Q & A: For the Love of Literature

The word has gotten out that For the Love of Literature is on its way to bookshelves and as a result I've received a few emails with questions about the book. In case some of you have the same questions, I'd like to share them with you here:

Congratulations from Canada on your new book! I began placing an order a few moments ago. However, the shipping is $30 to Canada! Will there be a Canadian distributor or another way?

Yes, shipping costs to Canada are extravagant ever since the USPS changed the rates a few months back. Now, we can only ship by air due to terrorist activities. It's a terrible shame and out of our hands.

For a Canadian distributor, Ecce Homo Press suggests requesting Blue Mantle Educational Supplies carry the book.

Your book looks very interesting. Can you share whether or not it would be a good resource for secular homeschoolers?

The book has a strong Catholic ethos, but I think that it would still be helpful for people of varying faiths including someone looking strictly for secular sources.

The Catholic books listed in For the Love of Literature are denoted with a cross symbol. So, you can easily pick them out. I wouldn't discard them outright if I were non-Catholic, as many of them will still have great value to you, but it would help you discern which ones are right for you and for your family.

Congratulations on your book! I am wondering, though, if the lists in your book are going to have book titles not found in the many other reading lists that are already available?

For the Love of Literature has 950 books listed and from a Catholic world view. I imagine that you could find a good number of those books on other lists if you combined 6 or 7 of them. With For the Love of Literature, I save you that trouble.

The lists are separated by school subject: Art, Music, Math, Science, and History. Books are coded by age level and a description of each individual book's plot is given. It's not so much a literature list as a guide to books which can be used to teach core subjects.

There are also short chapters on implementing real books in your homeschool, using your library, Charlotte Mason, classical education, and more.

Sorry to ask a cheapskate question, but we are thrifty you know... Do you know if Barnes & Noble is going to carry it? I'm just checking because B & N has free shipping over $25, and 10% discount always for members.

Being The Thrifty Homeschooler, I never mind a cheapskate question! Ecce Homo Press does sell their books on amazon.com. I've only seen used copies on B&N.

The good news is that this prepublication deal may be as good or better than you could get at the online shops. Yes, you'll have to pay shipping & handling, but it's priced really cheap. It's a nearly 300 page book with a regular price of 11.95. The prepublication price is only 9.55. As my 11-year old would say, "Sweet deal!"

Not only that, you'd be supporting some great Catholic families in the process so that they can grow in what they can offer.

Another thought is to fill out a purchase request form at your library website and have your friends to do the same thing. If your library buys it, you can make sure it's something you want to spend your own money on. (It really is more a resource than a sit-down-and-read book, so you'll want to own For the Love of Literature as it's so handy to be able to write in it, highlight it, and carry with you to book sales and the library.)

Plus, I think For the Love of Literature is a great resource for librarians -- with 950 book recommendations, it gives librarians a real insight to what books homeschoolers like to check out of the library.

I would like to buy For the Love of Literature because I don't like Honey for a Child's Heart's endorsement of Harry Potter (or so I've heard). This one doesn't does it?

No, For the Love of Literature does not endorse HP. Harry Potter is not mentioned anywhere in the book. You may want to check Honey for a Child's Heart for yourself. My copy makes no absolutely mention of HP, but it is possible that the author included it in a later edition.


And thank you everyone for your congrats and good wishes!

Rave Review for LOL

The Michigan Catholic Home-Educators ran a lovely review of For the Love of Literature in their quarterly newsletter, Opus Gloria:

New Book From Michigan Author

Maureen Wittmann’s new book For the Love of Literature! is a real treasure for home schooling parents! Maureen calls her book a “glorified booklist” but it is much more than that. She has done extensive research so that you can have at your finger tips a list of 950 books pertaining to any subject at any grade level including high school.  She has mapped out a lifetime reading plan that will be useful to all ages. In addition, her book shows how literature can be used to teach and reinforce values that lie at the heart of a truly Catholic education. 
 
Although this book is designed especially for Catholic home schooling parents, it would be useful to any parent.  The guide can be used to teach core subjects using literature, to supplement curriculum, or just to find great books to nourish a child’s love for reading. The book lists are extensive and up-to-date and feature biographies, historical fiction, beautiful books, etc. to study any subject area of interest. A synopsis of each  book’s plot and usefulness is given. There are also chapters on implementing literature in your home school, using your library, unit studies, classical education, and more.

Maureen, who is from Howell, Michigan, is a home schooling mother of seven children and frequent speaker at home schooling conference across the country  She is also the co-editor of The Catholic Homeschool Companion, a collection of articles written by 45 home schooling parents who share their tips, tricks, and techniques to make home schooling a happier, holier, and more productive learning environment.
 
For the Love of Literature can be ordered from Ecce Homo Press at www.eccehomopress.com or call 866-305-8362. The Catholic Homeschool Companion can be ordered from Sophia Institute Press www.sophiainstitute.com  or call  800-888-9343.  Both books will be available at the MCH book tables at the conference.

For those of you unfamiliar with the MI Catholic Home-Educators, they do a great deal to help their fellow homeschoolers through their annual conference in Lansing, the Father Hardon Scholarship Fund, and so much more. Thank you MCH!

The books can also be ordered directly from me if you'd like them signed. Just check the sidebar of this blog.

How to Teach with Real Books

Anyone out there feeling less than gung-ho about getting back to the grindstone after the Christmas break? If you're struggling with a little winter burnout then join me for the upcoming Homeschool Connection webinars. I promise to help you put the excitement back into the school year.

