Friday, January 16, 2009

Literature and Study Guides.

SoTW3 covers history from the 1600's to about 1849--or you could say, from the time of the birth of the novel to its maturation of what could be considered its finest period. From Cervantes to Twain--it's overwhelming to capture for children.

However, we must do what we must and the SoTW Activity guide is amazing in its recommendation of chapter books and abridged classics for elementary students.

So, I went through and selected those books

1) I will make the oldest read and write a book summary.
2) we will listen to or read together for enjoyment.
3) we will peruse together with a study guide.

1) I will make the oldest read on his own.
(3) Pocohontas and the Strangers by Robert Clyde Bulla
(23) Ben and me : a new and astonishing life of Benjamin Franklin as written by his good mouse Amos by Robert Lawson

2) Books we will listen to or read together for enjoyment.
(2) Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates (on audio available from our local library. Narrated by the incomparable John McDonough ).
(21) The Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper, an abridged version read by William Hope (Naxos)
(22) Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
(24) Stowaway by Karen Hesse
(25) The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. [The 1982 movie directed by Clive Donner and starring Anthony Andrews and Ian McKellan now on dvd]
(41) The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. The library has the book, the book on audio and the movie by Niki Caro. So we'll see when we get here.


3) Books we will peruse together with a study guide.
(15) The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
*Grammar stage study guide and vocabulary list.
*Glencoe Study Guide available here.
* Progeny Press also has a study guide available for Grades 5-7.

(19) The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
* ebook Study guide for Grades 5-12 by Saddleback Classics.

(36) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
* This, I would like to listen to and follow along in our own copies. There is a plethora of study guides for almost every grade range listed at this site.
*I like the look of this one: Portals to Literature: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Teacher's Guide (by Mark Twain) Gr.6-12 Perfection Learning Corp. There are sample pages to view.

Hmm. The pacing could be better in terms ofwhen to read them (the numbers in brackets correlate with SoTW chapter numbers) and something is telling me this is too ambitious. But it can stand as a preliminary plan.