This post has been sponsored by Apologia Educational Ministries for the purpose of reviewing the American Literature course. As you will see, this is the very real story of what happened when we used American Literature in our homeschool.
Once my kids are ready for high school level work, my husband takes over the teaching. He writes up assignments on the weekends and goes over new lessons with the kids on evenings and weekends.
We just graduated our first child from high school in May and sent her off to college this fall. We also have a junior in high school. Last year, as he began searching for high school level literature programs for the two of them to use together (as a sophomore and a senior), he was drawn to the brand new American Literature program from Apologia.
We have consistently used Apologia materials for all of our science curriculum from grade school through high school, so we were already familiar with the quality of the materials from this Christian company, we just weren’t aware that they had branched out into literature. So once we found the American Literature course, we placed our order without getting a chance to peruse the material beyond online samples.
When the books arrived, we were impressed by the organization and depth of the material but concerned that it would be too tough for our kids who, to that point, did not have a strong background in writing or literature. But, it was also designed to do exactly what we were looking for — get our kids to look critically at literature and think hard about what they were reading and then write authentic and engaging responses.
So we began first semester hopeful that it would be challenging, but manageable. We raised the challenge up to our teens like a gauntlet.
At first, weekly assignments were a struggle. Because we had not focused as much on writing and literature as we probably should have to that point, our teens were getting the reading done quickly and then spending hours and hours and hours pondering and pontificating with great sweat and tears and lamentations to complete a one paragraph answer for each question posed in the American Literature text. They would complete all of their math and history and science and electives for the week and then sit in front of their computers for hours trying to formulate words that made sense.
My husband slowed down the recommended pace, but we stuck to our guns, and I helped by providing feedback on what they had written. I also encouraged them that writing gets easier the more you practice. It will not always take you this much time. Keep practicing. Stick with it. You can do this. And statements like “Oh, that’s a cool point you started in paragraph three. How could you develop that more?”
My husband helped by giving them negative feedback. “This does not even make sense. What are you trying to say here?” And we kept on plodding along with steady progress and gradual improvements that encouraged us but still battling a fear that this was too much, that our kids could not or would not overcome the deficit caused by our lack of attention in this area.
At this point I feel I must explain. Our kids have always been readers. We’ve given them tons and tons of reading material and audiobook material over the years.
I had always been of the opinion that when it was time to teach them a formal study of literature and writing, they would be ready because of all the great living books they have read. My husband has always been of the opinion that they should start writing formally in the third grade and study literature formally way before high school.
So this year of American Literature was kind of like a collision between our two points of view. In my opinion, it was time and they were ready, but in his opinion they were way behind. And neither one of us was fully sure what the outcome would be when they were suddenly faced with an A.P. level of work.
And then one day, my son (a sophomore) emailed me with an essay assignment for feedback and grammar checks. And as I read it, I noticed that it was well-organized and well-articulated. What I was reading actually made sense and was a valid response to the assigned literature for that week.
We were getting somewhere. This progress probably wasn’t as sudden as it seemed to be, but for me it was like watching a lightbulb switch on in the brain of my teen.
Assignments started getting done more quickly. We had fewer tears, less sweat, and faster typing noises coming from the school room.
We had complete essays with strong thesis statements. They were looking critically at the stories and opinions of others and analyzing what they read — holding it up to the light of Jesus and responding in words, but also in their hearts, to the reading material covered by this American Literature course.
And that is exactly what a formal study of literature should induce. We were winning.
And then my husband started saying, “You know, you should write a review of American Literature on your blog. It’s really well done. We’ve accomplished a lot this year with the kids. It’s making them think, and their writing skills are improving. It’s a lot of work but it has been totally worth it, don’t you think?”
He pestered me, quite honestly, because when he really, really likes a curriculum, he thinks I should write about it on my blog.
So I contacted my friends at Apologia and said, “I’d like to write a review.” And they emailed me back and said “Great, let’s do a giveaway too!” So make sure you read to the end, check out the curriculum, and enter the giveaway. Your high school homeschool will thank you.
So far, I’ve shared a whole lot about our experience with Apologia’s American Literature program, but I haven’t shared much of the nitty gritty of what it entails. I’m guessing you’d like to know details.
American Literature by Dr. Whit Jones, published by Apologia, includes a student textbook and a student notebook. The cost for this program is $129. If you have more than one student who will use the program, you can purchase additional student notebooks for $39. The purpose of the program is to teach students to analyze major works of American literature from a biblical perspective.