Here are the online seminars Walter Crawford and I have in store for you:
Feb. 4 -- How to Teach History with Real Books
Mar. 4 -- How to Teach Art and Music Appreciation with Real Books
Apr. 1 -- How to Teach Math and Science with Real Books

Literature isn't just for reading! You can teach math, science, language arts, and more using living books. This series of three talks on the topic of teaching through real books is an extension of Maureen's book For the Love of Literature.

Do you have fond memories of your high school history textbook? Of memorizing dates in grade school? Of endless history lectures in college. If not, then toss the textbooks and join us for an uplifting and fun talk on how to teach history with living literature. Bring to your children a love for learning after attending How to Teach History with Real Books.

Do you have a love for beautiful art and music? Would you like to share that love with your children? Would you like to learn about all of the beautiful books available for children and young adults? Do you yearn for uplifting books that not only teach but help to create a joy for learning? If so, How to Teach Art and Music Appreciation with Real Books is the talk for you.

Have you ever said out loud, "I hate math!" Or, "Math was my worst subject!" Was science always a tough subject for you? Do you struggle wondering how you can bring the fullness of the subject to your children? Would you like them to see God's hand in these discipline? If so, you've come to the right place.

In How to Teach Math and Science with Real Books Maureen will show you how to let go of your math and science phobia and keep from passing it onto your children. Math can be fun and interesting. Really. You just need to look at it in a new light. Science can go beyond the kitchen experiments and come alive in a child's imagination. Really.

Maureen will bring lots of books with her for show and tell. You'll leave this online seminar loaded with book titles, fresh ideas, and practical tips. You won't want to miss it!

There is a $10 fee for each live talk. The fee also allows you to watch the recorded event at a later date with no additional cost. The Thrifty Homeschooler in me has to tell you that you are more than welcome to invite a friend or two over for Mom's Night Out and split the cost of the live online seminar.

If you can't attend a live talk but would like to see a recorded version it will be available at a later date for only $4.

I hope to see several of you there -- these live online seminars are way fun to do and to attend!

Addendum: It has come to my attention that if you own a Mac you cannot see the live video of the presenter even though you can hear the live audio, participate in the live chat, and view the Power Point Presentation. However, you can see the video in the recorded session (which is free if you paid for the live event). Hopefully, this will be fixed before February but if it isn't you'll want to keep that in mind before paying for the live event. Another option is to watch it with a friend who owns a PC or wait and simply purchase the recorded version later. If you'd like to complain to Webex go to http://www.webex.com/companyinfo/contact.html.

Living Books, Homeschooling, and Math & Science

The math and science webinar went well last week. Oh, there were a few glitches (I'm always my worst critic) but the attendees loved it. If you weren't able to make it there, you can still attend the recorded event -- for free no less. You can watch it, download it, and even email it to friends.

However, before I tell you the details of the webinar, I have a few people to thank.



I'm really excited that Living Math was one of our sponsors so that Homeschool Connections could bring the math & science webinar to you and other homeschoolers for free. If you visit the Living Math webisite, let Julie know how much you appreciate her generosity and all the other wonderful things she does for homeschoolers.

The Living Math's website full of loads of tips and reviews to help you bring a true appreciation of math to your homeschool. There is also an accompanying Yahoo Group that is a vibrant email list that has provided me with a ton of help and inspiration.

If you're planning on purchasing some living math books, please consider linking from the Living Math website as it helps Julie keep the website running.




I am also happy to let you know about our other sponsor: Ecce Homo Press, publisher of the ever popular Little Flowers Girls Club and Blue Knights Boys Club materials, the Glory of America series, Little Women Hospitality Program, and more. They are also the publisher of my book For the Love of Literature which was the inspiration for this series of webinars.

The other Homeschool Connections sponsors include:
Love2Learn
mater et magistra

Now for information on the newest recorded webinar:
Bringing Joy to Your Homeschool Math and Science Lessons:

Literature isn't just for reading! You can teach math, science, language arts, and more using living books. This is the third in a series of three talks on the topic of teaching through real books.

Have you ever said out loud, "I hate math!" Or, "Math was my worst subject!" Was science always a tough subject for you? Do you struggle wondering how you can bring the fullness of the subject to your children? If so, you've come to the right place.

In this talk Maureen Wittmann shows you how to let go of your math and science phobia and keep from passing it onto your children. Math can be fun and interesting. Really. You just need to look at it in a new light. Science can go beyond the kitchen experiments and come alive in a child's imagination. Really.

Maureen brings lots of books with her for show and tell. You'll leave this online seminar loaded with book titles, fresh ideas, and practical tips. You won't want to miss it!

Maureen is the author of For the Love of Literature: Teaching Core Subjects Through Literature published by Ecce Homo Press, available from your favorite bookseller or maureenwittmann.com.

Religion as a Core Subject

Someone recently wrote to me:

If there is a drawback to this book, I could only suggest that a Religion section be added to the next edition. It is my personal belief that Religion is a core subject, and I would be very interested in finding good books for my children in that area of study.

I've been waiting for this question as it is a question I asked myself over and over again as I worked to complete For the Love of Literature. I do firmly believe religion is a core subject. In fact, as stated in A Catholic Homeschool Treasury, I believe it to be the 4th 'R (religion, reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic).


