How do you feel about no reading curriculum for an 8th grader?

[rwalizer]

I just brainstormed a wish list for what I would like to teach next year and it is a mile long, of course. I am thinking of leaving out a formal literature course (we are doing LL7 this year). I would keep ds reading worthwhile books on a schedule and maybe we could just discuss them. Would he miss out on much?

[Beth in Central TX]

I think your plans for socratic-type dialogue is good. However, *I* don't think this is adequate preparation for high school literature. In 8th grade I'm going to increase our literature analysis so that we can start doing timed literary analysis papers (an idea I got from the High School board) in 9th grade. My plan is to go through Teaching the Classics and How to Read a Book between now and 9th grade. I'm also going to work through Omnibus I in 7th and Omnibus II in 8th grade. Of course, this is just my opinion. I would write out your specific goals you would like to achieve in your high school literature studies and make sure that your 7th & 8th grade schedules will help prepare you to achieve those goals.

[Mama Lynx]

No. You won't miss much. You'll be just fine.

Sure, you could do a formal program and learn literary terms, and some lit. analysis; on the other hand, your ds can also pick that up in high school.

If it helps, we are halfheartedly doing Lightning Lit. We did a few lessons, but then my ds decided he wanted to go ahead and read Lord of the Rings, now. So LL is on the shelf. I like it, but I also really do not think that we'll suffer by dropping it, as long as we keep reading and discussing good books.

Read, discuss, and sometimes write. Those are the important things.

[Beth in Central TX]

You know, Stephanie, I just knew you were going to post this! Oh, how funny. We have a for and against, now we just need an undecided...

[Rhondabee]

That's what we're doing, anyway. (I usually do have him write the one-page summary/evaluation mentioned in wtm or follow R&S's book report format after we've discussed.)

I admit I do answer the questions in Well-Educated Mind for myself before we discuss, and occasionally I find an online study guide. But, the questions in the logic stage reading section of Well Trained Mind are designed as middle-school level lit analysis. (and, Rod & Staff will also teach many of the literary terms that a curriculum such as LL teaches)

I think I'll trust SWB on this one, since that's her thing, ya know?

hth,
Rhonda

[Chris in CA]

It's funny I never did a formal reading program but as dds get older I'm getting a bit formal with this, I'm thinking about using Figuatively Speaking for formal lit terminology etc. now and moving into formal lit. study in hs to prepare for college

[Faithr]

I think you'll be fine without a reading curriculum for a year. Especially if you've loaded him up with lots of other structured learning, it might be nice to have one area that he can carve out on his own. He'll do fine in high school without it. I did very little of that kind of stuff with my now high schoolers. Frankly, I think you can overdo it and burn the poor student out. At the high school level they are much better at analyzing, figuring out plot, irony, deeper meanings, arguing with the point of view of the author. I do not think my high schoolers have suffered a bit for not having a formal reading curriculum every year. So from my own personal experience, Mama Lynx is right on target. As long as they are reading and discussing, thinking about and loving books.

[Mama Lynx]

You know, Stephanie, I just knew you were going to post this! Oh, how funny. We have a for and against, now we just need an undecided...

LOL, I know. And posting at the same time, at that!

I have a questions about the timed literary analysis papers: What are those in preparation for? I know that they'll need to have the ability to write timed essays, in general. Will you be doing timed literary analysis as a way to teach timed essays, or for another goal?

[MIch elle]

Christian Light Reading 8 which includes:

