How to Mix and Match Study Guides to Create Your Own ELA Credit

By request: How to mix and match study guides to create your own ELA credit.

How to Mix and Match Study Guides to Create Your Own ELA Credit

As you know, there’s not ONE kind of homeschool high schooler, so there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school. We 7Sisters have graduated twenty-seven of our own homeschoolers, plus taught and advised hundreds more. Over the years, we have had a chance to help teens find the right fit for the literature studies part of the English/Language Arts credit.

Some teens wanted a specific focus for their literature studies included in a full-year ELA curriculum, such as:

• Cinema Studies for Literature Learning and Composition
• Great Christian Writers Literature and Composition
• American Literature and Composition
• British Literature and Composition
• World Literature and Composition
• C.S. Lewis Literature and Composition

Other teens wanted a mix of literature genres to be included in their full-year ELA curriculum

These teens felt that one literature topic for an entire year would be SO boring! So, we gave them a mix with these ELA Bundles:

• One Year of High School English/Language Arts 
• Another Year of High School English/Language Arts
• One MORE Year of High School English/Language Arts
• A Final Year of High School English/Language Arts

Then, there were our teens who didn’t want to be “boxed in”!

These teens didn’t want an all-in-one curriculum. Instead, they wanted to mix and match for their literature portion of their ELA credits. Hey, there’s not ONE right way to homeschool. We wanted to help them make the most out of their ELA. So, we worked together with them to find the right mix of reading materials to make their required credits meaningful to them.

How to Mix and Match the literature part of the ELA credit

Remember, there’s not ONE right way to homeschool. You and your teen can handle your ELA Literature choices in the way that meets their goals and needs. Here what has worked for us and those we have advised.

Agree on the number of literature study guides your teen needs

Literature study guides are useful tools for gently learning the literature analysis skills that are components of high school ELA credits. We generally asked our teens to choose nine literature study guides (one per school-year month).

We, of course, used 7Sisters literature study guides because our teens wanted the no-busywork approach (they were all opinionated about hating busywork) and the ability to adjust to different levels of rigor.

Teens could choose from various categories of 7Sisters Literature Guides. Note: many of these guides have a version that is acceptable for states that reimbursement. If you are in a state that reimburses, use the editions at this link.

Note: Teens who are college bound will need to read more than nine books

In order to show college-prep rigor, they will need to supplement the books with study guides, with books they read without study guides. These can be a mix of:

• Audiobooks
• Graphic novels
• Books on a topic or genre of interest
• Poetry
• Bible books (yes, we counted these as books)

We would balance some of the longer books with shorter books, along with counting summer reading for our college-bound teens. This post explains how we decided how many books our teens should read.

Also, teens who are not college bound or have learning differences:

Check out these posts for reading material to supplement or replace some study guides:

• 10 Meaningful High School Reading Materials for Reluctant Readers
• High Interest Books for Struggling Readers
• Resources for Reluctant Readers

Okay, here are some suggestions for Literature Study Guides to choose from:

• Choose one literature study guide from each category (if you are only using nine study guides, you can skip some categories)
• Choose the guides from a favorite interest area, then fill it out with random guides that look interesting

Choose anything that interests your teens!

7Sisters Literature Study Guides

C.S. Lewis Studies

• The Chronicles of Narnia for High Schoolers Complete Bundle
  • Or just one of the books, such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• The Mythmakers graphic novel
• The Screwtape Letters
• The Space Trilogy Bundle

American

• A Separate Peace
• A Raisin in the Sun
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
• The Scarlet Letter
• Little Women
• Fahrenheit 451
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• The Right Stuff
• To Kill a Mockingbird

Biographies

• The Hiding Place
• God’s Smuggler
• Joni: An Unforgettable Story
• Born Again
• Something Beautiful for God

British Literature

• Animal Farm
• British Poetry
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Hobbit
• A Christmas Carol
• Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
• The Invisible Man
• Sense and Sensibility

Christian Writers

• The Hiding Place
• Pilgrim’s Progress
• The Practice of the Presence of God
• Something Beautiful for God
• God’s Smuggler
• Joni: An Unforgettable Story
• Born Again
• The Screwtape Letters
• Hymns and Creeds

Humor

• Right Ho, Jeeves

Middle School or Struggling Readers

• Misty of Chincoteague
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
• Sarah, Plain and Tall
• Snow Treasure

Myth/Fantasy

• The Chronicles of Narnia
• The Hobbit

Poetry

• British Poetry
• Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats

Science Fiction

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Fahrenheit 451
• The Space Trilogy Bundle

Shakespeare

• Hamlet
• Much Ado about Nothing
• King Lear
• Midsummer Night’s Dream

Wartime, Military or Adventure topics

• A Separate Peace
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• The Right Stuff
• The Three Musketeers

World

• Antigone
• The Epic of Gilgamesh
• Plato’s Republic
• The Three Musketeers
• Les Miserables
• Uncle Vanya
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• The Good Earth
• Cry, the Beloved Country

This Homeschool Highschool Podcast Episode explains some of our teens’ favorite Literature Study Guides.

Decide on how many Cinema Studies for Literature Learning Guides for the year

One way to learn literature analysis skills is to watch a movie that has literary value, along with a study guide that builds the needed analysis skills. With that in mind (along with the knowledge that our teens like a changeup from constant “book learning), we have provided study guides for some good-fit movies.

We recommend that our teens complete 3-5 Cinema Studies for Literature Learning Guides each year. This varies widely by the goals and abilities of our teens. When you decide how many movies to cover, remember: do what is right for your teen!

Some 7Sisters Cinema Studies by topic. Note: many of these guides have a version that is acceptable for states that reimbursement. If you are in a state that reimburses, use the editions at this link.

Animated

• The Incredibles

Bio-pic/Based on True Stories or People

• Apollo 13
• Chariots of Fire
• The Great Debaters
• Inn of the Sixth Happiness
• Lilies of the Field
• The Miracle Worker
• The Most Reluctant Convert

Comparing Two Movie Versions

• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

British/Romance

• Sense and Sensibility

Comedy Drama

• The Truman Show

Drama

• Mr. Holland’s Opus

Fantasy Comedy

• Midnight in Paris

History-Period Adventures and Stories

• Casablanca
• Hook
• Life of Pi
• Moby Dick
• The Three Musketeers

History/Comedy

• Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
• The Importance of Being Earnest
• What’s Up, Doc?

History/Drama

• Places in the Heart
• The Sandlot

Holiday

• A Christmas Carol

Legal Drama

• 12 Angry Men

Musical

• The Wizard of Oz

Myth/Fantasy

• Fellowship of the Ring
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Sports Drama

• Field of Dreams
• Hoosiers
• Remember the Titans
• Rudy
• The Sandlot

Suspense/Romance

• Charade
• The 39 Steps

Western

• High Noon

So, remember: Choose what interests your teens and meets your goals and their goals and needs! There’s not ONE right way!