TanglewoodEducation- Literature Home

TanglewoodEducation.com "A Classical Education & A Charlotte Mason Approach"

"Create-your-own-curriculum" guide for Literature:
*The C-Y-O-C pages are still under construction, so some of the links may not work.
1. Our literature selections are divided into the following groups:

                     Group A- Poetry
                     Group B- Fairy Tales
                     Group C- Animals etc.
                     Group D- Tall Tales
                     Group E- Regular Fiction
                     Group F- Science Fiction
                     Group G- Mystery
                     (Group H- Historical Fiction- included in historical studies rather than literature)
                     (Group I- Biography- included in historical studies rather than literature)

2. For well-rounded studies, we suggest that each year the student:

                    Group A- Poetry: Study the works of (2) authors, have (1) anthology on hand
                    Group B- Fairy Tales: Read approximately (1) fairy tale each week
                    Groups C-G:  Read at least one book from each of these groups

3. Strive for a minimum of one book for every month. This works out to be nine books
               each school year.
4. Consider your child's attention span.
               It is better to choose a book with chapters that are too short, rather than too long.
5. Consider your child's vocabulary.
              Because literature selections in the early grades are usually used as read-alouds,
              it is OK to select a book that has unfamiliar vocabulary. However, you don't want
              to overdo it. Watch out especially for unusual content-based vocabulary .
6. Consider what your child will be studying in history.
              You may prefer to read a literature selection that coincides with the historical era
              your child is studying. For example, read The Prince and the Pauper
              when studying the Medieval period.
7. If reading aloud to children of different ages, choose books according to
             the youngest age.
8. Grade level recommendations: 1st-4th graders should have "literature"
             books read-aloud to them and should use "reading" books to practice
             reading on their own. The literature and reading lists do overlap somewhat.
             The literature list contains more classics and the reading list contains
             more "fun" material. Feel free to pick and choose between the lists to
             create your own literature and reading lists. (More advanced readers may
             also want to use history and science selections in their reading lists.)

"Create-Your-Own- Curriculum"

CYOC- How to do it!

History
Science
Literature
Grammar
Reading
Math
Arts
...............................
Our Curriculum
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GROUP A: Poetry This enjoyable art form, whether relating an adventurous epic or conveying a poet's innermost thoughts, also has the side benefit of introducing a wide variety of vocabulary steeped in imagery. What a pleasing way to learn the art of subtle communication!	GROUP B: Fairy Tales Following CM's advice, "Let them have tales of the imagination, scenes laid in other lands and other times, heroic adventures, hairbreadth escapes, delicious fairy tales in which they are never roughly pulled up by the impossible."
GROUP C: Animals etc. As a child, this would have been my favorite booklist!	GROUP D: Tall Tales Another booklist that will also "never roughly pull [the child] up by the impossible." (smile)
GROUP E: Regular Fiction A huge compilation of our favorite classics!	GROUP F: Science Fiction Believe it or not, I didn't read science fiction growing up. After I married my sci-fi aficionado husband, I decided to give it a try. Boy, had I been missing out! Not only were the stories fun to read, but the science behind them was intriguing! As a result, I developed a real interest in scientific study, from quantum physics to biological fuels. If I had read this genre as a child, my life could have easily taken a whole different route! Enjoy!
GROUP G: Mystery Develop observational and logical thinking! (Oh, and have a lot of fun too!).