Green Bean Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 (edited) Teaching the Classics, please. What is it? How hard is it to implement? Will it save me from buying tons of MP Lit guides? What age is it for? How does it look in your house? Basically, tell me all the secrets. Edited August 16, 2023 by Green Bean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 (edited) Teaching the Classics is a program designed for the parent (rather than for the student) to learn how to guide students through reading, analysis, and deeper discussion of literature, using Socratic-type questions. These are broad analysis questions, so they can be used with any work of literature. However, many parents very successfully do the program WITH their student, along about 8th/9th grade. While I have not used it, the program looks very straight forward -- watch the videos, use the guide. 😉 Edited April 14, 2022 by Lori D. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 It is not hard to implement at all. If you have a strong literature analysis background, the videos are pretty much review. The book and its list of questions is golden. I highly recommend it. Yes, it will keep you from buying a ton of literature guides. I do sometimes google for book specific questions, but I don’t really have to. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeineandbooks Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 I've become a die-hard fan over several years. For background, I was a history major, so I'm good with words and academic writing, but I did not see eye to eye with my high school English teacher and would not say literary analysis is a strength for me. As others have said, Teaching the Classics is written to equip the parent of any child, but kids from about 8th grade will probably enjoy watching it with you and learning how to do it for themselves. The list of socratic questions for digging into elements of structure and style is contained in the syllabus and in my opinion is gold. They can genuinely be used with any age kids, so that you might ask a second grader "Who is this story about?" but there are much deeper and more specific questions included to help dig in with older kids. If you watch the videos and have a copy of the syllabus with the socratic list, you should be equipped to discuss any title with your kids, no matter their age. In practice, I also bought a copy of their "Ready Readers: Picture Books" which includes answers to a selection of questions for ten picture books so I could sort of "check my work" when I was first starting out. Now, I'm even more aware of how much I don't know, but I'm comfortable being a co-explorer of books and saying, "I don't know. What do you think?" In our family, every few months I read a picture book for the purpose of discussing it as a work of literature with my kids in K-5. We might spend 15 minutes as a group talking about characters, setting, conflict, plot, theme and literary elements, or just a couple of those things. It has gotten the kids used to thinking about books this way, so that I can also discuss novels at grade level with the 3rd and 5th graders, and I find that rather than saying "this book was funny/boring/great", they tend to volunteer things like "I didn't think there was much of a conflict" that tell me they're thinking this way about books they read on their own as well. I'm also part of an adult book club and find the questions help me to get more out of the books I read. If you want to check them out, I recommend you spend some time at www.centerforlit.com. They have lots of free podcasts that will give you a feel for who they are as people and how they think and talk about books. They also have an online store with Teaching the Classics and other stuff - you also might be interested in the Ready Readers (they're available for different age groups), or in listening to a sample discussion from their "Academy Library" (a recording of a live junior high or high school class) as well. Good luck - I hope you love them! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Servant4Christ Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 (edited) Thanks for starting a thread so I don't have to! 🤣 I've been looking into this recently and they even have a Ready Reader for The Chronicles of Narnia! 😍 Edited April 14, 2022 by Servant4Christ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 The Jill Pike syllabus combines TTC with IEW's Windows to The World for a year long introduction to Literature course for the logic stage. I have not seen it, I just know it exists and seems well liked around these parts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwahomeschoolmom Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 4 hours ago, Slache said: The Jill Pike syllabus combines TTC with IEW's Windows to The World for a year long introduction to Literature course for the logic stage. I have not seen it, I just know it exists and seems well liked around these parts. If anyone wants this, it looks like it is about to be discontinued, so you might want to purchase it soon: https://iew.com/shop/products/syllabus-introduction-literary-analysis . 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bean Posted April 15, 2022 Author Share Posted April 15, 2022 On 4/14/2022 at 5:37 AM, Servant4Christ said: Thanks for starting a thread so I don't have to! 🤣 I've been looking into this recently and they even have a Ready Reader for The Chronicles of Narnia! 😍 You’re welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Servant4Christ Posted April 18, 2022 Share Posted April 18, 2022 (edited) I keep looking to see if @Renai did her homework! 