Here’s a Homeschool Co-op How-to: Meaningful Literature Analysis Essays.
Homeschool Co-op How-to: Meaningful Literature Analysis Essays
7Sisters’ Marilyn contributed her expertise for this post.
We use Literature Analysis Essays in our homeschool group classes each year in addition to group discussion of some of the books they are reading.
Why have your student write an essay, rather than merely discussing the elements of a particular book?
- First, homeschool high schoolers have discussed in class helps them develop their own inferential and critical thinking skills
- Then they capture those thoughts in writing helps them solidify their thinking.
- Writing the Literature Analysis Essay requires teens to organize their thoughts in a logical manner.
- Students must look carefully at their books to find support for their essay’s thesis.
- “Riding the fence” on a topic is difficult when formulating a well-written essay.
Discussion is the first tool for a student to explore the deeper meanings of their books.
It is especially meaningful for teens to be exposed to various opinions regarding the literature that is being read. A co-op or a book club can be a wonderful means for gaining multiple perspectives on great pieces of literature.
In homeschool co-op class, discuss the purpose for the author’s writing.
- Some books are written simply to tell a story.
- Others are written with a particular purpose in mind, such as exposing a social issue (racial tension, poverty, oppression of a particular group, etc.) These authors tell the story as a vehicle for expressing their concern about the issue. Many classics are written along these lines, such as the novels by Charles Dickens, whose concern for the poor and how they were being treated spurred him to create his stories.
Next, cover any other important themes that you want to develop with your teens.
7Sisters Literature Study Guides are excellent, no-busywork tools for learning about these themes. One important distinction of 7Sisters’ guides is that we don’t kill the book with endless literary topics. Rather, we stick to just a few topics so that teens can explore those themes well but without feeling overwhelmed.
Then, you can remind the teens that a book with a complex purpose requires much thought.
You can remind them that important thinking starts through discussion, but even deeper thinking happens when they follow discussion by writing a Literary Analysis Essay.
All of 7Sisters Essay Writing Guides contain several types of essays. You will find no-busywork, user-friendly Literature Analysis Essay writing in each level: Introductory Guide to High School Essay Writing, Intermediate Guide to High School Essay Writing and Advanced Guide to High School Essay Writing.
CAUTION: Writing an essay on every book read could ruin the joy of reading!
However assigning some literary analysis essays encourages critical thinking:
- examination of others’ responses to a book
- formulating one’s own opinion, finding support for one’s opinion
- logically organizing one’s thoughts
Download an essay writing guide for your homeschool high schooler and they will find the help they need for essay writing- especially Literature Analysis Essays.
For practical tips on how to teach homeschool co-ops, check out this post.
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