TOS Review: Lightning Lit

Lightning Lit from Hewitt Homeschooling Resources is a literature and composition curriculum ranging from 7th grade to 12th grade.  We had the opportunity to try out the 7th grade level, which covers works such as "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi", The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

I chose to have Super Girl try it out, as she is my "reader".  The lessons seem to fit our style easily, which is mainly independent study.  The teacher/parent's main role is to look over writing assignments and other written work.  The Lightning Lit set came with three books - a teacher guide, a student guide, and a student workbook.Each chapter in the student guide corresponds to a written work, with the chapters building on each other.  Each chapter gives an introduction - mainly a short biography of the author, and some things to think about while the selection is being read.  The student then reads the selection, completing comprehension questions as they go.  There is a main lesson and a secondary lesson to be taken from each work, and then a section of the workbook to be completed.  There are several writing assignments given at the end of the chapter.

We honestly did not get further than part way through the second chapter, because The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the subject matter, and it is a fairly lengthy book.  However, it seemed that Super Girl got a good grasp of the lessons from the first chapter ("Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"), and was able to complete the assignments on her own.  I like the idea of the student using the workbook before they start the writing assignments.  The worksheets utilize a variety of activities to reinforce the chapter's lessons.  Super Girl really felt confident when it was time to work on writing, which is not something I can say for other literature and composition programs we've tried.

Lightning Lit is available from Hewitt Homeschooling Resources.  The complete set, including curriculum and the literature covered, sells for $91.73 for the 7th grade level.  The curriculum books may also be purchased separately.   

 

***Disclaimer:  I received Lightning Lit in exchange for my review through the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  All opinions are my own.