Idea for Teaching a Homeschool Co-op Literature Class

I, along with a friend, teach literature to a group of high school students in our homeschool co-op. Last year, we delved into the class with blinders on. I guess I never expected the class to be popular and thought it would be a breeze. Well, last year we had fourteen students. I thought that was a large number. This year we have twenty and actually had to close it to more. Yes, we could have had more!

Choosing a curriculum to use was a difficult decision. I wanted to be sure that whatever we chose would be filled with ample writing lessons because, after all, high school kids should be in the rhetorical stage of learning. Wow, did I learn fast that the group started class with all sorts of English studies backgrounds! We ended up choosing Excellence in Literature's curriculum, beginning last year with Introduction to Literature (Book One). This book gives a good foundation for those who are at the early stages of writing.

We pretty much followed the instructions and lessons as they are given in the book. We did skip The Tempest by William Shakespeare because we begin our co-op classes in September but end early May. We simply didn't have time to do them all. Also, we added some vocabulary lessons as well as discussion questions. I don't like to use comprehension questions with high schoolers. They should have that foundation in the earlier years but should now be learning to see things and evaluate them through their own worldviews. Discussion questions to the works studied, as well as vocabulary words, are easy enough to find on educational sites on the internet. 

We have an hour each week to teach the lesson, and then the students are responsible for learning on their own the rest of the week. This "guidebook" is also the teacher's book. It truly does guide the students along as they read a body of work, study the author, study the history behind the work, and then write out well-researched essays relating to that particular literary work. 

I have to admit, the curriculum pushes the students, and I think that's good. Last year, we saw kids at the bottom of the pack rise to the top. It was so fun to watch their progress. It's one of the reasons the class is so popular this year.

We did things like debates and a Family Feud style game to help reinforce lessons. We also threw in some role playing, allowing some students to interview folks such as Mark Twain, his wife, and his publisher, as well as others. It was great fun that helped the kids learn more about the authors.

One other thing that we added to our class was to participate in our co-op's year end program. A few of the students, with some guidance and suggestions, wrote an original skit based upon one of the stories we studied - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, as well as Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. This skit, A Modern Knight in King Arthur's Court, was a great learning experience. We required that each student take part in the production. Most had an acting part, a couple put together the set, and another was a stagehand. The skit was comedic and fun. It brought the house down. Most of all, it showed the audience that learning literature and writing is fun and a blessing.

This year, we are teaching American Literature by Excellence in Literature, skipping Literature and Composition (book 2). We have decided to drop The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It seemed like the best one to drop. We are also planning to do something for the year end program again. Already a couple of the students have suggested a Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Washington Irving) skit. Again, it will be a comedy based on several books we study this year. I think Benjamin Franklin (Autobiography) makes an appearance.

If you're looking for a good literature program that adapts well to co-op settings, I urge you to take a look at Excellence in Literature.