It seems I have heard of or seen a site that has study guides for literature with comprehension questions and some vocabulary. Do any of you know what I am thinking of?
My kids did a really nice study guide this past year on the Hobbit. It was free on-line. If anyone is interested, I'll try to find the link. Also, our very own TeacherMom has an EXCELLENT guide I'm sure she'd love to sell you for Hind's Feet on High Places. A few years ago, I was looking for one that Faythe and I could do together, but couldn't find one. So she volunteered to write one for me. I was her "Beta Group", lol! I can't say enough good about it!
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll take a look at them tonight. I have found a few free ones for some different books, so between those and the ones I would need to pay for I think I can come up with some good ones for this year. My whole idea is to do this for reading, then get a separate grammar (maybe Daily Grams or Climbing to Good English or GUM) and using some writing prompts for creative writing. We are just so burned out on the whole workbook thing. Maybe dividing up the topics of L Arts during the week will help. Do you think we could do grammar 3 days, creative writing 2 days and reading every day? Oh, and cursive practice 1-2x a week, too. Does that sound like enough?
I have a 7yr and 5 yr old doing 3rd and 2nd grade. We are using easy grammer 3, and progeny press study guide for The Courage of Sarah Nobel. We are doing Pentime transitions for handwriting. They read every day to me and on their own. We do school 4 days a week. EG two days, then Sarah two days. They both love handwriting so they do that everyday or when they want to. We are also doing Prima Latina which has grammar in it and covers some vocab. I am planning on taking two years to cover the EG or just doing half of the worksheets. It is a ton of grammar, but I wanted a little more then daily grams offered. I LOVE the progeny press study guide. Some the guides seem to try to get to much out of the book. But this seems to be just right. My son had to learn a lot about dictionary work before we could start on it, but other then that he is doing good with it. We do some of the work orally so that it isn't so much writing. We have been memorizing poems and the kids are writing their own versions of the poems. I was planning on letting creative writing wait a bit, just because they do writing on their own, making up stories, play and poems.
We use Pentime for handwriting also. We are doing book 3 (instead of 4) because I really haven't pushed cursive until now. He normally hates handwriting, but this book has been not as bad as other things I have tried. We do it 2x a week, just a page or 2 a day. As I am looking at Daily Grams, I think you are right... the EG does seem like it has a bit more. I am just wondering if only doing a couple-3 days a week is enough??
I am flabbergasted. I've never gone and looked at Progeny Press's website until today. Why, oh why, not? Now I am rethinking my entire LA strategy. Well, I'd already been doing that (I had a lengthy post ranting about diagramming sentences last week.) But I wasn't sure I really wanted to change tactics. Not after purchasing a year's worth of CLE workbooks. But now all I want to do is order Progeny's guide to Anne of Green Gables and dig in! Sigh. It looks amazing! I absolutely love that they have the child look up scripture to explore the characters' actions. I need more money for curriculum. None of you knows what I'm talking about, do you? lol.
I am right there with you! I started out using a new thing this year, it fell through quickly so I ordered a couple of our old lightunits, and I am about ready to have to order more or try a new direction. I think CLE is a *wonderful* program, but we just need a change -- something a bit more fun. That's what got me into looking at literature studies. I am also looking at combining Language Lessons for the Elementary Child 2 with KISS, Mad Libs and some writing prompts books I have. That should be a strong curriculum, but broken up over the week and lots of good reading and good times. I hope!
I have Prodogy's Anne! If you're interested, I'll sell it to you for $10, ppd. (Though I'll have to find it, lol!) Faythe did it, but I can't see Phillip wanting to, lol! He's doing two Prodogy studies this year. The Prince Caspian (because a friend from church was selling it, and I knew he wouldn't give me too much grief with that one, lol!) and The Bronze Bow (because I love that book, and it ties in with history second semester).
It does to me. That is about what I am doing with my 4th grader although we won't do reading every day. We are doing a bit with vocabulary though since this is an area my son enjoys. We are also doing a quasi-literature analysis program combined with reading and read alouds.
Sure, I'll take it! Let me know when you find it and I'll pay with Paypal. =) And thanks! We're reading The Horse And His Boy together right now, and I don't think any of those books are "too young" for anyone. There is so much depth to those books. I appreciate them more now as an adult than I even did as a kid--and I loved them all back then too! I saw that Progeny also has guides on the Space Trilogy (at least one title for sure). Very cool. Most people I meet have never even heard of them. C.S. Lewis is my pick for "if you could only read one author for the rest of your life." =)
Oh yeah, we have spelling city that I'll be using pre-made lists for spelling/vocab if I feel like he needs more than the lit. guides or Queen's L.L. will provide.
There's a free one out there too, for a lot of books...check out http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/ . I used several of these last year with my 6th Grader. Even if you just use them as a springboard for your own things, they are awesome.
Jackie, I am working on a new out line for a few study guides for certain classic books> they will be full of the reading guides and questions but also fun and adventurous projects that will enhance thier reading and build creative readers --- at least that is my hope! While people are looking this up do you have any that you did not find that you want a study guide for? I will write it up and allow you to critique me for it!
Hmmm.... Is there a good one for Shadowspinner, by Susan Fletcher? I wouldn't be interested, because I read the book with Faythe already, and it's too much of a "girl book" for Phillip to do it later "on his own".... I'll think on it!
