Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide



$39.49			$16.49


$8.49			FREE!

My teen already reads a lot of books. Why is this course necessary?

Perhaps the best answer to this question is a series of more questions:

Is my teen learning about literature when reading popular fiction?
Does my teen understand literary devices and elements such as figurative language and point of view?
Is my teen learning what the author does to achieve certain results, seeing not only the tapestry but also the weaver behind the tapestry?
Is my teen becoming a more discerning reader?
Does my teen pick up on the themes in the books and apply them to life?
Are the characters, events, and themes of the books my teen is reading feeding my teen’s soul?

How many semesters does this course run? How many credits does it earn?

Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide is a two-semester course that earns your student one credit in literature, language arts, or English.

What grade level is Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide written for?

This is written expressly for teens in 9th – 12th grade.

How many lessons are in this course?

There are 70 lessons in Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide. Some lessons occur before the novel; some will be completed after students have read the novel.

Is Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide written in the same relaxed tone as Sharon Watson’s writing courses?

Absolutely!

Can I use Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide in my homeschool?

Yes! Because it is written to your teen, with clear instructions and even a homework/reading schedule included with every novel, it is perfect for your homeschool.

For literature, we choose a novel and then use a guide like CliffsNotes. What is the advantage of using Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide?

Choosing a novel and using a guide will help your student learn about that particular novel, but you’ll want to go deeper. The advantages of using Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide are many:

The seven novels and one memoir in this course are arranged around the literary element of conflict. Your student will get an in-depth view of stories based on their conflict, the protagonist’s problems, and how he solves them. Students will also compare and contrast certain books they’ll read in this course to examine certain recurring events in the novels and how authors choose to resolve the protagonist’s dilemmas.
This year-long course gives continuity to your student’s study of and understanding of literature.
When your student learns, say, the hero’s journey from one novel in Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide, he or she will be able to apply that knowledge to other novels in the course.

How is this course different from other literature courses?

First, all the stories are arranged around the idea of conflict. Students stick with a program longer if feels as though there’s a good reason for it, if it’s a thing. Second, it’s unstuffy, relaxed, and easy to learn from. Third, students will not only be learning literary terms but they’ll also be learning about writers’ devices and the methods by which the author captures their minds and hearts. This third reason, viewing the novel through the author’s eyes, will make your teens more discerning readers for the rest of their lives.

I see that my teens will be reading seven novels and one memoir with this course. Do I buy those from you?

Click the link on this page that will take you to the exact location on Amazon where you can buy the bundle of eight books in one handy transaction.

Why is it important for my students to have the “official version” of each novel?

Glad you asked. It’s defeating and frustrating when students cannot find the correct page in the novel that the course is referring to. And it’s confusing when teachers are trying to teach a class but the students all have different versions of the novel. No one can find the correct page to see examples of what they need to learn. Students are lost and spend the whole time trying to keep up. The students who do not have the official version of each novel become frustrated and learn less in the course. Having the official version of each novel makes the course go smoothly and facilitates your students’ learning.

I see there are quizzes for this course. Where do I get them and how do I grade them?

Students will take quizzes and an opinion survey online for each novel they read. You can use the links you can find on this page to access the quizzes and opinion survey. Students will need a new password for each novel; passwords can be found in the textbook and Teacher’s Guide. The quizzes are graded automatically for you on the quiz website. Students will receive a full report sent to the email address they sign in with. The report includes the original questions, the student’s answers, the correct answers, and the score. The opinion surveys do not receive a grade but will generate a full report to the student’s email address. If you do not have easy Internet access or would like your students to take the quizzes and opinion surveys on paper, you’ll want to order the Quiz and Answer Manual. You’ll find the link to that under the image of the cover of the Quiz and Answer Manual above.

Grading is a pain. How do I grade this literature course?

Yes, grading is a pain. Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide makes grading a literature course as easy as possible for you. Each novel comes with its own grading grid for you to fill out. Your students will be graded on the following:

Quizzes—graded online for you
Participation in the online opinion surveys—graded by you based on the level of student participation
Vocabulary quizzes—graded by you, with answers and “points for each correct answer” included in the Teacher’s Guide
Participation in discussions after the novel—graded by you based on the level and quality of student participation
Completing the lessons for each novel—graded by you based on the level of completion and apparent understanding
Completing an activity—graded by you based on the level of creativity or competency

Reading the novel—graded by you based on the level of completion

How much teacher planning is needed for Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide?