The course uses the Socratic method to ask probing questions and get students thinking. It covers a vast selection of American literature from fiction to poetry, from Thoreau to Mark Twain, and from the beginning of American history. The material your child needs to read is almost entirely included in the student text with questions for each.
The notebook has each question from the textbook with plenty or room to write a response. The full essay assignments will need to be done on the computer. You can see a sample of what we think is the best American Literature curriculum for homeschooling high school here.
This course will give your student a full high school credit in literature AND a full high school credit in writing. If you are wondering if the course will prepare your child for college writing assignments, the answer is a resounding yes, as evidenced by our daughter’s essay grades (all A’s so far) in her first college semester.
“The American Literature curriculum was really challenging and made me think a lot, more than any school work or subject that I have done before. I really loved the stories we were reading and how I had to break them down. Often I didn’t really understood what I had read until after I finished doing all of the work. I’m a lot more confident now about reading some wordier and more complex books.” (Jonathan, age 15)
Want to know what my husband is pestering me about now? “Have you asked your friends at Apologia if they will be coming out with British Literature in time for Jonathan to use it next year? I need to know.”
Are you ready to enter the giveaway yet? If you’ve never commented on the site before – I’ll have to approve that first comment BUT go ahead and click “enter” anyway so you can do all the extra entry options! Your comment will count – you just won’t see it right away!
Roibn says
Thank you for this review of Apologia American Literature Course. It looks like it is a very good program. I have 2 daughters that I would love to use this for.
Kelly L. says
This program would be great to have for my son when he is ready for it. I secretly want to work through it on my own. I need to sharpen my own skills!
Danette Benoit says
Wow! What a beautiful story!
My daughter is a reader but really struggles with writing and expressing her thoughts.
Andrea says
Thank you for this review! I love Apologia and am excited that they now have a literature curriculum.
Charlene Teeter says
We love Apologia Science and would lve to try their American Literature as well. This looks like a great literature program.
vicki shepard says
I woul love to win this!
Dianne Cooper says
Thank you for the honest review.
Rachel Nelson says
Really could use this with my kids.
Elizabeth k says
Thank you for the review. This course sounds interesting. I think it may be a good fit for my two kids.
Ginger says
This sounds like a solid curriculum. I will 2nd looking into this further.
Julie G. says
Thank you for such a helpful review. We love Apologia products too!
Charis says
We love Apologia science and I’m looking forward to checking into this literature program more. Thanks for your review!
Amethyst M says
Thank you for this review. This looks like it would be great for our family
Nicki says
I didn’t realize Apologia had this. We are finding that the curriculum we bought for our junior is lacking in many ways and definitely not challenging her. This would be great to switch to.
Jennifer says
Interesting review. It’s really helpful to hear from someone who chose to use the materials first and then decided that it the materials were worth promoting. I’m happy to hear how well this worked for your family and will be adding this to my possible options for when we reach high school in a couple of years.
Desiree Luhnow says
We love Apologia science! I’d love to try their literature as well! My children would greatly benefit from this curriculum.
Andrea Padgett says
I am so glad to have read this review. My son is in 8th grade and I have been thinking about a writing course for him. I am wondering if you found it difficult to grade the assignments? Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Karma Kitto says
Love the socratic method, and have some children who I think would benefit from this 🙂
Camille says
Thank you for the honest, thorough review. I will love to win this!
Lisa Joy Starr says
I have looked at Apologia’s literature courses and have been intrigued but haven’t taken the plunge yet. Sounds like I should after your rave review of them. I’m big on organization in a course and that’s the first thing that caught my attention is when you said how well organized they were.
Thanks!
Lisa Joy Starr
Angela says
Our family would be greatly blessed to win this American Literature set by apologia.
Hope Mabe says
I work in a book store that sells Apologia curriculum. We always recommend their curriculum as all their subjects offered are well written and challenging. Apologia is an all around ” top notch” way to educate your family.
Keri Archer says
Thank you for this post. I have used Apologia materials for science and worldview studies but didn’t realize they even had a literature and writing course. I will check it out!
Gail says
Thank you for your honesty. It encourages others to keep on when the going gets tough. It is so important for young people to learn to analyze what they read in light of Scripture. This sounds like a good curriculum.
Billie says
We have used a good amount of Apologia’s sciences. This sounds like a really good literature curriculum. Would love to take a closer look at it.
