The Reader's Odyssey: An Individualized Literature Program for Homeschooling Middle and High School Students

About this book

The Readers Odyssey is a four-year literature program for homeschoolers that combines structure and flexibility to instill in students a propensity to engage in good and great books. Emphasizing the value of classic works that have endured the test of time this programs developmentally appropriate "errorless" approach allows students to focus first on exploring many diverse literary works and only later on applying what they have learned to interpreting and evaluating literature for themselves. The individualized aspect of the program allows fluent and reluctant readers alike to accumulate meaningful experiences with literature to appreciate ideas that are beautiful and true and to grow more sophisticated and wiser in understanding through reading. The first half of the book explains the philosophy behind this program and differentiates it from typical approaches to teaching literature. Unlike other programs that impose readings and test students on a books content or meaning with this program students choose what they will read and when and their responses reflect their own thinking not their teachers. For their part teachers organize work by making appealing options accessible to students and by clarifying minimal requirements that students can then opt to exceed. Written responses align with students level of understanding and growth is evidenced in increasingly sophisticated reading selections and responses. The second half of the book provides practical tools for teachers and students including templates for reading logs and learning contracts worksheets that teach literary elements and interpretation techniques guided instruction for written responses such as book summaries and literary analyses recommendations for appropriate and appealing literature from diverse literary genres and a list of classic literary works classified by each works degree of challenge and relative length.