Examining Worldviews in World Literature

Into Your HandsExamining Worldviews in World Literature is an independent learner/homeschool high-school curriculum, spanning the literature of the Greeks and Romans, through the medieval and modern periods, with emphasis on comparing and contrasting the body of several well-known authors. This curriculum places special emphasis on analyzing and dissecting the characters and plots in literature from a Christian perspective, but that is not to say that all selections chosen are written from a Christian perspective. In fact, most are not. However, with this curriculum packet as guide, students will be better equipped to think critically and Biblically about situations and motivations in these books typically considered classics. It is an especially good fit for advanced readers and/or the latter half of high school.

Examining Worldviews in World Literature covers an entire year of high school literature (especially for junior or seniors) and consists of a 225-page PDF. You may also be interested in the course Examining Worldviews in American Literature.

Rights are given for one family unit (not extended family) to use this PDF without limitation, or one classroom teacher to use ideas from this unit. Please inquire at Into Your Hands LLC for multi-use licenses for co-ops or schools.

The units are:

  • Unit One: Greek Literature (Odyssey/Homer, Antigone/Sophocles
  • Unit Two: Roman Literature (Aeneid/Virgil, Julius Caesar/Shakespeare)
  • Unit Three: Medieval Literature (Don Quixote/Cervantes, The Divine Comedy/Dante)
  • Unit Four: Eastern Literature (Good Earth/Buck, Art of War/Sun Tzu
  • Unit Five: Russian Literature (Anna Karenina/Tolstoy, Crime and Punishment/Dostoevsky)
  • Unit Six: French Literature (Les Miserables/Hugo, Madame Bovary/Flaubert)
  • Unit Seven: Modern European Literature (Faust/Goethe, Doll’s House/Ibsen)

Objectives

This curriculum features many objectives, including those that follow. The student will…

  • focus on whole books, reading novels commonly assigned as World Literature at the high school level,
  • analyze themes, characters, motivations, and plots from a Christian worldview, reviewing and growing in faith.
  • compare and contrast various novels, genres, and authors, and
  • practice the skill of writing organized and coherent papers.

Features

How is this curriculum different from other World Lit curricula already available? This curriculum features a number of items that set it apart.

  • The Christian worldview focus of this curriculum allows students to navigate the often muddy-waters of World Literature without being led astray.
  • This curriculum features a “whole books” approach, encouraging students to read entire novels as the foundation for their study, allowing students to have better context for understanding plot and character, rather than the bits and pieces of books found in an anthology.
  • The books chosen for this curriculum are titles traditionally used for secular World Literature classes, allowing students to be competitive for college, as well as partially preparing them for CLEP and AP exams.
  • A complete assessment system is featured in this curriculum, featuring assignments, exams, writing rubrics, and answer keys.
  • Resources for further reading encourage in-depth exploration of various topics and authors.
  • This curriculum offers a strong core plan for teachers/parents and students who want to know exactly what to do, but yet also flexibility for those who would like more or fewer novels, or more or fewer assignments and activities, based on ability, interest, and learning style.
  • This curriculum is meant for individual student use without the need for instructor support (except for assessment), allowing students to grow in responsibility and freeing up parent time. Teachers/parents and students are encouraged to discuss the literature selections regularly with their students.

Organization

This curriculum is organized into seven units, each four weeks long. Some units may take the student an additional week or two; therefore this curriculum would work well spread out over a 30- to 34-week school year. It is expected that the student spend one hour a day, five days a week on this course. If your daily, weekly, or yearly schedule does not allow for this, plan to allot 150 total hours for this course.

Each unit features two whole books and a selection from another work. During the course of each unit, the student will also compete an essay on a chosen topic, take a short unit examination, and optionally, complete an activity. While not all selections are featured in exact chronological order, the curriculum as a whole is approximately in chronological order.

Time Commitment and Pacing

The student is expected to read through this study guide and complete the readings and essays as assigned over the course of the unit, about one month each. The instructor should discuss the readings as desired, but be sure that at the end of each unit, the readings have been completed, the exam taken and graded (with the answer keys provided), and the essay turned in and graded (with the rubric provided).

