Ok - here's what I want. Does it exist?

[Heather in VA]

I want a literature program that reads full books. I want there to be questions, worksheets, maybe projects or writing assignments to go with the books. I don't want a stack of study guides - I want it to be one program. I want it not to be all history stuff, in fact no history would be great. Just regular literature. I want the books to be specified. I don't want to run around trying to find a bunch of books that fit particular catagories. I want the focus to be the books, not a grammar program in disguise. I'm looking for mid-elementary. Basically I want something like First Favorites for older kids or Lightining Literature for younger kids.

Oh - and I looked at Drawn into the heart of Reading. It doesn't look at all like what I'm looking for.

HELP!!!

[jackie_roberts_1999]

Have you ever looked at Learning Language Arts Through Literature?? It is not totally about literature, but each grade level has four book studies and there are units/lessons in the workbook that you have to have read the books to answer questions and write things about them. I like them because it is all in one deal. spelling, grammar, vocabulary, writing, and reading. There is a book list in the back for suggested readers, but each one has a set of four books and studies on each one. The cheapest place I have found them is www.rainbowresource.com (http://www.rainbowresource.com). Each grade level is a color. Hope that helps.

There is also another one called total language plus. It is a whole workbook on one book. The only bad thing is that there are not a lot of books to choose from in the younger grades and I don't think they have anything younger than 3rd. They have their own website. I did like the way it looked, but I have not used it yet.

[Melissa B]

Beyond Five in a Row?

[HollyinNNV]

What about Progeny Press? They have a buy 4 get 1 free special right now.
Holly

[Heather in VA]

Beyond Five in a Row?

I don't know much about this one. Have you used it?

Heather

[Debbie in OR]

How about Living Books Curriculum (www.livingbookscurriculum.com (http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com)) or Beautiful Feet books (www.bfbooks.com (http://www.bfbooks.com))?

[Julie]

You might check out Teaching The Classics, you could adapt it to whatever your reading. Although they don't offer projects, their lit. analysis is great.

Julie

[Karen in CO]

What about the Junior Great books? You used to be able to order samples of their material. They provide good discussion questions and really focus on reading comprehension with activities and some writing.

[yslek]

My friend uses a program called Total Language Plus (I think:tongue_smilie:), which she switched to after using LLATL for several years. She really likes it. Based on what she has told me about it, it sounds exactly like what you're looking for.

HTH
Kelsy

[angela in ohio]

See, now this is the curriculum I've been thinking of writing. Do you think there's a market for it?

I was going to come up with some sort of customizable curriculum where you could pick the books from a list (I hate looking at a curriculum only to realize dc have read half of the books,) and I would package it with a schedule for those books and make sure all literary elements were covered for the year among those books, but also have questions of different sorts, activities, etc. My dear friend has been encouraging me to just do it for years. It would be a little late to help you, though.

[genie]

K12's Literature program sounds just like what you are describing. It is packaged with grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and composition, but I would pay for the package for just the literature alone. Some of the classics are abridged versions (Robinson Crusoe, Don Quixote) but they are quality versions. All of the books can be purchased as a package, except for the 3 or 4 novels of your choosing. How that works is that they have a list of probably about 30 or 40 novels that you can choose from. The "lit guides" for these are all online and available to you. So you pick the ones you want to use and they are entered into your online schedule. There are 180 total literature lessons per year, so this year we haven't done any of the extra novels because we were only doing literature 3 days per week at the beginning of the year.

Anyway, if you have any questions, let me know.

[Sue G in PA]

:iagree: I liked that the list of novels had a Lexicon level associated w/ it so I could choose or let dd choose only those that I felt would challenge her. Great books and discussion questions. It is pricey and does come w/ all the extras as Genie said, but the grammar, spelling and vocab program isn't bad. Grammar uses the Voyages in English workbooks, Wordly Wise for vocab, their own spelling program that is quite good, etc. It does sound like what you are looking for!

[OnTheBrink]

See, now this is the curriculum I've been thinking of writing. Do you think there's a market for it?