However, as I wrote in the How to Use This Book chapter, I wanted the books in the other core subjects (math, art, music, science, history) to reflect our Catholicism. Instead of pulling religion out as a seperate subject I chose to make sure the books in the other subjects raised our hearts to God.

For example, books on creation found their way into the history section. Books on the spiritual lives of Renaissance artists found their way into the art section. Biographies of Catholic scientists found their way into the science section. And so on. You will find many good books in the study of religion in For the Love of Literature, but they will be intertwined with the art, music, math, science, and history books rather pooled together into one separate section.


I believe our Catholicism should be reflected in everything we do, not just church on Sunday. And so, we should teach it that way. It should be meshed with all school subjects. I want religion, for my own children, to be a natural part of their lives. Not something that is pulled out separately and kept in a box.

The problem I had with this approach was that adorable books like The Princess and the Kiss didn't make it into For the Love of Literature. But then again, I have another book in my head that would cover "literature for enjoyment" rather than "books that teach core subjects" and it would include The Princess and the Kiss, The Squire and the Scroll, The Hobbit, LOTR, etc. I may share more about that book project with you soon, but perhaps I should mention it to my publisher first.

The Wanderer LOL Review

For those of you who have been just absolutely dying to know how The Wanderer review went, I have it here for you:

For the Love Of Literature
Pete Vere

Maureen Wittmann is a name known to many Catholic home­schooling parents. Maureen has written and edited several practi­cal works on Catholic home­schooling. (Full disclosure: I au­thored the canon law chapter of The Catholic Homeschool Com­panion, a compilation of home­schooling essays she edited with Rachel Mackson for Sophia Insti­tute Press.) Maureen’s most recent offering is For the Love of Literature: Teaching Core Subjects With Lit­erature (ISBN 978-0-9797609-0­9). This 253-page book helps home-schooling parents build a reading curriculum for their chil­dren in a diversity of subjects — including art and music apprecia­tion, math, history, science, and building a reading library.

The first few chapters offer nu­merous tips on where to find good home-schooling resources. From the local library to the Internet to small publishers catering to the home-school market, Maureen has amassed a number of resources in her 12 years as a home-schooling mother. She is also experienced at adapting these resources to her own children, turning books into learning plans. These experiences are the basis for several practical suggestions Maureen shares with the reader.

Yet the bulk of the book is bib­liography. There are hundreds of titles listed that parents may find useful in building a home- school­ing curriculum. Each entry pro­vides the book’s name, approxi­mate age category, and two or three sentences describing its con­tent. Also noted is whether the book is Catholic or contains ob­jectionable content.

For the Love of Literature re­tails for $ 12.95 and is published by Ecce Homo Press, a small pub­lisher of Catholic home-schooling materials based out of La Grange, Ky. (http://www.eccehomopress.com/).

Thank you Pete and Wanderer editors.

Continuing Education With the Love of Literature

“I have no doubt For the Love of Literature will prove to be a valuable tool for new homeschoolers, veteran homeschoolers, public school teachers, librarians, private school board members, your teacher-aunt, your neighbor with the 2-year-old and the new baby, your pregnant cousin, all parents who have a love for their children, and even the niece or nephew headed to college.

Maureen calls her book a "glorified booklist" but it is way more than that. She has done a job of extensive research in putting this book together so you and your children (no matter how or where they are educated) can enjoy the ripe benefits of continuing their education through the love of literature.

On behalf of all parents who devote their lives to educating their children for life, thank you, Maureen, for all you've done and all you continue to do for us!”

-- Cay Gibson, author, Catholic Mosaic

If you would like to order For the Love of Literature, just check the sidebar of this blog. If you have questions about the book, please feel free to email me.

Books for Boys (and Girls) and Tale of Manaeth

When I speak or write on the topic of literature, the one comment I always get is, "I need book ideas for boys!" I've written on this topic countless times and still people ask me, "What are good books for boys?" So, when my friend Phillip Campbell gave his new book to me, Tale of Manaeth, I just knew I'd have to tell you all about it. If you have boys, buy this book. Gosh, if you have girls, buy this book. The boys will love the blood, guts, and gory war scenes. The girls will love the fact that the hero is a girl.

First, about the author. I know Phillip through our Catholic homeschool group. He's a homeschool dad who also provides tutoring services for local homeschoolers. In fact, I was so impressed by his natural teaching ability (my kids love him!) that I hired him for Homeschool Connections. Phillip is an Ave Maria University grad and currently a Madonna education graduate student. He is also the Director of Religious Education for a terrific parish in Ann Arbor.

While Phillip's book is not overtly Catholic, Tale of Manaeth was written by a dedicated and faithful Catholic. I like that. I get weary reading kid lit and weeding out the trash.

As The Curt Jester wrote recently, "Tale of Manaeth is an old school fantasy epic written in the narrative style like the Iliad or Tolkien’s Silmarillion." When Phillip first handed the book to me he mentioned that he was concerned that the writing style might be hard on modern ears, but he had nothing to worry about. It's refreshing to immerse oneself in language that excites the soul, that makes you think about the words themselves.

Yet, it is not the writing style that puts this book at the top of my list. It's the girl hero. She is a princess, living the good life, when suddenly she is thrust into a life or death situation. Not just her own life, but the life of her royal subjects. It reminds me a little bit of Alice in The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. (A book I really should review one day but for now I'll say I liked it but there is a huge red flag for the sequel Seeing Redd. Huge.)

