Mia will be in Grade 5 in the fall (if she were in ps.) As I have said before, I think of this Grade as a stepping up in terms of expectations. In this Grade, more effort needs to go into writing, as well as discussing. Discussion is a big part of Classical Education. Discussion is also something that I am not good at. I am good at thinking and analyzing but I can't seem to extend my thoughts into words. Something breaks down between thought and words for me.
This year will be a training ground for both Mia and myself as I want to start doing more literary discussions. I have thought a great deal as to how I want to go about this. I have the option of buying literary guides but I find these guides too 'plastic' for my taste. My goal is for my child and myself to read through the book and share our thoughts about the characters, how the setting plays a part in the story, how he author uses alliteration to prove a point, etc. When I think of litarary discussions, this is where my thoughts end up.
I think I will end up using two resources for our discussions: Teaching the Classics DVD and The Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. I think these will assist me in the way that I need. I don't want anything too structured, yet I need a bit of guidance to set me on the right road. I will use Teaching the Classics for the discussion part. The DVDs come with a booklet complete with questions on all of the literary elements. This is an excellent security blanket for a girl who has no idea what she is doing. I will use The Well-Educated Mind for the written part of the analysis. I like how Bauer divides things up into stages. Fashioned after the three stages of Neo-classicism, Bauer gives a list of things to do according to those stages. For ex, when reading a book, the first thing you should do (grammar stage) is keep a list of the characters and write a narration of each chapter. Simple. When you have mastered that and are ready for the logic stage of reading, then there are questions to consider in regards to the book that you are reading. There are also questions for when you are ready to enter the rhetoric stage. I have made it no secret that I am not into the 3 stages, but I do like how Bauer gradually leads the reader through the various stages of analysis.
This is how I am hoping to lead our literature times during the coming year. Rather than having me read aloud the book, Mia will read the book on her own. I will give her time during the day to read a chapter or two, depending on length. She will keep a list of characters for each book and will write a short narration for each chapter. She will do this 4 days a week. The fifth day will be discussion day. We will discuss character, plot, theme, etc.
This is all that we will do for this year. I have a tendency to expect too much from Mia and then I overwhelm her into the world of hyperventilation. Finally after 5 years, I am learning that slower is better. We will focus on these things for this year. I am very excited about this. I told Mia yesterday what I was planning for our books. I expected some shaking and tears. She shocked me by saying that it sounded like fun. Whoa! Maybe maturity is lurking in amongst the shadows after all. Her calmness added to my excitment. I will share our reading list in a later post.
I should also add that I will not do this for every book that we read. I am hoping to read 5 or 6 books for analysis and then have a list of boks that Mia and I will read together just for enjoyment. I don't want her to think that you have to analyze every book you read. It's okay to read for the sheer pleasure of it.
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Posted by Anonymous Posted by Juliainsk