What to use BEFORE Excellence in Literature?

[sweetpea3829]

My eldest son is a rising 7th grader and I've been spending tons of time researching language arts/composition/literature programs for his coming school year.  I had him pegged to continue Essentials in Writing for grammar and composition, Word Roots, Editor-in-Chief, and possibly Moving Beyond the Page lit guides for the literature piece.

That literature piece is where I'm hung up.  And for that matter, I'm not in love with the composition/grammar piece.  I can be swayed away, lol.

Anyways, so today I came across Excellence in Literature.  Looks like a great option for NEXT year...his 8th grade year.  Maybe even push it out to 9th grade.  But...it looks hard.  He is a solid reader and writer, for that matter.  Very bright.  But...he definitely enjoys his 58 Story Treehouse, or whatever that stupid series is.  He's probably going to balk a little at many of these classical lit titles.  I know I did, when I hit high school it.  I'm not feeling like he's quite prepared well enough for Excellence in Lit.

Can anybody suggest a solid literature/composition program that we could use for 7th grade?  And maybe even 8th grade?  Something that will prepare him well for EiL in 8th or 9th, depending on how he does. 

[Melissa B]

I used Lightning Literature 7 before Excellence in Literature for my eldest.

[Lori D.]

Like the above poster, we also used and enjoyed all of the very gentle/intro to Lit program of Lightning Literature 7 (except that DS did not care for one selection: The Story of My Life by Helen Keller). And we also enjoyed Lightning Lit. 8 for 8th grade (except for 1 or 2 of the short stories).

If your student is a strong reader, enjoys fantasy, and is up for tackling Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the year-long Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings (LLftLotR) is a great, gentle, intro into beginning formal Literature studies and literary analysis. The chapter notes and the 12 units of material are the "meat" of the program, and it is written to the student, so a strong reader could mostly do it solo -- although we got a LOT more out of it by reading it aloud together and discussing (2 DSs 1 grade apart and myself). You can optionally do a few classics that are somewhat covered in LLftLotR (Beowulf, The Iliad or The Odyssey, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) -- OR -- you might enjoy including good YA titles and works that your student would enjoy as part of your transition into more formal lit. studies.

 Since you use Essentials in Writing, you might be interested in the Lit. program series that the company is putting out: Essentials in Literature. So far they have grades 7-11 out. No personal experience with it, but I am not fond of the Lit. choices for EiL, esp. for 8th grade. However, 7th grade looks okay, just not very exciting:
- 8 short stories
- 6 non-fiction selections
- a poetry unit with 12 poems
- 1 novel (Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred Taylor)

Finally, you might like to try a "DIY" approach, by selecting 6-8 engaging titles, get an individual lit. guide to go with each, and have fun together wading into the waters of beginning literature studies. I'd love to help you come up with a booklist and resources, if interested in going this route -- I've led a number of Lit. & Comp. co-op classes for gr. 7-12 for our homeschool group, and planning is always the fun! (:D

Or, perhaps your student might enjoy doing an outsourced class and be able to interact with other students -- either a local Lit. co-op, or an online option, like Bravewriter, which allows you sign up for just the books/months of interest -- Arrow (gr. 4-7) or Boomerang Book Club (gr. 8-10). Or Center for Lit. (see either the gr. 4-6 or gr. 7-9 class for the booklists to see which might be a better fit).

BEST of luck in finding what works best for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[sweetpea3829]

8 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Like the above poster, we also used and enjoyed all of the very gentle/intro to Lit program of Lightning Literature 7 (except that DS did not care for one selection: The Story of My Life by Helen Keller). And we also enjoyed Lightning Lit. 8 for 8th grade (except for 1 or 2 of the short stories).

If your student is a strong reader, enjoys fantasy, and is up for tackling Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the year-long Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings (LLftLotR) is a great, gentle, intro into beginning formal Literature studies and literary analysis. The chapter notes and the 12 units of material are the "meat" of the program, and it is written to the student, so a strong reader could mostly do it solo -- although we got a LOT more out of it by reading it aloud together and discussing (2 DSs 1 grade apart and myself). You can optionally do a few classics that are somewhat covered in LLftLotR (Beowulf, The Iliad or The Odyssey, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) -- OR -- you might enjoy including good YA titles and works that your student would enjoy as part of your transition into more formal lit. studies.

