What constitutes literature study for 3rd/4th grade?

[KarenNC]

Other than exposure to a variety of good literature of differing styles and reading comprehension questions, what is needed in terms of literature study for 3rd/4th grade? We'll be starting Classical Writing Aesop next year as well, which I believe will get into some of the mechanics (character, setting, etc). We also have the beginning level of Reading Detective which we can use (this will be in addition to spelling, grammar, Latin/Greek roots for vocabulary and doing cursive penmanship).

Language arts subjects are going to be a mix of 3rd and 4th grade levels for her for next year.

[OhElizabeth]

I don't recall that WTM lists anything for this age, and I certainly it's something that can be caught up later, not a skill that takes a long time to build like math. That said, if you want a growing list of terms for each year, the BJU scope and sequence lists what terms they cover each year for lit. www.bjup.com Abeka and other publishers also have s&s available.

PS. That could turn into a lot of LA if you do lit and writing and spelling and vocab and... I'm finding it's more important for us to write than to do literature. Sometimes you have to compact the LA (while still nailing the basics) or you don't have time for science and the other things. :)

[Trivium Academy]

from Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp

3rd grade Reading
1. Know common third-grade level sight words.
2. Decode phonetically regular multisyllabic words like abracadabra.
3. Identify antonyms, synonyms, homophones and homographs.
4. Use index, glossary and table of contents to locate information in books.
5. Read grade-appropriated fiction and non-fiction material fluently, both silently and aloud.
6. Show comprehension by answering questions about a finished text.
7. Experience a wide range of literature selections, including fiction and non-fiction, multicultural folktales, myths and legends, and poetry.
8. Differentiate between fiction, nonfiction, biography, and autobiography.
9. Follow multi-step written instructions.

4th grade Reading
1. Read a wide range of grade-appropriated fiction and non-fiction materials.
2. Be able to identify and analyze the main events of the plot, and discuss character traits and motivations.
3. Define elements of figurative language. (simile, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, and personification)
4. Use a variety of sources to obtain information.
5. Understand and follow multi-step written directions from a technical manual or instruction booklet.

from The Educated Child by W. Bennett

3rd grade Reading and Comprehension
Overall goal is to read aloud and silently books written for third grade such as Little House in the Big Woods by Wilder.

1. Independently read longer works of fictions (chapter books) and nonfiction
2. orally summarize main points from readings
3. ask and answer "what, how, why, and what-if" questions about texts
4. use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words
5. learn to use a table of contents and index
6. read outside of lessons at least 20 minutes daily

4th grade Reading and Comprehension
1. Read widely: myths, folktales, biographies, magazine articles, etc.
2. Shift focus to literature: stories, poems, novels, plays, literary prose, and great speeches.

To begin working on:
3. Interpret literary devices such as imagery and flashbacks
4. Understand different elements in a story or poem and how they work

Hope this helps
Jessica

[MelissaMinNC]

If you mean analysis of the literature, then my opinion (take with 1 or 20 grains of salt, please) is that you don't need much, if anything. Reading quality literature and talking about it at basic levels is all that's necessary, I think. I think logic stage is early enough to start analyzing.

OTOH, my student is in first grade. What do I know? :lol:

:)
Melissa

[Lori D.]

... And I have an 8th and a 9th grader. ;)


Really, at that age, just read aloud and discuss. Do your children understand what they've read, or what you've read aloud? Can they keep a longer story in their heads (i.e., reading a chapter a day, do they remember what has happened in past chapters)? Can they begin to formulate a simple guess as to "what might happen next"? And if someone happens to notice a similarity, or an interesting turn of phrase, mention it, but don't worry about it. This is the age to foster a love of reading -- not turn every book into a school assignment! (lol)

If your family is really "into" literature, how about a book club? (Take a look at "Deconstructing Penguins" for an idea of how a book club for both elementary aged students AND their parents might work.) Or do the occasionally book in depth, using a literature guide. (Progeny Press and Garlic Press publishing lit. guides are very nice.) Or, take a look at Teaching the Classics video lectures or other resources for *your* benefit for ideas of how to bring out discussion on a book.

Relax and enjoy your family reading times together! Make some good memories together. : ) Warmest regards, Lori D.

[mcconnellboys]

I agree and have a fourth grader. We read and read and read.

We discuss as we read aloud. For read-alones, my son often reads excerpts to me in order to ask a question or make a comment. He also often tells me the story afterward. If it is a story with which I am already familiar, then we may discuss further. Or I may ask questions regarding something with which I am not familiar, in order to gain a fuller understanding. I do NOT use written study questions at this age at all.

Next year, my son will begin to write reports on some of the stories that he reads. I will ask him to answer a particular question about a book or do comparing/contrasting, etc., to vary up the assignments. I still will not use literature studies. I just feel that they sort of kill all the fun and love of reading.

Regena

[KarenNC]

Thanks, that was pretty much my impression---that what we had planned already was enough without searching out a specific literature program. All in all, it hopefully won't be overwhelming. We are using Spelling Power and Growing with Grammar which only take a few minutes a day, and I will see how the pacing goes with Vocabulary Vine--we may stretch it over 2 years. She's a very natural speller as well as an extremely fluent (and voracious) reader, so some of this comes quite easily to her. We constantly listen to books (or Jim Weiss cds) in the car for fun, so she's had a lot of exposure to various material that way, in addition to reading them together or on her own.

I was thinking of primarily occasionally pulling a discussion guide from one of the Scholastic books she is reading and using those questions for a bit more in depth discussion. I will take a look at the various terminology lists so that we can talk about them as they come up in some of the works. I've been doing that for a couple of years with the Latin and Greek roots in explaining new words and it seems to help her remember them.