But back to Phillip's Tale of Manaeth. Our heroine is Manaeth whose name is changed to Manissa. After all, she is no longer the same person. Manaeth was a young, naive girl. Manissa is a warrior queen. Unexpected, unplanned. She didn't ask for the job of warrior queen. Didn't necessarily want it. Yet rose to the occasion when called upon and saves the world with her wisdom, tenacity, and moral compass.

I love those kinds of heroes. That is the kind of hero a child can relate to and aspire to be. It demonstrates how everyday people living everyday lives can overcome the worst of situations and save the world. Isn't that what we all love about Peter in Narnia and Frodo in LOTR, who do things out of personal conviction, because it's the right thing to do and not out of a quest for fame and fortune?

So, if you're looking for a good read for your older tweens or teens, or gosh for yourself, I recommend Tale of Manaeth. (Make sure to ask the author to autograph for you!)

Review: Warriors: Into the Wild

I'm finally getting around to the Warriors review I promised eons ago. If you haven't yet heard of this series, you may not have tween boys in your house. It seems to be all the rage among the middle school boys in our homeschool group.

I did let Buster read it before I got to it, but I wasn't too worried as I trust the boys who recommended it to him in the first place. However, when I finally picked it up I had a big red flag go up when I read the author's bio, "Erin Hunter is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having a great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior, shaped by her interest in astrology and standing stones. " (emphasis mine)

Needless to say, the interest in astrology did not excite me about this series. In fact, it motivated me to get on the ball and read the first book myself as well as check out the Warriors website.

First, I should mention that Erin Hunter is not a real person. Erin Hunter is a pseudonym for three separate authors who work together to crank out book after book in this series. A fourth author was added to help write a new, but similar, series on bears called Seekers.

As I'm sure you've all guessed so far, these are not great literature. They're dime store paperbacks. However, they are enjoyable stories and it's easy to see why kids love them. It was also surprising to me that they do offer quite a bit for you to baptize and teach moral lessons.

The first book in the series is Warriors: Into the Wild. It is the story of a house cat, a kitten actually, who decides to join a clan of wild cats in the woods. Firepaw turns out to be our hero, not only through his physical prowess but through his honesty and forthrightness.

Let's first address the astrology issue as I think this is important for us to consider as Catholic parents. From page 161:

"All Clan leaders have to spend one night at the Moonstone when they are first chosen. There, the spirits of StarClan [cats that died] share with them."

We also read on page 45:

"Graypaw didn't take his eyes off the dead cat as he replied, 'His spirit may have left to join Star Clan, but the clan will share tongues [verbal fellowship] with Redtail one last time.'

'Star Clan?' Firepaw echoed.

'It's the tribe of heavenly warriors that watch over all the clan cats. You can see them in Silverpelt.... Silverpelt is that thick band of stars you see each night stretching across the sky. Each star is a StarClan warrior. Redtail will be among them tonight."'

These passages are clearly pagan and not reflective of Catholic teaching. As such, since my child had already read the book, I sat down and talked about it with him. I highly recommend having this discussion with your child if he reads this book. It should be made clear that the books are pure fantasy. In the make believe world of talking cats they just may speak to the stars that are made up of their ancestors. But not in real life.

However, here is an opportunity to baptize. We do believe in the Communion of the Saints and that those who have gone before us in grace are in heaven and do intercede for us. So, I pointed this out to Buster and pointed other similarities and differences. Much like I did when we read the Greek and Norse myths.

Also important to point out is that the villain takes his power through deception and murder. While his evil ways do advance his position at first, in the end they bring about his downfall. It's a simple, basic story: good triumphs over evil.

That is one of the primary attributes that makes the series popular with children. Who doesn't want a good hero who wins the day after defeating the bad guy?

Another reason for their popularity is the intrigue of the secret lives of warrior cats. The everyday "kitty pet" leaves the cushy life of a house cat to join a clan of wild cats. He gives up all his comforts to go off and fend for himself and his clan. He can no longer depend upon his human master to bring him his daily meal but must hunt for it himself each day. Yet, the hunted mouse, gained through hunting skill, is so much more delicious than the dry, drab food that comes from a box. Even if it means a less-than-filled-to-the-brim tummy each day.

Then there are also the fight scenes throughout the books. This is certainly an attraction for boys. I must admit I know of a couple of girls who abhorred the book due to the injuries and deaths incurred by the cats. But the boys tend to find the the war scenes exciting.

I also think kids appreciate that the cats are cats. Not like some books (and movies) where the animals walk on two legs and don waistcoats and what have you. They don't have technology or magical powers. "Erin Hunter" writes in a way where you find yourself easily in her fantasy world, imagining how a clan of wild cats might speak or act if it were possible.

I did find a few annoying things, in addition to the whole pagan, astrology bent. This includes a few predictable story lines and the silly names of the cats -- Firepaw, Graypaw, Sandpaw, Tigeclaw. Not exactly original. Also, and this is my own pet peeve, there is the all-to-easy plot device of the main character having a vital piece of information that will save the day, yet he keeps it to himself, looking for the right moment to spill the beans, even though he has tons of opportunity, and instead takes matters into his own hands after it's too late. Sigh.

So, what's the bottom line here? Umm, I'm going to take the easy way out and say "Read it yourself." This isn't one to just hand over without a word. In the end I let Buster pass the book onto Sparky to read making sure to discuss the good and bad found in the authors' depiction of a make believe world of warrior cats.

Deconstructing Penguins

For years, my friend Amy has run the middle school reading group for local homeschoolers, and I've run the high school group. Recently, just for a change of pace, we switched.