 Since you use Essentials in Writing, you might be interested in the Lit. program series that the company is putting out: Essentials in Literature. So far they have grades 7-11 out. No personal experience with it, but I am not fond of the Lit. choices for EiL, esp. for 8th grade. However, 7th grade looks okay, just not very exciting:
- 8 short stories
- 6 non-fiction selections
- a poetry unit with 12 poems
- 1 novel (Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred Taylor)

Finally, you might like to try a "DIY" approach, by selecting 6-8 engaging titles, get an individual lit. guide to go with each, and have fun together wading into the waters of beginning literature studies. I'd love to help you come up with a booklist and resources, if interested in going this route -- I've led a number of Lit. & Comp. co-op classes for gr. 7-12 for our homeschool group, and planning is always the fun! (:D

Or, perhaps your student might enjoy doing an outsourced class and be able to interact with other students -- either a local Lit. co-op, or an online option, like Bravewriter, which allows you sign up for just the books/months of interest -- Arrow (gr. 4-7) or Boomerang Book Club (gr. 8-10). Or Center for Lit. (see either the gr. 4-6 or gr. 7-9 class for the booklists to see which might be a better fit).

BEST of luck in finding what works best for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

Lori, thanks so much for your always helpful advice. I THINK I'm going to go with the a la carte routine.  Again, lol.  At least for 7th grade. And, I would love your further advice and help with this. 

Pretty much, this is how I've run language arts for the past few grades anyways, except for last year.  We used LLATL for a couple of years early on but...I hated it.  LOATHED it.  I hated how dated it was (though the newest version should have taken care of that) and I hated how it only used small selections of novels.  

After the yellow level, I shelved it permanently and started doing my own thing, which involved four novels a year, plus a short unit on a given Christmas novel.  BUT...I burned out from all of the legwork involved in tracking down excellent lit guides, drafting up strong discussion questions, etc.  And, on top of that, I am not confident enough in my ability to cover all of the bases of literary analysis at the middle school level.  I needed something a bit more laid out.

So...last year, I took a break and purchased Mosdos Pearl.  It was ok. It got the job done and we'll chalk up last year as a breather year that mostly covered short stories.  In addition to Mosdos, I had them choose two chapter books a month from a list I devised (or they could bring me a book to approve).  I asked for general book report responses.

If the ultimate goal for 5th/6th grade is to get them reading, and to begin thinking more deeply about what they were reading...we accomplished that.  But.  Time to go deeper.  Now..one of the problems I keep running into with some of these grade level specific lit programs, is that often, my kids have already read one or more of the given titles.  For example, Moving Beyond the Page's 9-11 and 10-12 years.  My son has read some of these on his own, and we've done one or two of the others already at a younger grade.  

You had mentioned the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  He read the series on his own when he was 9.  We did Hobbit together (with my daughter as well) that year.  I'm positive he could get a lot out of a study guide if we went through the series again, but...he's balking at the idea of rereading something he's already read.  This is a kid who started Harry Potter at 6 and finished it by the time he was 7, lol. I almost wish I had set aside a list of novels that I wanted him to wait on.  

And...that's why Essentials in Literature 7 isn't going to work.  He's read Roll of Thunder "Like, a lot of times Mom.  It's a really good book but...please don't make me read it again".  

So...as of right now, I have a short list of titles for his 7th grade year.  I chose books from the MBtP 9-12 grade levels.  I tried to find titles that were within his STAR Testing's recommended Lexile level 720-1100, and that he has not already read.  We would spend 4-6 weeks on each novel (30 week school year, which means I could potentially add in a 6th or even 7th title).  They are:

Number the Stars (L670).  An easier novel, albeit heavy content, to start the year.  
The Wanderer (L830)
Bull Run (L810).  I know nothing about this title, and want to look a little further into it before fully committing. 
The Pearl (L1000).
A Single Shard (L920).

Obviously, there is not any general theme that links these selections.  I have a half dozen Chrome tabs open to various Lit guide publishers and am trying to make decisions on which lit guides to go with.  Because the composition and grammar pieces will be covered this year by EiW, I'm MOSTLY interested in solid discussion, a focus on literary elements, and some vocabulary development.  For the sake of consistency, I'd LOVE to keep all of the selections with the same Lit guide publisher, but it's really not necessary.  Just helps with longer term planning. 

Thoughts and suggestions?  

For his 8th grade year, as of right now, I'm leaning towards Windows to the World, and then we'll jump into Excellence in Literature for 9th grade.  

