This blog is my attempt to document our busy but BLESSED lives raising and educating our children for His glory. A child of God, wife to one, and mom to 6 fabulous kids. We are in our 16th year of homeschooling using a Classical ~ Literature based approach.

Come along for the good, the bad & the ugly.



Tuesday, November 1, 2011

TOS Review ~ Excellence in Literature, English 1

For the past few months Marie and I  have had the opportunity to eil1-frontcover-sm-4-09review Excellence in Literature - English 1: Introduction to Literature with the Honors option by Janice Campbell.  This product came to us at the perfect time.  Homeschooling High School can be a daunting task, there’s a lot to cover. We really had not gotten into a groove with our scheduled English program and Excellence in Literature offered a breath of fresh air.
 Introduction to Literature is a College Prep literature and composition course consisting of 9 units.  Each unit has focus text(s) and also context text(s).  With EIL your student(s) will gain an understanding of literature and have practice in the skills of close literary analysis through essay writing, approach papers, and other evaluative writing forms. There is even an honors track for those who want a little extra. To receive honors grades (.5 weighed grade points), the student needs to do read the additional text and complete the additional assignments listed.  Unit 1 consists of short stories to ease into the program while units 2-9 include a collection of great books.
Unit 1: Short Stories by- • Sarah Orne Jewett: A White Heron
• Edgar Allen Poe: The Purloined Letter (This one is not scary, if you’re concerned about that.)
• Guy de Maupassant: The Diamond Necklace
• O. Henry: The Ransom of Red Chief
• Eudora Welty: A Worn Path
• James Thurber: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Unit 2: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne Honors: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Unit 3: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
Honors: The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
Unit 4: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Honors: Shirley or Villette by Charlotte Brontë
Unit 5: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw Honors: Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot
Unit 6: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Honors: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Unit 7: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Honors: 1984 by George Orwell
Unit 8: The Tempest by William Shakespeare Honors: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Unit 9: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
Honors: The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
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By the end of the course, students will:
  • Understand the process of writing, including the use of tools such as a writer’s handbook, dictionary, and thesaurus.
  • Have specific understanding of selected representative texts by major authors of the periods studied.
  • Have a general understanding of the historical and cultural contexts of the works.
  • Be able to analyze literary texts and present thoughtfully developed ideas in writing.
  • Demonstrate competence in essay organization, style, and mechanics.
                                                                                 ~from website
Wow, I was blown away with this program and more importantly, so was my daughter!  The program is entirely written to the student and the assignments are scheduled to teach the all important skill of time-management.  Marie enjoyed doing her assignments instead of waiting to the last minute with me nagging highly encouraging her to get the work turned in.  In the weeks that we have been using this program I have seen dramatic improvement in her writing. We just needed to find the right program for us and this one definitely fits the bill! I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who is struggling a bit or anyone who is looking for a quality college-   prep program. Take a look at the sample printable 5-year reading list that gives you a peak at all 5 courses Excellence in Literature offers.  See what my friends on The Old Schoolhouse Crew had to say about this product here.
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Company ~ Everyday Education
Product ~ English 1: Introduction to Literature w/ Honors option
Price ~The 8’x11” print book 132 pages is $29 + $4.95 Priority Mail Shipping.  The Ebook version is $27 with instant access and is designed to be printed double sided and put in a 3 ring binder.
Ages ~ 8th – 12th grade
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I received an Ebook copy of English 1: Introduction to Literature with Honors Option from Everyday Education, in exchange for a thorough and honest review.  Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews.  The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided.
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