American and British Literature are Here!

Excellence in Literature: American and British levels are here!

Excellence in Literature: American and British levels are here!

I opened the door this morning, and there on the front steps was a box from Andrew Pudewa’s IEW. The American and British Literature levels of Excellence in Literature have arrived and are ready for you!

Yesterday was my grandmother’s 96th birthday, so we’ll be taking her out to lunch today. When I get back, I’ll post everything on the website, but if you’ve been waiting a long time for these books, you may order them here.

American Literature

British Literature


SAT* Score Reporting, FAQ, Essay Workshops, & EIL 1 is HERE!

Beginning with the March 2009 administration of the SAT, the College Board has implemented a new policy that should make a lot of people very happy. According to the website, the new policy “will give students the option to choose the SAT scores by sitting (test date) and SAT Subject Test scores by individual test that they send to colleges, at no additional cost.” Read more

Questions About Excellence In Literature from a Co-op Leader

I received an e-mail this morning from a co-op leader, inquiring about the Excellence in Literature (EIL) curriculum. When I receive detailed questions like these, I know that others are probably wondering some of the same of the same things, so I’ll share the questions and answers here.

Q- How easy is this program to adapt to a co-op setting?

A- I designed it to be easily adaptable to a co-op or school. I taught an earlier version of it online for a few years in order to test it, and that helped me tweak it so that it was easy to use. One thing you don’t need is something that requires a lot of prep time, so there are week-by-week lesson plans for each unit, with carefully crafted assignments.
Read more

Reading for Fun is the Foundation of Literary Appreciation

I just came across a book review (of the Truth Seekers Mystery Series by Christine and Felice Gerwitz) that clearly articulated the natural progression of learning. The review was much more than a simple review– it was an introduction to the art of reading. The reviewer, Magistra Mom, wrote of her own self-education:

“I decided to get to that end point, graduation, I would need to start… at the beginning.  To do so, I began reading at their level, and worked my way up.  I began with simple science readers, juvenile level biographies, and historical fiction.  From there, and over a few years, and by joining an amazing book club, I worked my way up to the classics…

“As I read “simpler” books, I built up a schema within my mind - a whole structure that later, enriched my understanding of more difficult readings.   Without…these early readers, I would not have the appreciation, nor understanding today as I read classic literature, texts from the past, biographies and diaries, and historical documents.” Read more

Teaching from the Known to the Unknown

I was working with the Chaucer unit in Excellence in Literature: British Literature this morning, and thinking about the ways in which The Canterbury Tales can be made accessible to students. These stories are funny, startling, and sometimes appalling, and most students will enjoy them, if they’re presented in the right way. Let’s look at alternative ways of introducing Chaucer:

1- The Do-or-Die Method Read more

How King James Can Boost Your Student’s Reading Skills

As your students move toward the high school years, reading skills become increasingly important. Not only does your student need to boost vocabulary in preparation for the SAT or ACT, he or she needs to be able to read and comprehend the kind of literature that is taught in high school and college.

Based upon my own experience in many literature classes and test-taking situations, the single most helpful thing your student can read to build understanding of vocabulary, syntax, and literary context is the King James Bible. I grew up on it, and the rhythm and cadence of King James English permeated my thoughts and literary imagination from very early in life.

This doesn’t mean that I think in thee’s and thou’s, or use words like “verily” or “thence.” It means that when I encounter King James English in a Shakespearean play or Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” it seems both clear and familiar, making it much easier to focus on the story or on literary analysis. It means that when I encounter references to Jonah, a lion’s den, or a “Gadarene rush” in a newspaper editorial, I can easily identify the allusion and understand the point of the argument.

How and when is the best time to introduce your children to the King James Bible? Read more

How Many Classics Should Students Read in a Year?

I got the following question about high school literature from a reader, and after answering it, asked her if I could share it. I think this is something that many people wonder, so this seems a good time to answer it! Both the question and answer have been edited to eliminate personal details.