I was going to come up with some sort of customizable curriculum where you could pick the books from a list (I hate looking at a curriculum only to realize dc have read half of the books,) and I would package it with a schedule for those books and make sure all literary elements were covered for the year among those books, but also have questions of different sorts, activities, etc. My dear friend has been encouraging me to just do it for years. It would be a little late to help you, though.

Get crackin' missy! I'm waiting for this very thing! :toetap05:

[Heather in VA]

See, now this is the curriculum I've been thinking of writing. Do you think there's a market for it?

I was going to come up with some sort of customizable curriculum where you could pick the books from a list (I hate looking at a curriculum only to realize dc have read half of the books,) and I would package it with a schedule for those books and make sure all literary elements were covered for the year among those books, but also have questions of different sorts, activities, etc. My dear friend has been encouraging me to just do it for years. It would be a little late to help you, though.

OH YES!!! There is definately a market for it. If you get on the stick you can have it done for my youngest :-). Seriously though, I think it would be great. Every year I wish for something like this and every year I end up with some kind of pale imitation.

[Heather in VA]

K12's Literature program sounds just like what you are describing. It is packaged with grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and composition, but I would pay for the package for just the literature alone. Some of the classics are abridged versions (Robinson Crusoe, Don Quixote) but they are quality versions. All of the books can be purchased as a package, except for the 3 or 4 novels of your choosing. How that works is that they have a list of probably about 30 or 40 novels that you can choose from. The "lit guides" for these are all online and available to you. So you pick the ones you want to use and they are entered into your online schedule. There are 180 total literature lessons per year, so this year we haven't done any of the extra novels because we were only doing literature 3 days per week at the beginning of the year.

Anyway, if you have any questions, let me know.

Interesting, I've never looked at K12. I'll have to take a look.

Thanks!!

[Heather in VA]

What about the Junior Great books? You used to be able to order samples of their material. They provide good discussion questions and really focus on reading comprehension with activities and some writing.

Oh I remember this program from when I was in school - although it may have just be 'Great Books' then. I went online and ordered a sample.

[ClassicMom]

See, now this is the curriculum I've been thinking of writing. Do you think there's a market for it?

I was going to come up with some sort of customizable curriculum where you could pick the books from a list (I hate looking at a curriculum only to realize dc have read half of the books,) and I would package it with a schedule for those books and make sure all literary elements were covered for the year among those books, but also have questions of different sorts, activities, etc. My dear friend has been encouraging me to just do it for years. It would be a little late to help you, though.

Angela,
I think you would be great at this! :iagree:

Behind you 100%!!

Blessings,
Candace

[Melissa B]

Heather,

Sorry, I have never used Beyond Five in a Row. It just popped into my head as a program that uses whole books and fits into that space between First Favorites and Lightning Literature.

[Stacy in NJ]

I've come to the conclusion that my options are to either just read the same book as my child and then discuss it with him as we go, or purchase a lit program like Mosdos, which isn't whole books, but does exlusively cover lit.

If you find what you're looking for, let me know.:001_smile:

[Heather in VA]

I've come to the conclusion that my options are to either just read the same book as my child and then discuss it with him as we go, or purchase a lit program like Mosdos, which isn't whole books, but does exlusively cover lit.

If you find what you're looking for, let me know.:001_smile:


I'm starting to think the same thing. I'll look at Mosdos.

Thanks
Heather

[mom31257]

I know you don't want a set of books, but we LOVE BJU Booklinks. There are about 3 per grade level and we've done them for 3 years now. The set comes with a novel, a teacher guide, and a folder. It's not very much as far as taking up space. The teacher guide has vocabulary and comprehension questions on each chapter, with reproducible worksheets at the end, covering lots of topics in literature and even going across the subjects. The folder has art, science, even cooking type projects to do with certain chapters. One book we read this year was "The Bridge". I literally cried when we read it together, because of remorse the main character felt over harsh words spoken to someone who died defending them. Most are fiction, but there was a biography in third grade and next year will have fiction set in a historical time period (WWII).

Hope this might help!

