Literature and composition have always been my favorite subjects. I love to read and I love to write. I have always wanted my children to love literature as much as I do. Out of 6 kids, I only have one who enjoys great literature and writing that is why I was thrilled to receive and review American Christian from Hewitt Homeschooling Resources. I am hoping to instill a love of literature and composition in the heart of my high school son.
This set comes with a Student Guide and a Teachers Guide. This particular set is geared towards 11-12 grade, but my son, who just finished up 9th grade didn't have any issues with it. This curriculum will help your child acquire college -level composition skills. They do this by having them read great literature then writing about it. The American Christian set that we were given focuses on American Literature such as Can You Drink the Cup? by Henri J.M. Nouwen.
Along with this set of curriculum, you will need to buy/borrow 4 books. We were able to find the first book Can You Drink the Cup? on a e-book app that we subscribe to. The other books needed are A Circle of Quiet, Godric, and No Graven Image. We are hoping to borrow those as well.
The curriculum consists of 4 units, with 8 lessons in all. You can decide the pace you want to work. We chose to complete one unit every 8 weeks. That will give us 32 weeks to fully complete the curriculum. I didn't want to rush through any lesson. During this review we will be focusing on Unit 1.
The Teacher's Guide includes:
- Introduction
- Grading Tips
- Schedules
- Answers to Comprehensive Questions
- Writing Exercises
- Discussion Questions and Projects
I love having a guide to help me teach a class. This one is not overwhelming and gives great advice on how to teach the lessons so your student can do well.
The Student Guide begins with an introduction that speaks of why this course is important, how to use the Student Guide, and activities to enhance your study. As you go through each lesson you will see:
- An Introduction
- The Selection
- While You Read (list of questions to keep in mind while reading)
- Comprehensive Questions
- Literary Lessons
- Writing Exercises
- Perspectives
At the back of the Student Guide you will find Appendices that include:
- Discussion Questions and Project Suggestions
- Reading List
- Schedules
They also have suggestions to enhance your study such as:
- Vocabulary Notebook
- Reading Journal
- Biographies
- Family Reading or Writing Night
- Oral Summaries
- Writing Group
All this serves to help you get the most from your study. We are actually having a lot of fun with doing a Family Writing Night. I didn't know we had so many imaginative writers until you take the pressure off and just have fun.
Josh has been working through Unit 1. He didn't care for it at first, but once he was able to see how much this could help him with his own writing (he loves to write Sci-Fi stories) he started to enjoy it more. The selections from Anne Bradstreet were interesting he said. He didn't like reading poetry before. After reading through her writings, he did the comprehension questions.
Along with learning how to read poetry with more of an eye for detail and meaning, Josh even tried writing some poetry of his own. He would not allow me to share his personal writings, and I can't blame him. As you write, you are sharing your heart and that should be allowed to be a private experience. He said writing poetry isn't as easy as it looks 😊
Lesson 2 of Unit 1 consists of reading Can You Drink the Cup? During this lesson, we are focusing on writing essays. Josh has never been one to write an essay, but he is working hard on one right now. He said the book inspired him.
I love this curriculum! It is thorough and keeps your student focused on one lesson at a time. Looking ahead I see it will also bring light to some Biblical lessons that I feel are important to know. I can't wait to keep going and see what wonderful literary lessons we will learn next.
Would you like to learn more about Hewitt Homeschooling Resources? I would encourage you to check out their website and social media pages listed below:
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