For pacing, the student should plan to spend about one week on the first novel, one week on the second novel, one week on the additional readings, review, and exam, and one week crafting, writing, and editing the essay. Occasionally, two longer novels are assigned in a single unit (for instance, the Russian Literature unit), making it difficult to complete in four weeks. The student should feel free to
take an extra week or two, as allowed by the instructor and the school calendar. However, in general, if the student cannot complete the tasks above during the one hour of daily class time, the student should plan to have “homework” which can be completed in the evenings.

Will This Curriculum Be A Good Fit?

Likely, this curriculum will be a wonderful fit for your student, especially if you like what you have read so far. However, this curriculum might not work well for you, if any of the following is true:

  • You do not care for a Christian worldview, particularly from a conservative Lutheran perspective.
  • You want an all-in-one package, without the need to purchase additional literature. (This curriculum requires the purchase or borrowing of books, in addition to this study guide. However, many of them are available online for free.)
  • The student is not a strong reader, or not interested in literature.
  • The instructor does not want to be involved in discussion or assessment for the student.
  • You want a curriculum which features only Christian books. (This curriculum uses traditional literature, many of which feature non-Christian authors; however, these books are discussed and analyzed from a Christian worldview.)

Examining Worldviews in American Literature

Into Your Hands vendor Marie MacPherson is pleased to offer a complete one-year English literature class for high schoolers: Examining Worldviews in American Literature. This product consists of two PDFS. The first is 278 pages and consists of the course, complete with supply list. The second is 70 pages of public domain documents to be used with the curriculum.

As a preview, here is Introductory Material, an Excerpt on The Grapes of Wrathand an optional printable unit checklist. You can also glance through the Table of Contents below.

Cathy Duffy’s review of it is here.

(Into Your Hands also currently offers the following partial portions as unit studies: American Lit: Franklin & Douglas and American Lit: Scarlet Letter & Other Puritan Writings. You may also be interested in their product Examining Worldviews in World Literature for later high school.)

Examining Worldviews in American Literature

Course Table of Contents

Introduction …………………………………………………….……………..3
Student Prerequisites…………………………………………………………..6
Supplies Needed………………………………………………………………… 7
How-To ……………………………………………………………………………… 8
Assessment and Transcripts ……………………………………………….. 9
A Note About My Beliefs……………………………………………………… 12
Unit One: Puritan Writings …………………………………………13
Unit Two: Autobiographies and the Revolution …………………44
Unit Three: Slavery and the Civil War ……………………………………76
Unit Four: Struggles on the Prairie …………………………………….. 118
Unit Five: Trouble on the Coasts……………………………… ….155
Unit Six: Friendship and Inner Strength………………………………. 192
Unit Seven: Looking Toward the Future……………………………. …217
Additional Resources………………………………………………241
Optional Printable Unit Checklists……………………………….242
American Literature Essay Rubric………………………………..245
Exams……………………………………………………………………………….246
Exam Answer Keys…………………………………………………………. …262
About the Author……………………………………………………………. …278

Explore the history, literature, and worldviews with these tools from a fellow Lutheran homeschooler.

You can also visit the Into Your Hands, LLC website, to learn more about their work in research, consulting, etc.

Literature Guides

Literature: another big topic! One of the vendors of Lutheranhomeschool.com is putting together a year-length program of high school American Literature as we speak! But that isn’t the only resource out there. Here is a compilation of literature resources & links to Lutheran-friendly literature guides.

On-Site Lutheran Resources

Off-Site Lutheran Resources

Youth (Sixth through Twelfth Grades)

Adults

Bible Study

Educational Foundations Curriculum

Marie MacPherson has put together an elective for high school students interested in teaching. (What a great idea!) This product includes two PDFs: Education Foundations and Supplemental Documents. Read the introduction below and here is a 40-page preview.

Overview

Education Foundations is an independent or group homeschool high-school curriculum, spanning the history of education in America and of the Church, including books, articles, biographies, concepts, and projects. This curriculum places special emphasis on Christian education of youth, but that is not to say that all selections chosen are written from a Christian perspective. In fact, many of the people and
philosophies grappled with are not Christian. However, with this curriculum packet as guide, students will be better equipped to think critically and Biblically about teaching. Rights are given for one family unit (not extended family) to use this PDF without limitation, or one classroom teacher to use ideas from this unit. Please inquire at Into Your Hands, LLC (www.intoyourhandsllc.com/contact) for multi-use licenses for co-ops or schools.