Michelle W says
Thanks for this review. I saw that this had been released but hadn’t paid much attention. I will certainly give it a closer look now!!
Sarah says
Sounds like a great curriculum. Thanks for the info.
Tina says
Hadn’t heard of this program! Sounds like a wonderful choice for my dd.
Kelly H. says
Thank you very much for your review. My son will be entering high school next year, and I feel somewhat like a deer in head lights. Having a set curriculum for 2 subjects now would be a tremendous help for us.
Rebecca C says
THank you for a great review about this product. I have been trying to decide if I wanted to use this with my high schoolers.
Sarah says
I have been reading through the samples of this, as I’m making plans to begin our first year of high school next year. It’s good to hear from someone who’s actually used it. This is a strong area for me, and was my major in college, so I love literature. However, I’m terrified to get into it because my children are dyslexic and I’m so afraid to overwhelm them, or that they aren’t going to be able to keep up and it will be a train wreck.
Tyra says
Thank you for writing this review! I didn’t know Apologia had a literature curriculum! It looks awesome!
Judith Martinez says
I like that it seems to make difficult pieces of literature more approachable.
Tanya says
I haven’t heard of this curriculum. Thanks for the review. I’m very interested in it for my son.
Anne H says
I did not know Apologia offered Literature curriculum. After reading your review I am very much interested and would like to take a closer look at this product.
Maggie Smith says
Thank you for sharing so candidly with us. It’s always wonderful to hear of the journey and accomplishments along the path. Such a blessing will surely be bestowed upon another family and hope their story will be just as wonderful!
Kristi says
WE love Apologia science and would love to try their literature course. Thank you for the informational review! I have four kids I would love to use this with. Thank you!
Amy G says
This curriculum sounds really great. We are in the same boat…avid reader, but reluctant writer. I think this could be of good benefit.
Beth says
I have used apologia’s science and worldview series. This looks good as well. I have kids who don’t like to write, and some of those don’t like to read either. At least not what I tell them to read. Being well written is one of my goals for my kids.
Krista says
We love Apologia for science, and I was interested in their literature curriculum. Thanks so much for the review and information.
Beverly R says
This review is so encouraging! It would be so so so nice of writing were less of a struggle here.
LaKrisha C says
I really enjoyed this review. Even though we’ve covered American Literature, we may revisit next year for the writing aspect.
Melanie Ireland says
Thank you for your review. I have found teaching literary analysis and writing to be a challenge. But Apologia’s American Literature course sounds like it would be great for me and my high school daughter. Did you get an answer back from Apologia about a British Literature course? I would love to have that also.
Thank you, Melanie Ireland
Gigi says
Have you compared it with Sonlight’s American Literature?
Nicolle says
This curriculum sounds like a good fit for my high schooler with special needs; writing is a struggle. Thanks for the review!
Michelle in OK says
Your philosophy sounds just like mine–give them access to tons of good books and let the natural language learning happen while they are young and then have more formal instruction once they reach high school. I have one that prefers not to wrote, but loves to make presentations. He will need some focused writing instruction soon. Your review sounds like this would be a wonderful fit for this child. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Stacey says
Didn’t know that apologia had a lot course! We use and love the science. So glad to hear the writing component is strong.
Stacey says
Didn’t know that apologia had a lit course! We use and love the science. So glad to hear the writing component is strong.
Bernadette says
Thanks for your review! It’s encouraging to hear about the skills your high schoolers developed while using this course.
Crystal says
I think this would be an amazing addition to my sons future curriculum.
Heather Goetsch says
I really appreciate the honesty of your review and what you have said about where the kids were in writing and analyzing literature. Our family is totally in the same spot. We’ve been doing lots of remedial work and I worried about something being “too hard/advanced” but this review was an encouragement. We’ve been seeking different options and this will definitely be on our list for further review.
Mandy Bamford says
Thank you for your honest review of this curriculum. This curriculum sounds great, I woul love to win it for me kids!
Joey says
Thanks for reviewing this curriculum. I will, Lord willing, homeschool through high school!
Laurie says
We love Apologia. This looks like another great course from them. Thank you for sharing it.
Erin says
Would love to use this with my oldest.
sara says
This course really does sound wonderful. I love that studying great works is used to develop communication and writing skills, critical thinking, and reading with a purpose. It sounds like this American Literature course would be a great addition to our familiy’s curricula!
