Switched-On Schoolhouse – American Literature

I write the Switched-On Schoolhouse Series twice a month to share our family’s experience using this software based curriculum in our home.

Most students will have to complete a half credit of American Literature sometime during their four years of high school.

In the first lesson of the Switched-On Schoolhouse American Literature course the student begins with an introduction to the course.  Following the introduction, they start at a logical place for the beginning in America:  the beginning of European settlement in what is now the United States by the Puritans in the 1600s. 

The course contains five units, covering American authors between the years 1600 to the present.  Each unit has vocabulary and a set of goals laid out for the student.  Goals include understanding, recognizing, discerning and differentiating the thoughts, influences and beliefs of the time periods and the authors.

Within the course the student will read lessons and answer comprehension questions, complete quizzes, do projects such as essays and literature responses and unit tests.

There is one reason I’m a bit disappointed in the Switched-On Schoolhouse American Literature course. So far, up to this point in our journey through the curriculum, it does not have any Native American literature being taught. 

Traditionally an American Literature course would be completed in a semester.  One of the reasons we like Switched-On Schoolhouse is that we can automatically schedule our lessons to be only on certain days. 

In light of that, we’ve stretched the course over a whole year.  In addition to not having one very intensive semester, it has also allowed us to incorporate on our own, some early Native American literature into our schoolwork.  While that has become a little more time intensive for me as a teacher, it is nice that the Switched-On Schoolhouse course is adaptable so I can include something that I as the parent and teacher feel is important to learn.

If you’re interested in learning more about Switched-On Schoolhouse or would like a discount on a purchase of curriculum, click through on the button in my right hand sidebar, and you’ll be taken to the publisher’s site.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the products mentioned above for free for review purposes from Alpha and Omega Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review and this product may not have the same results for all people, please do additional research of your own when purchasing products mentioned in reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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