn't happen, but just that it's extremely one sided and most of these books reflect poor research or the biases of their time period in the case of the older two books there. I haven't read all of them, but the reviews indicate similar issues. And of the ones I've read, they're not good enough literature to justify doing them for their own sake. If you'd like a suggestion for a book from a different viewpoint, Children of the Longhouse by Bruhac is great and pretty short.

[Junie]

Definitely keep The Witch of Blackbird Pond.  One of my all-time favorite books.

 

Also, Charles and Mary Lamb have written adaptations of many of Shakespeare's plays.

[Incognito]

We really enjoyed this Robin Hood

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811833992?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

 

You can see inside if you think the language is at an appropriate level. 

 

Jim Weiss has a short King Arthur audiobook which might be a nice and easy way for them to enjoy the stories - listen to that and pick one tale to actually read aloud.

 

http://www.greathall.com/products/kingarthur.html

 

 

 

If you want to do Shakespeare, this is a very accessible set.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Animated-Tales-Alec-McCowen/dp/B0002CHJS2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434437115&sr=8-2&keywords=shakespeare+children+dvd+collection

 

We have borrowed a number of the disks from the library.

 

Also, this Usborne book has been well read around here.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Stories-Shakespeare-Collections-Hardcover/dp/B00IIB1MIM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1434436815&sr=8-3&keywords=shakespeare+usborne+collection

 

Or a Lego one (but these have original language, so they are more challenging - but it's LEGO, so that makes things fun ;) )

 

http://www.amazon.com/Brick-Shakespeare-Four-Tragedies-Comedies/dp/1629145270/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434436922&sr=8-1&keywords=lego+shakespeare

 

[Tanaqui]

I rarely assign them more than a few pages to read on their own because they don't comprehend much.

 

Then I wouldn't have them read Shakespeare, who is tough for strong readers to comprehend simply because the English he spoke was very different from the English we speak today. You wouldn't want a version that's abridged or simplified, you'd want something rewritten at that point.

 

[Chris in VA]

I'd read excerpts from Once and Future King instead of the KA on your list.

 

I'd pick just one of the NA books you've got. We lived in Ohio where Mary Campbell's cave is--I didn't realize there was a book about her!

 

Witch of Blackbird Pond is one of my very favorite books.

 

I'd do Romeo and Juliet instead of Macbeth if I was going to do Shakespeare with your students, and I'd use one of the books that has the real Shakespeare on one side and the modern English on the other. And watch it afterwards.

 

 

[Lizzie in Ma]

Next year's history will be SOTW 2 & half of SOTW 3, so approximately AD 500-1750. I have narrowed down our accompanying literature choices to the books listed below. FWIW, I plan to use mainly Beautiful Feet's Intermediate Medieval History guide and Memoria Press literature guides.

 

However, I don't think we'll be able to get through all of these--i'm thinking 8 of them at most??? Remember that I am teaching 13-16 year old girls with poor (slow) reading skills and therefore an aversion to reading. I would love to have your suggestions for which ones to leave out.

 

****ETA:

Just so you know... We read EVERYTHING aloud together, usually taking turns "round robin" style. I rarely assign them more than a few pages to read on their own because they don't comprehend much.****

 

Beowulf - Michael Morpurgo

Could switch this one to Gareth Hinds graphic novel, I thought it was excellent.

 

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table - Roger Lancelyn Green

 

One Thousand and One Arabian Nights - Geraldine McCaughrean

 

The Adventures of Robin Hood - Roger Lancelyn Green

We really enjoyed this one, perhaps an easier read?

http://www.amazon.com/DK-Classics-Robin-Neil-Philip/dp/0789414902/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1N66830MPTFK7FSVG8N6

 

Adam of the Road - Elizabeth Janet Gray

 

The Canterbury Tales - Geraldine McCaughrean

 

an abridged or simplified version of Shakespeare's Macbeth

Watch a movie version, would do anytime over an adaptation

 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

 

Indian Captive by Lois Lenski

This was a childhood favorite, I must have read it 30 times

 

THANKS! :D

 

[ereks mom]

Then I wouldn't have them read Shakespeare, who is tough for strong readers to comprehend simply because the English he spoke was very different from the English we speak today. You wouldn't want a version that's abridged or simplified, you'd want something rewritten at that point.