SUNRISE READING 800 – Where Roads Diverge
801
Analyzing story characters
Working with the Latin word roots
annus, quattuor, and junctum
Identifying setting in a story
Defining and identifying foreshadowing
Identifying figurative language:
metaphor, personification, simile
Understanding and identifying allusions
Considering the results of respecting
older people
Understanding and identifying conflict
Relating characters’ actions to “where
roads diverge”
Understanding what an essay is
Identifying the theme of an essay and
a story
Interpreting unusual figures of speech
Rewriting a passage to eliminate a figure of speech
Identifying the lessons taught in a
fable
Identifying the theme of a fable
Identifying paraphrases
Paraphrasing passages
Identifying personification
Extracting lessons from characters’
mistakes and examples
Identifying the parts of plot: conflict,
crisis, climax, resolution
Labeling a plot map for a story
Understanding and identifying prejudice in story characters
Identifying a strategy for avoiding
wrong judging
Interpreting symbolism in literature
Considering anger as a response to
stimuli
Considering and identifying satire
Identifying the main ideas of paragraphs
Writing the main idea of a paragraph
Interpreting a metaphor from a
Scripture verse
Gaining information from letters, dialogue, and narrative
Identifying allusions
Comparing a character’s situation to a
Bible character’s
Identifying the main points of stanzas
of poetry
Identifying summaries of stanzas of
poetry
Marking the rhyme scheme of a poem
Identifying eye rhyme
Contrasting two characters
Interpreting the meaning of a poem
Applying the message of a poem to
life
802
Identifying first- and third-person narrators
Considering how point of view helps
develop a story
Identifying characters as static or
dynamic
Identifying a selection as romantic or
realistic
Identifying the theme of a selection
Determining the likely veracity of statements
Analyzing a poem’s structure
Identifying beautiful language in a poem
Working with the Latin roots jactum and
dentis
Identifying the possible varying sides of
a story
Interpreting description
Analyzing character in relation to
‘‘where roads diverge”
Analyzing how characters took responsibility
Analyzing setting
Identifying foreshadowing
Applying principles from the story to life
Interpreting passages from an essay
Inferring from the essay
Identifying onomatopoeia
Marking the rhyme scheme of a poem
Identifying similes
Identifying a paradox
Interpreting poetry
Comparing a poem and an essay
Identifying mood-creating words in a
poem
Telling why the first person to declare
his cause usually seems right
Understanding unity in a poem
Writing an additional stanza for a poem
Marking meter in a poem
Learning the term iamb
Identifying the thesis of an essay
Identifying examples that support the
thesis
Identifying the double meaning of a title
Working with the French root para
Comparing characters’ actions to
Scripture passages
Determining character traits from actions
Interpreting symbols in a story
Using context clues to determine word
meanings
Identifying the elements of setting
Interpreting and applying Bible verses
Identifying an allusion
Identifying proper response to life situations
803
Identifying a story frame
Telling how a character obeyed a Bible
command
Telling how someone could have better
obeyed a command
Defining denotation and connotation
Identifying the denotation and connotation of words
Identifying the climax of a story
Determining the broad setting of a story
Working with the Greek roots biblos
and philos
Identifying reasons for characters’ feelings
Interpreting figurative language
Describing how different views of the
same thing can be both right and
wrong
Choosing the most likely correct view of
an incident
Identifying the lesson taught by folktales
Describing the characteristics of folktales
Comparing two versions of a folktale
Determining word meanings from context clues
Inferring details from the story
Identifying character qualities from
characters’ actions
Paraphrasing text from the story
Interpreting an allegory
Summarizing a list of items
Identifying a statement that best states
the idea of a number of statements
Interpreting symbolism
Describing the results of jealousy and
envy
Analyzing characters’ actions in light of
“where roads diverge”
Identifying irony
Thinking clearly about disagreements
Tracing the internal conflict in a story
Identifying a character as static or
dynamic
Working with the Latin root centum
Understanding the reasons for a character’s actions
Identifying an allusion
Understanding stereotypes
Identifying indications of prejudice
Explaining the irony in a statement
Applying a verse to the story
Paraphrasing a poem
Interpreting symbolism in a poem
Identifying the main idea of a stanza of
poetry
Learning the term anecdote
Identifying the keyword in an anecdote
804
Identifying problem-solving skills
Identifying actions that show persistence, observation, and understanding
Identifying protagonist and antagonist
Relating setting to mood
Identifying character traits from actions
Identifying the elements of plot: conflict,
climax, resolution
Working with the Greek root hydro
Analyzing a character’s actions in light
of ‘‘where roads diverge”
Explaining how “talk leads to penury”
Identifying the resolution of the story
Determining word meanings from context clues
Paraphrasing lines of poetry
Explaining the poem title
Identifying mood or atmosphere of stanzas of poetry
Identifying the theme of a poem
Matching paraphrases to lines of poetry
Completing two parodies of a poem
Identifying four types of fallacies in
thinking
Marking rhyme scheme and rhythm
Identifying alliteration in a poem
Identifying the moral
Paraphrasing a verse
Working with the Latin roots terra and
pedis
Identifying unfair judgments
Determining character by observing
actions
Identifying couplets
Identifying refrains
Telling how a refrain affects the mood
of a poem
Identifying irony
Identifying the theme of several verses
Matching a popular saying to a proverb
from Proverbs
Explaining the meaning of unusual
phrases
Identifying foreshadowing
Analyzing character in light of the story
verse
Noting the descriptive language used to
describe setting
Inferring details from the story
Matching figures of speech to their
meanings
Describing aspects of the story setting
Explaining characters’ actions
805
Determining meanings of words from
context clues
Inferring details from the story
Analyzing characters’ actions in light of
“where roads diverge”
Understanding the historical background and setting
Identifying four types of fallacious thinking
Comparing and contrasting two characters
Considering how others can stereotype
you and your family
Relating setting and mood
Identifying the double plot of a story
Identifying the theme of a story
Considering the effect of one’s actions
on others
Matching lines of poetry to paraphrases
Identifying the theme of a poem
Paraphrasing lines of poetry
Matching lines of poetry to anecdotes
that illustrate them
Identifying foreshadowing
Determining character from actions
Identifying how different characters
would respond
Identifying “victim” and “overcomer”
responses
Identifying how characters obeyed a
Bible commandment
Defining parallel
Identifying three types of parallelism in
Hebrew poetry
Identifying the meanings of stanzas of
poetry
Identifying an implication of the poem
Identifying the part of the plot
Working with the theme of the story
Identifying a character as an “overcomer” or a “victim”
Identifying protagonists, antagonist, and
conflicts
Explaining irony in story events
Drawing lessons from story events

