Starting this summer I plan to be more consistent about our Friday literature days. I bought Teaching the Classics last year that I really like and I’m reading it again and taking notes. Here’s my old post on it and it ties in very well with the Thomas Jefferson Education approach to literature. But the TJ program starts with the kids being around 12 years and this program (Teaching the Classics) has you begin with children as early as pre-K using picture/storybooks.

(I wrote this when I was falling asleep and it shows! Going back to edit now… 🙂 )

Lesson One: Literary Analysis – Getting Started
For this stage it’s best to use picture/storybooks regardless of the child’s age – it helps provide a condensed storychart & simple themes.

1. What is the context of the story & who is the author of the piece?
2. Five Elements of Fiction – conflict, plot, setting, characters, theme (all explored more below.)
3. Style of piece?
4. Socratic Method: involve student w/questions, can work w/any worldview, teaches how to think (observe, deduce, evaluate.)

Lesson Two: Plot & Conflict
Types of conflicts – main character against mankind, nature, animal, God or Fate, onself, or society?

What’s the relationship between the plot & conflict? The conflict drives plot/story.

Lesson Three: Setting
Things to explore – time, place, context, environment

Lesson Four: Characters
Things to explore – behavior, appearance, conversation & thoughts, descriptions/thoughts from other characters about them, interactions w/environment, juxtaposition (how character is similar to/different from surrounding characters.)

Lesson Five: Theme
Theme is the underlying idea or philosophy, NOT necessary the subject of the story or the moral. The theme asks question, the moral gives opinion/answer.

How proceed after covering above lessons?
1. Create a reading list* for you/children to choose from.
2. Read book – ALL read it (not just to start but in general, you must read it yourself to be able to discuss it.) Read together or alone. If old enough have child fill out own story chart and take notes. Teacher must also ask & answer the socratic questions and include examples to support your view (so take your own notes! But you won’t necessarily be sharing these with the kids.)
3. Discussions – ask socratic questions to students. Let THEM answer the questions and don’t just share your view – this is not a lecture. During process have younger student fill out story chart (oral or written) and have older student discuss their story chart they filled out after reading on own. Discuss literary terms.
4. Written work – depends on age of child. Here are discussion & written ideas by stage:
grammar (elementary age) – narrate story; simple book reports as developmentally appropriate working up to description of author’s use of literary devises.
logical (late elementary/junior high)– explore relationships between story elements; key thought outline summaries, written response to socratic questions, define literary terms, etc.
rhetoric (high school+ ) – worldview of author, identify & discuss major themes & handling; several page reports on theme, literary devises, compare & contrast, etc.

So the steps are:
(1) Read good books.*
(2) Discuss good books (including story chart.)
(3) Write about good books.

* Our reading list is one compiled from a variety of books and online resources. I have NOT read many of those books and cannot vouch for the content so read at your own discretion.

My plan is that once a year we’ll take a month (probably January or summertime) and go through the five introductory lessons. That way we can review the concepts with the older kids and introduce the concepts to the younger kids. Then throughout the rest of the year we’ll do Friday literature days using the three steps – read, discuss, write.