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CKwasniewski
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| Posted: Oct 12 2007 at 10:36am | IP Logged
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I am thinking about doing the Narnia unit study "Further Up, Further In" with my ds next semester. However, I have one nagging question--by turning these beloved books into "school" will I take the joy out of them?
I know the idea is to put joy into school, but I am afraid it will end up backfiring. Can anyone tell me about their experiences? share tips for keeping the fun in it?
Thanks a lot!
ck
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KackyK
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| Posted: Oct 12 2007 at 10:49am | IP Logged
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I think it depends on what you do with them...meaning which activities from the Further Up book. We did it with my oldest dd when she was 5th grade and I tried a lot of the bible suggestions and such...and that did begin to turn her off. So really the only activities we ended up doing from the Further Up book were the artsy ones...nothing that involved too much extra writng (like the vocabulary suggestions).
I'm doing it again with my second oldest, he is 5th grade now, I just assign a chapter a day and when there is a picture suggestion or such, I assign that. Sometimes we chat about it...but that's about it. I'm sure someone else has probably been much more creative 
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Oct 12 2007 at 12:54pm | IP Logged
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I have tried designing units for ds around books before and it has always been a failure. It's exactly like what you said--sucks the joy right out of them.
That is, until our Harry Potter unit, which was a great success. But it was different in that ds had already read the books and loved them. So I wasn't messing around with the reading bit (no vocabulary or reading comp questions, which we despise here). I was just more expanding the whole Harry Potter experience a bit by approaching his regular subjects in a Harry Potter way, kwim?
Perhaps for Narnia, it might be fun to take that approach also?
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Martha
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| Posted: Oct 12 2007 at 1:56pm | IP Logged
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I've had the same expereince as Theresa.
Which I'm actually okay with sometimes. Not everything has to be fun, kwim? they can't always read what they like to either. Sometimes we just have to do and learn something whether we like it or not.
Now if you just want to have fun and delve a little deeper, I highly recommend letting them read at their own pace and just ask them what they want to do as you go each week. This is what we do several times a year. They get annoyed with waiting to read the next chapter or stopping to dissect terms and such and soon decide it's not worth the trouble. They read at their own pace and we do a few activities a week.
We had a blast doing that with the Prairie Primer a couple years ago and hope to do it with FUFI after this easter.
And we do mini units with FIAR and Homeschool Share through out the year.
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CKwasniewski
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| Posted: Oct 12 2007 at 3:35pm | IP Logged
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Theresa,
That's exactly the kind of thing I had in mind!
We've read them and listened to them on cd before. So, there's no need to LABOR over that... I wanted something exciting we could relate our other subjects to. Something to make them relevant and CONNECTED to life...
We'll also be starting medieval history soon, so that seemed like a good fit. At least for the atmosphere...
Okay, so the point is, get the book and don't follow it, right?  Tweak, tweak, tweak!
This is also something I can get excited about too....
thanks,
ck
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CKwasniewski
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On the other hand...
I was searching for old comments on this.... and now I am beginning to wonder if its worth the money...?
It doesn't seem to be really complete unit study... or even an in depth one for Narnia... If I'm going to have to tweak and add in Catholic stuff and religious symbolism... Might as well make my own?????
Any thoughts, ladies?
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MaryM
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| Posted: Oct 12 2007 at 7:52pm | IP Logged
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CKwasniewski wrote:
It doesn't seem to be really complete unit study... or even an in depth one for Narnia... If I'm going to have to tweak and add in Catholic stuff and religious symbolism... Might as well make my own????? |
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We used it for a co-op class a few years ago and that is what I had to do -- add more religious symbolism, especially form the Catholic perspective. We used the study guide from Luminous Media/Ascension Press.
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CKwasniewski
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| Posted: Oct 12 2007 at 8:03pm | IP Logged
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Well, then, MaryM do you think its worth $50 (or even $35 used)? Or should I get a couple guides instead and put something together myself?
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Martha
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okay, it's been a while since I looked at mine, so I went to go pull it out...
I'll just give a skim off the first section ... Not sure how much I can write without copyright issues...
There is biblic references, as one would expect for any C. S. Lewis study, but I don't see why one could just use the catholic bible. There's selections for memorization that could be used for dictation or copywork? Or just discuss the faith in open conversation, my first option.
Other literary works that tie in are references rather frequently. I like that.
Several research topics are offerred in each section. Such as invention of the vacuum cleaner, atlantis, India, photography, to name a few from the Magician's Nephew first section.
Video movies and field trips are suggested, Little Women and a photography studio for examples from same section.
There's a character list where the student is to keep a running list of the charachter's and then list next to them what or who they might be a symbol of.
Anther sheet that wants them to list the consequences for others of Diggory's mistake and whether it was good or bad.
vocabulary for each chapter
art type stuff sprinkled about... a bookmark to make, pantomime performance
history discussion/research on C.S. Lewis time frame 1888 (the year he says Diggory was born)
english is discussng what allegory and parables are
and parts of book
geography find and research India
By looking in the "subjects covered, I will say the bible is a rather large subject. However, the science subject is a pretty decent size too. I think the geography/social studies and history sections could have been made much larger, but as they are they could be great spring boards to some rabbit trails.
The receipes are simple, but well I don't want to insult anyone but it's english fair.
the activities are also simple. the study is supposed to be for up to grade 12, but I think the activities/craft suggested are really for those under 7th grade.
I don't regret buying mine, at full price no less.
But it is not on par with the prairie primer, which could easily be a full 2 year program.
please forgive typeos my left side has long gone numb from the 35 pould boulder nursing as I type
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marihalojen
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You can view samples here of the Planning Guide, Study Guide, Topics Covered, Background Information, Sample Worksheet, and Activity Appendix from Margie's Cadron Creek site. Hope that helps the decision making process!
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CKwasniewski
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| Posted: Oct 13 2007 at 8:31am | IP Logged
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Martha,
Thank you for typing all that! (with a 35 pound baby nursing no less!  )
And thanks for the link Jennifer.
I looked over their samples.... and I can see that even with all the adjustments, it would still be worth getting.
Thanks for all your help, ladies!
Blessings,
CK
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Q about book-based unit studies