I'm enjoying the middle school group a great deal, but I have to say that it is a whole new ballgame. Of course, the reading material is completely different. It's been a change going from Till We Have Faces to The Giver.

The big difference though has not been so much the book choices, but the pedagogical approach. When I lead the high school group, my preparation consisted of simply reading the book. Oh sure, I'd do a little background reading here and there, but that was about it. This is a group of homeschooled teens who LOVE to read. They come prepared, already with years of experience deconstructing books, and they hardly need me to show them how to find the author's underlying meaning.

Middle school students need more guidance. My first priority was to show them how to look beyond the surface of the story. To get beyond the facts of the book's plot and find what the plot was really saying. For example, on the surface Animal Farm is about a bunch of animals taking over the farm. Yet, that is not what the book is really about, is it? With a gentle touch we can help the student see that the plot is about communism. Now, I don't know if my middle school students are going to read Animal Farm (actually, that's the high school book for April), but you get my drift.

Another priority for me is not to overdo the analysis. Nothing can kill the joy of reading faster than paragraph-by-paragraph dissection. I need to look for balance between an all-out gab session and a deep analytical dissection.

I found help in Deconstructing Penguins: Parents, Kids, and the Bond of Reading by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone (from the public library). The authors are a married couple who lead a parent/child reading group at their library. The tone of the book is conversational which, in all honesty, is hard for me to take at moments. But, overall, the book has been a goldmine for me. It is laid out very simply and in layman terms.

Yes, I wrote a book on teaching through literature, but that was from a mom perspective, not a college literature professor perspective. I need literary analysis dumbed down for me. (Whew, I feel better getting that off my chest.) Honestly, do we really need high-brow literary analysis when we're teaching 7th and 8th graders?

Deconstructing Penguins teaches the reader how to get kids excited about "deconstructing" literature. The title comes from the authors' first attempt at running their parent/child reading group where they all read Mr. Popper's Penguins.

The book is written with upper grade school students in mind, but I had no problem taking the authors' lessons and applying them to my middle school reading group. This month, the students had chosen Inkheart by Cornellia Funke and I followed the authors' advice from Deconstructing Penguins extensively in running the discussion.

First, a little background. We don't meet in the library. The free rooms in our library are very dungeon like. Not fun. We meet instead at a coffee house. The atmosphere is very grown up and the kids love it. This is a large coffee house that actually has a couple of private seating areas. The high school students sit in one area and the middle school students in another. Back at my home are several of the parents watching the younger siblings. In fact, they have their own little reading group. For April we're reading Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. Then, when the big kids go off to the coffee house next month, the parents and littles will watch the Charlotte's Web movie and do some fun, hands-on activities.

So, back to Deconstructing Penguins and middle schoolers. This is getting to be a long post, but hang in there. We're getting to some good stuff yet.

I had a couple of new kids in the group this month. Kids who weren't too sure about this reading-for-fun thing. Especially, big thick books. But, they were willing to give it a try. I started out by asking them if they knew what a genre was. I explained that it was a French word meaning "style" and in this case the style of a book. I then asked what genre Inkheart fit into. Most agreed it was a fantasy novel. I then suggested that it was a mystery. In fact, all fiction could be classified as mystery. Their eyes lit up. After all, we're looking for clues in the plot trying to figure out what's going to happen in the end. We're asking questions: Why did this character do that? How did that happen? What is the author's underlying message?

We then delved into why the author used certain plot devices, introduced certain characters, ended the book the way she did. Did she have a lesson to teach us? Was there a moral to the story? We did this as though we were detectives solving the mystery and the kids were really into it.

Next we talked about antagonists and protagonists. I was surprised that only a couple of the students knew what these words meant. Following the advice in Deconstructing Penguins, I showed them through everyday life examples how to find the protagonist and antagonist.

In the end, they learned a little bit about literary analysis but not so much that they were overwhelmed. It was a very fun time together. We meet monthly, so we have plenty of time to build on our lessons. Next month we'll talk about the importance of location and maybe a little bit about character development.

Remember the kids who weren't too sure about join a reading club just for fun? I got calls from their mothers telling me that all they talked about for days was Inkheart, the reading group, and April's book, Dragon Rider (also by Cornelia Funke).

Makes it all so worth it!

Website Updates

My web guy has all the updates uploaded to the website. Just in time for the release of For the Love of Literature (tomorrow!).

He put up some free downloads that go with the book: An alphabetical list of all the books mentioned in For the Love of Literature, a literature unit study checklist, and a checklist for when assigning literature to teach core subjects.

For the Love of Literature is now available for purchase there too.

It's all just too exciting!

Faith Magazine Gets LOL

My new issue of Faith: The Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Lansing came in the mail Saturday. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a blurb about For the Love of Literature:

A new book for home-schooling moms
Maureen Wittman (sic) is a home-schooling mom of seven children. She is also a well-established author and editor in the world of Catholic literature. Her most recent work, For the Love of Literature, has received much praise. The book is meant to help other home-educating Catholic moms but is a valuable resource to any parent. For the Love of Literature contains a lifetime reading plan, easy-to-implement tips and ideas, top picks by grade for every subject and literary guides for every family member. For more information, contact Joan Stromberg at Ecce Homo Press, call 868-305-8362 or visit www.eccehomopress.com.

Thank you Faith Magazine. Thank you very much!