Objectives

This curriculum features many objectives, including those that follow. The student will…

  •  …appreciate the educational ideas flowing from the Lutheran Reformation.
  •  …analyze books and articles about teaching, as well as various educational theories, from Christian worldview.
  •  …become familiar with the biographies of prominent educators of the past and present.
  •  …discover a wide-variety of historical approaches to education.
  •  …practice basic teaching skills, such as organizing a lesson plan and formulating comprehension questions.
  •  …be prepared to serve as a teacher in the home, church, and schools.
  •  …reflect upon and formulate a Christian educational philosophy.

Organization

This curriculum is organized into seven different units, each about four weeks long. Instructors know their students best and can adapt the curriculum for simplicity in the family, or tailor it for a specific student. Aim to complete approximately one unit a month for this course. Some units may take the student an additional week or two; therefore this curriculum would work well spread out over a 30- to
34-week school year. It is expected that a student receiving one credit for this course would spend about one hour a day, five days a week on this course, or approximately 100-120 total hours for this course. A student receiving a ½ credit for the course would spend a total of 50-60 hours over the course of the year.

Each unit features a required book, recommended books, as well as an article or shorter work about some aspect of education. In addition, famous educator biographies and concepts will be featured. During the course of each unit, the student will also compete an activity related to teaching, and optionally, take a short unit examination. While not all units are featured in exact chronological order, the curriculum as a whole tends from earlier in history to more modern times.

Please note that not all book recommendations have been previewed by the author; some have been recommended by others whom the author trusts. It is recommended that instructors preview all titles before assignment. If limited time does not allow for a full preview by reading the book in advance, plot summaries are available for most books online.

Please note that this curriculum is not a comprehensive curriculum for a high school course. Rather, it is an elective course, written with advanced high school students in mind.

Time Commitment and Pacing

The student is expected to read through this study guide and complete the readings and essays as assigned over the course of the unit, about one month each. The instructor should discuss the readings as desired, but be sure that at the end of each unit, the readings have been completed, the activity completed, and the optional exam taken and graded (with the answer keys provided), if desired.

For pacing, the student should plan to spend about one week the primary book, one week on an optional book, one week on the additional readings, review, and exam, and one week crafting, writing, and editing the activity. Occasionally, two longer books are assigned in a single unit (for instance, the Russian Literature unit), making it difficult to complete in four weeks. The student should feel free to take an extra week or two, as allowed by the instructor and the school calendar. However, in general, if the student cannot complete the tasks above during the one hour of daily class time, the student should plan to have “homework” which can be completed in the evenings.

Will This Curriculum Be A Good Fit?

Likely, this curriculum will be a wonderful fit for your student, especially if you like what you have read so far. However, this curriculum might not work well for you, if any of the following is true:

  • You do not care for a Christian worldview, particularly from a conservative Lutheran perspective.
  • The student is not a strong reader.
  • The instructor does not want to be involved in discussion or assessment for the student.
  • You want a curriculum which features only Christian books. (This curriculum uses whole books, many of which feature non-Christian authors; however, these books are discussed and analyzed from a Christian worldview.)

Note

Extensive use of public websites are featured in this curriculum for educational purposes, often adapted. Every effort has been made to cite and link to these websites. Featured quotations, readings, persons, concepts, and books in this guide have been selected for a variety of reasons. The reader should not assume that I am promoting the worldview that the aforementioned advocates. Sometimes these are included for the need to be critiqued from a Christian perspective.

American Poets and Their Poems

Into Your HandsMarie MacPherson has done it again. In addition to her Christian Poets and Poems curriculum, here is an American version, American Poets and Their Poems, another 30-week curriculum, featuring a monthly poet and weekly poems, as well as spiraling instruction in literary/rhetorical devices and suggested vocabulary words and writing activities. It is tailored to the 5th-8th grades but can be adapted as low as elementary school and as high as high school. Expect around 45 minutes per lesson. Each student should have a copy of the supplement “American Poets and Their Poems,” included in this curriculum. (This product consists of two PDFs, one for students and one for teachers.)

