SWB . . . Please give your opinion, Susan

[Uccnorsworth]

Are the literary elements and theory discussed within FLL or WWE?

We cover quite a bit of comprehension and retelling for our content area subjects, but I wondered whether I was covering literary theory adequately since I am not using a formal "Reading" text. My daughter who is still enrolled in PS covered similes, metaphors, alliteration, and onomatopoeia this year in sixth grade. Is there a need to point out these terms, or is it ok to point out the purpose of this verbiage in read-aloud and independent reading?

[sandra in va]

I hate to post here b/c I'm obviously not SWB... ;) but I had to ask - what is WWE?

And FLL? We've used through lesson 150-ish and we haven't really seen a lot of literary terms (hate to say none in case I've forgotten doing it!). Perhaps there are some in FLL3?

You wrote: "Is there a need to point out these terms, or is it ok to point out the purpose of this verbiage in read-aloud and independent reading?"

I'm not exactly sure what you mean...are you asking if you need a separate program to teach these terms or can you just discuss them during regular read aloud time? That is a very interesting question and I'd like to hear what others have to say, especially for students transitioning into jr. high/high school work.

I don't have any great wisdom, but I wanted to share what we've decided to do. We have opted for Teaching the Classics next year. This program helps parents introduce the terms you are talking about, including story structure. From what I understand, the parents are trained how to lead a socratic dialogue with children from K on up using children's literature. This can be used with the books you've read aloud or independently. We're hoping it will lay a great foundation for all our kids.

[ELaurie]

SWB's latest book - Writing with Ease (http://www.peacehillpress.com/)

[sandra in va]

Thank you for the clarification!

[Eliana]

Last I heard, Susan's whole family was down with the flu (for the second time, at least for some of them, if I remember correctly!), so she might not be on the boards right now.

I would suggest emailing Peace Hill Press (here is their contact us (http://peacehillpress.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=5)page) or calling them: 1.877.322.3445. I am pretty sure any of the folks who work there should be able to answer your questions.

I would assume, however, that literary analysis would not be part of either FLL4 or WWE (I know it is not in FLL3.), and that if you want a teacher's guide or text book to assist in covering this, you will need to get a separate text.