I highly recommend CLE reading. Join the CLE yahoo (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/christianlightfamilies/)group to see samples & the complete scope & sequence charts.

Good Luck with your decision!

[Barb F. PA in AZ]

I think you'll be fine without a reading curriculum for a year. Especially if you've loaded him up with lots of other structured learning, it might be nice to have one area that he can carve out on his own. He'll do fine in high school without it. I did very little of that kind of stuff with my now high schoolers. Frankly, I think you can overdo it and burn the poor student out. At the high school level they are much better at analyzing, figuring out plot, irony, deeper meanings, arguing with the point of view of the author. I do not think my high schoolers have suffered a bit for not having a formal reading curriculum every year. So from my own personal experience, Mama Lynx is right on target. As long as they are reading and discussing, thinking about and loving books.

Good post, and I agree. It's hard not to get caught up always trying to prepare for the next stage and forget to enjoy the one you're in.

Barb

[Plaid Dad]

I'm not sure what the distinction is between a formal literature course and just reading books and talking/writing about them. To me, the latter is a literature course. At least, that's what all my college and graduate-level literature courses consisted of. :)

I guess it comes down to what exactly the discussions were about and how much literary analysis they involve. I do think you can get away without doing a lot of formal analysis if you plan to pick it up again in 9th grade, but it's also not hard to work in a few literary terms or to look at symbolism and such as part of a less formal discussion. Have you seen Invitation to the Classics (http://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classics-Always-Wanted-Masterworks/dp/080106810X/)? It has some good discussion/essay questions along with background information about a whole slew of Great Books.

[8FillTheHeart]

Well, I didn't do any lit ana with my oldest 2 until high school. Didn't hurt them at all. Lit ana is not a difficult concept, nor is the vocab that hard to learn quickly when you are mentally ready to process it. Actually, during our conversations you would never have known that they hadn't had "formal" lit ana before.

My middle 2, 6th and 8th graders, are doing some this yr with LL from LOTR. They are enjoying it, but it is light and enjoyable.

So.....no, I don't think you'll be missing a thing. :)

[mcconnellboys]

We always just did it sort of the WTM way and I think (hope) it was fine. My son is back in private school now and in an honors lit class this year. He's just signed up for honors lit next year, as well. So I *think* this program prepared him well.

Regena

[Beth in Central TX]

There was post about what the high school board about what they felt their children lacked the most, and the consensus was writing. A follow-up post asked what they would do better the next time, and timed literary analysis was an option given. Angelina (cajun.classical) said that she taught high school and college literature and did a lot of timed essays. She said the homeschoolers were weak in this area because things are not usually timed. Time management was noted as a critical skill for college, and I completely agree. I never thought to do a timed essay, but I think it will be great preparation for college. However, I can't time something they know nothing about. Therefore, I'm planning on doing a little upfront work in junior high so that essay writing and time management skills can be refined in high school rather than introduced. As always, this is just my different point of view.

[Peek a Boo]

another vote for skip it if he already has a strong 8th grade schedule.

In my case, we're picking UP lit analysis in 8th, cuz we didn't do too much previously. But the more I read around about high school the more I'm convinced that what you learn isn't as important as how much you keep track of it, lol.

ok --that last line was pretty much tongue in cheek. Yes, we know there needs to be quality instruction too :glare:
:D