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Wheat Field

Home of the

The Prairie Primer

"If a person reads for amusement alone, it is of little consequence how he reads. He may read by the yard, ton, or acre, and the result will be the same–intellectual dwarfishness... Read systematically, closely, and thoughtfully, analyzing every subject as you go along, and laying it up carefully and safely in your memory. Reading of a single book is better than the superficial reading of many."    

–William Thayer

Home of the Literature-based study.....

What is Literature-based study?

Literature-based unit studies are comprehensive, unique, and effective interdisciplinary curriculum programs.

Open the door....

...to in-depth literature studies....

  • Where vocabulary and reading comprehension  are only the beginning

  • Colloquialisms, expressions, inferences, allusions are traced back to reveal original meaning and enrich understanding

  • ​Many hard-to-find poems and other sources are provided for study

  • Poetry–rhyme, meter, stanza, interpretation–is explored

  • The elements of the novel–character, plot, style–are taught

  • Contemporary authors are considered and compared

...To the mechanics of language

  • Vocabulary and comprehension exercises are text-based

  • Punctuation and grammar are related to passages from the text

  • Time-tested methods like dictation and recitation are revived to increase skill-building​

...To instilling the value of scholarship

  • Practice good study skills

  • Learn sound research practices through meaningful assignments

  • Become acquainted with a variety of available resources, including primary texts, multi-media materials, and personal interviews

  • Increase intellectual curiosity

  • ​Encourage independent study

...To growth in character

  • Debate the moral and social issues of the day

  • Evaluate the actions and values of the characters

  • Study and memorize Scripture

  • Apply biblical principles to analyses

  • Dialogue with your instructor

...To easier, more effective instruction

  • One source for the study of most of the major subjects

  • It makes the task of teaching much more manageable

  • Interactions with children are more learning-oriented and increase the opportunity for teaching

  • Reduces the number of additional curricula needed to those that require a high degree of skill-specific development like math, the laboratory sciences, spelling, foreign language

  • A wide variety of activities utilize all the learning modules and increase retention

...To increased writing proficiency

  • Study the mechanics of writing

  • Practice all the forms of writing–expository, persuasive, essay, narrative, descriptive, reporting, research, journal–through relevant assignments

  • ​Write book reviews and submit them to booksellers

...To an era

  • Taste the rich and varied context of the culture, the times

  • Experience the events of the period through the eyes of the literary characters

  • Explore those formative times through pertinent background information and directed research

  • Weave isolated events into a comprehensive background of living history

...To a study of the sciences

  • Sharpen skills of observation through hands-on activities like drawing

  • Learn about plants from the gardens and descriptions (of natural settings) in the literary work

  • Follow the path of science and technology as they filter down into everyday life

  • Examine the wide-ranging implications of scientific discoveries in fields as diverse as art and medicine

  • Study climate and other natural phenomena

  • ​See how diseases affected whole populations

...To life application

  • Learn how to increase and maintain personal health

  • Gain firsthand experience of daily life by doing handcrafts, preparing foods of the times, dressing up in period clothes

  • Explore museums and historical sites; do historical reenactments; take field trips

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