*****

Q- Do you have any recommendations as to how many books a student should read per year - is there a set amount?  I like them to read for comprehension, not just speed - no point reading 100 books, if you don’t take them in - but I wondered if there is an average?  Is your literature course geared to an age or grade, or just any high school student?

A- …As for how many books to read– it’s a very individual thing, and a lot depends on the books. For example, I could sit down and read several Jane Austen books in a row. She’s light and funny, and her books go quickly for me. On the other hand, Dickens, Cooper, Cervantes, or Hugo are much longer, and in many cases, much slower moving. I probably wouldn’t read more than two of them in a month, but I’d be reading a lot of other lighter stuff at the same time (I always have multiple books going at any one time).

My suggestion would be to have plenty of good literature available, and a designated time every day for reading classics, and then let them go at their own pace, choosing books that appeal to them. As long as time is built into the day, and an array of good books are available, they will be able to explore and learn in a way that allows them to fall in love with some authors, and become distantly acquainted with others.

My Excellence in Literature courses were originally developed as online classes for students from grades 8-12. They’re geared toward getting students ready for college thinking and writing, so many people start at the first level, no matter what age or grade level their student is. I’ve had students take the upper levels, then finish up by going through the first two levels.

Everything is written directly to the student, so that he or she can learn to study independently, but it’s adaptable to a more hands-on approach for parents who want to use it in that way. [The cover design you see in the illustration to the left is not the final cover-- just the beta version. It's still a nice bridge in Paris!]

The first two levels build skills in context-oriented literary analysis and writing, and the American, British, and World literature levels use, and continue to build, those skills while doing a college-style survey course in each type of literature. The literature chosen for each level increases gradually in difficulty, especially in the early semesters of the British and World Literature (the older it is, the more challenging the vocabulary and ideas, in many cases). Many of my students who have followed the honors track have ended up taking CLEP exams at the end, and earning college credits for their knowledge.

[As an addendum, I no longer teach the online classes, but with the curriculum, plus a good writing evaluator if you feel you need one, you can get much the same effect on your own.]

*****

Announcements

SAT Deadline extended: The late registration deadline for the October SAT has been extended to 11:59 p.m. EDT, Friday, September 19, 2008, for registrations made online or by phone. You can read more about this at CollegeBoard.com.

Internet Service Malfunction=Brief Sale Extension: My internet service has gone on and off today (more off than on, actually– I hope I can get this post up before it disappears again!), so I haven’t finished several things on my list, such as updating my web pages to remove the introductory sale price on the Conquer the Test SAT prep workshop. I will get it down as soon as possible, but until I can do so, it’s fair game as I still have a few copies of the original printing left;-).

Hurricane Help: Thinking of the inconvenience of having my internet service down, I am reminded once again of all those who are living through the aftermath of hurricanes. My thoughts and prayers will continue to be with them.

HSLDA Essay Contest for 2008: In this year’s essay contest, homeschooled students must “evaluate the worldly wisdom contained in two international folk proverbs. Students may choose which they want to argue and whether they are for or against.” Entries must be received between October 1 and November 1, 2008. You can get more information at the HSLDA site.

Constitution Day is September 17. Visit USConstitution.net for a wealth of interesting information and links. (Thanks to Kathleen, the editor of the HEAV Update!)

The Carnival of Homeschooling should be up later today at the Nerd Family blog. Perhaps they’re having trouble with their internet service too!

English 1: Excellence in Literature is Now Available!

As most of you know, I’ve been working non-stop to get the first level of the Excellence in Literature: Reading and Writing Through the Classics series out in time for the new school year. Due to the pinched nerve in my neck, I have been behind schedule, but as of about 5 minutes ago, the e-book is now up and for sale! I’m so relieved;-).

The first level of Excellence in Literature now up and available! I’ll be sending out news in the e-zine, and personal notes to everyone who asked to be notified, but for everyone else, here’s the order link!

