Essentials in Writing & Literature Level 12 Bundle with Online Video Subscription

This program emphasizes connecting literature with authors, characters, events, and places. Each level highlights 4 different genres. Grades 7-9 span fiction, nonfiction, a specific novel, and poetry. Grades 10-12 study fiction, drama, a specific novel, and poetry. All grades utilize video teaching, assignments, optional extended activities, and assessments.

Occasionally literary selections are edgy, such as the 8th grade coverage of Night by Elie Wiesel (an autobiography of a young Jew who was in Auschwitz). The content is always handled with discernment and discretion, and the Resource Booklet gives the parent advance notice of anything that might be considered problematic in content. A list of all the shorter literature needed is included inside the Resource Book. Selections are typically public domain.

Lessons in Fiction focus on short stories and cover elements such as plot, conflict, mood, tone, setting, theme/symbol, characters, point of view, foreshadowing, and flashback, as well as author/story background and figurative language (onomatopoeia, simile, imagery, personification). You’ll need to resource any required shorter works through public domain. Each level includes a list of these shorter pieces inside the Resource Book. We also have free pdfs of each piece available on our website. Each of the four units have summative assessments. Some units will add culminating activities. Lessons in Nonfiction (such as biographies/autobiographies, informative texts, propaganda techniques, and narrative nonfiction) cover concepts such as bias, tone, purpose, types of nonfiction, research, letters, informative articles, book reviews, taking notes, perspective, and structure. Novel Unit lessons cover character development, skimming/scanning, setting/mood, internal/external conflict, making inferences, problem/solutions, foreshadowing, making predictions, and theme. Lessons in the Poetry Unit cover elements of poetry: structure, sound devices, figurative language, metaphor, mood/tone, dialect, simile, rhythm, symbolism, voice, rhyme scheme, hyperbole, personification, diction, and imagery. The upper grade Drama Units teach main dramatic elements such as conflict, plot, character analysis, and mood while examining in depth one play (such as Our Town or Macbeth).

All lessons follow a pattern, typically a 5-day pattern. There are Before You Read lessons (meet the author, analyzing literature lectures, vocabulary, story background). As you read, lessons will help students focus on the reading. After You Read lessons cover analyzing literary elements, comprehension checks, vocabulary, and analyzing figurative language. Independent Practice activities summarize the instructional emphasis from the lessons and give the student literary composition practice.

Bundle sets include the spiral-bound Student Workbook, a Teacher Resource Booklet, the online subscription teaching videos, and a print copy of the course novel. The Student Book contains both the instructional text for the course and analytical worksheets (particularly in lower grades) for completing some of the assignments. The instructional information is thorough and comprehensive, reflecting the content from the teaching videos. The Resource Booklet is packed with materials needed. There is a general overview of the course, some instructions for handling content (for particularly difficult or questionable content), a course syllabus, and a detailed answer key. Lessons are detailed in the Resource Booklet and clearly marked as daily lessons in the student books, which include video cues and all needed student worksheets. The digital instructional videos are a required component and are very well done. Please note, if you purchase a set with Online Video, you will receive the print components of the course in your shipment and a separate email from Essentials in Writing with information on accessing the online video. Video access lasts one year from activation. ~ Ruth

Please note it may take 1-3 business days for an online profile to be set up once Essentials in Writing receives your email request.

If you would like to use both Essentials in Writing and Essentials in Literature, you can now purchase bundles of these programs together. They work well in conjunction with each other. Both offer video-based lessons available with DVDs or with online access (12-month subscription).

Essentials in Writing is a well-organized grammar and composition course. Video instructor Matthew Stephens taught English at the elementary and high school levels for years, and he used his experience to good effect in authoring this course. Video Lessons are presented in bite-sized chunks, each focusing on one main point with supporting workbook activities as follow-up. The quality of the video and audio is good, showing Mr. Stephens teaching in front of a classroom using a white board. For younger grades, the teacher and student watch the videos together, then discuss. Students in middle school watch the videos on their own (instruction is always directed to the student) with follow-up teacher-student discussion of the material and assignments. Lesson lengths are age appropriate ranging from 3-4 minutes of video and 15-20 minutes total in lower grades to 7-8 minutes of video and lesson totals of 20-40 minutes in the upper grades. Grammar is taught in context (no diagramming) and covered more in the elementary courses. By levels 8-12, the focus is sentence and paragraph structure as used in essays, research papers and personal/business letters. The Workbook worksheets coordinate with the video. Ideally, the student and teacher would look at the worksheet before viewing the video for that day's lesson. Worksheets are used sequentially with some lessons being completed in one day and some being split into multiple days. Grading is made easier with checklists and scoring guides included right in the lesson and an answer key to specific exercises included in the back of the workbook.

The Essentials in Literature program spans four main literature genres and utilizes video teaching, assignments, and assessments. For each genre, units introduce genre-specific modes including a variety of types. For example, the Nonfiction unit may include biographies, propaganda, and more, while learning about bias, purpose, and researching. Fiction lessons focus on genre and key literary elements. Study Novels in a separate unit, examining characters, conflict, theme, etc. The Poetry unit examines figurative devices, rhythm, diction, and more. The Student Workbook combines thorough, comprehensive instruction and analytical worksheets. Activities occur throughout the reading process and include analysis, vocabulary and literary composition practice. The Teacher Handbook contains a course overview, content handling directions (identifying difficult or questionable content), a course syllabus with clearly marked daily lessons and video clues, and a detailed answer key.

During the absence of his father, Travis, the oldest son at 14, attempts to maintain the family farm in post-Civil War Texas.