Pacing and How-To

Once-A-Week Instructions:

  • Instructor should prepare by reading the poem and writing down the rhythm and meter, as well as research the poem, if research is available.
  • Instruction reads the poem aloud from the poetry supplement while students follow
    along.
  • Group reads the poem aloud from the supplement.
  • Instructor reads aloud the biography (at the beginning of each unit).
  • Students scan the poem, marking meter, stress, and rhyme scheme (after week 2). The instructor should discuss/correct the students’ finds.
  • Instructor reads the literary device(s) of the week aloud.
  • Students find and mark the literary device(s) in the poem, with instructor help, if needed.
  • Instructor reads the vocabulary words.
  • Students find vocabulary words in the poem, look up definitions, and write them in the margin.
  • Students look for other literary devices and discuss the meaning of the poem with the
    instructor. Instructor adds commentary, as needed or desired, from the poem comments
    section.
  • Group may work on the monthly poetry writing activity, if time allows. This is optional.
  • Group reads the poem aloud again in closing.

Monthly Instructions:

  • Consider reading aloud the first of the author’s poems listed every day for the whole
    month. The students will likely have it memorized by the end of the month.
  • A suggested poetry activity or writing project is suggested with each unit.

The Chosen Poets

Of course, many more American poets exist than those included in this curriculum. I am planning future curricula following this same pattern perhaps for ancient/eastern poets, medieval poets, British poets, and modern poets. “Christian Poets and Their Poems” has already been completed. Some well-known American poets may be included in the modern poets curriculum. There may be some overlap of poets and categories. Please note that not all poems in this “American Poets” curriculum feature a Christian message, but all can be appreciated and analyzed by Christians. This curriculum includes poems by Wheatley, Longfellow, Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, St. Vincent Millay, and Field.

Adaptations

The curriculum is designed to be taught by an instructor, but a motivated student could complete the curriculum on his or her own by following the directions above. The instructor could optimize learning with a weekly check-in regarding the poet and poem.

This curriculum is meant to be used once a week (with the exception of reading aloud the first poem rom each poet daily.) However, it could be adapted for daily use (instead of weekly) by splitting the activities onto separate days. For instance, on Monday, the biography could be read. Tuesday could be used to introduce the new Literary Device and review the previous. Wednesday could be spent on writing in the meter and rhyme scheme. On Thursday, the vocabulary could be introduced. Finally, on Friday, the students could spend time writing their own poetry, as suggested by the monthly activity, or otherwise. In such a case, the instructor could plan for 10 minutes of poetry daily. Alternatively, teachers may consider completing “American Poets” in one semester by meeting twice a week for approximately 45 minutes a meeting, and then add “Christian Poets and Their Poems” similarly to the second semester.

Resources

Please print a copy of “American Poets and Their Poems,” a poetry supplement with text taken from the public domain, for each student.

There are many wonderful poetry websites available for free online, including poets.org and poetryfoundation.org. The website keytopoetry.com can give details about the rhyme scheme and meter, if needed. Poemanalysis.com is an excellent tool for digging deeper in the details of the poems. Literary devices can be found at literarydevices.net, literary-devices.com and rhetoric.by.edu. I am grateful to these, and many other sources, which are found online for use in this curriculum. I did my best to give credit to these sources throughout.

Literary/Rhetorical Devices

Each week, at least one new literary or rhetorical device is presented (which can also be found in the weekly poem.) The “new” literary device is the first one listed each week. Under the new device are suggestions for reviewing other devices previously learned, in a spiral fashion. Many can be found in the poem of the week, but devices in parentheses but are not necessarily found in the poem, yet should be reviewed anyway. Check the glossary in Appendix C if a definition is needed for reviewed devices.

Assessment

No formal assessment is provided in this curriculum, as the main objectives are affective. However, instructors may feel free to assess the memorization of the monthly poem, accuracy of the scanning of the poem, and/or the comprehension of the literary/rhetorical devices.