[Melissa B]

I am going to be using Literary Reflections published by the College of William and Mary this year. I hesitate to recommend it since this will be the first year I have used their curriculum. Here are the books it covers (copied from the website.)



Student Readings

Novels/Books
The Secret Garden; Frances H. Bumett (Lessons 3,6,12,19,20)
Year of Impossible Goodbyes; Sook Nyul Choi (Lessons 3,19)
Underrunners; Margaret Maky (Lessons 3,19,20)
Words by Heart; Ouida Sebestyen (Lessons 3,19,20)
Taking Sides; Gary Soto (Lessons 3,19,20)
Call It Courage; Armstrong Sperry (Lessons 3,19,20)

Short Stories
"The Power of Light"; Isaac B. Singer (Lessons 1,6)
"The Old Man and His Affectionate Son" (Lesson 13)
"The Tongue-cut Sparrow" (Lesson 15)
"Poor People"; Leo Tolstoy (Lesson 24)

Poems
"Dream Deferred"; Langston Hughes (Lessons 4,9,17)
"We Live by What We See at Night"; Martin Espada (Lesson 7)
"Border Towns"; Roberto Durcin (Lesson 7)
"The Habit of Movement"; Judith Ortiz Cofer (Lesson 7)
"Monument in Black"; Vanessa Howard (Lesson 9)
"Good Morning"; Langston Hughes (Lessons 9,17)
"I never saw a moor..."; Emily Dickinson (Lesson 12)
"Presentiment is..."; Emily Dickinson (Lessons 16,17)
"Funny to be..."; Emily Dickinson (Lessons 16,17)
"The morns are meeker than..."; Emily Dickinson (Lessons 16,17)
"It sifts from leaden..."; Emily Dickinson (Lessons 16,17)
"Dear March, come..."; Emily Dickinson (Lessons 16,17)
"I'm Nobody!..."; Emily Dickinson (Lesson 17)

Resources
The Story of Emily Dickinson; Edna Barth (Lesson 17)
Emily; Michael Bedard (Lesson 17)
Coming Home: From the Life of Langston Hughes; Floyd Cooper (Lessons 9,17)
Langston Hughes: Poet of the Harlem Renaissance; Christine M. Hill (Lessons 9,17)
Emily Dickinson; Victoria Olsen (Lesson 17)
Where the Sun Will Never Go Down; Chanticleer (Lesson 9)
Negro Spirituals; Moses Hogan Chorale (Lesson 9)
Amazing Grace: American Hymns & Spirituals; Robert Shaw Festival Singers (Lesson 9)
The Secret Garden; Original Broadway Recording (Lesson 20)

Optional Extensions
Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl (Lesson 1)
Number the Stars; Lois Lowry (Lesson 1)
All the Colors of the Race; Ed. Arnold Adoff (Lesson 9)
Bronzeville Boys and Girls; Gwendolyn Brooks (Lesson 9)
My Daddy Is a Cool Dude; Karama Fufuka (Lesson 9)
Honey, I Love, and Other Love Poems; Eloise Greenfield (Lesson 9)
On Our Way: Poems of Pride and Love; Compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins (Lesson 9)
A Little Princess; Frances H. Burnett (Lesson 12)
Poor Richard's Almanac; Benjamin Franklin (Lesson 15)


http://www.kendallhunt.com/samples/191.html




If I like it I will be using the next guide - Patterns of Change next year. I do like the look of next year's book list (again copied from the website.)

Student readings

NOVELS

The Watsons Go to Birmingham

A Wrinkle in Time

Bridge to Terabithia

A Long Way from Chicago

Maniac Magee

My Daniel

SHORT STORIES/ESSAYS

The Helpful Badger

A Bouquet of Wild Flowers

Walking

POEMS

New feet within my garden go

On the Pulse of Morning (excerpt)

all ignorance toboggans into know

In the Windowsill

Frequently the woods are pink

As children bid the guest goodnight

The Wind Was Blowing West

Buffalo Dusk

Below

When forty winters shall besiege thy brow

Little Gidding (excerpt)