Rach says
We use Apologia Science at our home. We have been impressed with the quality. I was not aware they offered literature as well. Thank you for your site I enjoy it.
Christina H says
Thanks for your complete review, this sounds fabulous! It’s perfect timing for our family to consider.
Melanie says
Thank you for sharing this review, We also use the Apologia for Science but the thought never occurred to me before how great of a class this may be. But you are right, the Science is excellent so for sure the Literature will be as well!! I think I will definitely look into my son taking this class next year or the year after. Thank you for your honesty regarding how challenging it was for your children, it will be good for us too!! 😉
Tiffany says
I’m excited to see that it is “enough”. We have planned on doing it as an literature credit, but I didn’t know it was also a writing credit.
I also have been waiting and watching for a British literature curriculum to follow up with.
Thank you for your review!
Cristy S. says
Being able to write a concise essay, with correct spelling and grammar is the exception rather than the norm anymore. I am excited to see a high school course that teaches literature and writing; even 30 years ago, it was a rarity. Thanks for the excellent review and giveaway!
Michelle Herod says
Thanks so much for the information.
Karen says
I’m not happy with our current literature program and have been looking for something new. This course sounds perfect for us!
Crystal says
Thanks for doing this giveaway! It would be great to win it!!!!!
Kimby says
I can never afford new curriculum, let alone apologia products. Winning his would be a real game changer in our homeschool journey. Thank you for offering the chance. Also, i appreciate your transparency regarding your children’s writing skills. I too have wavered back and forth wondering if my 3 boys will suddenly have a writing “light bulb” or if they are behind. You’ve encouraged me!
Lisa B says
Thank you for this review! I have looked at this curriculum briefly a couple of times, wondering if it would be a good fit for our daughter who is starting high school next year. A good review is always helpful and now I have more to go on.
Wendy says
This sounds like a great curriculum. I have wondered the same thing about how much to focus on writing and analyzing in the primary grades. In fact, I didn’t focus on spelling much until third grade, but have been a little sorry. You’ve given me something to think about…
And good to know that some things can be saved, even starting later!
Liz says
We will homeschool all the way through. Many are naysayers, but we know that we are called to do so. Our son is only in fifth grade right now, so I’ve not looked too much into curriculum for the higher grades. It’s good to know that Apologia offeres this curriculum. Thank you for your review.
Kristen says
Thank you for this fantastic review. I love reading but was concerned how I would approach the writing part. This sounds like an excellent curriculum.
Pam says
We love Apologia. This looks like a great resource for High School. Thanks for the giveaway.
Stepheny Seabolt says
This course looks like it would be excellent for my kids. We haven’t really focused that much on writing either, so any help would be a blessing in that area!
Danica says
This program sure sound like a winner, challenging but it seems to pay off.
Lacey says
Planning ahead for high school which we’ll be covering the next few years. My how time flies!
Lisa Whitlock says
My son is in 8th grade this year. We haven’t focused much on writing either, and I imagine we’ll face the same struggles when we dive in next year. This would be a wonderful program with which to take the plunge. 🙂
Jamie E. says
Teaching writing and literature in the coming years intimidates me. Like another commenter, I too would love to take the course myself. This sounds like an amazing resource. Thanks for your review and giveaway opportunity.
SHELIA BOWMAN says
The thought of doing high school scares me. I had to work up to early elementary. 🙂 We’re still not how far we’ll go but knowing that there is a great curriculum available gives me courage. Thank you.
Diane says
This sounds great. English is my worst subject and I can use more help for my children to enjoy literature and writing.
Barbara Null says
Thank You for your review. It helps get an idea of the curriculum. This appears to be something I would love to use with my students. We really like other Apologia products.
Kirsten says
Though my son is no where near high school, I am intrigued by this curriculum. Teaching children to articulate themselves and formulate an argument, fun stuff 🙂 AND my son said he wanted to be a writer, engineer and missionary 😀
Molly Cash says
I would love to try this curriculum for my boys. My eldest is probably not going to benefit from it much, since he’s in 11th grade now, but my next soon is coming up – he’s currently in 7th grade, so it won’t be long!
Suzette says
We will be starting high school next year so I’ve been keeping my eye out for different curriculum options. This review was very helpful!
Amy Ritchie says
I am really looking forward to checking out this curriculum. I have an 8th grader and am looking for quality high school materials!
