Illuminating Literature for High School Review

This article is in collaboration with Writing with Sharon Watson.

Teaching high school literature can be a daunting prospect. It involves learning not just works from numerous literary genres, but all of the many components of great literature. From foreshadowing to flashback, a strong high school foundation will leave your student well prepared for college-level courses. However, teaching all of that may be intimidating for many. The Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide curriculum from Writing with Sharon Watson is a way for your student to learn literary classics in a relaxed and conversational manner, free from all of the stiffness that the words “great classical literature” can exude.

Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide is written for Christian high schools, homeschools, and co-ops. It is laid out in a 70 lesson, two-semester program, so completion of the curriculum will count as one full Language Arts/English credit. By the program’s end, students will have studied a comprehensive program of 44 literary terms and examples contained in seven novels and one memoir (literature books sold separately), including:

Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West
Peter Pan by Sir James Barrie
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

The student text and novel notebook provide a place for student interaction with the program. The Student Book includes discussions of literary components and academic style discussion questions. The Novel Notebook allows a student to examine his personal reactions and feelings to the book.

Two companion books support the program instructor. One is the Teacher’s Guide that contains answers to all of the student questions. This way, the parent/teacher can read the book alongside the student to discuss in a conversational manner. The second is the Quiz and Answer Manual if the parent/teacher prefers to give and grade test instead of using the online quiz/grading program feature.

Members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew recently reviewed the curriculum set containing three softcover books and one PDF download:

Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide (Student Book)
Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide (Teacher’s Guide)
Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide (Quiz and Answer Manual)
Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide (Novel Notebook) (PDF Download)

You can read the reviews below to find out how Crew families used the program, and follow Writing with Sharon Watson on social media at both Facebook and Pinterest.