This past school year, we read Julius Caesar readers' theater style using Shakespeare Plays in the Classroom from Good Apple (ISBN 0768200083). It's marketed for grades 6-9. The girls seemed to enjoy it, and they all did well on the test I gave at the end of our study. If there is something like this available for Macbeth or another play I think they'd like, I might try that again.

[Farrar]

This past school year, we read Julius Caesar readers' theater style using Shakespeare Plays in the Classroom from Good Apple (ISBN 0768200083). It's marketed for grades 6-9. The girls seemed to enjoy it, and they all did well on the test I gave at the end of our study. If there is something like this available for Macbeth or another play I think they'd like, I might try that again.

 

This book is original language. There is a Macbeth in it:

http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Children-Scripts-Young-Players/dp/1575255731/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434464763&sr=1-1&keywords=shakespeare+for+children+scripts

 

This one is more reader's theater style:

http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeares-Macbeth-Kids-Melodramatic-Playing/dp/1439213534/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DXFF1QXDBFW2H2CKZCX

 

There's another one I've had called Simply Shakespeare that's all Reader's Theater and it's okay.

 

ETA: D'oh. There's not a Macbeth in the first one. I forgot... I abridged that one myself. If you want one that's more of an abridged version, this blog post of mine has the script I created - it runs about 20 minutes (we had to fit our performance into the Folger Festival's time limits...). For anyone else though, that first book is a great source for other short Shakespeare scripts.

[ereks mom]

Thanks, everyone, for all the great suggestions!  I do have one MAJOR question, though.  I had settled on Green's Robin Hood and King Arthur because I wanted to use the Memoria Press guides with them--all nicely laid out with vocabulary, writing exercises, comprehension questions, AND available in workbook format for the moms to buy (I give them a list of curriculum, and they buy what their girls need), so for me, it's VERY freeing because I don't have to write vocabulary tests or quizzes, and I don't have to spend a lot of time making copies.  So my question is... which versions of these books (and the others mentioned) have readily available reading guides to accompany them????  There is my biggest dilemma!  I was so excited to find the Memoria Press workbooks because I REALLY, REALLY need to limit the amount of time I spend on lesson planning.  I have PROMISED my wonderful husband that I will NOT spend so much time on lesson planning during the upcoming school year.  This past year, I was up past midnight most nights, including weekends, working on lessons for the girls.  I'm dedicated, but this is ridiculous!

[Chris in VA]

Would you want to go thru Duke TIP program? Here's a link to something on Once and Future King that looks interesting.  Might be expensive, though.

 

We did Omnibus 2 for my son in 10th grade. I can check to see if there's something helpful in there .

 

When we did Sonlight 300, half the books were "read only" and so I used Sparknotes. Would SN be helpful for you? I like the synopsis of the plot, the summaries of the chapters, and the themes/symbols/motifs sections. Or

maybe use a system of annotating where the girls themselves annotate using sticky notes--10 vocab words they don't know per chapter, marked on a sticky and then defined. Then you can test on what they find.

[Tanaqui]

Well, if it worked last time around, you know more of what you're talking about than I do :) Go for it!

[katilac]

I would probably not tackle a complete Shakespeare play in any form for this group. Performances are easier to understand, but not easy by a long shot. For exposure, I've never encountered a kid who didn't enjoy a session on Shakespearean insults! We had a Scholastic guide that included this, but there are plenty of resources online. Oh, and my kids have a deck of cards with the various insults and source play printed on them, lol, they will read one out at the end of each hand. 

 

This familiarizes them with various titles and plots, and a bit of the more fun dialogue. Google will give you lots of context and even insult generators like this one: http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/Funny-pages/shakespeare-insult-kit.html(coming up with your own is the best part, and a generator might help if they get stuck). 

