Lightning Lit or WP LA7?

[Di3kids]

Any help would be so appreciated. I'm desperately trying to figure this one out. We're using WP QAW, so the literature readers would go along with the ancients, whereas Lightning Lit would not. How important is that? If LL was so much better, I would go for this even if it was not thematic. BTW, dd will also be doing R&S English 7 only every other problem this year, as she always does so well on this. But I'm looking for more literature/writing. Thanks!

[Tiffani]

I'm not familiar with Lightning Lit, but I bought WP LA 7 this year and didn't like or use it. Well, I used it for a while, but then stopped. I ended up using Progeny Press lit. units and we enjoyed that. But since I use IEW for writing I've decided to use that for LA. Soooo, to answer your question, I think it's good if you can incorporate readers that go along with your study, but it's not "that" important.

 

On a side note....I bought Teaching the Classics and will be implementing that with our literature for Sea and Sky next year.

[Di3kids]

Thanks for the tip on Teaching the Classics - I went ahead and ordered it, too, but still need help with 7th grade LA.

[Lori D.]

WP QAW, so the literature readers would go along with the ancients, whereas Lightning Lit would not. How important is that? If LL was so much better, I would go for this even if it was not thematic. BTW, dd will also be doing R&S English 7 only every other problem this year, as she always does so well on this. But I'm looking for more literature/writing. Thanks!

 

 

Is this the literature list you'd be looking at for WP?

- Hittite Warrior

- The Golden Goblet

- God King

- Adara

- Victory on the Walls

- The Iliad

- The Odyssey

- Bronze Bow

 

If so, I've only seen the Bronze Bow analyzed as literature. The others would be considered historical fiction -- and would be a fun way to flesh out your history. The Iliad and The Odyssey are read/analyzed as literature when they are translations; but the versions in the WP list are adaptations. Adaptations are enjoyed as fun and easy or first introductions to longer, more complex works, rather than read/analyzed as literature.

 

Just my opinion, but I think you could do BOTH the above books from Winter Promise AND the works in Lightning Lit without being overloaded. WP would flesh out your history experiences, while LL would be a gentle first exposure to classic literature and beginning literary analysis.

 

LL7 covers complete, classic works in a variety of areas:

- 2 units = short stories (Rikki Tikki Tavi; Bride Comes to Yellow Sky)

- 2 units = poetry (6-8 classic poems for each unit)

- 1 unit = autobiography (Helen Keller's The Story of My Life)

- 1 unit = fantasy novel (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)

- 1 unit = realistic novel (Adventures of Tom Sawyer)

- 1 unit = humor/anecdotal novel (All Creatures Great and Small)

 

Each unit focuses on one literary element (plot, humor, characterization, etc.), with teaching information written to the student, plus worksheets to put that unit into practice. We read the works aloud together (which is slower than silent solo reading), and finished LL7 in less than the scheduled 36 weeks, reading about 30 min/day, 4 days/week. Doing the rest of the program (reading the teaching info; doing the worksheets; doing the end of unit writing assignment) added about 10-20 min/day 3-4 days/week.

 

The writing in LL7 is more the opportunity for a writing assignment at the end of each unit. There is only a very little writing instruction -- each unit has a "mini writing lesson" on some aspect of writing a paper -- rewriting in your own words; citing a source; etc. There is a choice of 4-5 options for a longer writing assignment at the end of each unit.

 

 

BEST of luck, whatever you go with! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Di3kids]

those books you listed are considered read-alouds and I will use them as such with 4th and 7th grade dd and maybe 9th ds. if his load with MFW AWL is not too heavy.

 

WP Ancient World Literature Set includes the following:

Mara, Daughter of the Nile

Shadow Hawk

Hadassah

Archimedes and the Door of Science

D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths

Flane and the Gateway to Medicine

The Ides of April

Beyond the Desert Gate

Ben Hur

 

Perhaps that may be too much of a load along with LL. It was helpful to know that there is not much writing instruction in LL - more of an "opportunity" as you put it. I may try WP LA7 this year - how bad can it be, huh?

[Lori D.]

those books you listed are considered read-alouds and I will use them as such with 4th and 7th grade dd and maybe 9th ds. if his load with MFW AWL is not too heavy.

 

WP Ancient World Literature Set includes the following:

Mara, Daughter of the Nile

Shadow Hawk

Hadassah

Archimedes and the Door of Science

D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths

Flane and the Gateway to Medicine

The Ides of April

Beyond the Desert Gate

Ben Hur

 

Perhaps that may be too much of a load along with LL. It was helpful to know that there is not much writing instruction in LL - more of an "opportunity" as you put it. I may try WP LA7 this year - how bad can it be, huh?

 

 

Hmmm... We've read almost all of those books, and I'd still call them historical fiction (or adaptation in the case of the D'Aulaire's Greek Myths), rather than classical literature.

 

There are 9 books in your WP Ancient World Lit. list, so that's only 1 book a month which could be done as a solo read or a read aloud, and then only 8 units in the LL7 -- 2 units are short stories and 2 units are on poems, which can each be read in a day (maybe 2 for the 6-8 poems per unit), and about 2 weeks to do the rest of the unit. So that leaves you about 6-7 months to read/do the unit for 4 novels in LL7. And you can always spread LL7 out over 1-1/2 to 2 years -- nothing says you have to do it in one year!

 

Just some random thoughts! BEST of luck, whatever you decide! Warmly, Lori D.