Click here for the instantly downloadable e-book of Excellence in Literature: English 1!

English I: Introduction to Literature contains nine units focused on the following classic works of literature:

Short Stories by

* Sarah Orne Jewett
* Edgar Allen Poe
* Guy de Maupassant
* O. Henry
* Eudora Welty
* James Thurber

Jules Verne: Around the World in 80 Days

Mark Twain: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre

George  B. Shaw: Pygmalion

Robert Louis Stevenson: Treasure Island

George Orwell: Animal Farm

William Shakespeare: The Tempest

Jonathan Swift: Gulliver’s Travels

This curriculum is designed to be covered in one full year, and each unit takes four weeks to cover. This level can be used with students in middle school to high school. It will be followed by four more levels, which are scheduled to be available in 2009:

English II: Literature and Composition

English III: American Literature

English IV: British Literature

English V: World Literature

You may read more about it at my website where you can see a sample table of contents and other helpful information. I have also uploaded a sample unit for you to download. You can download it from this link as well: Sample Unit

If you’d like to order the instantly downloadable e-book of Excellence in Literature: English 1, CLICK HERE!

It’s $24.

Announcements

The Carnival of Homeschooling has a Labor Day theme– the labors we do as homeschoolers! It’s hosted by Carol Topp, at Homeschool CPA.

Everyone “Knows” Shakespeare- Or Do They?

“O, like a book of sport thou’lt read me o’er;
But there’s more in me than thou understand’st.”
~ William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida

The balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth’s fateful meeting with the three witches on the moor, and Brutus’s betrayal of Julius Caesar are just a few of the unforgettable scenes in William Shakespeare’s masterpieces. If you know Shakespeare, you will see echoes of his work everywhere; if you haven’t studied him, you will probably miss the significance of many of the allusions that have infiltrated our language and literature. Next to the Bible, the works of Shakespeare are the most necessary reading for cultural literacy.

Like any rich and worthwhile text, a Shakespeare play is challenging. Not only is the language and vocabulary archaic, the plays themselves brim with a multitude of characters, with plots, subplots, and counterplots. Shakespeare packs a lot into a single story! However, there is a way to approach the plays so you can understand and enjoy them. Here is a simple four-step plan: Read more

Gratefulnesse by George Herbert

GRATEFULNESSE

by George Herbert (1593- 1633)

Thou that hast giv’n so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart.
See how thy beggar works on thee
By art.

He makes thy gifts occasion more,
And says, If he in this be crossed,
All thou hast giv’n him heretofore
Is lost.

But thou didst reckon, when at first
Thy word our hearts and hands did crave,
What it would come to at the worst
To save.

Perpetual knockings at thy door,
Tears sullying thy transparent rooms,
Gift upon gift, much would have more,
And comes.

This not withstanding, thou wenst on,
And didst allow us all our noise:
Nay thou hast made a sigh and groan
Thy joys.

Not that thou hast not still above
Much better tunes, than groans can make;
But that these country-airs thy love
Did take.

Wherefore I cry, and cry again;
And in no quiet canst thou be,
Till I a thankful heart obtain
Of thee:

Not thankful, when it pleaseth me;
As if thy blessings had spare days:
But such a heart, whose pulse may be
Thy praise.

This lovely poem is one of my favorites, and I think often of the last stanza. I very much enjoy George Herbert’s way of visually and aurally emphasizing important elements in his poems.

In my beautiful old volume of Herbert’s poetry (left), a gift from my oldest son, the last line of each stanza is spaced flush right, so that it is emphasized. I tried very hard to make it appear this way in this post, but it didn’t cooperate, so you’ll just have to imagine it. Better yet, use the poem as copywork, and write it spaced this way, and both you and your students will have an increased appreciation of its beauty. Be sure to notice Herbert’s warm, intimate tone, as of a child speaking to a father.

With this, I wish you a joyous Thanksgiving!

← Previous Page — Next Page →