 

For Chaucer, you can provide context and read one tale. Robin Hood and King Arthur are also quite episodic, and you could select particular chapters to read (summarizing between them as needed). There is also a plethora of free study guides available for those titles in general - not as quick and clean as a printed one that matches a specific version, but easy enough if you don't cover the entire book. And if you're doing the reading verbally, there's no reason you can't do some of the comprehension and vocabulary verbally, right? 

 

My kids actually liked Beowulf well enough, and that looks like a lovely and accessible version. I think it's worth a shot. 

 

And I know I'm not supposed to be adding to the list, lol, but I'd be very tempted to cover a bit of Dante's Inferno. I would concentrate on providing context and summarizing, while reading some of the exciting and accessible excerpts. It is a core text of not only the middle ages but all time, with many allusions that persist to this day. And you can do the world's most fun English assignment: writing your own circles of hell. 

 

 

[katilac]

Here is a Core Knowledge study guide for the Core Classics edition of Robin Hood (not familiar with that edition, but there's probably plenty to pull from here no matter which edition you use): 

 

http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/documents/63/CCRH.pdf

 

And one for King Arthur: 

 

http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/documents/57/CCKA.pdf

 

and they also have an overview, elementary level but might be useful: 

 

http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/lesson_plans/993/King%20Arthur%20and%20his%20Knights.pdf

 

 

[Mrs. Tharp]

Suggestion: Why don't you post this on the the MP forums for struggling students and see what kinds of responses you get? They might have some good suggestions for modifying the work.

[ereks mom]

Suggestion: Why don't you post this on the the MP forums for struggling students and see what kinds of responses you get? They might have some good suggestions for modifying the work.

 

I didn't even know they had forums!  I've only bought some of their Latin materials, so I don't know much about Memoria Press.

[Shay]

We did the MP literature you mentioned this year, with my 6th grader. I found the reading level of the books to be just about right (and I'd consider his ability average). I loved the guides and feel they are very well done. Can't wait to do more. Adam of the Road was loved, too. The least liked was King Arthur, and I think it was because there were SO many characters to keep track of and the chapters were loooong. But, we really got a good immersion in Middle Ages through it, I felt, and the guides IMHO deepened our reading.

 

As far as what to leave out, I can be of no help there.

[Aurelia]

 

Alone, Yet Not Alone by Tracy Leininger Craven - AND - I Am Regina by Sally M. Keehn

- OR -

Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare

- OR -

Indian Captive by Lois Lenski

- OR -

The Beaded Moccasins: The Story of Mary Campbell by Lynda Durrant

 

THANKS! :D

 

Instead of these, I'd do Where the Broken Heart Still Beats. It's the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, and doesn't cast Native Americans as strictly the bad guys menacing the "good" white settlers. I looked up the reading level and it's 6th grade. It's set a little late for your time period, though. Another option is Streams to the River, River to the Sea, which is the the Lewis and Clark expedition with Sacajawea, at a 6th grade reading level. Naya Nuki, the Shoshone Girl Who Ran might be interesting to them, though it doesn't have much to do with conflict with white people. Kenneth Thomasma wrote a several books about Native American kids that are around 5th grade reading level. 

[Junie]

Instead of these, I'd do Where the Broken Heart Still Beats. It's the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, and doesn't cast Native Americans as strictly the bad guys menacing the "good" white settlers. I looked up the reading level and it's 6th grade. It's set a little late for your time period, though. 

 

This is a beautiful book!

[ereks mom]

Instead of these, I'd do Where the Broken Heart Still Beats. It's the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, and doesn't cast Native Americans as strictly the bad guys menacing the "good" white settlers. I looked up the reading level and it's 6th grade. It's set a little late for your time period, though. Another option is Streams to the River, River to the Sea, which is the the Lewis and Clark expedition with Sacajawea, at a 6th grade reading level. Naya Nuki, the Shoshone Girl Who Ran might be interesting to them, though it doesn't have much to do with conflict with white people. Kenneth Thomasma wrote a several books about Native American kids that are around 5th grade reading level.

I searched for Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker by Carolyn Meyer after reading your post, but it doesn't fit the criteria. I need a book set about 1750, but this one is set approximately 100 years later than that. Thanks, though! I'll keep looking.