Alternative to CLE Reading that's similar format? Middle School

[homeschoolally]

Hello, I love CLE's reading curriculum and my older kids used it with great success. I love the content, the workbook format, and that it is somewhat self guided. Unfortunately it's been a battle from the start with my youngest and I need something more contemporary. He just can't overlook the stories being old fashioned and I'm throwing in the towel on this one.

My ideal curriculum would be the exact same format but with more modern stories. Does this exist or are there any alternatives you'd recommend? 

Thanks!

[Lori D.]

Just our family, but workbooks would have sucked the life and love out of reading here. 😉 

Does your DS really *need* a reading program at the middle school level? What about just reading and enjoying "living" books? There are *loads* of good books for the elementary and middle school ages have been published in the last 25 years. Perhaps also pick one book per quarter and get a meaty lit. guide to go with it, and use that as your "digging deeper" into literature topics and seeing literary elements at work.

If you want another more formal element to your literature studies, perhaps together out-loud you and DS could do a lesson per week from Figuratively Speaking: Using Classic Literature to Teach 40 Literary Terms and use short stories and poetry ideas from the big list in this past thread ( "Figuratively Speaking paired with short stories"), to see the literary devices at work.

Edited August 19, 2020 by Lori D.

[alisoncooks]

We love CLE Reading for grades 4-8. We had a hard time figuring out what to use afterwards! Nothing else hits everything so well (vocab, word roots, lit elements, etc).

So (as another CLE lover) here are that I considered: 

Essentials in Literature - though I don't love "Night" as their 8th grade novel choice, this was a major contender.

 Lightning Lit (actually using this this year but modified)

LLATL - we haven't used but considered