Lightning Lit & Comp Courses - Junior High Level

The curriculum uses grade-appropriate complex texts including classic literature that provides appropriate challenge for junior high students. The progression from 7th to 8th grade shows increasing complexity.

Book selections include challenging classics like 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,' 'Treasure Island,' 'The Hobbit,' and 'To Kill a Mockingbird' with the 8th-grade course having 'a bit heavier' reading load than 7th grade.

The curriculum employs direct instruction through Literary Lessons and structured workbook activities. Students receive explicit teaching of literary concepts and writing skills with clear guidance and practice opportunities.

Review states 'Literary Lessons are the primary source of instructional material' and describes systematic progression through comprehension questions, literary lessons, mini-lessons, and workbook activities before independent writing.

The curriculum provides structured, progressive writing instruction with clear scaffolding from 7th to 8th grade. Students practice multiple genres with guided support that gradually decreases as skills develop.

7th grade provides 'outlines or groups of keywords and phrases from which they will write their compositions' while 8th grade 'still provide some guidance and prompts for students, but less so than for seventh grade.' Students learn brainstorming, outlining, and write various forms including essays, poetry, and stories.

This curriculum strongly emphasizes reading whole books rather than excerpts. Students read complete works like Tom Sawyer, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Treasure Island, and To Kill a Mockingbird alongside shorter pieces from anthologies.

Review states 'All of these courses use real books as the starting place' and 'Any course that uses entire books for most of its reading content necessarily restricts student exposure to a wider variety of genres. However, the selected books for these courses were carefully chosen to provide exposure to a number of genres.'

The curriculum builds some domain knowledge through literary works but appears to focus more on literary analysis skills than systematic domain knowledge building. The selection includes diverse genres and time periods but isn't explicitly organized around knowledge domains.

Books include classic literature, autobiography (Helen Keller), and modern works, with topics covering 'how different cultures are revealed through literature' and worldview questions, but the primary focus is on literary elements rather than systematic content knowledge.

The curriculum includes comprehensive teacher materials with detailed guidance, but appears to assume teachers have basic subject knowledge rather than providing extensive professional development resources.

Each course includes 'a teacher's guide, a student's guide, and a workbook; all three are essential' with answer keys, weekly planning schedules, and discussion questions, but review doesn't mention specific teacher training materials.

The curriculum includes some retrieval practice through comprehension questions, crossword puzzles, and workbook activities, but may not systematically implement spaced review of previously learned material.

Students complete 'comprehension questions' for each work, and there are 'crossword puzzles for each chapter' that 'seem useful reinforcement for lesson material,' but no clear evidence of systematic spaced review.

The curriculum includes vocabulary support but appears to be primarily reference-based rather than systematic instruction. Vocabulary is tied to the literature being read but may not provide comprehensive vocabulary development.

Review mentions 'extensive vocabulary lists with brief definitions for words students will encounter in their reading. These are for reference rather than additional assignments' and crossword puzzles for vocabulary reinforcement.

Not applicable for this grade level. The curriculum is designed for grades 7-8, well beyond the phonics instruction stage.

This is a junior high curriculum for grades 7-8 focused on literature and composition, not foundational reading skills.