The Seashell on the Mountaintop

In my book For the Love of Literature I ask readers to let me know when they find great books that should be added to future editions. In response to that call, I received the following email:

Hi Maureen,

I was just going through your book For the Love of Literature to look for some titles for my sons and myself. I recall a book I have recently heard through audio book that you might be interested in and even add to any future revisions of your book or recommendations on your website.

The title is, The Seashell on the Mountaintop: A Story of Science, Sainthood, and the Humble Genius Who Discovered a New History of the Earth by Alan Cutler. It is also in book form. If you haven't heard of this before, this is a fascinating story of Saint Nicholas Steno. I believe it is more of a high school and adult book. It relates not only Steno's life and scientific career but also gives the reader insight into what was happening in science at the time and scientific discovery in the age of Descartes and Da Vinci, who were contemporaries of Steno. It also discusses his conversion to Catholicism. I heard the audio version and it was very easy to follow.

Thank you for your book and God bless you in your work,
Rose

As you all know, I love discovering new, cool books. Thank you Rose! I'll be looking for this title in the library and consider it for the next edition of LOL, which btw is not too far in the future.

If you've read this book or listened to the audio, please leave a comment here. I'd love to hear other opinions.

Drum Roll Please

And the winners of Bible Stories for Children [Sophia Institute Press] are:

76 Susie in KS
12 Beth in MI
150 Kathy in TX

Congratulations winners!!!! If you didn't win and you want to purchase this book, remember that Sophia is having a 25% off sale until Dec. 17. All the detail are at their website.

I have 3 copies of today's book, The Blood-Red Crescent: A Novel by Henry Garnett. This piece of historical fiction was originally published in 1960 and is all about the Battle of Lepanto. It would be good for a middle school or high school student. The author begins the book by giving the reader the facts so you can pick out the fiction from the real history. The Blood-Red Crescent is part of Sophia Institute Press' new imprint for Catholic Fiction: Imagio.

This book is featured in For the Love of Literature.

f you'd like to learn more about the Battle of Lepanto, because after all we parents should be reading alongside our children, I recommend Lepanto by G. K. Chesterton, edited by Dale Ahlquist [Ignatius Press]. This book is also featured in For the Love of Literature. Chesterton’s poetry shines in this masterpiece of rhyme, rhythm, and alliteration. The Ignatius commentary edition is worth obtaining for the explanatory notes.

Now, here are the rules to enter the contest and win a copy of The Blood-Red Crescent. Send an email HERE (RWitt1776 at aol dot com) before 5:00 AM Eastern Time. Make sure to include your name and address in the body of the email.

A couple of clarifications. You do need to enter the contest each day. One entry per person per day. However, if you have a friend who doesn't have email, feel free to send an entry for her.

Good luck everyone!

The Man Who Counted

I recently received the following email from a reader:

Hi, I bought your book, The Catholic Homeschool Companion, at a homeschool conference. My question is about the article titled “Using Saxon Math Effectively” found on pages 17-26. In your article, you refer readers to many math literature books. Trusting a fellow Catholic, I just assumed the referenced books would be of Catholic standards or at least with nothing contrary to our faith in them. So it was with great shock and disappointment that when I requested the book, “The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures” by Malba Tahan from our local library and found such non-Catholic material on the very first page in the very first sentence. The first sentence of this book states and I quote, “In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful!” This is not Catholic nor is it something that I would expect to find any Catholic writer to refer readers to be helpful in their homeschooling. And it certainly isn’t something I want to read to my children and instill in their minds. I was just wondering what your reasoning was for including this particular book as acceptable material and will I find any more books referred to throughout your book that are unacceptable to the Catholic faith?

I responded privately to the writer, but I would also like to address this publicly as I assume that others will have similar concerns.

First, I respect the writer's opinion and I appreciate that she wrote to me to get my side of the story. I do think she makes a very good point. I disagree that The Man Who Counted is contrary to our faith, but I should have been more clear in the book's description about the references to Allah and Islam and I should have given a stronger warning.

Note that I also recommend The Man Who Counted in For the Love of Literature and it remains one of my very favorite pieces of math literature.

I first discovered The Man Who Counted on MacBeth Derham's website. MacBeth is a wonderfully dedicated Catholic homeschooler. I've also seen the book reviewed positively on a host of Catholic homeschooling blogs and websites, as well as Heart and Mind Magazine.

Being a math geek, I fell in love with it. The number puzzles presented in real life situations is a great way to get kids excited about math. Even the non math geeks will love it! So much better than dry textbooks.

Mathematics, by its very nature as a universal language, is a discipline that has benefited from the insights of many cultures, especially the Arabic cultures. While we should not promote other faiths, we can surely take the good work of people from other faiths. We can find the good, the true, and the beautiful. Have we not done that with math all along? Our very numbers are Arabic; Roman numerals are terribly cumbersome. Then there are all of the advanced mathematical endeavors they pursued. Algebra is an Arabic word. We've even been able to learn from the Mayans in the area of mathematics.

The Man Who Counted is a book about numbers. That a Muslim recognizes the beauty of mathematics is not antithetical to our faith, but a testament to God who created the universe. All men of intellect see the beauty of His creation in mathematics, whether they recognize Him or not.

Interestingly enough, the author of The Man Who Counted is a good Catholic man from Brazil. In the original book (written in Portuguese) the last chapter tells of the protagonist finding Christian Truth. This was left out of the English (British) version, which is no less than a mortal sin in the profession of scholarly translation as well as a mortal sin period imo.

Also interesting is the fact that Arab speaking Christians refer to God as Allah.

