We’ve followed CM methods for years and my older ones (13, almost 15) have read volumes of high quality classics literature. They have great comprehension, but I was looking for deeper analysis, and I’m not always able to do as much with them as I’d like with several little ones in the picture. I despise contrived “study guides” for literature, so I wasn’t sure what to do.
In the past month or so they worked through “Teaching the Classics” from http://www.centerforlit.com/ and I must say I am so pleased with the results. The discussions and higher level thinking that have resulted are wonderful. Of course, that’s also due to *discussing* it with others, but this has laid a great foundation, applicable to all literature. I look forward to working through the Worldview supplement they have, as well, at a future point. It’s also got great resale value, so you could keep the book (with all the Socratic questions in the back) and resell the DVDs for a decent return when you’re done.
We started a monthly book discussion group with a few other hs-ed teens for the coming school year and had the first discussion last week. (The other families also worked through the TTC, so we all had that for background.) Each of the teens led a different part of the discussion, and had a couple of well-chosen questions to facilitate meaningful discussion and analysis. It was amazing to watch these “kids” express themselves — having to actually formulate their thoughts and express them to their peers, etc. I can’t wait for future monthly discussions!