Extending Activities

Ideas for extending learning beyond poetry class include finding literary devices used by authors in literature/reading class, making a timeline of the poets (or add the poets to an existing timeline), and creating a end-of-the month recitation party where students showcase the poem of the month, or other poems.

Also from Into Your Hands, LLC

Into Your Hands, LLC offers a wide variety of language arts curricula, available at LutheranHomeschool.com, including:

Free products there include a K-12 classical curriculum guide, cooking curriculum, painting projects, mapping curricula, and more! Marie has also written several home management and devotion books available at Amazon.com, as well as Teaching Children Chastity for Life, available from AdCrucem.com.©

Pre-Rhetoric and Progymnasmata

Photo by YFNPhilip on LutheranStockPhotos.com

Pre-Rhetoric and Progymnasmata: A Curriculum Exploring Ancient Greek and Roman Oratory Rhetorical Devices and Writing is now available from Lutheran author Marie MacPherson, of Into Your Hands, LLC. This curriculum consists of 12 lessons, which are intended to be taught one every 2-3 weeks for an entire school year.

Organization

Pre-Rhetoric and Progymnasmata is organized into 12 lessons, each consisting of four main sections. This instruction guide is meant for scripted teacher use; a separate printable includes a student notebook for use during class and can be copied for a single classroom for one year. Instructors know their students best and can adapt the curriculum for simplicity in the family or classroom, or tailor it for a specific student. Aim to complete a lesson approximately every 2-3 weeks of the school year.

Please note that this curriculum is not a comprehensive language arts curriculum. I recommend adding grammar and literature to this curriculum. A comprehensive curriculum in Language Arts might be supplemented by this curriculum, using one day a week dedicated to Pre-Rhetoric and Progymnasmata, with the instruction of this lesson plan during week one, and students writing and delivering multiple versions of the progymnasmata step in the second and third weeks.

If the instructor chooses formal assessment through the provided rubric in Appendix A, or another means, it is suggested that the teacher specify the length expected for the writing examples. Suggestions:

• 100-250 words for grade school.
• 250-500 words for middle school.
• 500+words for high school.

It is also handy if the teacher requires the students to underline or otherwise mark their choices of rhetorical devices in the writing samples that they turn in, so the instructor can quickly and easily grant credit for their inclusion.

Supplies Needed

The teacher should have this teacher’s guide, as well as a whiteboard or place to write and display examples. Students should have copies of the student notebook and pencils. Technology to view a few of the speeches is helpful, but not required. Pronunciation for rhetorical devices can be found at Silva Rhetoricae (rhetoric.byu.edu).

Student Prerequisites

Prior to taking this course, students should already have a foundation in the basics of grammar and handwriting. If they are already used to being able to write a paragraph (younger range of students) or a five-paragraph essay (older range of students), they should be able to be successful in progymnasmata.

Copyright

Rights are given for one family unit (not extended family) to use this PDF without limitation, or one classroom teacher to this unit for one year. Please inquire at Into Your Hands, LLC for multi-use licenses for co-ops or schools.

Christian Poets and Poems

Into Your HandsChristian Poets and Poems is a 30-week curriculum developed by Marie MacPherson. It features a monthly poet and weekly poems, as well as spiraling instruction in literary/rhetorical devices and suggested vocabulary words and writing activities. It is tailored to the 5th-8th grades, but can be adapted as low as elementary school and as high as high school. Expect around 45 minutes per lesson. Each student should have a copy of the supplement “Christian Poets and Their Poems,” included in this curriculum. (This product consists of two PDFs, one for students and one for teachers.)

(In addition to her Christian Poets and Poems curriculum, there is an American version, American Poets and Their Poems, another 30-week curriculum.)

Pacing and How-To

Once-A-Week Instructions:

  • Instructor should prepare by reading the poem and writing down the rhythm and meter, as well as research the poem, if research is available.
  • Instruction reads the poem aloud from the poetry supplement while students follow along.
  • Group reads the poem aloud from the supplement.
  • Instructor reads aloud the biography (at the beginning of each unit).
  • Students scan the poem, marking meter, stress, and rhyme scheme (after week 7). The instructor should discuss/correct the students’ finds.
  • Instructor reads the literary device(s) of the week aloud.
  • Students find and mark the literary device(s) in the poem, with instructor help, if needed.
  • Instructor reads the vocabulary words.
  • Students find vocabulary words in the poem, look up definitions, and write them in the margin.
  • Students look for other literary devices and discuss the meaning of the poem with the instructor. Instructor adds commentary, as needed or desired, from the poem comments section.
  • Group may work on the monthly poetry writing activity, if time allows. This is optional.
  • Group reads the poem aloud again in closing.

