Classics in the classroom/MCT

[Truscifi]

Ok, so I am sold on MCT for LA. Ds will be starting Island level next year. Or possibly this summer, depending on how anxious he is to get started ;). My question is, where does Classics in the Classroom fit in? Or would it be better to use Suppose the Wolf Were an Octopus? What exactly are these books designed to do?

Also, do you use an additional spelling program? I was planning on continuing the spelling program we use now for one more year, but I don't want to double up on it if it is built into the MCT curriculum.

[EKS]

I don't particularly like Suppose a Wolf Were and Octopus and Classics in the Classroom is fine as far as philosophy goes, but I have trouble implementing it in my homeschool. We use Mosdos literature instead and my son reads classic literature on the side.

We use Spelling Power for spelling.

[bonniebeth4]

I have Classics in the Classroom, but it's not really what I expected it to be. It's more of a "Why children need to read classic literature" sort of book. It has a list of classics in the back, but MCT purposefully did not include grade levels. It would be nice if it were divided into broad age ranges, but it's not. Some of the titles have an indication of what grade level other lists put the book into. I think lists like Ambleside Online or 1000 Good Books are more useful.

MCT LA does not include spelling. I'll second the suggestion for Spelling Power.

[MariannNOVA]

We are using IEW's THE PHONETIC ZOO for spelling and we are loving it.

[Truscifi]

I don't particularly like Suppose a Wolf Were and Octopus and Classics in the Classroom is fine as far as philosophy goes, but I have trouble implementing it in my homeschool. We use Mosdos literature instead and my son reads classic literature on the side.

We use Spelling Power for spelling.

What don't you like about it? I get that it is a literature guide/program, I'm not sure how it works. Does it have reading lists with discussion questions for each book, or is it more of an overall 'this is how you discuss literature with your child, these are the types of questions to ask' sort of thing?

Also, to the PP who mentioned Mosdos (sorry, I still haven't figured out how to quote multiple posts) - same questions.

Thanks. :bigear:

[Gratia271]

We use IEW phonetic zoo for spelling.

[KarenNC]

:lurk5:

[EKS]

What don't you like about it? I get that it is a literature guide/program, I'm not sure how it works. Does it have reading lists with discussion questions for each book, or is it more of an overall 'this is how you discuss literature with your child, these are the types of questions to ask' sort of thing?

Also, to the PP who mentioned Mosdos (sorry, I still haven't figured out how to quote multiple posts) - same questions.

Thanks. :bigear:

I don't like Suppose a Wolf Were an Octopus because I don't like most of the selections (something like half of the selections are RFP published books). The questions are ok though, and I do think Bloom's Taxonomy makes sense. Also, the questions aren't broken down by chapter which means that you have to wait until the book is completely read to discuss (which isn't necessarily bad).

For us, using Mosdos works because it's all in one book and there is a logical progression of concepts, with the works chosen to illustrate particular things like internal conflict, internal dialogue, sequence, that sort of thing. My son likes it because they have good color pictures. In the teacher's manual there are multiple questions for every page of the stories (which are short) and then some summary questions at the end. You can choose which questions to ask. He also reads classic/good children's literature every day because I don't think Mosdos is enough by itself.

[Jen3boys]

I have 2 levels of Suppose the Wolf....(5/6 and 7).

Each book has a brief (15 page) summary of discussing books and using Bloom's taxonomy. More oriented towards a classroom.

Yes, about half the books are RFWP books. But each book covers about 50 books! So, it covers a lot of books for the price, and includes some classics. The books basically have a list of questions and activities for each book, listed according to Bloom's taxonomy (Knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation). There are no worksheets, no literary terms, no breakdown of the questions by chapter of the book, no 'answers' or scheduling. I think of it as just a guide w/questions that go beyond the usual 'tell me what the conflict was and how it was resolved' etc. I also think it's helpful if your kids tend to plow through books quickly. But definitely not a 'lit program' imo.
HTH

[Saille]

I have Classics in the Classroom, but it's not really what I expected it to be. It's more of a "Why children need to read classic literature" sort of book. It has a list of classics in the back, but MCT purposefully did not include grade levels. It would be nice if it were divided into broad age ranges, but it's not.

I've been eating Classics in the Classroom alive all weekend, and the first part of it, yes, is "why children need to read classic literature". Actually, he makes a detailed argument that classics increase the reader's understanding of semantic gradations in vocabulary words. I haven't seen that one elsewhere. But he also goes through a detailed explanation of his pedagogical approach to teaching the classics, with a lot of specific questioning techniques and specific ideas about assessment. I can see how he talked himself out of including grade levels on the book list; I think he would tell us that yes, it would be simpler, but it probably shouldn't be.

We're using Spelling Power. But, even if you have a copier, buy the student book with the test and practice pages. I wish we'd had that from the start.

[angela in ohio]

Also, the questions aren't broken down by chapter which means that you have to wait until the book is completely read to discuss (which isn't necessarily bad).

I would assume that this is because gifted students read so fast. I know that it is practically physically painful for my dds to do something like Progeny Press and be expected to stop reading to do questions. When I tried traditional literature guides, oldest would beg to finish the book at bedtime and promise to do all the questions the next day. :D The answer for us was Teaching the Classics, but Suppose sounds like it would be good in that respect.