How to Reach Homeschool English Success

It felt like we constantly failed at reading comprehension as well as the review questions that were given. I knew that I wanted my boys to LOVE reading, yet I was always anxious regarding literature analysis. Each year, I invested a huge amount of time investigating Progeny Press, Learning Language Arts Through Literature, as well as additional curriculum options. Why was I failing? Why couldn't I provide literary analysis??? Anytime I asked my kids "How did you enjoy the book? " all I ever got was "It was terrific mom - where is the next one? " If I read out loud to them, they would chuckle at the humorous areas, and also ask me to read more (or more quickly! )#) at the exciting portions. However, we never genuinely had a beneficial dialogue around the deeper meanings of the literature we read.

Last summer, when the kids arrived home from their first year in college, I felt like I could finally claim I had been successful in my objective of teaching them to appreciate literature. "For fun" they went to the library to get some reading material. My son Alex read what seemed to be the whole Shakespeare cannon; my son Kevin read C. S. Lewis plus some Dostoevsky.

During the Spring of their Sophomore year, I found an additional bit of proof indicating that I had, actually, been successful. My younger son started a Jane Austen Club at college. That spring he put-together the "Pemberly Ball" at the college, complete with period costumes, decorations, and food of the period of time. It was a big achievement! My boys both ENJOY the Jane Austen books and movies, and they loved the Jane Austen influenced Pemberly Ball.

How can you teach a love for literature? All that is needed is to give them great books! I might have been worried when they were in high school, however I can truthfully claim that I realized my objective: my boys LOVE literature. Yippee! I win.