Who uses Cliffs notes?

[sarahli]

I do!
I have to say, even though I have always excelled at math and science, symbolism in literature (or the author's double meaning) has always evaded me.
I remember reading Old Man and the Sea in high school and being bored by it; then hearing the teacher talk about the symbolism. WHAT? It's not about a man in a boat?! :lol:
I get a deeper understanding from reading Cliffs notes. I just have to self-discipline and not read the CN sections until after I've finished the part in the book. If I already know how the book ends, then I might not finish reading it (this has happened more than once).

[Janet in WA]

We used them, in addition to other resources.

[RoughCollie]

I just found out, in reading Deconstructing Penguins, that The Call of the Wild is not about dogs at all. Hmmmf!

I do!

I remember reading Old Man and the Sea in high school and being bored by it; then hearing the teacher talk about the symbolism. WHAT? It's not about a man in a boat?! :lol:
.

[Gwen in VA]

Oh good -- I'm not the only one who has difficulty with this symbolism thing!

We definitely use Cliff Notes -- if a book is worth studying, it's worth studying well, and I still am struggling with how to read literature, let alone how to teach it!

Reading How To Read Literature Like A Professor really helped me understand more about what makes literature "tick." I somehow made it through a whole bunch of English classes without really understanding how to approach literature. Then I read that book and had some major "eureka" moments.

Sometimes I do think that homeschooling is a case of "What I learned while I thought I was teaching the kids."

[Chris in VA]

WE do! Spark Notes online, too.

It helps tremendously.