5 Ways to Earn a FUN British Literature Homeschool Credit

British Literature does not need to be boring and dull. When we were in high school, our British Literature classes probably were pretty dry, so we don’t want our homeschool high schoolers to go through that. However, British Literature is part of the roots of our culture so it IS good for our teens to learn about it.

So why not try things a little different? How about:

• Movies
• Poetry
• Real books

If you create a British Literature experience for your teens that includes no-busywork, unpretentious curriculum and interesting activities. You can make a fun British Literature credit for your homeschoolers.

Want a Fun British Literature credit? Use a good curriculum such as 7Sisters Literature Study Guides.

Our popular full-year British Literature curriculum is a downloadable bundle of Literature Study Guides for real books that teens have vetted for us. The guides include:

• Written at a College-Prep level for reading, instructions for teens who are interesting in leveling up to Honors for a powerful transcript. (Need some explanation of levels for the homeschool transcript, listen to this episode of Homeschool Highschool Podcast.)
• Background information for understanding the book.
• Vocabulary from the book.
• Questions that develop comprehension and inferential skills.
• Discussions of important literary themes. (Only one or two themes for each book, so that teens are not overwhelmed and bored with the study.)
• Separate answer keys.

British Literature High School titles covered by these study guides include: 

• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• British Poetry Selections by various poets
• Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Click here to view an excerpt from British Literature.

Want a Fun British Literature credit? Watch some movies or television series based on classic books.

There are SOOOO many great movies and television series based on British Literature. Discuss what you and your homeschool high schoolers believe make the topic or themes enduring enough to make it attractive for t movie or tv series. (If your teens are working on Honors credits you can have them write an essay about this.)

Here are some ideas of movies and tv series based on British Literature:

• Sense and Sensibility (1995)
• The Hobbit (Peter Jackson’s series)
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
• A Tale of Two Cities (1958)
• The Invisible Man (1933)
• A Christmas Carol (watch several version- including Muppets’ version)
• Sherlock Holmes (HOW many different movies and tv series ARE there?)
• Jeeves and Wooster (One of my family’s favorites)

• All Creatures Great and Small (Another of my family’s favorites)
• Pride and Prejudice (Watch several and compare/contrast)
• Treasure Island (Watch several and compare/contrast)
• The Lord of the Rings (series by Peter Jackson)
• Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

You can use 7Sisters Cinema Studies for Literature Learning Guides to make the most of your British Literature experiences. One of our homeschool high schoolers’ favorites is Christmas Carol Cinema Studies Guide.

Another delightful favorite movies that has been a favorite of our homeschool high schoolers is The Importance of Being Ernest.

And our teens won’t let us forget that they have loved The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They read the book, completed 7Sisters Literature Study Guide, watched the movie along with 7Sisters Cinema Studies Guide for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

And, of course, there is Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings series. If you don’t have time for all 3 movies, make sure your teens watch Fellowship of the Rings.

Want a Fun British Literature credit? Do some no-busywork, inspiring, don’t-kill-the-subject poetry.

We got even our teens who were intimidated by poetry to be interested in poetry with this non-threatening guide to British poetry. NO busywork, no boring guide to a few great poems by great British poets, including.

• George Herbert
• William Cowper
• William Blake
• Gerard Manley Hopkins
• Rudyard Kipling
• Percy Bysshe Shelley
• Robert Browning
• Elizabeth Barrett Browning
• Christina Rosetti
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• Sir Walter Scott
• William Butler Yeats
• Lewis Carroll
• Robert Burns

Want a Fun British Literature credit? Do watch a British play or operetta (live or movie).

Discuss the play ahead of time, read the Cliff Notes summary (for Honors level, write some character summaries or choose an essay topic) OR take a class on Shakespeare with our friends from Britain at Dreaming Spires Home Learning.

Discuss the play ahead of time, read the Cliff Notes summary (for honors level do an extra study guide or write a character summary)

• Any Gilbert and Sullivan (such as Pirates of Penzance)
• The Importance of Being Earnest (another of my family’s favorites)
• Any Shakespeare (we like Kenneth Branagh movie Much Ado About Nothing- minus the bath scene at the beginning)

Want a Fun British Literature credit? Hold a Readers Theatre get-together!

Hold a Readers Theatre with your homeschool co-op or a group of friends. Our teens LOVE Readers Theatre events, our families get together, we take parts of a play to read, then eat snacks, have fun and read! Here’s an episode of Homeschool Highschool Podcast that explains how. It’s lots of fun!

Want a Fun British Literature credit? Hold a Project Day for your homeschool co-op.

This is one of our homeschool high schoolers’ favorites! We ask teens to come up with a project based on each book they read. They present it at homeschool co-op or family gatherings. Here are some projects our teens have done.

• Fashions in Jane Austen’s day
• London in Shakespeare’s day
• The duties of a valet (Jeeves and Wooster)
• Famous British pirates (Treasure Island)
• Recite a favorite poem
• Act a monologue

OR give your homeschool high schoolers a FULL Year ELA credit in British Literature.

Here’s what 7Sisters British Literature High School English/Language Arts one-year bundle includes:

• Study Guides for literary analysis of books (and movies!)
  • Animal Farm by George Orwell
  • Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
  • British Poetry Selections by various poets
  • Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot
  • A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  • The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
  • Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
  • The 39 Steps (starring Robert Donat) Cinema Guide
  • Hook (starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman) Cinema Guide
  • The Importance of Being Earnest (starring Colin Firth and Rupert Everett) Cinema Guide
  • Sense and Sensibility (1995 version, starring Dame Emma Thompson) Cinema Guide
• Research Paper Writing Guides
• Essay Writing Guide
• Poetry Writing Guide
• Short-Story Writing Guide
• Public Speaking Experiences
• Grammar Pocket Guide
• Grammar Resources
• Vocabulary Resources
• Clear and friendly How-To-Use section for parents
• Suggested schedule for a 9-month academic year
• Rubrics and suggestions for grading

How about a one-semester online course about Shakespeare that is actually fun?

Your teen can take 7Sisters’ self-paced, one-semester course on Shakespeare that makes studying Shakespeare fun- really!

Read one student’s list of British literature favorites.

Here’s an excerpt from British Literature: A Full-Year High School Course.

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