I am excited every time we get to review things that focus on reading. The foundation of our schooling is literature based, so the kids spend a large portion of their school day lost in a book. While I do appreciate the need for some fluff in their reading, we rely on quality writings most of the time. That's why when the Homeschool Review Crew had the opportunity to choose one of many products offered by Hewitt Homeschooling Resources, I was immediately drawn to the Gr 8 Lightning Lit Set. Not only does their Lightning Literature & Composition series focus on whole books and classical literature, but it also teaches deep reading and writing skills.
Hewitt Homeschooling offers a balanced, flexible, and complete approach to home education. They believe that the best option is home school, not school at home, by providing hands-on activities and great literature. Their goals are to combine excellent academics with character development, to instill a strong work ethic, and to cultivate a spirit of community service.
There is a Lightning Literature & Composition level for every student from grades 1-12. For the elementary and junior high years, the curriculum is grade-specific; for the high school years, it is based on a time, place, topic, or author per semester. The early levels focus on a variety of books to instill a love of reading and gently incorporate grammar skills. By the advanced levels, the students will be introduced to exciting authors, strengthen their comprehension skills, and concentrate on strong writing exercises.
I chose the Gr 8 Lightning Lit Set by Elizabeth Kamath for our oldest child. Even though he will be starting high school classes in the fall, this is his first experience with the Lightning Lit courses. I knew this would be a good challenge for him, because while he reads a lot, we haven't spent too much time on his writing abilities.
The course utilizes 6 classic books with an additional collection of short stories and poems.
The books, written between the early 1800s through the mid 1900s, cover both fiction and nonfiction and take the reader on a journey from a Greek Island to Middle Earth to the high seas to a home in Poland to a small town in Alabama and more. The stories were chosen to combine both fun and enlightening works as they introduce the student to a world beyond his immediate experience.
The complete set includes the curriculum and all necessary reading materials, but for the purpose of this review, we received only the following curriculum books:
The Student's Guide is the textbook of the course. It contains all the teaching materials as the lessons are written directly to the student. The chapters of the Student's Guide alternate between a classic book from the list and a portion of the Stories and Poems book. Each chapter follows the same format:
There is a Lightning Literature & Composition level for every student from grades 1-12. For the elementary and junior high years, the curriculum is grade-specific; for the high school years, it is based on a time, place, topic, or author per semester. The early levels focus on a variety of books to instill a love of reading and gently incorporate grammar skills. By the advanced levels, the students will be introduced to exciting authors, strengthen their comprehension skills, and concentrate on strong writing exercises.
I chose the Gr 8 Lightning Lit Set by Elizabeth Kamath for our oldest child. Even though he will be starting high school classes in the fall, this is his first experience with the Lightning Lit courses. I knew this would be a good challenge for him, because while he reads a lot, we haven't spent too much time on his writing abilities.
The course utilizes 6 classic books with an additional collection of short stories and poems.
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- A Day of Pleasure by Isaac Bashevis Singer
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children (various authors) by Harold Bloom
The books, written between the early 1800s through the mid 1900s, cover both fiction and nonfiction and take the reader on a journey from a Greek Island to Middle Earth to the high seas to a home in Poland to a small town in Alabama and more. The stories were chosen to combine both fun and enlightening works as they introduce the student to a world beyond his immediate experience.
The complete set includes the curriculum and all necessary reading materials, but for the purpose of this review, we received only the following curriculum books:
- Student's Guide
- Workbook
- Teacher's Guide
- Introduction -- a brief biography of the author(s) in the lesson; an explanation of the lesson
- While You Read -- questions or aspects to consider while reading
- Vocabulary List -- various words from the story divided by chapters and a brief definition of each
- Comprehension Questions -- questions to help discern the student's attention to and understand of the reading material
- Literary Lesson -- "the heart and soul" of the curriculum; teaches concepts such as figurative language, character, symbolism, imagery, and more
- Mini-Lesson -- one per chapter; can relate to the reading or introduce a composition skill; most chapters involve writing a research report
- Writing Exercises -- may pertain to the literary lesson, research paper, or essay; students should complete one or more of the suggestions listed
The Workbook is a 277-page, consumable book that complements the Student's Guide. The pages should be completed after the reading has been done but before the writing assignments. There are 7 types of exercises: relating to the literary lessons, relating to the mini-lessons, thinking skills, grammar and mechanics, literary analysis, puzzles, and extra-challenge. There can be more than one type in a chapter or none of one type at all. The first ones are required, but the last two exercises (puzzles and extra-challenge) are optional. The elective exercises include word searches, crossword puzzles, and various language arts topics. The number of exercises varies per chapter, but there is a total of over 100 exercises throughout the course.
The Teacher's Guide is a must-have addition to the curriculum. Not only does it contain all of the answers to the workbook pages, but has additional teaching helps and valuable tips to aid struggling students.
The format is identical to the Student's Guide, making it simple to follow along. The beginning of the book gives and explanation of the course and its components, explains the importance of both reading and writing, and lists a weekly schedule for the curriculum with check boxes.
In the 6 weeks that my son has been using this curriculum, he has read "A Crazy Tale" from Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children and Treasure Island. He has learned about an author's purpose in writing, taking notes, setting, and rewriting in his own words. He has practiced capitalization and apostrophes; described sights, sound, touch, smell, and taste for various settings in the house; identified bias, analyzed literature; determined fact or opinion; and more. In the coming weeks, he will learn about free verse and ballad, sharing culture through nonfiction, citing sources, character development, narration, figurative language, sentence structure, and much more.
There is a great variety of exercises throughout the book that include short answer, multiple choice, underlining, and markings along with the longer assignments. It's a good combination that teaches the concepts without making my son feel overwhelmed. I've already seen an improvement in not only his writing abilities but his confidence, as well. I'm excited about the possibilities as we progress through the materials.
I have been thoroughly impressed with the Gr 8 Lightning Lit Set. I appreciate the combination of strong, classical literature with a thorough teaching of composition and writing. I feel confident that Hewitt Homeschooling Resources will benefit my son as he enters his high school years.
You can connect with Hewitt Homeschooling Resources on the following social media sites:
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My crewmates and I had many options to review including other levels of Lightning Lit, a few My First Reports, and various high school courses. You can read those reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.
The format is identical to the Student's Guide, making it simple to follow along. The beginning of the book gives and explanation of the course and its components, explains the importance of both reading and writing, and lists a weekly schedule for the curriculum with check boxes.
There is a great variety of exercises throughout the book that include short answer, multiple choice, underlining, and markings along with the longer assignments. It's a good combination that teaches the concepts without making my son feel overwhelmed. I've already seen an improvement in not only his writing abilities but his confidence, as well. I'm excited about the possibilities as we progress through the materials.
I have been thoroughly impressed with the Gr 8 Lightning Lit Set. I appreciate the combination of strong, classical literature with a thorough teaching of composition and writing. I feel confident that Hewitt Homeschooling Resources will benefit my son as he enters his high school years.
You can connect with Hewitt Homeschooling Resources on the following social media sites:
YouTube
My crewmates and I had many options to review including other levels of Lightning Lit, a few My First Reports, and various high school courses. You can read those reviews on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.