AUTHOR

Christopher Paul Curtis Madeleine L'Engle Katherine Paterson Richard Peck Jerry Spinelli Pam Conrad

AUTHOR

Laurence Yep Laura Ingalls Wilder Linda Hogan

AUTHOR

Emily Dickinson Maya Angelou e.e. cummings Mary Pleiss Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson Joseph Ceravolo Carl Sandburg Joseph Bruchac William Shakespeare T. S. Eliot






I am also planning to have my children do a couple of their individual novel studies each year. Several are available for free online.

http://cfge.wm.edu/curr_language.htm

Scroll down to Navigators Available Online for the free literature guides.

[MIch elle]

I had Mosdos Pearl and sold it unused.

I highly recommend CLE reading; it's a 15 week course that uses a reader with short stories (not abridged) and poetry with 5 workbooks (15 lessons/workbook).

Here's what's covered in CLE reading 8:

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

[Mamabyrd]

I had Mosdos Pearl and sold it unused.

I highly recommend CLE reading; it's a 15 week course that uses a reader with short stories (not abridged) and poetry with 5 workbooks (15 lessons/workbook).




If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you like Mosdos? I've been swinging back and forth between these two programs. Well, I just ordered and received Mosdos but I'm having second thoughts...

[MIch elle]

I loved the beautiful artwork/illustrations in the Mosdos textbook/reader but I didn't like that it was large and heavy. I bought it used on ebay so it wasn't the expense (it's EXPENSIVE); I had the TM & SM. I don't like abridged stories, it was too teacher intensive and didn't cover half of what CLE reading covers.

HTH,

[LNC]

Someone PLEASE write this! I would love a program like this! Seriously - there is a huge need.

The Veritas and Logos novel guides are wonderful in their own way, but a program that includes several novels each year would be outstanding. A wide variety of exercises, projects and worksheets would be great also.

[Mamabyrd]

I loved the beautiful artwork/illustrations in the Mosdos textbook/reader but I didn't like that it was large and heavy. I bought it used on ebay so it wasn't the expense (it's EXPENSIVE); I had the TM & SM. I don't like abridged stories, it was too teacher intensive and didn't cover half of what CLE reading covers.

HTH,


AAARRGGG..... I try and research to avoid curricula mistakes. I swung back and forth for weeks between CLE and Mosdos. Looking at the Mosdos samples, it seemed to have what I wanted and seemed easy to do. I JUST received it yesterday afternoon. I bought the whole package - teacher manuals, student text and student workbook. It DOES, in fact, cover all the literary elements, genres and teaches analysis; I have no complaint with the content. My problem is that I already have novels that I want to cover and I was looking for something to do on a daily basis between the book discussions/guides I will do with my dd. Looking at the Mosdos I can tell that it will be too much. It is very extensive and a lot is covered. Because of co-op, we will be doing school only 4 days per week and there is no way I can finish this program.

I hate expensive mistakes. CLE would probably have suited my needs better.

[Carol in Cal.]

In the early years, it uses excerpts from good books. Sampled selections include The Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, and others. It does use complete folk tales and short stories, and some poetry.

It is a program which I think is better suited to a coop setting than an individual one--very discussion oriented, at least through about the 5th grade level.

I recently purchased some studies from Total Language Plus that might suit your needs. They are definately more literary and less 'language artsy' than other programs that I have seen. They have some Christian content. I like them, but they are kind of pricey--around $20/book studies. Have not used them yet, but I bought the ones for "Rifles for Watie" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" to try with DD, 11. The first will probably be a little easy for her, and the second quite challenging (recommended for high school). I may just study TKAM with her lightly this year and return to study it in depth at the high school level later, using that guide.

[MIch elle]

use it over 2 years. If you really like Mosdos then use it over 2 yrs.; you have 3 dc so you could use it for them over the years :001_smile:

Good Luck!:D

[Donna T.]

We haven't used Total Language Plus yet, but I plan to pick up one of the gudies when I go to convention in a few weeks. I've looked at the samples and they look great.

[VanessaS]

If you build it they will come. That sounds like a great idea!