Literature for High School: Smarr, LL, EIL

Are you looking for one with instructions for writing literary analysis and other literature related papers? If so, you might check into Windows on the World or Teaching the Classics. I don’t think I have seen any that have a regular composition class combined with literature. 

Write With The Best has 2 volumes and uses examples from classic literature to teach specific writing steps. These volumes can cover 3-12th grade depending on your needs.  It teaches grammar within the bounds of the topic you are covering.  I just purchased the first volume, which covers descriptive writing using passages from for example, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  It covers adjectives, complete paragraphs with topical, supporting and closing sentences, and other things.  I like the looks of this very much.  You can go as fast or as slow as you want.  It also gives you further reference passages to read for more practice if you want.  Here is their site:

http://www.edudps.com/WWTB.html

and here is the free download sample (scroll down to the title):

http://www.edudps.com/free-downloads.html

The more time I spend looking at it the more I like Lighning Lit.  Sometimes I find one of these courses and I want to do it myself, they look so good!

Sheraz & Deltagal — are WWTB & WWB the same (Write with the Best)?  Does it cover only literary writing or report writing as well? 

@Bookworm — can you share your “formula” for middle school for those of use just approaching this phase?  Thanks!

@4myboys – I look at these things too and want to do them as well.  And – WWTB is Write with the Best.  Here are two links that explain what is covered in the two volumes.  

http://www.edudps.com/WWTB.html

http://www.edudps.com/WWTBVOL2.html

In reality, I am planning to use these in 5, 6, and 7th grades (the span of my two oldest). My goal was to help them see that it is okay to use the “fancier” words they say in their oral narrations on paper as well… lol …and both of my older girls like to write stories and illustrate them, so these seem a natural place to start.  =)  During sixth grade (this next few months) we will finish the Primary Language Lessons.

We will use Our Mother Tongue in 7th and 8th grade for our grammar. Jump In is on my list as well (we’ll see how it goes).

We are planning on using EpiKardi courses in High School.  I also like the looks of LL for high school.  

However, I am trying to keep in mind my children and their needs.  While I am not trying to make this easy for them as far as not challenging them, I also want it to be something they retain and not dread.  Some of my choices are based on what I have found to be effective for my girls, just like Bookworm found what works for her boys. My list of Grammar curriculums and writing programs is quite long just from taking notes on this site, so if what I chose doesn’t work, I am happy to know that I will be able to find something that will work for my family.  

I keep reminding myself that each of us in our homeschools have to remember what our (and our children’s) long-term goals are and stay the course.  It is so easy to get caught up in the curriculum vortex and feel as if we are short-changing our children if we choose to not do the same thing as someone else – I know that occasionally I start hyperventilating that I am not. doing. exactly. the. same. thing. as someone else, and my children are going to be scarred and disadvantaged all their lives. lol  (Why must we do this to ourselves???)  Not everyone is the same (thank goodness!) and there is a lot to choose from, so tailor your needs to your goals.

I have LL for 7th and 8th grade. The writing Instruction in the 7th grade is not too bad. Starts with the whole plot overview, teaches them the way a story flows, you know ‘Rising action, climax, falling action, etc. I love LL- my problem with it and why we never got through the year is that there is just so much you can do in a year. LL schedules 6 or 8 novels per year at this level. Add to that the 10 or 12 we were trying to get through for history, and throw in some living books for Math and Science and there was just no way we could cover it all. SO, we picked and chose units from LL to do that seemed to cover the writing topics she was weak in. Now, I love literature, but I do NOT love analysing everything I read. My goal with this dd was to instill a love of literature in her, which was accomplished by tons of reading aloud. Now at the 8th grade level she needs to learn how to express herself and her thought in writing- she is good at narration- really good, but doesn’t like to write out her narrations. So with all that being said, I am trying something new this year. I love what I have been reading on http://www.bravewriter.com and the author, Julie Bogart is amazing to correspond with. She shares my dream of inspiring my kids to love to read and to feel free to express their thoughts. I am going to go with Bravewriters ‘The Writers Jungle’ for this year and also choose 3 of the novels from her Boomerang Novel Studies list. Very CM oriented in the narration and dictation/discussion of the literature, and the Writers Jungle looks to be really interesting. It is a journey for both of us together, so we will see how it goes and I will let you know.

Oh, and BTW, my son did the British Lit LL this year, and he said he can ‘suffer through’ Jane Eyre because he also got to read Frankenstein 🙂 So they do try to balance out the selections to cover the bases.

sorry for the novel, you all just got me thinking!

Heidi

I got the High School one for half price through Homeschool Buyer’s Coop. I found The Writer’s Jungle for $30 on VegSource. The other thing to remember is that it covers multiple grades.