Skills for Literary Analysis vs. Windows to the World

[jibaker103]

I am brand new to literary analysis (I have a master's and don't remember ever doing it) and my ds has learned a few basic terms during his 6th and half way through 7th grades in ps. So my plan is to start with Figuratively Speaking so we both feel more secure in knowing these terms while I start incorporating Teaching the Classics with the reading lists from TWTM, SL, and BF. As a follow up I would like a curriculum that is going to teach him how to read, annotate, and complete analysis on the literature.

I need advice on which curriculum is better for 8th or 9th grade logic stage. Has anyone used Skills for Literary Anaysis or Windows to the World? Do they walk you through the process step by step? Would there be a lot of preperation for me or is it more self-directed? I would appreciate pros and cons for each.

We are secular in our approach but not opposed to the mention of God and religion if giving a viewpoint without being preachy and forcing one to comply with certain beliefs.

Thanks in advance for all of your advice!

Jennifer
Mother to Noah Age 13

[Musicmom]

I would not recommend using Skills for Literary Analysis. I used this for ds in 9th grade and we were both very frustrated by it. The lesson material for the student was very brief--often just a one or two-sentence definition of the literary element under consideration, without much in the way of example or details to illustrate it. Then it would have the student write an essay on the use of that literary element in the book being studied (which the student needed to read in advance). Not much direction except for very general essay instructions, and example essays that weren't very coherent examples at all. The teacher directions were essentially boiler-plate from lesson to lesson and ran along the lines of, "Discuss topic X with your student using examples from books, movies..." :confused: If I could do that I wouldn't need a curriculum! At a homeschool convention, I asked the author if he had resources to help with this. He said to look the topics up on the internet. :001_huh: So... unless you already understand literary analysis and can discuss it easily, you'll need to do research in order to use this program. We stuck with it, ds enjoyed the books and he did learn some literary elements from it, but I wouldn't use it again.

I have Windows to the World and did the beginning of it with ds last year. The first thing it teaches is annotation. :) This program looks much more promising, and I'm planning to use it with dd, who is going into 9th grade this year.

[jibaker103]

I would not recommend using Skills for Literary Analysis. I used this for ds in 9th grade and we were both very frustrated by it. The lesson material for the student was very brief--often just a one or two-sentence definition of the literary element under consideration, without much in the way of example or details to illustrate it. Then it would have the student write an essay on the use of that literary element in the book being studied (which the student needed to read in advance). Not much direction except for very general essay instructions, and example essays that weren't very coherent examples at all. The teacher directions were essentially boiler-plate from lesson to lesson and ran along the lines of, "Discuss topic X with your student using examples from books, movies..." :confused: If I could do that I wouldn't need a curriculum! At a homeschool convention, I asked the author if he had resources to help with this. He said to look the topics up on the internet. :001_huh: So... unless you already understand literary analysis and can discuss it easily, you'll need to do research in order to use this program. We stuck with it, ds enjoyed the books and he did learn some literary elements from it, but I wouldn't use it again.

I have Windows to the World and did the beginning of it with ds last year. The first thing it teaches is annotation. :) This program looks much more promising, and I'm planning to use it with dd, who is going into 9th grade this year.

Thank you for the info on Skills for Literary Analysis. As far as Windows to the World do you think it's something an 8th grader can do or should ds wait until 9th? He is a very strong reader (way above grade level) but still somewhat immature.

Jennifer
Mother to Noah Age 13

[Lori D.]

I would like a curriculum that is going to teach him how to read, annotate, and complete analysis on the literature.


Not familiar with Skills for Literary Analysis, but that pretty much sums up what Windows to the World (WW) does:
- teaches annotation
- shows how very close reading by annotating helps you make connections with the text and begin to analysis the text
- gives very specific instruction in how to write a literary analysis essay

Below are links to past threads with more reviews on both WW and Skills in Literary Analysis.



Has anyone used Skills for Literary Anaysis or Windows to the World? Do they walk you through the process step by step? Would there be a lot of preperation for me or is it more self-directed? I would appreciate pros and cons for each.


Again, I can only speak about WW, but yes, it is a very gentle, very specific step-by-step process. The student book is written to the student, so it can be done fairly self-directed manner. However, I would NOT recommend doing it that way with an 8th/9th grade student who is just getting started with annotating and literary analysis; we are doing WW over 2 year's time, blending it in with a lot of other literature, and it has worked extremely well to do it all together. There has been no prep time for me. And I've never even gotten around to opening the teacher book -- we've just worked straight out of the student book. So far, all pros and only 1 sort-of cons for WW here.

PROs:
- very gentle, clear, and specific teaching, esp. covering how to write a literary analysis
- written to the student in a gentle, informal, slightly humorous tone
- helpful exercises to practice what is taught
- all the works are reprinted in the student book so you don't have to also buy an anthology
- spiral binding allows the book to lay FLAT -- yea!

CONs:
- only covers 6 short stories, so either need to use WW as a 1 semester course, or add in 4-6 novels and a short unit on poetry to make it a full semester course




We are secular in our approach but not opposed to the mention of God and religion if giving a viewpoint without being preachy and forcing one to comply with certain beliefs.

While Windows to the World is written by a Christian (IEW which publishes WW is a Christian company), it is written in a secular style. I believe there is a Biblical parable used as an example for annotating -- but then there are also several poems, a fable by Aesop, and other non-religious examples as well. And as I recall, the Biblical reference was used to a non-religious way; it was used specifically to speak about allusions -- how great literature often alludes to previous great literature, with the point made that the most frequently alluded to works are (in this order) the Bible, Greek myths, and Shakespeare's plays.


Hope this helps! Warmest regards, Lori D.



Any Thoughts on IEW's Windows to the World?
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102726&highlight=windows+world

Windows to the World
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14446&highlight=windows+world

Windows to the World -- Anyone Have This?

Windows to the World questions
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92946&highlight=windows+world

Windows to the World -- A Complete Lit. Course?
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112452&highlight=windows+world

Windows to the World vs. Teaching the Classics
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22266&highlight=writing+literary+analysis


Skills for Literary Analysis
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97182&highlight=windows+world

Stobaugh's Literary Analysis
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17764&highlight=windows+world