Great Books and More
Many online tutors, schools, and texts now educate with a Great Books approach, encouraging students to engage with ideas from across millennia. I have developed
over thirty core assignments from ancient through modern texts, and they can be used as-is or adapted for your particular readings. For example, a Shakespeare assignment may easily adapt to
another Shakespeare play, or a comparison of Genesis and Gilgamesh could be applied to King David and Achilles.
The assignments are designed for an evaluated draft stage and then a final version of the essay, and the difficulty is roughly late middle school through high
school, expecting at least eight assignments and their readings for a year's language arts curriculum. The final assignments can be 300-1000 words long and some are in essay-exam format. Within
each era, assignments are drawn from the Progymnasmata with the addition of modern assignments like definition, comparison of two texts, research/analysis, and the essay exam.
The materials are provided as additions to a consultation so that I can help you strategize the best use of these assignments for your needs. Mixing and matching is encouraged, and with each order the Great Books Writing Prep tutorial is offered as a courtesy bonus.
Great Books Writing Assignments
| Era Covered | Readings |
|
Antiquity |
Bible (Daniel, Genesis), Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, Herodotus, Oedipus Rex, Aristotle Poetics, Plutarch, Plato, Julius Caesar (Gallic War), Augustine Confessions |
| Christendom (Medieval/Renaissance/Puritan) | Augustine Confessions, Beowulf, Shakespeare (Henry V), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Inferno, Canterbury Tales, Doctor Faustus, Pilgrim's Progress, Paradise Lost, poetry |
|
Modernity |
Austen, Dickens, Romantic Poetry, history or biography, John Buchan (Greenmantle), The Great Gatsby or To Kill a Mockingbird, assorted short stories |
|
All - Great Books Writing Prep |
Free with the order of one or more of the above, a step-by-step treatment of the writing tasks involved in the assignments. Includes brief quizzes and exercises. |
Great Books Writing
Choose the item(s) desired from the variations below. Cost represents handling and brief consultation to help you make best use of the materials.
$25.00
Other Resources for Writing
FREE DOWNLOAD! An Introduction to Research Writing
Almost three decades ago I wrote a tutorial for younger students, to spare them the agony of the traditional term paper - juggling a long essay, bibliography, note cards, multiple sources, and unfamiliar subject matter. I introduced this step-by-step friendly guide to Veritas Scholars Academy online in the five years I taught there, and I believe it is still being used.
Building Great Sentences
These 24 exercises are provided by permission of Professor Landon and may be requested for just a handling fee if you have purchased the book. (Click on the cover for the Amazon version of the book or the recommended Great Courses version of the course.)
Building Great Sentences Exercises
Handling fee for this downloadable resource for those who have purchased Landon's book and/or course.
$10.00
- Available
- Ships within 1-3 days
Apprenticeship Writing Workshop
This advanced course is a great follow-up to the Progymnasmata and makes use of Greg Roper's excellent text. (Use the "See Inside" feature on Amazon to learn more). The exercises are organized and designed for evaluation at each stage, which may be arranged with consultation.
Apprenticeship Writing Workshop Exercises
Handling fee for this downloadable resource for using Roper's book. Consultation available for evaluations of the work.
$10.00
- Available
- Ships within 1-3 days
Other Materials, Available With Consultation