These are all things I point out to my children when reading The Man Who Counted. I see this book as historical fiction as well as a math book. And then there is the whole apologetics angle -- teaching about Islam and Christian Truth.

As homeschoolers, all subjects can be interdisciplinary. There is not line between "math time" and "social studies time."

The opening phrase can be skipped. I sometimes use the black marker method and black out offensive phrases. This is why I recommend parents pre-reading their children's books. Even good orthodox Catholics can disagree on what makes a good book.

One final note, it would be impossible to give my children a solid education if I only used books by Catholics, completely free of error. It would mean leaving out Dickens and Lewis. It would mean skipping Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. The important thing to me is to present these books to my children baptized in the Catholic Faith -- giving them Church teaching on issues that come up as we read. Issues they will be faced with when they go out into the real world.

You're Invited to a Party

I'm planning a book launch party this weekend at my parish. I'd love for all of you to join me in celebrating the release of For the Love of Literature. Yes, I know that you can't get to Michigan, but we can have a virtual party.

Several publishers have donated books to use as door prizes at both parties. Each day, for the next week, I'll feature a different book to give away to the blog-party attendees.

Here's how it will work. Send an email HERE with your name and mailing address. You have until 5:00 AM Eastern Time tomorrow. I'll then number the emails and pick a number out of a hat. (Similar to Cay Gibson's Book Walk.)

Today's giveaway is a biggie. I have five copies of Regina Doman's lovely children's book Angel in the Waters, published by Sophia Press. So, there will five winners today!

Angel in the Waters is one of the books mentioned in For the Love of Literature. It is a picture book for preschool to early grade school children. It tells the story of a baby in his mother's womb and his conversations with his guardian angel. Angel in the Waters is, in my opinion, a must have in every home. In fact, when it was first released, I bought it in bulk to give away as Christmas presents. It is a beautiful pro-life story.

I'd like to thank Sophia Institute Press for their generosity in donating the books. Sophia is the publisher of my homeschool book, The Catholic Homeschool Companion and I must say that they are delightful to work with. Plus, they publish so many great books. One thing that makes Sophia special is that they giveaway tons of books to prisoners and to priests. I love it!

I'll announce the winners tomorrow and have a new book to giveaway, so make sure to check back!

Addendum: The contest has been extended for at least a month. So, make sure to check the blog daily (except Sunday and holidays) to see what prize(s) is being given away that day.

The Contest Continues

Fanfare please . . .
Today's winner is:
Cindi from IL
Congratulations Cindi!!!

Cindi will be receiving a copy of Jose Finds the King by Joan Stromberg and published by Ecce Homo Press (illustrious publisher of For the Love of Literature)

Today's giveaway is a copy of Book Three in the Glory of America series. Thomas Finds a Treasure: A St. John Neumann Story is also by Joan Stromberg and published by Ecce Homo Press. (Thank you Ecce Homo for donating these books!) This series teaches American history through the lives of the saints and through a fun, engaging story. It illustrates exactly the kind of books I promote in For the Love of Literature: faith-filled, interesting, and educational, all at the same time. The Glory of America series has an added benefit -- they're inexpensive at only $7.95 each.

From the publisher:

Thomas Hrodej's father, a tough Bohemian immigrant, helped build the Erie Canal. When Thomas is picked on by the town bullies, will he be as tough as his father? When they use the ultimate weapon...rumors and gossip, Thomas turns to the new, young Bohemian priest, Fr. Neumann, for help. What he finds is a treasure! It's 1836 Williamsville, New York, and the Erie Canal is opening the West. Catholics are persecuted, misunderstood, and, at times, even despised. Follow the Adventures of Thomas and Father John Neumann as they encounter bandits, thugs with guns, creatures in the forest, and the special gifts of their own faith, friends, and family. Unit study on the Erie Canal included.

Other titles in the Glory of America series include:
Kat Finds a Friend: A St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Story and The Orphans Find a Home: A St. Francis Xavier Cabrini Story. (It was after reading The Orphans Find a Home that my then-6-year-old daughter declared she wanted to be a missionary to China. Today, at 15-years old, she is still determined to go to China and is currently learning Mandarin.)

Entering the daily drawing is easy. Just send an email to me HERE (RWitt1776 at aol dot com) before 5:00 AM Eastern Time tomorrow morning. Make sure to include your name and address in the body of the email.

The Lost Tools of Learning: Rhetoric Stage

I've updated this article, originally published in 2002:

Living Literature: High School
The Lost Tools of Learning
Reviewed by Maureen Wittmann

In 1947 at Oxford University Dorothy Sayers, an English writer and scholar, stepped up to the lectern and presented her speech, The Lost Tools of Learning. Then in 1977 her speech was published in National Review magazine. Since that time, The Lost Tools of Learning has been republished countless times.

The “lost tools” that Miss Sayers spoke of in her speech were the tools of a classical education. A classical education is based on the Trivium, which is made up of three stages.

The Grammar Stage (ages eight to eleven) builds a foundation by memorizing facts. The Dialectic, sometimes referred to as the Logic Stage (ages twelve to fourteen) develops analytical skills in students. Finally, the Rhetoric Stage (ages fourteen to sixteen) pulls the first two stages together and teaches students the art of articulation

The Trivium is not a modern approach to education, it was developed in the Middle Ages and widely used for centuries. One might even say that the Trivium is biblically supported. In Proverbs 2:6 we read: “For the Lord gives wisdom: From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Knowledge, understanding, and wisdom sound much like grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. The Trivium recognizes basic human development. It recognizes how God formed our intellect.

