Ana's Picture Book of the Week

I found this at the library quite accidentally and it is a very nice little book! We are still finishing up Little Women on audio and have also been watching film versons--favorite one is the 1949 one with June Allison! I have never, never enjoyed this wonderful book so much as this time!

The Cookbook has excerpts from Luisa May Alcott's text when food is mentioned, followed by nicely illustrated recipes! We will try some as Advent progresses and school work is put away for the Christmas holidays!

Another great audio resource

Our library owns a number of Modern Scholar audio sets... and we have been enjoying Masterpieces of Medieval Literature. The series has some great titles, including several by Peter Kreeft and Prof. Madden of St. Louis University. 

Our 16 year old and classics lover is delighted as he's been driving under the spell of Icelandic Sagas, Bewoulf and company, King Arthur and more.

A great audio resource

As a subscription for audible.com has yet to be included in our budget, I have become quite an expert at finding audio files available free of charge online. 

My library's audio files availability is still rather limited as well, but yesterday I found out Libri Vox had the audio files of our new Lit class book available! 

Have fun with this wonderful resource!

Virtues Reading List

I love reading lists and can never get enough. So, Love 2 Learn and I have begun work on a new one, but we need your help. It'll be an Internet project -- you're all invited to take part.

What we're working on is a reading list sorted by virtues. Wouldn't be helpful to arrange our reading schedule to focus on individual virtues? For example, if a child is struggling with forgiveness, we could choose books that extol that virtue in addition to our other efforts such as prayer and correction.

Once it's all put together, it'll be offered free on the Love2Learn and Maureen Wittmann websites.

Start thinking about what books you would recommend to go with one or more of the seven virtues. Let's get a list going for everyone in the family --preschool, grade school, middle school, high school, and adult.

Visit Virtues Reading List to leave your suggestions.

Also, I've has begun work on a new book, tentatively titled Books for Kids Who Love to Read. You have the opportunity to have some input on that project too. I'm only at the very beginning stages, so all suggetions will be considered seriously.

Review: Mother of Divine Grace School British Literature Syllabus

Mother of Divine Grace School British Literature Syllabus by Margaret A. Hayden
2003, Mother of Divine Grace School, 41 pages, Catholic

This syllabus outlines a complete year of study in British Literature intended for 12th graders.

Books used in this course:

Required:

The Harp and Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist
Beowulf
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Primary Works of Literature:

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
Henry V by William Shakespeare
Midsummer-Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Emma by Jane Austen
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis

Alternate Works of Literature (for substitution of any titles in the above list that the student has already read):

Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Othello by William Shakespeare
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

This is the author's explanation for the goals of this study:

The goal for this year is for the student to exhibit more subtlety in understanding, more discrimination in interpretation of text, and more attention to language in his papers. The syllabus is designed to help the student in these areas. British Poetry will be studied throughout the year, and great works of literature will also be read and discussed. There will also be 4 required papers.

There are paper topics included at the end of this syllabus. However, students are encouraged to create their own topics for their papers, using the 'General Questions for Works of Literature'. The reason students should be encouraged to create their own paper topics is that the thought that will go into creating a paper topic will help the student organize his thoughts about the work of literature which he has just read. A student in the rhetorical stage should be able to assemble and organize his thoughts, and then should be able to present those thoughts in a well written, well organized paper.

She goes on to explain the "how" and "why" of discussing works of literature with your children

The syllabus contains eight pages of detailed instruction for parents on learning objectives, pointers for improving and grading student papers, and a basic style sheet for student writing.

A detailed lesson plan (11 pages long) provides a year-long schedule of readings, including time allocated for discussions, writing papers and studying works of poetry.

Detailed discussion questions (and answers) are included for Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the "Prologue" to the Canterbury Tales (the text of this Prologue is also included in this syllabus). A detailed "General Questions for Works of Literature" is provided as a help in discussing the other works studied.

Finally, a paper topic is provided for each of the primary and alternate works of literature covered in the syllabus. Some are fairly detailed such as this one for Henry V: "Henry V undergoes a great change in his life. This change is referred to in the opening scene by the Archbishop. Do you think such a change is realistic, and do you think that Henry V is really a good man?" Others are quite simple, such as this one for The Everlasting Man: "Summarize and explain what the author is teaching us through this book."

I've personally read about half the books recommended in this syllabus and they seem quite well-suited to the reading level and area of study. The one thing that surprised me was having G.K. Chesterton's The Everlasting Man recommended as an alternate to a portion of C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, to be read over the course of three weeks. It's a fantastic book (one of my very favorites!) - but really more of a non-fiction selection (and overview of history), rich in language and symbolism, that I believe would frustrate many students if read through too quickly. G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday might be a better option and would certainly provide wonderful material for writing and discussion.

Reviewed by Alicia Van Hecke (4-11-07)
Available from Adoremus Books, Emmanuel Books, Our Father's House or Sacred Heart Books and Gifts

Review: Greek Classics: Questions for the Thinker

Greek Classics: Questions for the Thinker by Fran Rutherford, illustrated by James Rutherford

2005, Mother's House Publishing, 213 pages, softcover

This one volume, written especially for homeschooled high schoolers, provides study questions to reflect on while reading the Greek classics. The study questions are simple and aid in comprehension. If you read the questions before reading the related passage, they give you a sense of what to look for, thus helping you stay focused on challenging subject matter. They're also helpful in discussions with an adult afterwards to help make sure that the student has comprehended the book and as starting points for further discussion on important ideas contained in the book.

I was grateful to discover that the author has skillfully avoided the all-too-common problem of questions that pre-digest the story for the student or take on a condescending tone.

Study materials are included for:

• Homer's Iliad
• Homer's Odyssey
• selections from the Histories of Herodotus
• History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
• Anabasis: A History of My Times by Xenophon
• The Oresteian Trilogy by Aeschylus
• Three Theban Plays by Sophocles
• The Clouds by Aristophanes
• Plato's Republic

Detailed study questions are included for each segment of each work, and include line numbers to relate easily back and forth between the book and the study guide. There are "Questions for Further Thought" that emphasize certain parts of each book or summarize at the end. These could be starting points for writing assignments as well as fodder for discussion. Answers are included, as are timelines and a pronunciation guide.

This resource was written by a very experienced Catholic homeschool mom who has designed the program for ease of use by parents, even those with little knowledge of the classics. The questions reflect an understanding of the concepts and values that make these works worthwhile to Catholic homeschool students of the 21st century.

Reviewed by Alicia Van Hecke (3-3-07)
Available from Aquinas and More