🤣 Edited April 18, 2022 by Servant4Christ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bean Posted January 15, 2023 Author Share Posted January 15, 2023 Calling @Renai. I know this is old, but would you please chime in? Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 4 minutes ago, Green Bean said: Calling @Renai. I know this is old, but would you please chime in? Thank you. I don't know about this. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bean Posted January 15, 2023 Author Share Posted January 15, 2023 My apologies. I thought you had mentioned it before. 🫣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 On 4/14/2022 at 8:12 AM, Slache said: The Jill Pike syllabus combines TTC with IEW's Windows to The World for a year long introduction to Literature course for the logic stage. I have not seen it, I just know it exists and seems well liked around these parts. This is my all-time favorite "how to write a literary analysis" course EVER. Happy to answer questions if anyone has any - I'm sorry to see it may be discontinued, but once you've taught it, the principles are pretty easily transferred to other (DIY-style) selections. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bean Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 (edited) No! I just heard about it! I want time to dig into samples and such. Do you think they are updating it or just axing it altogether? Edited May 31, 2023 by Green Bean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 (edited) (Sorry, I don't know and can't tell from phone version of website. I bought book separately from Jill Pike syllabus.) Edited January 16, 2023 by Lucy the Valiant 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bean Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 Coming back to ask where do you find samples of the Ready Readers? I have looked all over the Center For Lit site and must be blind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 29 minutes ago, Green Bean said: Coming back to ask where do you find samples of the Ready Readers? I have looked all over the Center For Lit site and must be blind. Email them if you need help. They are super nice! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 1, 2023 Share Posted June 1, 2023 (edited) Edited... oops -- you're looking for sample pages... Looks like at Rainbow Resource you can see the table of contents and a few pages. ETA: Just stumbled across this: sample for High School vol. 1 Edited June 1, 2023 by Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 1, 2023 Share Posted June 1, 2023 On 1/15/2023 at 3:33 PM, Lucy the Valiant said: This is my all-time favorite "how to write a literary analysis" course EVER. Happy to answer questions if anyone has any - I'm sorry to see it may be discontinued, but once you've taught it, the principles are pretty easily transferred to other (DIY-style) selections. ONLY Jill Pike's syllabus has been discontinued. Windows to the World (which has the "how to write a literary analysis" unit) is still being published. WttW is still sold through IEW, Christian Book, Rainbow Resource... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bean Posted June 1, 2023 Author Share Posted June 1, 2023 Thank you, LoriD! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 1, 2023 Share Posted June 1, 2023 1 hour ago, Lori D. said: ONLY Jill Pike's syllabus has been discontinued. Windows to the World (which has the "how to write a literary analysis" unit) is still being published. WttW is still sold through IEW, Christian Book, Rainbow Resource... And you could probably find the JP syllabus here! 😉 I have it and I expect many others here do too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 1, 2023 Share Posted June 1, 2023 1 hour ago, ScoutTN said: And you could probably find the JP syllabus here! 😉 I have it and I expect many others here do too. I see that there are still new ones for sale at the Canadian Classical Education Books website. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted June 1, 2023 Share Posted June 1, 2023 (edited) We have used Teaching the Classics since probably 3rd grade. At first we were just identifying elements of the story. Then we expanded into discussing figurative language. As discussed in the manual for the curriculum, the Socratic list will grow with your kids as they grow. So at first you are only asking the first couple of questions off of the list, and as they get older, you ask the more detailed questions as you go down the list. Most of the time now I just pick what questions I want to ask. More recently I have been incorporating some from The Worldview Detective, also by Center for Lit. Also, in high school, I have been researching other sources like book discussion/study guides more as an aid to help with comprehension questions as we go along (let's be honest here--I miss stuff sometimes in the harder novels!). I also have been checking out podcasts here and there. I did use the Ready Readers in the beginning, as a help for me to make sure I wasn't missing anything. There is a book called Reading Roadmaps which gives year by year reading suggestions which was also helpful, especially when my kids were young. When you get to junior high/high school, they sell recording packages for specific books where Adam Andrews leads the discussion. Edited June 1, 2023 by cintinative 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 On 6/1/2023 at 2:17 PM, Lori D. said: ONLY Jill Pike's syllabus has been discontinued. Windows to the World (which has the "how to write a literary analysis" unit) is still being published. WttW is still sold through IEW, Christian Book, Rainbow Resource... Are you referring to the 6-week syllabus to go along with Teaching the Classics? I have it saved from when it was a free download online. