Memoria Press Makes American Lit EASY with their Poetry and Short Stories: American Literature Set (curriculum review)
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One of our favorite homeschool reviews from last year was from Memoria Press was their Latin program, which Miss Grace took to like a duck to water. So when the opportunity came up this year to check out one of their classical literary programs, Poetry & Short Stories: American Literature Set, we were thrilled to be able to review it!
The Poetry & Short Stories: American Literature Set includes Poetry & Short Stories: American Literature (19th – 20th Centuries), the Student Guide, and the Teacher Guide. the Quizzes & Test booklet is separate. This set for American Lit is made for grades 7 and up, due to not only its reading level, but the amount of work required and mature use of the Socratic method. This is a small but classical anthology/ American authors and poets included in the set are Edgar Allen Poe, Washington Irving, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Carl Sandburg and O'Henry. British Poets included are Lord Bryon, Lewis Carroll, lord Tennyson, and Edward Lear. By adding in some outside reading, you can easily get a full year out of the course, giving your student a full American Lit credit on their transcript.
The Teacher Guide has general instruction for teachers, and then the student workbook with all of the answers. This is really helpful, as it allows the teacher to follow along with the student, if they need more hands on instruction.One of the intro sections is how to teach you student to mark writings for study, and it is a very valuable lesson, so be sure to cover it with your students FIRST, to help them understand what info they will need to complete the workbook pages. Also included are an Essay Section (in a separate section), and Tests with Answers (more on that section after student info). This Essay Section is NOT coordinated with the writings, just numbered, so that you can pick and choose WHICH essays you want your child to complete.
The student reader is divided into 2 sections- American Literature and British Poetry. The American section however includes both writings and poetry. It is a smaller book in size, and volume, with only 92 pages. it includes some of my favorite writings, and each one is small enough to not cause your student to eye roll and groan.Paragraphs and passages are numbered, so they are easy to use with the coordinated workbook.
The Student workbook is coordinated with the reader. Initially your student should read the Introduction, and complete it's workbook page, so that they have an idea what the course will be about, and the time period it covers. Then before starting reading, they need to complete the Pre-Grammar section for their selection. This allows your student to think about the central idea behind the reading BEFORE they read it. this helps for 2 reasons- a. they will be looking for that theme, and b. it helps to give them some understanding of the concept being discussed, possibly in a way they haven't heard.
Then your child will read the writing or poem for that selection. I had Miss Grace read WITH the grammar/presentation page in front of her. That way if there was a word she didn't know, she had a definition right in front of her, and allowed her to keep reading, with instant comprehension.
For her current level, after she had finished the reading, she would pick back up the workbook and complete the Definition Bank questions. We found through an initial trial and error, that she did better with some contextual help (the reading), as the vocabulary is a few grades ahead of her current level. However the Guide recommends doing them BEFORE the reading, as a way to pre-test your child.
Then after the reading, having make notes as instructed on the reading, she would work on the Comprehension Questions. These questions are simple as multiple choice, or more involved, explaining the story or telling about a character's traits.
For the Logic section, we found it better for Miss Grace to discuss the questions with me. I would read the questions to her, and then we would discuss the answers. We found that because she's such a 'big picture' thinker, it was easier for her to go with the big answer, and then by me pointing her back to the core part of the question, getting a full answer. Then we would go over the Rhetoric Section together. Again,I would ask her the questions and she would give me the answers.
Because we have always used more of a Oral Response for discussion and testing, due to her dyslexia, she is more comfortable with that. But for traditional students, these workbook sections also strengthen writing skills. For her current level, I wasn't asking for the additional essay, but for high school level, I would definitely add in the idea posted in this section, as an additional requirement. Like the Teacher's Guide, the Essay section is after the workbook sections, and is unnumbered, so your child can add them as they need. I do like how each essay
Overall, I found that the last 2 sections really stretch your student to THINK about what they have read and apply the central themes to their lives, and to see how the basic themes from these classical pieces STILL resonate today,even if they were written about 200 years ago!
I put the Test section at the end, as that is where it logically falls, but again, the Tests are included in the Teacher's Guide. As you can see, the tests are multiple choice and matching format. However, they are NOT easy. Your student must have read the writing in order to be able to answer them! They also work as a nice review.
For grading purposes, I would say the workbook is your predominant grade, as the work there requires your child to think on the reading and make applications based on them. While they do need knowledge to do the tests, there is a bit of chance in some of the questions. So maybe Workbook 60%, Tests 20%, Essays 10% and outside readings 10%, for the full jr/high school credit. For example, on the second writing,The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Miss Grace had a 90, but then she only got a 76 on the written test. So by giving the oral, which she does better with more weight, she got a solid B for that one, had she done an essay, it might have inched back up to an A.
Our fellow reviewers got to check out some of Memoria's other great programs like:
Classical Phonics with the First Start Reading Program, Poetry for the Grammar Stage Set, Poetry, Prose & Drama: The Old English & Medieval Periods Set, Poetry & Prose Book Two: The Elizabethan to the Neoclassical Age Set, Poetry Book Three: The Romantic to the Victorian Age Set, and Latin sets: Prima Latina, Latina Christiana, First Form Latin. Second Form Latin, Third Form Latin and Fourth Form Latin + Henle I.
So be sure to click on the picture below to head over and check out all of their reviews! There just might be a few sets you can use for YOUR homeschool!
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