Children taught using the classical model have received the lost tools that Miss Sayers speaks of so eloquently in her speech. When students reach high school they have mastered the tools of memorizing facts and of analyzing those facts. Now they are ready to engage in the art of expression and in the science of communication. As Miss Sayers states, “The doors of the storehouse of knowledge should now be thrown open for them to browse about as they will. The things once learned by rote will be seen in new contexts.”

It is during the Rhetoric Stage that teens begin to develop their world view. Self-expression is at its peak. This is not the time to let one’s child go, but to continue helping him flower, guiding him gently. Challenge his thinking skills during this stage and make him defend his intellectual and religious positions.

The Lost Tools of Learning also tells us that “subjects” cannot be divorced from one another. It is especially during the Rhetoric Stage that we as parents and teachers should point out that all subjects are related to one another in some way.

Let us discuss briefly how a parent may apply the lost tools with a teen in the Rhetoric Stage.

Theology
High school is the perfect time to teach apologetics. Teach him to use his Bible facts and apply them to reasoned debate. Study the Early Church Fathers, how their leadership formed the way we worship today, and how the books of the Bible were determined.

History
In A Vote of Thanks to Cyrus, Dorothy Sayers relates that as a child she discovered the Cyrus mentioned in her Bible was the very same Cyrus found in her history text. Teens can recognize that Bible stories are not simply tales to entertain, but in fact history. Talk about Jesus Christ as a historical figure and the impact that Christianity has had in shaping world events.

Also go beyond your textbook and explore primary documents: autobiographies, documents, letters, etc. Give the high school student an opportunity to see how the turns of history occured through first-hand accounts.

Science
Look for the historical and biblical perspectives in studying science. Study the ethical ramifications in scientific research. Relevant topics for today may include stem cell research, fetal tissue transplants, and cloning.

Math
The more advanced math disciplines, such as algebra, geometry, and calculus, can be introduced. Study discoveries in historical perspective by reading biographies of mathematicians. Math studies can be tied into science.

Writing
This is the time for students to determine their own style. They can use Elements of Style or Chicago Manual of Style as references in writing. They should learn to prune their arguments and make their point without overdoing it.

Reading
Reading can move from narrative stories to challenging debates, critiques, and primary documents.

Latin
Latin can now be studied more deeply or dropped to make time for the modern languages.

Activities:
Read The Lost Tools of Learning. Study more deeply the Trivium and learn about the Quadrivium.

Search out other writings of Dorothy Sayers. She wrote a series of popular detective novels as well as many scholarly pieces.

Go to an online concordance and enter these three words: knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Look up the Scriptures that the concordance returns. How do you think that these words correspond to grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric?

Learning rests upon truth. Ask yourself: “What is truth?” Does the classical model of education lend itself to the discovery of God’s truth?

Resources
Books:
Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education (Ignatius Press) by Laura Berquist

A Catholic Homeschool Treasury: Developing Children’s Love for Learning (out of print) by Rachel Mackson and Maureen Wittmann, eds. Contains an excellent essay that explains Dorothy Sayers’ speech and classical education, written by Rachel Mackson.

The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (W.W. Norton & Company) by Jesse Wise and Susan Wise Bauer

Magazine:
Heart and Mind magazine has a regular column on classical education written by Laura Berquist.

Mail Order Companies:
Emmanuel Books
Carries The Lost Tools of Learning plus most of the resources recommended in Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum.

Memoria Press
Latin and classical materials.

Trivium Pursuit
Website contains much more than their catalog. Lots of articles and resources for Christian classical education.

Home Study Schools
Angelicum Academy
Online Catholic academy – liberal arts education based on the classic great books of Western civilization.

Kolbe Academy
Classical education – Ignation method.

Mother of Divine Grace
Catholic classical home study founded by Laura Berquist.

Regina Coeli Academy
An online college preparatory program using a Catholic classical curriculum.

Discussion Group
Catholic Classical Education

Website:
Classical Christian Homeschooling

Planning: For the Love of Lit Style

Thank you Mrs. T. for your kind words for For the Love of Literature. If you're starting to think about next school year and like to see what other people are doing, then pay a visit to Mrs. T.'s blog: Saint Daniel the Stylite Academy.

I've already sung the praises of Maureen Wittmann's For the Love of Literature, but I have to say again how helpful a resource it's been as I've tried to hash out plans for next year. I'm not a micro-planner, as in, here's what we'll be doing from 9:02-9:07.5 . . . but I am a macro-planner. I have an idea of the broad scope of things, and usually as I'm making big plans for the following year, my mind is filling in the blanks under each subject heading with, " . . . and we'll read some stuff." This year, I actually have an idea what stuff we'll read, and I think I have a shot at keeping us in books for the entire year (other problem: under-buying, and/or under-utilizing the library).

So here are our book lists for next year, so far:

Danielle Bean Gets LOL

Danielle Bean, author of the lovely Mom to Mom, Day to Day and the equally lovely My Cup of Tea endorses For the Love of Literature:

Maureen Wittmann has put together not only a comprehensive book list, but also a helpful guide to choosing the right educational approach, tips for making full use of public libraries, and inspiration for studying fine art and music. For the Love of Literature is a gift for all variety of homeschooling families!

Thank you Danielle!

To order For the Love of Literature, just see the sidebar of this blog.