Virtually no planning is needed if you are using this course at home, other than buying the novels ahead of time. Students are provided with lessons and a homework/reading schedule to break up their tasks into achievable pieces. If you are teaching this course in a classroom or a co-op, plan your lessons as you would any course. Co-op plans for a once-a-month class are included in the Teacher’s Guide.

I’d like to use this program as a book-of-the-month class. Is this possible?

Yes! In fact, a schedule for the whole year is included in the Teacher’s Guide. This includes a month-by-month round-up of which lessons to conduct each month

Is Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide Common Core aligned?

I’ve examined a high school literature course that is Common Core aligned, and I would be embarrassed to write a course like that for you. It lacked the actual literature and focused on secondary issues. For example, instead of reading the book The Great Gatsby, those poor students could only read one page from the novel and then participate in a whole host of activities that are only tangentially related the novel. So, to answer your question, no. It is not Common Core aligned. It exceeds it.

Literature in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere

Your teens will appreciate the unstuffy way Sharon Watson teaches literature. They’ll read some great novels, encounter the hero’s journey, learn literary terms and elements, and gain an appreciation for fine literature.

More important, eager and reluctant readers will become more discerning as they learn the secret craft of the writer. Prepare your teens for college literature courses and for the rest of their reading life.

Written for Christian high schools, homeschools, and co-ops.
Two-semester course earning one credit for language arts or English.
70 lessons.
Student-directed, with clear lessons and reading schedules.
Seven novels and one memoir, sold separately. See below for the link to purchase these.
FREE sample downloads available here.

Students will read these books, sold separately (see my aStore below for the bundle):

Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West
Peter Pan by Sir James Barrie
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

Run your peepers over the elements, terms, and devices your students will learn this year:

Text and Context • Pseudonym (nom de plume) • Foreshadowing • Conflict types • Protagonist and Antagonist • Satire • Irony • Theme • Allusion • Genre • Mood and Tone • Symbol and Motif • Memento mori • Tense • Narrative shift • Deus ex machina • Memoir • Hero’s journey • Voice • Style • Backstory • Christ figure • Plot • Ironic ending • Plot stages • Connotation and Denotation • Alliteration • Assonance • Simile • Metaphor • Analogy • Apostrophe • Authorial intrusion • Hyperbole • Euphemism • Empathetic character • Reaction • Prolepsis • Mirror scenes • Setup and payoff • Telling detail • Loose (cumulative) sentences • Periodic sentences •

Click here to purchase the student textbook.

Teacher’s Guide

Lighten your work load with this Teacher’s Guide. Grading grids and answers are included for all the lessons, discussions, and quizzes in the textbook. Online quizzes are graded online for you. You can find the links to all the online quizzes here. (You’ll need the textbook for all the passwords.) For a FREE sample of a quiz, click here.

Want to conduct a book-of-the-month club with your teens? The Teacher’s Guide includes a schedule for that, along with Facebook posts to keep your students interested in the novel they’re reading and to enrich their experience.

Click here to purchase the Teacher’s Guide.

Quiz and Answer Manual

This manual is optional. It is for those who prefer that their students take the quizzes and opinion surveys on paper instead of online. In here, you’ll find the “Yes, I read it” quizzes, literary terms quizzes, and opinion surveys for each book your students read in this course. Click here for a FREE sample of a quiz.

Click here to purchase the Quiz and Answer Manual.

Novel Notebook

This required Novel Notebook coordinates with the textbook. Students will answer questions in it, collect favorite passages, and draw conclusions about what they’ve just read.

For your FREE download of the complete Novel Notebook, click here. Students can print it off and then put it in a 3-ring binder for easy access.

Writing with Sharon Watson is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon may serve content and advertisements, collect information directly from visitors, and place or recognize cookies on visitors’ browsers. To view Writing with Sharon Watson’s privacy policy, click here.

What Parents are Saying

“This course has taught my daughter how to analyze books and movies and the motives behind the authors’ and directors’ intents. Critical for anyone not wishing to be easily swayed.”

— VALERIE

“This curriculum encouraged my students to read literature they might not have tried otherwise. They found some new authors to love, and they learned how to find things in literature that applied to their lives now.”

— CHARI

What Students are Saying

“When Worlds Collide has literally revolutionized the way I analyze books and movies and their content. This course has helped shape my worldview concerning literature and has equipped me to understand what I read and watch in a deeper and more appreciative sense.”

— EMILY B.