Thanks again for your help, Lori.  ❤️ 

[Another Lynn]

You might enjoy reading The Reader's Odyssey by Dena M. Luchsinger.  She does a great job of helping you select books for your dc with the idea of meeting them where they are and gradually stretching them towards the great books.  She also has some worksheets in the appendix of her book that can help scaffold the path from beginning literary analysis to eventually writing literary essays.  She really makes you feel like 1) you can do this and 2) you don't have to achieve it all in one year.  

[Mom22ns]

Another vote for Lightning Lit for 7th (& possibly 8th) grade as a great lead in to Excellence in Lit.

[Jess4879]

Following along in this thread.  I'm really pleased to see the recommendations for Lightning Lit.  I just heard of it about a month ago and decided to give Levels 7 & 8 a go.  The company was extremely helpful in placing my oldest.  I also ordered Essentials in Lit gr. 9 because I couldn't seem to commit entirely.  Two things I am not excited over (with EiL) is the multiple choice format and the fact that all the reading selections other than the novel need to be hunted down. For the price I paid, I feel like they could have provided a student text with the reading selections.  Anyways...just me rambling through my thoughts.  I am looking forward to having a good look through both programs...

Would also love to hear why people have chosen LL levels 7 & 8, but not continued on with the upper levels?  

[Ann.without.an.e]

I actually combined Windows to the World and EIL (including the honors reading) and stretched it out for two years.  I added in the Killgallon Middle School books.  If you don't want to do this then combine EIL level 1 with Windows to the World for 8th.  It combines beautifully because even some of the short stories cross (If I remember correctly)?  Even if you have to cut back on level 1 a little, it is totally worth it.  I highly recommend Windows one way or another.  I was thinking that I started my kids in EIL in 8th but now this reminds me that I started them in 7th and stretched it.  I have heard Lightning Lit is good too though ?. Good Luck ❤️ 

[Lori D.]

2 hours ago, Jess4879 said:

Would also love to hear why people have chosen LL levels 7 & 8, but not continued on with the upper levels?  

For several reasons we did not continue with the LL high school levels:
- we wanted to select our own lit. works rather than have to be tied to those in the program
- we no longer needed a program because we were ready -- and wanted -- to "DIY" and make our own Lit., ala WTM/WEM style
- while the high school guides have a nice 1-2 pages of background info on the author/times and "what to look for while reading", and each unit has a good 1-2 page "literary lesson" (teaching/learning info about a literary element or literature topic), there are no real digging into the work with discussion questions or guided analysis questions -- just comprehension questions

[Lori D.]

On 7/28/2018 at 2:47 AM, sweetpea3829 said:

...You had mentioned the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  He read the series on his own when he was 9.  We did Hobbit together (with my daughter as well) that year.  I'm positive he could get a lot out of a study guide if we went through the series again, but...he's balking at the idea of rereading something he's already read.  This is a kid who started Harry Potter at 6 and finished it by the time he was 7, lol. I almost wish I had set aside a list of novels that I wanted him to wait on...

Totally understand about a student not wanting to re-read if they have already read the book more than once, the book wasn't very engaging the first time, or if the book is a favorite that would be "ruined by picking it apart". (:D

On the other hand, there is a LOT to be said for doing some works a second time, when they were read when the student was young and only reading for plot and 'what happens' -- familiarity with the book works in the student's favor to be able to re-read when they are older and dig deeper and get a lot of really cool insights. So while that's a bit of a tricky tightrope, I personally would NOT cross off books JUST because the child read it once before when much younger... ; )

You might look over the table of contents and samples of Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings WITH your DS and see if he might find that of interest, and that could be the "repeat" that goes in depth, and then provide lots of titles that are new to your DS for enjoyable reading and occasional discussion. Just a thought. : )
 

On 7/28/2018 at 2:47 AM, sweetpea3829 said:

So...as of right now, I have a short list of titles for his 7th grade year.  I chose books from the MBtP 9-12 grade levels.  I tried to find titles that were within his STAR Testing's recommended Lexile level 720-1100, and that he has not already read.  We would spend 4-6 weeks on each novel (30 week school year, which means I could potentially add in a 6th or even 7th title).  They are:

Number the Stars (L670).  An easier novel, albeit heavy content, to start the year.  
The Wanderer (L830)
Bull Run (L810).  I know nothing about this title, and want to look a little further into it before fully committing. 
The Pearl (L1000).
A Single Shard (L920)

A happy medium might be to start gently with doing more formal lit. studies in 7th/8th grades -- like you suggest above here -- do 5 new titles, and "re-read" (this time with depth of analysis and discussion) a 6th title. Those are look like fine titles (although The Pearl is pretty depressing, and is more typically done in high school if wanting to do a Steinbeck work and not having time to cover The Grapes of Wrath).

