While there is a decided emphasis in Lightning Literature on enjoying and understanding the literature, the program is also decidedly comprehensive in its grammar and usage coverage and just plain expectant in its composition assignments. A Teacher Guide, a Student Workbook, and lots of classic (along with some contemporary) children's literature are the components for the program. Level 4 builds on the goal to instill a love for great literature, children read twelve classic or modern children’s books throughout the year. Poetry is also explored. Grammar/mechanics and composition are integral to the course, with attention to expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative writing.
Students read twelve modern and classic books from different genres including science fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Literature titles can be purchased in a package or individually. They may also be available from your local library.
Literature selections for Grade 4 include: Tuck Everlasting, Borrowers, Family Under the Bridge, Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Dreamer, Morning Girl, Love That Dog, One and Only Ivan, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Earth Dragon Awakes, Gone Fishing: Novel in Verse, and Nim's Island.
The Teacher Guide is the heart of the program and is necessary. It's here that the general flavor of the program is most obvious including its orientation toward teacher-student interaction rather than independent student work. Detailed daily instructions are written in first person to the parent/teacher. The flexibility built into the program is reiterated often with examples of how to adapt the teaching instructions for students who are sluggish or need extra challenge. Weekly schedules have a basic structure. Each day includes literature study, grammar/mechanics study, and work on the weekly composition assignment. All workbook answers are provided in the Teacher Guide
The Student Workbooks include some instructional material but are essentially consumable worktexts. Most of the grammar exercises are included here along with space to write thoughts about the reading selection (i.e. Reading Journal Pages: What this Story is About, What I Think of this Story, and My Favorite Sentence). The books are colorful and appealing. Literature Only Packages include all the literature selections needed for the course. The Grade 4 Full Year Package includes all the literature plus the Teacher Guide and Student Workbook.