Monthly Instructions:

  • Consider reading aloud the first of the author’s poems listed every day for the whole month. The students will likely have it memorized by the end of the month.
  • A suggested poetry activity or writing project is suggested with each unit.

The Chosen Poets

Of course, many more Christian poets exist than those included in this curriculum, Christian Poets and Poems. Future curricula are planned, following this same pattern perhaps for ancient/eastern poets, medieval poets, British poets, American poets, and modern poets.

Some well-known Christian poets will be included in those curricula. This particular product introduces poetry and then focuses on King David (b. c. 1000BC), Jonson (b. 1572), Herbert (b. 1593), Crashaw (b. c. 1613), Bradstreet (b. 1672), MacDonald (b. 1824), and Lewis (b. 1898). Please note that not all poems in this curriculum feature a Christian message, but all can be appreciated and treasured by Christians.

Adaptations

The curriculum is designed to be taught by an instructor, but a motivated student could complete the curriculum on his or her own by following the directions above. The instructor could optimize learning with a weekly check-in regarding the poet and poem.

This curriculum is meant to be used once a week (with the exception of reading aloud the first poem from each poet daily.) However, it could be adapted for daily use (instead of weekly) by splitting the activities onto separate days. For instance, on Monday, the biography could be read. Tuesday could be used to introduce the new Literary Device and review the previous. Wednesday could be spent on writing in the meter and rhyme scheme. On Thursday, the vocabulary could be introduced. Finally, on Friday, the students could spend time writing their own poetry, as suggested by the monthly activity, or otherwise.

Resources

Please print a copy of “Christian Poets and Their Poetry,” a poetry supplement with text taken from the public domain, for each student. There are many wonderful poetry websites available for free online, including poets.org and poetryfoundation.org. The website keytopoetry.com can give details about the rhyme scheme and meter, if needed. Poemanalysis.com is an excellent tool for digging deeper in the details of the poems. Literary devices (many of which are copied and pasted below) can be found at literarydevices.net, literary-devices.com and rhetoric.by.edu. I am grateful to these, and many other sources, which are found online for use in this curriculum. I did my best to give credit to these sources throughout.

Literary Devices

Each week, at least one new literary or rhetorical device is presented (which can also be found in the weekly poem.) The “new” literary device is the first one listed each week. Under the new device are suggestions for reviewing other devices previously learned, in a spiral fashion. Many can be found in the poem of the week, but devices in parentheses but are not necessarily found in the poem, yet should be reviewed anyway. Check the glossary in Appendix C if a definition is needed for reviewed devices.

Assessment

No formal assessment is provided in this curriculum, as the main objectives are affective. However, instructors may feel free to assess the memorization of the monthly poem, accuracy of the scanning of the poem, and the comprehension of the literary/rhetorical devices.

Extending Activities

Ideas for extending learning beyond poetry class include finding literary devices used by authors in literature/reading class, making a timeline of the poets (or add the poets to an existing timeline), and creating a end-of-the month recitation party where students showcase the poem of the month, or other poems.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Rev. Andrew Richard for information and inspiration in general regarding reigniting my joy in poetry, and specifically for ideas regarding this curriculum in its early stages. Commentary on a poem that he wrote for his school’s website is used for week 7.

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Scope & Sequence and Lit Guide

Two great new products from our vendor, Into Your Hands! First, there’s a free Recommended Classical Lutheran Scope and Sequence (K-12!!!), and second there’s a Homeschool Family Literature Guide for Preschool through Eighth Grade for $10. Plus, I’m expecting one more piece of curriculum from her any day now. Yay! (I just love it when homeschoolers think, “This worked for my family. Time to share!”)

Recommended Classical Lutheran Scope and Sequence by Into Your Hands

Homeschool Family Literature Guide