Exploring Classical Literature in Second Grade

There's no substitution for quality literature in a child's education, a simple book can build vocabulary, enhance character, and teach a lesson that will stick with children for the rest of their lives. It's been important for me to share classic literature as a part of our homeschooling curriculum, so I was thrilled to review the Second Grade Literature Guide Set from Memoria Press and dive into these tried-and-true literature guides. 
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Memoria Press is a favorite publisher in our house! I love that they offer Christian, accessible, high-quality products at affordable prices. We received the entire second grade literature set, which includes the Tales from Beatrix Potter Literature Guide Set, Prairie School Literature Guide Set, Little House in the Big Woods Literature Guide Set, ​Animal Folk Tales of America Literature Guide Set, and The Courage of Sarah Noble Literature Guide Set.  Because my son had enjoyed learning about Beatrix Potter in previous studies, we decided to start our journey with the Tales from Beatrix Potter Literature Guide Set. Tales from Beatrix Potter brings students through four of Potter’s beautiful classic works: Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of Tom Kitten and the Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse. 

​We would start each lesson by using the Teacher’s Guide to help prepare us for the day's study by reviewing the new vocabulary my son would encounter during the reading.

I should mention that this was our first time reading “real” books, outside of the large print stage one readers that many use in first grade, so this was a big step for my son, and having that review time before reading really helped build his confidence when it came time to tackle the texts. 
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The Tales from Beatrix Potter Literature Guide broke Peter Rabbit into two separate lessons, one that covered the content on page 7-35 and another lesson that covered 36-69. We broke this down even further into four lessons to allow for reading at a slower pace.  Each lesson is composed of pre-reading, post- reading, language lesson, life lesson and enrichment activities. The post-reading aspect focused on defining new vocabulary and asking comprehension questions like, “What did Mr. McGregor do with Peter’s jacket and shoes?” The enrichment activities for the Tales from Beatrix Potter Literature Guide vary from discussion questions to drawing activities, each which add a fun element to the lesson and affirm the concepts learned. 

For second grade, Memoria Press recommends reading Beatrix Potter, Prairie School, Little House in the Big Woods, Animal Folk Tales of America,  and The Courage of Sarah Noble throughout the year. Each literature guide set is expected to take 6-7 weeks to complete, so the entire Second Grade Literature Guide Set is a year's worth of studies. Each set can also be purchased individually.

Prairie School Literature Guide Set covers eight lessons to help students dive into the story of Noah Bidson and his journey of discovering the joy of learning. This Literature Guide features 8 lessons where children will learn to read new words like "wheeled, beautiful, boil, questions and enough," and discuss important topics like how learning to read has changed their lives!

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​Little House in the Big Woods is a favorite for many young learners! The Literature Guide Set covers 13 lessons, features vocabulary like “suspicious, gleaming, comfortable, and acquaintance,” and offers many fun enrichment activities like making a picture quilt by drawing scenes from the book and writing characters a letter. I wanted to work through this Literature Guide Set as a family because I knew my 4 and 3 year old daughters would love the story, so we picked up the audio book at the library and have been listening to a chapter and then using the guide as a discussion guide for a family style lesson! 

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​Animal Folk Tales of America is a collection of classic American stories which young learners will love such as Paul Bunyan, The Jumping Frog, Davy Crockett, Johnny Appleseed, Sweet Betsy, and many others.  After reading the stories, children will be asked questions about the meaning of new words like, "extinct, pinnacle, and grousse," comprehension questions about the text, prompted to discuss their reading, and occasionally draw something they enjoyed from the text.

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​The Courage of Sarah Noble Literature Guide follows the same pattern of pre-reading, vocabulary words and comprehension questions, followed by enrichment activities and has eleven separate lessons to accompany each chapter in the book. We began this literary set after finishing the Beatrix Potter set. I was unfamiliar with the story beforehand, but so delighted to learn that it’s based on a true story that occurred in a neighboring town. Knowing that this happened nearby sparked excitement and inspired a trip to the local museum to learn more about the Native Americans who once lived here! 

​I’ve been very encouraged by our time working on the Second Grade Literature Guide Set. When we began, I was nervous that the content might be too difficult for my reluctant reader, but he’s grown in reading fluency and I’m most elated to see that he is demonstrating clear comprehension of what he reads! The Second Grade Literature Guide Set is a beautiful guide through rich literary treasures, enhancing the meaning and bringing deep understanding in a way that Memoria Press consistently does! This curriculum is a great addition for homeschooling families who want to dive into classic literature and soak up all that the stories have to offer!

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