Jennifer Mathesz says
I don’t think I would do HS literature justice, so this sounds great!
Kim says
This sound s like something my high schooler could really use.
Clarissa West says
I’ve always loved Apologia and your review just confirms that! This would be a great curriculum for us to use for high school (in a few years)!
Peggy says
This sounds great. I have a couple of kiddos that like to read but writing is not really their skill or mine so this sounds like it might be of great help in that area.
Dana says
This looks like just what we need! Very excited to see a literature program from Apologia.
Teri P. says
I have loved Apologia science in the past. Getting ready to start my second high schooler soon and this looks like a good fit. Thank you for your review!
Dana says
I didn’t realize Apologia had a literature program for high school. Thank you for your encouraging review, I’m going to have to go check it out!
Stacy says
We love Apologia Science and I had no idea they had a literature program as well. I’m excited to check it out.
Debbie says
Would so love to use this curriulum with my son!
Cabot Mama says
How timely! My oldest is in 7th grade and an avid reader; however, I’ve had a nagging feeling that he is missing out because we don’t have a formal literature program. American Lit would be an excellent addition to junior high when we tackle American History. We have used Apologia for both General and Physical Science, and have been very impressed with the level of academic quality.
Katrina says
This curriculum looks amazing! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Jenny Baker says
We are starting high school next year and I need to know what to teach as far as Lit
Jill N Miller says
Looks great!!
Laurie says
Thanks for this review. This is an area we also need more focus on. You stated it includes a student textbook and notebook – Is there a teachers manual also?
Deana Cox says
Looks great! Good literature programs from a Christian worldview are hard to come by. 🙂 Even if we don’t win, I will definitely keep this program in mind for when we are looking for a good lit program.
Kerry says
Thank you for this excellent review. It sounds like a terrific program!
Emily says
This looks like a great curriculum to try out! I have used some of apologia’s other resources and really enjoyed them.
Tara says
You have made me think about my current approach to teaching literature.
Jennifer says
Thanks for a thorough review. I am interested in using this in the future for my children.
Debbie McMullen says
We recently started trying out their physical science at our co-op,and although I was a little skeptical at first it’s actually a great program! So I’d love to use this Lit program too!
Sabrina says
We love Apologia Science too, so I’m really excited to learn about this American Literature curriculum. Thank you for the review.
Suzanne says
We haven’t tried anything from Apologia yet, but this curriculum sounds great. I would love to check it out.
Faith says
Would love to win!!
Melissa Pallex says
Prior to reading your review, I was aware of Apologia’s science curricula and some of their other students materials, but I hadn’t heard of their literature programs either. Thank you for a well-written review! I’m definitely going to check out their literature offerings for my high schooler.
Megan says
High school has felt somewhat overwhelming to me but this review gives me hope! Thank you’
Amy says
Sounds like a very good literature course. Thanks for the review.
Beth Drees says
Thank you for your review of this course. It sounds like a good program.
Deborah says
Thank you for this review, it explains the curriculum very well, and how to use it. It sounds like Apologia has done it again, by providing another solid Homeschool course.
Katherine says
This is such an honest review. I especially liked learning about both of your perspectives to literature teaching. It is a hard subject to navigate successfully. Thank you for providing such detail on the Apologia course.
Wendy says
I appreciate your honesty and insight but I would like to know if the materials give you guidance for grading each assignment and when you say AP level work are you saying this is an AP course and students can take the AP exam as well? If not AP, what is the level? I know other Apologia materials are supposed to be honors-level but cannot find schools in SC that recognize it as such and so do they provide information and material that would support honors-level credit? When you say much of the material they read is included in the student book, does that mean they read primarily excerpts from books and not the entire book? How much work is independent, how much parent support is provided, is there a reading list? IT is not common to earn a full credit in reading and a full credit in writing. In SC we must call them Composition and Literature. If the student earns a full credit in both and listed as 1 credit in composition and 1 credit in literature on the transcript, does that mean the course takes twice as long as other literature programs?
Lisa M says
I’ve used Apologia science in past years and would love the opportunity to try their literature program. Especially with my 8th grader soon to be in high school! Thanks for the opportunity to possibly win!
Jen says
I love the idea of an American Literature course by Apologia. I thoroughly enjoyed my English classes in high school but am overwhelmed by the idea of prepping my own so this is a great resource!
alice says
Is this a whole book curriculum, or a survey course?