A Literature Based Homeschool Education Uses Stories and Books as the Primary Texts for Learning.

Literature or story books are used in all methods and programs that claim to be literature based. And that makes sense doesn't it? The concept revolves around the observation that children learn better when they are engaged.

Here is where some programs split - some, like the Charlotte Mason method, prefer that children explore to become engaged, others like the Robinson Curriculum like to hand over the resources and texts to the child and have them concentrate on self determined or independent learning.

I personally like both ideas, especially the self determined stuff.

Stories are chosen for several reasons, but particularly to forge good moral values by experiencing the characters trials and tribulations through literature.

History is taught through the use of historical fiction where character empathy permeates the child's imaginative mind. The Charlotte Mason method also incorporates oral dictation and narration, copy-work, and nature study into the literature based homeschool education. Pros of the literature based method:

Children naturally like to listen and relate to story book characters.

1. This engages them in their own learning without having to depend heavily on text books for information.
2. Children will tend to remember lessons learned through a GOOD story and retain those lessons longer.
3. In high school there are some excellent literature based curriculums that use primary documents for history, and while challenging, these primary documents can bring with them pride in heritage that cannot be replicated.

Cons of the literature based method:

1. Time consuming for both parent and child.
2. Books must be ordered ahead of time or hunted down through the library.
3. Can get expensive, most of them are worth it but beware of the "lesson plan" literature based curriculum. Like unit study lesson plans, these will zap your energy with all the prep time and leave you doing most of the leg work.
4. Some stories that teach good moral values can be dry and boring, thereby deflating the child's enthusiasm.

Leave Literature Based Homeschool and go to Traditional Homeschool