A few good "beginner" classics for middle schoolers:
- The Hobbit -- Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide
- Call of the Wild -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide, Portals to Lit. guide
- Sherlock Holmes short story mysteries (Doyle) - Core Knowledge free guide
- Around the World in Eighty Days (Verne) - The Best Notes - chapter summaries/analysis
- Ivanhoe (Scott) - The Best Notes - chapter summaries/analysis
- The Outsiders -- Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide
- Anne of Green Gables -- Progeny Press guide
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Portals to Lit. guide; Progeny Press guide
- Treasure Island -- Blackbird & Co. guide
- A Christmas Carol -- Portals to Lit. guide
- To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee) -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide
- The Invisible Man (Wells) -- 7 Sisters guide; Prestwick House guide
- Animal Farm (Orwell) -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Penguin teacher guide

A few more YA titles that are very discussion-able:
- Tuck Everlasting -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide
- Sounder -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide
- The Cay -- Progeny Press guide
- The Westing Game -- Blackbird & Co. guide
- The Witch of Blackbird Pond -- Blackbird & Co. guide; Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Progeny Press guide
- Eagle of the Ninth -- Progeny Press guide
- The Bronze Bow -- Progeny Press guide
- Island of the Blue Dolphins -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide; Progeny Press guide
- Maniac Magee -- Progeny Press guide
- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide
- A Wrinkle in Time -- Blackbird & Co. guide; Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Progeny Press guide
- Where the Red Fern Grows -- Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide; Progeny Press guide
- Bridge to Terebithia -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Progeny Press guide
- The Giver -- Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide; Portals to Lit. guide; Progeny Press guide
- I Am David -- Blackbird & Co. guide
- Julie of the Wolves -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide
- Walk Two Moons -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide

And some more discussion-able YA titles (didn't have links to guides handy):
- A Long Walk to Water (Park)
- Enchantress from the Stars (Engdahl)
- Below the Root (Snyder)
- The Master Puppeteer (Paterson)
- The Great and Terrible Quest (Lovett)
- The House with a Clock in its Walls (Bellairs)
- Wonder (Palacio)
- The War That Saved My Life (Bradley)
- Love That Dog (Creech)

Middle school is also a great time to explore discussion and literary analysis with short stories. Check out these past threads for ideas of "discussion-able" short stories that are good for middle school ages (although it sounds like you covered short stories with Mosdos last year, so you may not need any classic short stories this year):

"Short stories for an 11yo girl"
"Short stories every middle school student should read"
"Best short stories for middle grades"
"Favorite Short Stories for 6th-8th"
"Suggestions for Short Stories for Literary Analysis -- 7th/8th grade level?"
"Middle School Literature Using Short Stories?"
 

On 7/28/2018 at 2:47 AM, sweetpea3829 said:

For the sake of consistency, I'd LOVE to keep all of the selections with the same Lit guide publisher, but it's really not necessary.  Just helps with longer term planning. 

Thoughts and suggestions?  

While using the same publisher makes it easy to know what to expect once you've done 2-3 guides by the same publisher, I personally like mixing it up, and esp. in high school, using 2-3 different guides for a single work, just to get some widely varying viewpoints and discussion ideas (since we used guides just to springboard into our own discussions, rather than using entire guides, and never used them "as written").

Some meaty guides we enjoyed using:
- Garlic Press Discovering Literature series -- secular; especially the Challenger level guides are very meaty
- Portals to Literature series -- middle/high school levels; secular; meaty, but written for the classroom, so a bit of work to adapt
- Progeny Press high school guides -- Christian; some are good, some were not very worthwhile
- Glencoe Literature Library -- free, online; secular; middle/high school levels
- Penguin Teacher Guides -- free, online; secular; high school/college levels

ETA -- PS
And I highly recommend going through Figuratively Speaking next year along and as you learn literary elements from FS, you can be looking for those devices in the literature you are reading. Understanding literary elements is a great way to go deeper in discussing and thinking about Literature. : )

And for either 7th or 8th grade, you might also like to include CAP's Art of Poetry for digging into poetry.

Edited August 1, 2018 by Lori D.