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeineandbooks Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 @Green Bean if you go to www.centerforlit.com you should see a pop up offering a free teacher guide for The Bronze Bow. This is taken directly from their Ready Readers - Middle School Literature product and will give you a good idea of the product. The level of books obviously changes for picture books, elementary, high school lit, but the format and basic socratic question list is the same for all the Ready Readers. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarita Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 Would I be missing a ton of information if I just get the book and not the videos. I'm much better about reading a book than I am watching videos. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 (edited) 18 hours ago, mom31257 said: Are you referring to the 6-week syllabus to go along with Teaching the Classics? I have it saved from when it was a free download online. The Jill Pike syllabus was an "add on" that scheduled Teaching the Classics and Windows to the World over the course of 1 school year, plus it had additional units of literature study for 3 longer works -- Hamlet, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Jane Eyre. By using Jill Pike's syllabus, it enabled users of Windows to the World to turn that 1-semester program into a 1-year program for a full credit of English. That sounds like it is something different from the 6-week syllabus to with TtC. But thanks for suggesting that! And... nice to "see" you, Amy! 😄 Edited June 3, 2023 by Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 18 minutes ago, Lori D. said: The Jill Pike syllabus was an "add on" that scheduled Teaching the Classics and Windows to the World over the course of 1 school year, plus it had additional units of literature study for 3 longer works -- Hamlet, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Jane Eyre. By using Jill Pike's syllabus, it enabled users of Windows to the World to turn that 1-semester program into a 1-year program for a full credit of English. That sounds like it is something different from the 6-week syllabus to with TtC. But thanks for suggesting that! And... nice to "see" you, Amy! 😄 Thanks, Lori! I hope you are doing well! Now that you mention it, I think what I have was the first 6 weeks of it. Since it was a free download, I wonder if I could share it with others. Any idea on that? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 (edited) 23 minutes ago, mom31257 said: ... Now that you mention it, I think what I have was the first 6 weeks of it. Since it was a free download, I wonder if I could share it with others. Any idea on that? Weeelllll... That seems like that's moral-y mirky ground to me. 😬 Yes, it was a free download, but for a limited time, or perhaps only as a bonus freebie to those who purchased a product. Also, if they are no longer publishing the program, perhaps IEW doesn't want any of that program shared around?? I would guess you'd want to contact IEW and ask if that is okay or not. By any chance is it the same thing as the 20-page sample publicly posted by IEW to show and promote the program? Even if it's not as complete as the first 6 weeks, that at least gives people a chance to see what it's like... Edited June 3, 2023 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 @Lori D., mine is slightly different because it includes a 6th lesson with TLC that the WttW syllabus does not. It is titled to be used with TTC and nothing about WttW nor IEW. I don't think I got it through IEW but found it online elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 20 hours ago, Clarita said: Would I be missing a ton of information if I just get the book and not the videos. I'm much better about reading a book than I am watching videos. IMO yes. The videos explain how to use the book effectively. Could you maybe borrow them from someone? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeineandbooks Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 (edited) 23 hours ago, Clarita said: Would I be missing a ton of information if I just get the book and not the videos. I'm much better about reading a book than I am watching videos. I agree with Cintinative - the DVDs are important. You're learning how to lead a discussion. Each video discusses an aspect of structure (character, setting, plot etc) and then applies that learning to discussion of a picture book so you get to see how it could look in practice. You can definitely find them secondhand, but if you can, I'd try to find the second edition. Sound quality is better and there are two extra hours of content. Edited June 3, 2023 by caffeineandbooks 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 7 hours ago, mom31257 said: @Lori D., mine is slightly different because it includes a 6th lesson with TLC that the WttW syllabus does not. It is titled to be used with TTC and nothing about WttW nor IEW. I don't think I got it through IEW but found it online elsewhere. Gotcha. Then, I don't know what to say. Is it copyrighted anywhere on the material? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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